Guide: Vaishno Devi

This is a guide to Vaishno Devi: Goddess of the Hills which is one of the comic books included in the three-pack Temples of India (Volume 829). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Call Number PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.829

Guide: Shiva Parvati

This is a guide to Shiva Parvati: A Story of Divine Love (Volume 506). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.506

Summary: The story begins after the death of Shiva's first consort, Sati. She is reborn as Parvati, daughter of the mountain king Himavat and the apsara Menaka. Narada tells Himavat that Parvati is destined to be Shiva's next consort, and he sends Parvati to attend Shiva in his meditations.

Meanwhile, Taraka is terrorizing the gods, and Brahma foresees that the son of Shiva and Parvati will be the one who defeats Taraka. Kama, god of love, and his wife Rati go to see Shiva and make him fall in love. Kama strikes Shiva with one of his arrows, and Shiva angrily burns him to ashes. The gods tell Rati that Kama will be restored to her on Shiva and Parvati's wedding day.

Parvati then practices austerities to try to win Shiva's love on her own. A wandering hermit seeks to persuade Parvati to abandon her quest, but she is steadfast, and this hermit turns out to be Shiva in disguise, testing her. They marry, and Shiva restores Kama to Rati. Together they raise the six-faced god Kartikeya, who grows up to defeat Taraka and restore peace to the gods in heaven.

Guide: Parashurama

This is a guide to Parashurama: Sixth Incarnation of Vishnu (Volume 764). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.764

Summary: The story begins with Bhrigu and his son Richika who married Satyavati. Bhrigu gives his daughter-in-law and her mother sacred rice to produce sons, but they mix up the pots, and this leads to a mix-up in the lineage: Satyavati's son Jamadagni will have a son, Parashurama, who, although born a kshatriya, will live a brahmin's life. He is also an incarnation of Vishnu, born to put a stop to the warriors like Kartavirya Arjuna who are wreaking havoc on earth and in heaven.

So obedient is he to his father, Jamadagni, that he is willing to kill his own mother at his father's command. Kartavirya Arjuna steals the calf of Jamadagni's homa cow, but Parashurama slays Kartavirya and rescues the calf. Kartavirya's sons then kill Jamadagni in revenge, whereupon Parashurama slays the sons of Kartavirya and then all the kshatriya on the earth, generation after generation.

Mother Earth begs Kashyapa to make Parashurama stop the slaughter, and Parashurama then gives away all his wealth to the brahmins, and he gives his weapons to Drona. Parahsurama then departs for the Mahendra mountains to live the life of a hermit ascetic.

You can find out more about Parashurama at Wikipedia.

Guide: Tales of Durga

This is a guide to Tales of Durga: Tales of the Mother Goddess (Volume 514). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.514

Summary: The first story is Durga, The Slayer of Mahisha. Mahisha the asura, hoping to live forever, obtained the boon that he could only be killed by a woman. He confidently attacks Indra and occupies his throne. The angry gods conjure up Devi Durga, and they give her weapons. In his buffalo form, Mahisha (the name means "buffalo") attacks her, and then attacks her in many other forms, but Durga finally kills him. The next story is Chamundi. Shumbha, the Lord of the Asuras, with his generals Chanda and Munda, chases the gods from their heaven. The gods pray to Durga, and the goddess Ambika, a manifestation of Durga, springs forth from Parvati, and Shumbha desires to possess her, and she says she will only marry someone who can defeat her in battle. She is able to turn asuras to ashes with a single word. Ambika then generates Kali from her forehead, who crushes asuras by hurling an elephant at them. Because Kali slays both Chanda and Munda, she acquires the name Chamundi. The final story is How Durga Slew Shumbha. The gods manifest Brahmani, Vaishnavi and Maheshwari to do battle with Shumbha, and Ambika generates Chandika. Hundreds of Shakti manifestations do battle with Shumbha. The asura Raktabeeja scoffs at the women and attacks Indra's Shakti; she wounds him, and each drop of blood generates another Raktabeeja. Thousands of Raktabeejas face the Shaktis. They prevent the blood of the Raktabeejas from reaching the ground and finally they slay them all. They then kill Nishumbha, who is Shumbha's brother. All the Shaktis merge into Durga, and she slays Shumbha at last.

Guide: Indra and Vritra

This is a guide to Indra And Vritra: The Demon Who Terrorized the Gods (Volume 755). You can find it at Amazon.

Call number PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.755.

Guide: Garuda

This is a guide to Garuda: Vishnu's Divine Mount (Volume 547). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.547

Summary: The sage Kashyapa's wives ask for sons: Kadru wants a thousand snakes (nagas), and Vinata asks for two sons as powerful as those snakes. Indra and the tiny Valakhilyas prepared the sacrificial fire, and to humble Indra the Valakhilyas pray that another Indra be born: he will be the lord of winged creatures, Garuda. Kadru's children hatch first, and the impatient Vinata cracks open one of her two eggs too early; her son Aruna, the sun's charioteer, is not fully formed. She waits until Garuda hatches and he then frees her from enslavement to her sister as a result of their bet about the color of the tail of Uchchaihshravas, the cosmic horse (Kadru cheated). To free his mother, Garuda must steal the heavenly amrita; he does so, but he also enables Indra to steal it back!

Guide: Karttikeya

This is a guide to Karttikeya: A Son of Shiva (Volume 529). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Call Number PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.529

Guide: Indra and Shachi

This is a guide to Indra and Shachi: The Lord of Heaven and his Devoted Wife (Volume 567). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.567

Summary: The three-headed Trishiras, son of Tvashta, is a sworn enemy of Indra. Indra defeats Trishiras, but must do penance for his crime. Tvashta creates the asura Vritra to avenge his son's death. Indra pretends to make peace with Vritra and then kills him; ashamed of his deceit, he runs away, which causes chaos on earth. The gods invite the mortal Nahusha to take Indra's place, but they are not happy under his rule. Indra's queen, Shachi, flees Nahusha's advances. The gods seek out Indra and ask him to expel Nahusha from heaven. Upashruti, the night goddess, escorts Shachi to Indra and they come up with a plan to defeat Nahusha when he is being carried in a palanquin by the seven sages. One of the sages, Agastya, curses Nahusha to turn into a snake, and Indra again becomes king of heaven.

Guide: Ganga

This is a guide to Ganga: The Divine Beauty (Volume 515). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.515

Summary: Asuras who hide in the ocean are tormenting the people of earth, so Vishnu sends the gods to Agastya, who agrees to drink up the whole ocean, and it remains dry until the sons of Sagara set in motion a chain of events that brings the goddess Ganga to earth. When Sagara performs the Ashwamedha horse sacrifice, Indra steals the horse, so he sends all 60,000 sons in search of the horse; when they accuse Kapila of having stolen the horse, he burns them all to ashes. Sagara then sends his grandson Amsuman to see what happened. Amsuman retrieves the horse and discovers his uncles' ashes. Amsuman's own grandson Bhagiratha performs penances to bring Ganga down to earth, with Shiva protecting the earth from the power of her descent. When Ganga's waters disturb the sacrifice of Jahnu, he drinks her, but finally he relents and lets her go. Ganga fills the ocean and purifies the ashes of the sons of Sagara.

Guide: Ganesha

This is a guide to Ganesha: The Remover of All Obstacles (Volume 509). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.509

Summary: This story tells how Parvati creates Ganesha all on her own as her son to stand guard at her door. Because Parvati tells him to let no one in, he stops Shiva from entering and fights back not only Shiva, but Brahma and the other gods. Parvati, enraged at the attacks on her son, manifests as Kali and Durga. Shiva finally beheads the boy, making Parvati even more enraged, but Shiva replaces the boy's head with an elephant head, and so he becomes the Ganesha that we know.

Guide: Surya

This is a guide to Surya: How the Sun God Was Tamed (Volume 566). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.566

Summary: The story begins with Sanjna, the daughter of Vishwakarma. She loves Surya, and her father arranges their marriage. They have a son: Manu. One day, unable to bear Surya's light, she turns away, and so he curses her to give birth to Yama, the god of death, and his inconstant twin, the girl Yamuna. Sanjna summons her own shadow, Chhaya, and sends her to Surya in her place, while she returns home, but her father sends her away, so she turns herself into a horse. Chhaya has more children with the sun, and she loves them more than Sanjna's children. Yama denounces the false Sanjna and Surya confronts her. Surya seeks Sunjna, she turns back into a woman, and they all make a family together, Surya, Sanjna and Chhaya, and their children.

Guide: Saraswati

This is a guide to Saraswati: Stories of the Goddess of Wisdom (Volume 840; not available yet at Amazon).

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.840

Summary: This comic book contains several separate stories — and some beautiful artwork! "The Birth of Saraswati" tells how the goddess of wisdom emerged from Brahma's meditation and how Brahma grew new heads in order to gaze at her from every direction. In "Saraswati Becomes a River," the all-consuming fire of Vadavagni threatens to destroy the world, so Saraswati becomes a river to carry the fire away; it also tells the story of King Prabhanjana who was cursed to become a tiger. The "River of Blood" tells how Vishvamitra cursed Saraswati to become filled with blood and how the sages were able to reverse the curse and purify the river's waters.

Guide: The Churning of the Ocean

This is a guide to The Churning of the Ocean (Volume 538). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.538

Summary: The sage Durvasa receives a fragrant garland from an apsara; he gives it to Indra, and Airavata flings it on the ground. Durvasa is angry and curses Indra; the gods and all the natural world begin to grow weak, and the asuras are able to defeat them in battle. Vishnu urges them to make peace with the asuras, and then to churn the amrita nectar from the ocean with the asuras' help, but to keep all the nectar for themselves. The gods go to Bali, lord of the asuras, to make peace, and they persuade the asuras to help them churn the Ocean of Milk. With the help of Vishnu and Garuda, they use Mount Mandara as the churning rod, and they use Vasuki as the churning rope, with Vishnu's avatar, Kurma the tortoise, as the base on which the mountain sits. The asuras are holding Vasuki's head, and the smoking fumes from his mouths choke them. Then the poisonous Halahala emerges from the ocean, but Shiva drinks it up, which turns his throat blue. All kinds of marvelous creatures emerge from the churning, and finally Shri emerges, captivating all the gods and asuras, and she chooses Vishnu as her consort. Finally, Dhanvantari emerges from the ocean, carrying the nectar, and the asuras grab it. Vishnu takes the form of Mohini, a beautiful woman, and the asuras want her to distribute the nectar. She gives nectar to the gods, just smiling at the asuras, but the asura Rahu becomes suspicious; he sneaks into the group of gods and begins to drink the nectar, but Vishnu cuts off Rahu's head just as he begins to swallow the nectar, and Rahu's head shoots off into the sky. The asuras realize the gods have tricked them, and a fight breaks out. Vishnu uses his Sudarshana Chakra to kill thousands of asuras, and the asuras hurl mountains at the gods. In the end, the gods defeat the asuras and return to their heavenly home.

Guide: Sati and Shiva

This is a guide to Sati and Shiva: Perfection Rewarded (Volume 550). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.550

Summary: The goddess Uma was born on earth as Sati, daughter of Daksha, to become Shiva's wife. Shiva is so impressed by her devotional practices that he agrees to marry her. Daksha is not happy with her choice, and he scorns Shiva, refusing to invite the married couple to his great sacrifice, but Sati goes anyway, riding on Nandi. Daksha continues to insult Shiva, and in her shame Sati decides to die so that she can be reborn as the daughter of a more worthy father. She casts herself into the fire and dies. A huge fight breaks out between Shiva's attendants and demons loyal to Daksha, and Shiva's attendants retreat to Mount Kailash.

When Shiva hears what happened, he pulls out a clump of his hair and generates Virabhadra and Mahakali, and then he sends them to attack Daksha. Another huge fight breaks out, with Indra helping to defend Daksha from Virabhadra and Mahakali. Vishnu also attacks Virabhadra, but cannot stop him, and Virabhadra finally tears off Daksha's head and throws it into the sacrificial fire. Vishnu and Brahma persuade Shiva to revive Daksha to complete the sacrifice, but he will have the head of a goat.

Sati, meanwhile, will be reborn as Parvati so that she can again be Shiva's consort. You can read about Shiva and Parvati here: Shiva Parvati: A Story of Divine Love.

Guide: Ashwini Kumars

This is a guide to Ashwini Kumars: Tales of Devotion from the Vedas (Volume 669). You can find it at Amazon.

All the ACK comic books are on Reserve in Bizzell, and the call number for this issue is: PN 6790.I443 A437 v. 669

Pirates raid the king's ships, so his son, Prince Bhujyu, mounts a counterattack, asking for the blessings of the gods, including the Ashvin Twins. A storm sinks the ships, and the prince prays to the Ashvins to rescue him. He then goes to sea again to attempt to complete his mission. There is an allusion to the rescue of Bhujyu in the Rig Veda, and when Bhujyu prays to the gods he mentions other names that appear in the Vedic hymns that invoke the Ashwins.

The comic book also contains the story of the sage Atri and his sons who are beset by dasyus in the forest, and they pray to the Ashwins to come to their rescue. This story is also inspired by an allusion in the Rig Veda, and you can find out more about the sage Atri at Wikipedia.

Guide: Thanjavur

This is a guide to Thanjavur: City of Brihadeeswara (Volume 836). You can find it at Amazon.

All the ACK comic books are on Reserve in Bizzell, and the call number for this issue is: PN 6790.I443 A437 v. 836

Summary: Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu is the site of the Brihadeeswara Temple. Legends tell of a wicked asura in ancient times named Thanjan. Vishnu defeats Thanjan, and the site of that battles becomes the prosperous city of Thanjavur. In the 9th century, it becomes capital of the Chola kings. The great Chola king Raja Raja (king of kings) leads his people to victory over neighboring kingdoms, and he then dedicates him to worshiping Shiva, and Shiva and Parvati intervene miraculously in the making of a statue of Shiva Nataraja, Lord of the Dance. The king then goes on a quest to recover the hymns of Shiva stored in a temple at Chidambaram, and he receives Shiva's approval to recover some of the hymns.

When the king falls ill, he vows to build an enormous temple to Shiva, with beautiful carvings in the stones, and a statue of Nandi in which a toad was trapped; when the stonecarver sets the toad free, it goes to live in the sacred pond. The builders complete the Brihadeeswara Temple in the year 1010.

A fresco in the temple depicts Shiva as Shiva Tripurantaka. That story goes like this: with a boon from Brahma, three asura brothers built three cities of gold, silver, and iron which can be destroyed only by a single arrow. Shiva vows to accomplish this feat using Vishnu himself as the arrow. Another fresco tells of Sundarar, a follower of Shiva: Sundarar was the adopted son of a king who later finds out that he is a slave, but it turns out that his new master is Shiva, who wants Sundarar to compose hymns for him. As punishment for marrying two different women, Sundarar loses his sight, but he continues to worship Shiva, who then restores his sight. When Sundarar's life is over, Shiva brings him to Mount Kailash. The great king's son expanded the Chola Empire even further, and he too built great monuments. See the notes on the back page for more historical context and details.

The Chola dynasty lasted until 1279. You can read more at Wikipedia: The Chola Dynasty and Great Living Chola Temples, including the Brihadeeswarar Temple.

Guide: Konark

This is a guide to Konark: Temple to the Sun (Volume 833). You can find it at Amazon.

All the ACK comic books are on Reserve in Bizzell, and the call number for this issue is: PN 6790.I443 A437 v. 833

You can read more about the Konark Sun Temple at Wikipedia. The comic book begins with the builder of the temple, King Narasimha, who ruled in Odisha (in eastern India) during the 13th century. You will read about the everyday wisdom of an old woman that was crucial to building the temple, and you will also read a story about the architect of the temple and his young son. There are also stories about the sun-god Surya, of course, like the story of his wife Sanjana and her shadow-self, Chhaya, and also the birth of the horse-lords, the Ashwins, twin sons of Surya. There is the story of a former temple, built on the same spot by Samba, son of Krishna and his wife Jambavati, daughter of the bear-king Jambavan; in that story you will learn about the Syamantaka gem. When Samba insults the great sage Narada, a disaster ensues: Samba grows ill, and must do penance to the sun-god for a cure. Finally, there is a story about King Narasimha's love of elephants, and his elephant Sudehi in particular, which is why there are so many elephant carvings in the Konark Sun Temple. In the end, crownstone to the temple is secured thanks to the architect's young son, who is willing to make a supreme sacrifice for his father in the end.

Guide: Ayyappan

This is a guide to Ayyappan: The Lord of Shabarimala (Volume 673). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Call Number PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.673

Guide: Indra and Shibi

This is a guide to Indra and Shibi: Tales of the Wise Lord of Heaven (Volume 524). You can find it at Amazon.

Call number PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.524.

Guide: Tales of Vishnu

This is a guide to Tales of Vishnu: The Gentle God (Volume 512). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Call Number PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.512