Hey, lets take a break for a little time. I will tell you the story of Pralhad.

There were two demons brothers, Hiranyashya and Hiranyakashapu, the later was elder of the two. Lord Vishnu (the protector) killed Hiranyashya in the Varaha incarnation or Avatar. When the news reaxched Hiranyakashpu, he was furious. He pleaged that he will kill Vishnu. He started making grave penances. Many years passed. The demons were without their king. Taking advantage of this the devas started attacking the demons. Indra, king of Gods, caught the demon kings wife and started taking her with him. Sage Narada saw this. He told Indra that this was not good conduct and the queen was pregnant and the son to be born will be Vishnu's devotee and will help in killing Hiranyakashpu. So Indra went to heaven alone and Hiranyakashpu's wife went with sage Narada to his hermitage. There she worked for the sage devotedly. Narada used to tell her tales and phylosophy. The baby in the womb used to listen to him and learn. He heard how Vishnu was kind hearted and almighty.

Meanwhile the gods along with Bramha came where Hiranyakashapu and asked for a boon to end his penance.The demon king said, 'Let my death not be caused by man or beast, with weapon or otherwise, during day or night, indoors or outdoors, on earth or in the sky.' His boon was granted by Bramha. Hiranyakashapu brought back his wife in the palace where his son was born. He ruled over the heavens, earth and hell now that he had become invincible. He brought a teacher to teach his son who was named Pralhad. But Pralhad was a devote of Vishnu (god) and always chanted his name. The guru told about this to Hiranyakashapu. The demon king tried a lot but Pralhad was firm in his devotion. So the king dicided to kill Pralhad. He gave Pralhad poison but it turned to nector as Pralhad always chanted Vishnu's name. The king sent poisonous snakes near Pralhad but they did not harm him. Wild elephants were sent to trample him but they became tame and sat peacefully near Pralhad. The demons threw Pralhad from a cliff but Vishnu caught him in between the fall and kept him gently on the ground. The demons sat him on a dry wood and ignited the fire but it felt cool to Pralhad.

The king was furious and asked Pralhad where his god Vishnu was. Pralhad said the lord was everywhere. The demon king asked,'is he in this pillar'. Pralhad said yes. The king hit the pillar with his leg. A big sound was heard and a creature with the head of a lion and body of man emerged from it. It caught Hiranyakashapu and sat in door which was not in the house not outside, the time was twilight which is neighter day or night. Hiranyakashapu was killed by tearing his stomoch by nails which were not weapon. Narsimha was neighter man nor beast. All the gods praised the lord and Pralhad. Pralhad was made the king and he ruled justly for many many years.

After killing the demons, sage Vishwamitra took Rama and Laxman to King Janaka's palace where there was swayanvar of his daughter Sita, his daughter. Swayamvar means all the kings who were willing to wed Sita would stand in a row and Sita will marry the one she likes. Janaka had put a test that the Bow of Shiva which was in his possesion should be lifted by the king in order to marry Sita. All the kings tried but could not even move it leave alone lift it. Then their came the turn of Ravana. He tried to lift it but the bow fell on him and he started to cry for help. At that moment, Ram came forward. He lifted the bow with ease and tried to tie the string to it but in the process the bow broke. Janaka was elated and Sita married Ram. The the three Ram, Laxman and Sita along with Vishwamitra returned to Dasharatha's Palace.

There are two epics in Hinduism: Ramayana and Mahabharata. This is the story of Ramayana.

Once there was a robber called Valya. He used to stay in the forest and rob people who passed by. One day sage Narada was passing in the forrest. Valya stoped Narada. Narada asked Valya, for whom do you rob people. Valya replied, 'For my family'. Narada said, 'By robbing and killing you have amassed lot of sin. Will your family share your sin as they have shared your wealth.' Valya could not answer this question so Narada said, 'Go to them and ask them'. So Valya went home and asked his wife and children whether they will share his sin'. They all said,' why should we share your sins'. Valya was disheartened and told Narada every thing. He asked Narada what to do. Narada said, 'sit at one place and repeat the name 'Ma Ra'. Valya started chanting Ma Ra but soon chanting Ra Ma, the opposite of Ma Ra. 12 years passed. Then Narada appearded before him and said, 'All your sins have gone now. People will now call you Valmiki'. I now tell you to write Ramayana, the story of Rama.

The Kingdom of Ayodhya had a king named Dasharatha. He had three wifes, Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikayi. Of this Kaikayi was the most beautiful and brave. She used to acompany Dashratha in battles. One day while fighting Dashratha life was saved by Kaikayi. Dasharath was very happy with Kaikai and granted her three boons. She told Dasharatha she will ask them when time comes.

 

Dasharatha had no children. He was told by his guru to make a yadnya. Dashratha agreed. Agni (the fire god) emerged from the holy fire and gave Dasharatha a spaghetti in milk and told then to give to each of his queens. Thus after nine months a son was born to Kausalya named Ram, Two sons to Sumitra named Laxman and Shatrughna and Bharat to Kaikaye. The boys were very fond of each other. The queens also loved all four sons as if they were their oun. All the boys were ecellent in Archery. Guru Vashishta was their family saint. He taught all the princes all the arts and out door games.

One day Guru Vishwamitra came to the palace to meet king Dasharatha. He told Dasharatha that whenever he and other saints perpormes holy yadnya's demons attacked them and distroyed the holy fire. Vishwamitra asked the King to hand hin Ram and Laxman so they could kill the demons and let the bramhins perfom yagyas. The King was afraid of sending the boys as they were young but Vishwamitra said he will take responsibility of them. So Dasharatha agreed. Ram and Laxnam killed many demons and solved the problems of the sages. They now could preform the holy fire with out fear.

Greatest god: Ganesh, Ganapati (Same god. Different names)

Main Gods: Bramha (the creator), Vishnu (the Protector) and Shiva (the Distroyer). They are all sons of mother Earth. There are 36 crores Hindu gods. The consort of Bramha is goddess Saraswati (goddess of Knowledge), Vishnu's consort is Goddess Laxmi (Godess of wealth) and consort of Shiva is mother Parvati.Bramha and Vishnu do not have children. Shiva has two children Ganesh (removal of obstacles) and Kartikeya (the commander of army of Gods). Bhamha has four heads and eight hands. There are no temples of Bramha on Earth because he was cursed by Shiva. Vishnu has four hands. Shiva has a third eye on his fore head which when opened burns everything in sight.

Vishnu has 10 incarnations. Matsya (fish in sanskrit), Kurna (turtle), Varaha (Boar), Narashimha (half Lion and half man), Vaman (short man), Parshuram (full man but vegetarian), Rama (truth speeking King), Krishna (King and poliician), Buddha (Peace loving) and Kalanki (yet to be born). They also signify the creation of life on earth. For e.g. the fish was the first creature on earth. All life was in water in the begining as per modern science. Then the water creators atarted living half time in water and half time on land, then he started living full time on earth, then he became half man and half animal, then he became man but short like a pigmy, then full man but vegetarian, then he became full fleached man but truth speaking, the he became King but political, then he started to become peace loving.

The Two epics Ramayana and Mahabharata are based on Rama and Krishna.

 

There are many stories of Hindu gods like Greek Gods and Roman Gods.

The name of Ganesh is always taken before any worship of gods. Ganesh is the son of Shiva and Parvati. Today I will tell you the story of Ganesh. One day Mother Parvati was bathing in her palace. She told her maid not to let anyone inside. After some time, Shiva came in the palace. The maid was afraid to stop Shiva and so she let him in. Parvati was furious to she Shiva and so she dicided to make her oun bodyguard. She created a statue of a young boy from the mud of her body and put life into it. She gave him a staff in his hand to fight with if anyone comes in.

Next day when mother Parvati went to bath, her bodyguard stood outside to guard her. After sometime Shiva came. The body guard stopped hin from entering in. Shiva was angry. Shiva's bodyguard Nandi came to fight the boy but the boy defeated him. In anger Shiva beheaded the boy. After sometime Parvati finished her bath and came out. When she saw the boy dead she was very angry. She called all the goddesses. Together they started fighting with the gods. The gods got afraid. Shiva pacified them. They went to search a creature whose head they will append to the boy. They say an elephant and they beheaded it and added his head to the boys body and made it alive. They called Ganapati meaning Head of the Ganas who are soldiers of Shiva.

The Rainbow

My heart leaps up when I behold
A Rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the man;
And I wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

William Wordsworth

There was a Naughty Boy (Small children poem)

By John Keats

There was a naughty boy,
A naughty boy was he,
He would not stop at home,
He could not quiet be-
He took
In his knapsack
A book
Full of vowels
And a shirt
With some towels,
A slight cap
For night cap,
A hair brush,
Comb ditto,
New stockings-
For old ones
Would split O!
This knapsack
Tight at 'is back
He rivetted close
And followed his nose
To the North,
To the North,
And followed his nose
To the North.

There was a naughty boy,
And a naughty boy was he,
He ran away to Scotland
The people for to see-
There he found
That the ground
Was as hard,
That a yard
Was as long,
That a song
Was as merry,
That a cherry
Was as red-
That lead
Was as weighty
That fourscore
Was as eighty,
That a door
Was as wooden
As in England-
So he stood in his shoes
And he wondered,
He wondered,
He stood in his shoes
And he wondered

Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.