Devalok

Stories 6

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 94 South India 66 West India 30 East India 22 North India 15 The Himalaya 12 Northeast India 5 Southeast Asia 4 Central India 4
✕ sacrifice devotionbooncreationdisguisesupremacycursemarriagepenancepridetestdancepilgrimagebirthemanationfirebeheadingdemon slayingdesireiconographyausteritychurningcombined formcosmogonyhomecominglingapoisonrebirthriveratonement
Legend · 5 tellings · contested

Daksha's sacrifice and the death of Sati

At a gathering Shiva stays seated when Daksha enters; Daksha reads it as contempt.

Daksha, Sati, Shiva, Virabhadra

The Himalaya Pan-India

Origin · 3 tellings · contested

Purusha and Narayana on the waters

The cosmic person of the Purusha Sukta and the Narayana who rests on the waters are fused into Vishnu's cosmic identity, pictured as Anantashayana.

Purusha (the cosmic person), Narayana (Anantashayana), Vishnu, Shesha

East India Pan-India

Legend · 4 tellings · contested

Shiva drinks the poison

Gods and demons churn the ocean of milk for the nectar.

Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu, Brahma

The Himalaya Pan-India

Origin · 1 telling

The sacrifice in dwarf form wins the earth

In the Shatapatha Brahmana Vishnu, as the sacrifice itself, takes dwarf form and strides the earth back from the asuras for the gods.

Vishnu, Vamana

Pan-India

Legend · 3 tellings · contested

Two origins of the discus

The Sudarshana is either Shiva's gift at Kashi after Vishnu offers his own eye in place of a missing lotus, or Vishvakarma's work from the radiance shaved off the sun.

Vishnu, Sudarshana Chakra, Vishvakarma, Surya

North India Pan-India South India

Legend · 3 tellings · contested

Vishnu's thousand lotuses and his eye

Vishnu pledges a thousand lotuses to Shiva at Kashi; finding one missing, he offers his own lotus-eye; Shiva restores the eye and gives him the Sudarshana discus. The day is kept as Vaikuntha Chaturdashi; a related Kashi charter has Vishnu's penance create Manikarnika.

Vishnu, Shiva, Lakshmi

North India Pan-India