Lakshman Rao U
With reverence and due decorum, the guards of Janaka escorted the young sages, Aṣṭāvakra and Śvetaketu, into the grand hall of debate. The assembly glittered with the radiance of wisdom; sages, scholars, and masters of ancient sciences adorned its breadth, while the royal seer Janaka presided with serene majesty upon his throne. The atmosphere shimmered…
The sage Romasa spoke of King Somaka, who once performed a great sacrifice and obtained a son named Jantu. The child was the joy of the palace, tenderly reared by the king, the queens, and their attendants. All the queens loved him as their own, so united in affection that the people marveled at such…
The sage Chyavana, deeply delighted with the devotion and virtue of Sukanya, resolved to test her with a subtle trial, knowing well its consequences and the extent of his own ascetic power upon the world and his kin. With calm detachment, he said to her, “Follow the counsel of the divine twins, the Asvins.” Obedient…
The disciple of Parashurama, the sage Akruthavarṇa, continued his narration of Jamadagni. During the years when Jamadagni and his family lived in strict austerity, his sons once went into the forest to gather fruits and sacred grass. It so happened that the mighty Haihaya monarch, Kārtavīrya, radiant in strength like the blazing sun, and famed…
The sage Romasa spoke thus: In remote ages, upon the northern shores of the sacred Vytharani, countless sacrifices were performed by sages and gods alike. Their ritual ablutions, after the completion of those vast ceremonies, enriched the river with a fragrance celestial and enduring. For in every holy rite, the share offered to Shiva was…
Romasa, in his tranquil voice, spoke to the sons of Dharma about the fire clouds and the sacred hermitages that adorned the ancient world. He said that upon the northern mountains stood the hermitage of the sage Rishabha, whose nature was fierce and untamed. His anger, once provoked by even a word, burst forth like…
Dharmaja, eager to learn the mystery of the heavenly river’s descent, questioned the sage Romasa as to how King Bhageeradha had brought the celestial stream down to fill the ocean’s depths. The sage, serene in countenance, began his narration. In ancient ages there reigned King Sagara of the Ikshvaku dynasty, conqueror of the mighty and…
The sage Ugraśravasa, seated amidst the serene hermitage of Naimisha, narrated to Sounaka and the assembled sages the grand tale of the Mahabharata. When the discourse reached the deeds of the sage Agastya, Dharmaja entreated the venerable Romasa to recount further the marvels wrought by that seer through his penance. Romasa thus spoke: In the…
The king of Vidarbha, Nagnagit, and his queen, Mithravaruni, were at length relieved from the tormenting anxiety that had long clouded their hearts when their daughter Lopamudra, in serene devotion, declared her willingness to accept the sage Agastya as her lord. Yet, even as they yielded to her resolve, faint shadows of doubt lingered. They…
The saintly Dhoumya once discoursed upon the sacred journey ordained by the Gods and sages to sanctify the hearts of men and restore balance to the world. The celestial assembly deemed it essential that each soul be cleansed of inner impurities before undertaking the greater charge of universal harmony. As divine fortune entered the realm…
