Hindu Stories Content

In Hinduism we have a huge treasure chest when it comes to myths, legends, biographies and parables. Take for instance the Mahabharata, which is recognized as the world's longest epic. Within the Mahabharata alone you can find hundred's of stories that relate to everything from moral conduct, warrior ethics to examples of true devotion, sacrifice and life's important values. In the middle of this mighty epic there is the Hindu Scripture the Bhagavad Gita. Then there are the legends of God that are enshrined in the Puranas of each sect, like the Shiva Puranas or the Vishnu Puranas. The biographies of Hindu saints and gurus, ancient and contemporary, are also sources of inspiring stories that amplifiy truths enshrined in Hindu beliefs and provide life examples of Hindu virtuous conduct. Hindu parables that come from the Pancha Tantra is among the favourite litearature of Hindu children, was written over 2,000 years ago. The stories in this section will come from these sources and more.

Stories are great vehicle for teaching Hinduism without preaching. But for the teaching to be effective we must learn to draw whatever lessons we can from the stories. Thus each story  in the growing list below is proceeded with an article on the lessons that can be drawn from each story. These stories are written so that parents or teachers can tell or read them to children. Some of these stories are also referenced in some of the lessons in the other topics. So you will find links to the stories appearing in different lessons because they provide amplification of the beliefs or examples of conduct disscussed in those lessons.

There is no particular organization for this list of stories. But as the list of stories grows, they will be organized in some form. For now you can go through the short summary below the title of the stories to choose stories you would like to read. Click on the title of the summary to go to the story or on the links on the quick links on the right menu column.

Pusalar lived about a thousand years ago in Tamilnadu, South India. Hewas one of 63 Tamil Saivite saints. These 63 saints are affectionatelycalled nayanars.Each of the nayanars earned their sainthood by leading an examplary lifeof devotion to God. Read the story to find out how Pusalar earned his sainthood by building a temple in an unusual place. The story brings out lessons that teach core Hindu truths and beliefs.

The following story comes from the Saivite collection of stories called the Tiruvilaiyadal. Tiruvilaiyadal means divine play or divine games. The Tiruvilaiyadal consists of 64 stories of Lord Shiva’s appearance in the sacred and ancient city of Madurai in Tamilnadu, South India. This particular story is part of the life history of Saint Manickavasagar, who is a nayanar. Like Pusalar’s story this story also involves a saint, a king and God Shiva.

Swami Sivananda Sarasvati was a guru who lived near the famed city of Jaipur around the 1600s. He was widely known in Jaipur as he was acknowledged to be enlightened and was well known for his simplicity in teaching religion. This story introduces to the reader the concept and experience of Samadhi, which is essential to achieving the ultimate goal of Hinduism, that is moksha.

Kanappan literally means, “father of the eye.” This is not Kanappan’s original name. The name his parents gave him was Thinnan. He got the name Kanappan in reference to his saintly act of devotion for which he is recognized as a nayanar. This story has some gruesome parts but it ends on a positive note. If you are reading this story to children please read it first before reading it to them and judge if it is appropriate for their age. I recommend this story only for children 10 years old and up.