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: Tulsidas

This is a guide to Tulsidas: The Poet Who Wrote Ram-Charit-Manas (Volume 551). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.551

We also have an Amar Chitra Katha comic book version of Tulsidas' Ram-Charit Manas!

Summary: Tulsidas was a poet and saint (1532-1623), author of one of the most famous versions of the Ramayana. The comic book begins with the sinister omens surrounding Tulsidas's birth. Tulsidas devoted himself to Rama, and eventually left his family to preach the story of Rama in Hindi. He experienced visions of Hanuman, Rama and Lakshmana, and Shiva, and he was also involved in the politics of his time (you can read about Rana Pratap at Wikipedia). For more about Tulsidas, see Wikipedia: Tulsidas.

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: Jagannatha of Puri

This is a guide to Jagannatha of Puri: Dreamt by a King, Sculpted by the Gods (Volume 709). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.709

Summary: King Indradyumna seeks a holy statue to put in a great temple. In a dream he sees a vision of a statue of Krishna in a cave. The story is about the king's quest to find the statue and build the temple. It is something like a "Rip van Winkle" type of story in the end, with all kinds of twists and turns. This is the origin story of the Jagannath Temple in Puri which you can read about at Wikipedia.

Guide: Pradyumna

This is a guide to Pradyumna: Son of Krishna (Volume 760). You can find it at Amazon.

Bizzell Reserves call number: PN 6790 .I443 A437 v.760

Summary: Pradyumna, son of Krishna and Rukmini, is an incarnation of Kama, the god of love, and he is destined to kill the asura Shambara. Shambara tries to escape his destiny by killing Pradyumna, and Rati, the wife of Kama, also comes to earth and plays a crucial role in the story. You can read more about Pradyumna at Wikipedia.