All Stories

Guru Nanak asked disciples to eat a corpse. While others fled in horror, Bhai Lehna asked Where shall I start? At the head or the toes? When he lifted the sheet, the corpse had transformed into sacred food (prashad). This demonstrated his complete surrender to the Gurus will.

When Brahmas vital yajna required his wifes presence and Saraswati arrived late, she found Brahma had married Gayatri to complete the ritual. Enraged, she cursed that Brahma would never be worshipped on earth - explaining why he has only two temples.

Karva, an extremely devoted wife, uses her sheer will and prayers to protect her husband from death by a crocodile. She binds Yama (God of death) with cotton yarn and threatens to curse him, compelling him to restore her husbands life.

At the dawn of Kali Yuga, Vishnu incarnates as Buddha to lead the asuras away from Vedic rituals they had been misusing. Through teachings of non-violence and compassion, he redirects corrupted beings toward paths that would weaken their demonic power while preserving cosmic balance.

The demon brothers Shumbha and Nishumbha conquer the three worlds. When they demand Goddess Ambika marry Shumbha, she vows to wed only one who defeats her in battle. The Goddess manifests various forms including Kali and the Matrikas, destroys demons Chanda, Munda, and Raktabija, and ultimately slays both brothers to restore divine order.

Yogananda meets Giri Bala, a Bengali woman saint who had not eaten or drunk anything since 1880 - over 56 years. Shamed by her mother-in-law for gluttony as a young bride, she received initiation into a kriya technique that freed her body from dependence on food.

King Megharath, a past incarnation of Tirthankara Shantinatha, saw a pigeon being chased by a falcon. When the pigeon sought refuge, the king vowed to protect it. The falcon demanded flesh equal to the pigeons weight. Without hesitation, Megharath sliced flesh from his own body. The falcon, actually a deity testing him, revealed itself and begged forgiveness.

King Mitrasaha (Kalmashapada) was cursed to become a Rakshasa for twelve years after inadvertently serving human flesh to his preceptor. When sprinkled with sacred Ganga water by a brahmana chanting Vishnus names, he regained human form and attained liberation, demonstrating the purifying power of the holy river.

A snake keeps eating a crows eggs. Unable to fight directly, the crow follows a foxs advice: steal the queens necklace and drop it into the snakes hole. When royal guards retrieve it, they kill the snake. Wit defeats strength.

A hungry jackal finds a drum making frightening sounds when wind hits it. Instead of fleeing, he investigates and discovers harmless noise plus food nearby. Only the brave who investigate the unknown find rewards.

After Chandraguptas first direct attack failed, a village woman scolded her son for eating bread from the center instead of cooling edges first. She said Chandragupta was equally foolish. Chanakya learned to conquer smaller kingdoms first before the capital.

Overhearing thieves hiding in his garden, Tenali loudly tells his wife to throw valuables in the well. Thieves spend all night drawing water, finding only stones. At dawn, Tenali thanks them for watering his plants.

Birbal gives servants equal-length sticks claiming they grow longer if held by a thief. The real thief cuts his shorter fearing exposure. The sticks were ordinary - the guilty conscience betrayed him. Truth always prevails.

Legend holds that Mahabalipuram once had seven grand pagodas, but Indra grew jealous of its earthly splendor rivaling heaven. He unleashed a devastating storm that submerged six of seven temples, leaving only the Shore Temple standing. The 2004 tsunami revealed underwater structures, lending archaeological credibility to these ancient tales.

Rupa and Sanatana Goswami, former ministers to the Muslim sultan, met Chaitanya and received His mercy. The Lord instructed them to go to Vrindavan with a fourfold mission: uncover lost holy sites, install Deities, write books on devotional science, and teach devotional practices.

During a famine, sage Ushasti begs for leftover beans from an elephant keeper. He accepts food (emergency ethics) but refuses leftover water since it wasn't necessary for survival. Later, he demonstrates profound knowledge of Prana at a king's sacrifice - true wisdom transcends circumstances.

Prince Dara Shikoh was poisoned by his brother Aurangzeb. Despite Mughal enmity toward Sikhs, Guru Har Rai provided rare medicines needed. When Sikhs questioned why he helped an enemy, the Guru replied: With one hand man breaks flowers and with one hand offers them, but the flowers perfume both hands alike.

Guru Hargobind established the Akal Takht (Throne of the Timeless), building it with his own hands alongside Bhai Gurdas and Baba Buddha. He defied Mughal authority by raising the platform to 12 feet when imperial edicts prohibited anyone but the Emperor from sitting higher than 3 feet.

Prajapati, the Lord of Creatures, emerged self-created from the primordial state through tapas (austerity). He then created the universe, the gods, demons, and all beings through his creative heat and desire. He gave himself up in sacrifice, creating the sacrificial ritual.

Yogananda visits Master Mahasaya (Mahendranath Gupta), the recorder of The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, at his small school in Calcutta. This humble saint, whom Yogananda called the greatest man of humility I ever knew, became a major influence on his spiritual development.