Reading Notes: Tales of India: Krishna and the Gods Part B

All chapters for this reading come from "Krishna and the Gods": Source

13. Surya

Surya is the son of Dyaus and Prithwi. Everyday he would hop on his chariot and bring light and life to the Earth. Eventually, he grew tired and lonely of this- he wanted a wife. Sanga, daughter of Wiswakarma the architect of the gods, became his wife. Together they had three sons, one of which was Yam who became the judge of the dead. Sanga was weak and unable to withstand the power of Surya. She had to leave him to continue living. She replaced herself with a woman named Chhaya. When Surya rode his chariot to bring life to the Earth, it did not have the usual effects. He had been deceived! He flung Chhaya from his chariot and told his driver to continue on while he searched for Sanga. He found her and convinced her to come back, promising that he will not turn his full radiance upon her ever again. She returns to him.

14. Waruna

A great and powerful king wanted a son. Try as he might, he could not have a child. He prayed to Waruna for a son that he would, in turn, sacrifice to Waruna. Waruna granted the king a son. The king was immensely happy, yet ther weight of his deal wore on him. One day the son asked the king what was weighing on his mind. The kind told the son of the promise he had made to Waruna. Waruna thought the king was failing to meet his promise, so the king developed an illness. The son took some of the king's gold with him as he went to buy a son from a family in the kingdom- the king could then sacrifice that son in his stead. Finally the son found a family that would take his money. Before the boy, bought to be sacrificed, was to be killed, he asked if he could sing. The king granted permission. The boy sang a song of joy and celebration so beautiful that the other gods convinced Waruna to not require the boy as a sacrifice. Waruna did exactly that.

16. Indra

A mortal man named Ahi was jealous of the many sacrifices made to Indra. He thought that he had the power to be as great as Indra. Thus, he built a great fortress to protect him from Indra's power. He constructed lightning bolts of his own with magic. He captured the rains so that other mortal men would no longer worship Indra. Once Indra learned what had happened, he summoned the Maruts, spirits of the storm. Indra and the Maruts attacked the citadel, smashing it into pieces and killing Ahi. They released the rains, and the people once again loved Indra.

18. Brahma

In the beginning there was only Brahm. He created the gods and made them immortal. He made Agni to rule the earth, Wayu to rule the air, and Surya to rule the sky. He created manifestations of himself as Brahma, Wishnu, and Siwa. He made the waters and placed a seed in them. That seed grew to produce Brahma. He roamed the seas as a boar  until he raised the land out of the waters with his tusks.
One day Brahma was offering a sacrifice. His wife, Sawitri, refused to hurry through her tasks to join him for the sacrifice. Thus, Brahma asked Indra to find him a second wife so that his sacrifice might not be for nothing. He married Gayatri, the milk maid, and began the sacrifice.
Sawitri then came and was outraged. She said vile things and wished terrible things on everyone present. Yet Gayatri used the sacrifice to call down blessings on everyone that Sawitri had cursed and reaffirmed the fact that they are gods- such curses cannot affect their power.

20. Siwa (Shiva)

Siwa lived on the peaks on the Himalayas. He, with Brahma and Wishnu, controlled everything as the creator, preserver, and destroyer. Yet, Brahma and Siwa argued, and Siwa raised arms against Brahma. To absolve this sin, he had to wander the wilderness. His queen Uma followed him into this penance. They suffered the heat of India in the wilderness. Then during the rainy season, Siwa grabbed a cloud to use as protection from the ceaseless rains. He journeyed to the city of Benares to be absolved of his sins. Even today, people continue to make this journey for penance.
One day, Uma died. Siwa was so heartbroken that the other gods had her be born again. She had to prove the power of her love before the reincarnated Uma could join Siwa again. She did so, and Siwa swore that nothing would ever take her from him again. Shortly afterwards, the Asuras made war on the gods. They defeated Indra and the other gods, yet Uma took up Siwa's weapons and defeated the Asuras. Now, whenever men want to win her favor, they must win in combat.