Stories for Children

Once, Goddess Parvati created a boy from the sandalwood paste of her own body and breathed life into him. She named him Ganesha and asked him to guard her door while she bathed. Lord Shiva returned and was stopped by the boy, who did not recognise him. Shiva, angered, severed the boy's head. Parvati was devastated and Shiva, realising his terrible mistake, sent his ganas to bring back the head of the first living being they found — which happened to be an elephant. Shiva placed the elephant's head on Ganesha's body and restored him to life. From that day, Ganesha became the beloved son of Shiva and Parvati, the remover of obstacles, and the first deity worshipped before any auspicious endeavour.

In the village of Vrindavana, the divine child Krishna was known for one thing above all else — his irresistible love for butter. Every day, the gopas (cowherd women) would churn milk and store fresh butter in clay pots hung high from the rafters. And every day, little Krishna would find a way to reach them. He would call his friends, stack them up like a human ladder, and together they would break open the pots and share the butter with the monkeys. When the women complained to Yashoda, his mother, Krishna would deny everything with the most innocent face. Yashoda would tie him to a heavy mortar — but Krishna would drag it through the courtyard, knocking down two Arjuna trees, releasing two divine beings trapped within them. The whole village smiled, for they knew — this was no ordinary child.

Long ago, the gods and demons decided to churn the great cosmic ocean to obtain Amrita — the nectar of immortality. They used Mount Mandara as the churning rod and the great serpent Vasuki as the rope. As the ocean churned, many treasures arose — the divine physician Dhanvantari, the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu, the goddess Lakshmi. But then came something terrible: Halahala, the deadliest poison in creation. It began to burn the world. All creation was threatened. Neither gods nor demons could face it. In desperation, they turned to Lord Shiva. Without hesitation, Shiva took the poison into his hand and drank it. His consort Parvati, watching in fear, clutched his throat to stop it from going further into his body. The poison settled in his throat, turning it blue forever. From that day, Shiva is known as Neelakantha — the blue-throated one — and is worshipped as the greatest of all protectors.