Stories 4
All kinds
Origin
Legend
Local story
Folk tale
From the epics
Festival story
Temple legend
In stone and bronze
How a tradition frames it
Everywhere
Pan-India 240
South India 81
West India 37
East India 37
North India 28
The Himalaya 17
Northeast India 8
Southeast Asia 6
Central India 5
Sri Lanka 1
✕ sleep
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Legend · 1 telling
Brahma praises the Goddess as the Great Night
Madhu and Kaitabha spring up and seek to kill Brahma while Vishnu sleeps.
Legend · 3 tellings · contested
Madhu and Kaitabha
Two demons born from Vishnu's ear-wax threaten Brahma and steal the Vedas; who saves the day depends on the sect — Vishnu as Hayagriva in the epic line, or the Goddess who must first leave Vishnu's body in the Devi Mahatmya.
Legend · 2 tellings · contested
The Ribhus make their parents young and sleep twelve days in the house of Agohya
The brothers renew their decrepit parents, draw a cow from a hide, wander to the Sun's house and sleep twelve days while the earth grows fertile.
Legend · 1 telling · contested
The sleep charm at the house door
The Lord of the Dwelling is asked to be a kind friend.