Story (english)
The Story of Lord Rama’s Sister Shanta
Apart from his three brothers, Rama also had a sister. Not many people know about this, and it is also believed that all four sons of King Dashrath were not told about the existence of their sister Shanta. Shanta was the oldest child of King Dashrath and Queen Kaushalya. Queen Kaushalya had an older sister, named Vershini, who did not have any children of her own. So, during one of her visits to her younger sister Kaushalya, Vershini asked for Kaushalya’s child. King Dashrath agreed to give his daughter Shanta to Vershini.
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Fascinating Stories from Ramayana-1. Why is Hanuman Called Bajrangbali? for Kids-
The ever-curious Hanuman once saw Sita adorning her forehead with vermilion. Hanuman asked, “Sita Mata, why are putting vermillion on your forehead?” Sita was amused by the curiosity of Hanuman and answered, “I apply it to ensure the long life of Lord Rama.” Listening to this, Hanuman smeared his whole body with vermillion. Lord Rama was so amused that he burst into laughter. He called Hanuman close to him, and said, “I am amazed by your love and devotion towards me, and from now on, people will also know you as Bajrangbali.” “Bajrang” in the word Bajrangbali means orange.
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Lord Vishnu is a Hindu god who appeared on Earth in nine avatars. Krishna is one of them. Till today, Krishna’s childhood escapades are fondly remembered.
1. The Divine Prophecy
Aeons ago, there lived a king named Ugrasena. He had two children – a son named Kamsa and a daughter named Devaki. Devaki was a good-natured person, but Kamsa had an evil mind. When he grew up, he dethroned his father and put him in jail.
Meanwhile, his sister Devaki married king Vasudeva. As Kamsa was escorting his sister to her in-laws’ place, a voice rang out from the skies – “The eighth son of your sister will grow up to kill you.” Kamsa wanted to put his sister to death to save his life. But Vasudeva begged Kamsa to spare his wife. He promised that he would hand over every child of theirs. Kamsa was pacified and put the couple behind bars.
Moral – You should never disrespect her parents.
2. Krishna’s Birth
Kamsa imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva and ordered his soldiers to guard the cell. Every time Devaki gave birth to a child, Kamsa would visit the couple and take away their baby. Dashing it to the wall, he would kill it. When Devaki was pregnant for the seventh time, the foetus was miraculously transferred to Rohini’s womb in Vrindavan. Kamsa was told that it had been a stillbirth. Devaki and Vasudeva’s eighth child Krishna was born at the stroke of midnight. This special day is now celebrated as Janmashtami.
Moral – If you give your word, keep it.
3. Krishna’s Foster Home
As soon as Krishna was born, the guards manning Devaki and Vasudeva’s cell went into a deep slumber, and the locks fell open.
Placing baby Krishna in a wicker basket, Vasudeva left for Gokul. When he reached the Yamuna river, he saw that it was flooded due to the pouring rain. But he had to save Krishna’s life. So, without fearing for his own life, Vasudeva started walking across the river. With his every step, the waters receded, and Lord Vishnu’s serpent Adishesha protected baby Krishna from the rain.
When Krishna reached Nanda’s house, he saw that his wife Yashoda had given birth to a baby girl. Slowly, he picked the baby up and placed Krishna in her place. Then, he returned to the prison with the baby. Devaki and Vasudeva had hoped that Kamsa would spare the baby girl because the prophecy had mentioned Devaki’s eighth son. But Kamsa didn’t care. He snatched the baby from their hands and flung her against a wall. Miraculously, the baby transformed into Goddess Durga and informed Kamsa that Devaki’s eighth son was alive and would soon come for him.
Moral – Where there is a will, there is a way.
4. Krishna and Putana
Kamsa was desperate to kill Krishna, so he called for the fearful demoness Putana. He told her to assume the form of a beautiful, young woman and kill all the babies that had been born in the previous ten days. As this gave her an opportunity to instil fear in people’s hearts, Putana readily assented.
Putana entered Krishna’s village. When she heard everybody talking about Yashoda’s newborn, the demoness immediately knew that this was the child she had to eliminate. Distracting Yashoda, she made Krishna suckle on her poison-smeared nipples. The poison did nothing to him, but Putana died.
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This lengthy epic has hundreds of stories, many for the children also. Here are some well known Mahabharata stories for kids.
1. Arjun and the Bird’s Eye Test
The Kauravas and the Pandavas were given an archery test by their Guru, Dronacharya. They were asked to aim at the eye of a toy bird on the branch of a tree. When the teacher asked them what they saw, with the exception of Arjun, all others claimed to see the sky, trees, the bird, the leaves, the branches, etc. Only Arjun said that he just saw the blackness of the bird’s eye. Only he was permitted to shoot at the target, which he did successfully.
2. Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuh
Abhimanyu, while in his mother’s womb, had learned how to break the Chakravyuh, an intricate battle formation. On the thirteenth day of the great battle, the sixteen-year-old youth fought bravely against the experienced, much older warriors and reached the centre of the circular formation where Duryodhana was. The Kauravas rushed to save Duryodhana and attacked Abhimanyu. Unfortunately, Abhimanyu had not learned how to exit the formation. He put up a great fight and killed many great warriors before he himself was killed.
3. Eklavya and Dronacharya
Eklavya, a tribal boy was refused to be taken as a disciple to learn archery by Guru Dronacharya who taught only the Kshatriyas and the Brahmins. Undeterred, he kept a clay image of Dronacharya before him and practised archery becoming very proficient in it. Once, disturbed by the barking of a dog, he shot arrows in its mouth to shut it up without hurting it. When this feat came into the notice of Arjun, he was upset that there was a better archer than he was. Not wanting to have a rival archer against Arjuna and observing that Eklavya had his image as the teacher, Dronacharya asked him for Guru Dakshina, the offering to be made to the teacher. On being asked what he could offer, Dronacharya asked for his right thumb knowing well that without the thumb he could not shoot. Without hesitation, Eklavya cut his thumb with a knife and placed it at the Guru’s feet. With this deed, he immortalized himself as the epitome of an ideal student.
4. The Story of King Shibi
King Shibi was known for his truthfulness, being just, and keeping his word. The gods Agni and Indra decided to test these qualities. They assumed the forms of a dove and a hawk, the latter pursuing the former. The dove sought protection with Shibi, who promised to save him. The hawk in anger accused him of depriving him of his rightful food. The king, in reply, offered flesh from his own body to appease his hunger. The hawk asked for flesh equal to the weight of the dove. A balance was brought, and the king started cutting flesh from his body, but the dove seemed to be getting heavier with every piece. Finally, the king himself sat in the balance offering his entire body. At this, the gods came into their real forms granting him many boons and the gods above, a witness to this test, showered him with flowers and praise.
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Read more: Mahabharata for Kids – the Story and the Lessons to Learn