Indian Mythology Myths and Legends

Dr. Shakti M. Gupta has established her reputation as a writer of books on principal Hindu gods and goddesses, Indian festivals and pilgrimages and on plants and their myths, which constitute her special forte. In the present book Dr. Gupta has picked up sparkling gems of legends from the vast ocean of Sanskrit literature, which illustrate failings. of humans and gods and demons as well as their noble deeds with their inevitable unpleasant and pleasant consequences. The main sources are: the great epic Mahabharata which specializes in ancient tales of historical nature, the Puranas which generally yield mythical legends of gods and demons and the Jatakas which deal with the previous incarnations of the Buddha when he was born as a human being or an animal, endowed with exceptional qualities (Paramitas) of bravery, charity and compassion etc. Nala-Damayanti, Kacha-Devayani and Savitri-Satyavan are popular tales from the Mahabharata, the first two illustrating human failings and the last the supreme virtue of fidelity triumphing over destiny and death. There are also numerous stories of the ascetic Rishis losing their self control at the sight of the semi-nude charming Apsaras and one such is that of Rishi Visvamitra and Menaka that resulted in the birth of Shakuntala who was destined to be the queen of Dushyanta and mother of King Bharata, as originally narrated in the Mahabharata and later dramatized by poet Kalidasa.