Sattvam: Soulful Tales and Food for the Soul

You would have noticed Lord Shiva being praised as Tripurantaka, in several shlokas and bhajans. Have you wondered how he got this name, which means the destroyer of three cities, and what the three cities really represent? After Lord Karthikeya defeated and killed Tarakasura, his three sons – Tarakaksha, Vidyunmali and Kamalaksha – became insecure. They did not want to meet the same end, and undertook severe austerities to please Lord Brahma. Pleased with their penance Lord Brahma appeared before them and asked them what they sought. They replied: “Oh Lord, we know you will not grant the boon of immortality to anyone, so we will ask for invincibility. Gift us three cities that will be floating in three different realms – earth, sky and heaven. They should align only once in a thousand years, and that too only for a fraction of a second. We seek the boon that the three of us can be defeated only when the three cities are destroyed at the same time by the same arrow.” Brahma grant...

Never get into the company of evil people, even if they act like good friends. Their false friendship will only result in your downfall. Read the story of the camel who got fooled by the predators of the forest… A camel was pulling the caravan of a trader. They were crossing a forest on the way to a nearby town, when the camel hurt his leg. Considering him to be useless, the trader left the camel alone and went on his way. The camel was greatly distressed. Being a desert animal, he felt lost in the forest. The camel found new friends in the forest Image source: https://www.awsfzoo.com/ A lion came that way with his friends, a jackal and a crow. Seeing the lonely camel, they enquired what happened. When he heard the camel’s sad story the lion took pity on him and said, “Don’t worry. I am the king of this jungle, and I permit you to live here. In fact, I consider you as one of my friends. Henceforth you can live with us.” The camel felt at home in the jungle, and started spending...