Diwali festival is composed of a cluster of auspicious days. It begins with Vasu Baras a day dedicated to thank and honour the cows for their service to the community, followed by Dhana-trayodashi celebrating the birth of the god of health Dhanvantari. Next comes Narak Chathurthi celebrated as the Deepavali or the festival of lights when Lord Krishna killed the asura Naraka ( also recounted as Ram’s victory over Ravan). Followed by Lakshmi pujan when goddess Lakshmi is invited and worshiped in every home to bring prosperity and wealth. Then comes Bali Pratipada or the Hindu New year or Padva.* Diwali celebrations conclude with Bhaubeej or Bhaidooj a day when a brothers and sisters renew their bond by visiting each other at their home.

Padva or Hindu new year, known as Bali Pratipada is dedicated to King Bali. King Bali was a kind and a righteous king belonging to the Asura or Daitya race, who are the arch-enemy of Devas. Among the literary sources Bali is mentioned in the myth of Vaman avatar, the fifth avatar of lord Vishnu. The popular myth recounts how Vishnu assumed the form of Vaman and tricked King Bali by stepping on his head and thrusting him into Patal or the nether region. Unlike regular stories where hero and villain are clearly marked into good and evil characters, King Bali was no villain and yet he was tricked and subjugated and banished from his kingdom. However, it is believed that King Bali visits earth to meet his subjects once a year and people celebrate his homecoming as the New year. The southern Indian state of Kerala celebrates it as Onam, and in North India it is celebrated as Bali Pratipada.

Who is King Bali?

There are not that many stories about King Bali in the scriptures. However, King Bali has a distinct place in the oral histories and narratives found among the indigenous people and especially agrarian communities in India. In Goa, Bali is a prominent god of Kulmi or Kurmi community who are the indigenous people and the first settlers of the land. They consider Bali as their ancestor or originator who taught them the art of agriculture. It is believed that Bali was the first man whom Ishwar the supreme god gave the knowledge of agriculture.

In the beginning when earth was formed, Ishwar came to earth and created rivers, trees mountains, animals and man. After creating the world he felt thirsty, and looked around for fresh water to drink. Birds and animals fetched him water from different water bodies nearby, but Ishwar wanted water that was not only pure but was untouched by hands and unseen by eyes. No one could fulfil such condition and Ishwar started dying of thirst.

A wise crow who was watching the scene from far, came to King Bali and told him the secret of getting water that is untouched and unseen by humans. He gave him the coconut fruit and asked him to give it to Ishwar. Bali took the coconut fruit to Ishwar and offered it to Ishwar by breaking the coconut and giving him the water inside it, which was untouched and unseen by any living being. Ishwar was pleased by Bali’s gesture and blessed him with the knowledge of agriculture and said all human race particularly farmers, will consider him as their god. Saying thus Ishwar disappeared into the stone pole or linga. In Goa, Bali is still venerated in the form of a pole or Stambha. In every Kulmi homes there used to be erect pole like linga made of wood or stone in the centre of their home. Even today, Kulmi community offers coconut water over the pole/linga during auspicious days recounting the myth of Bali.

In another narrative it is said, when earth was being formed and was still not solid, a huge Areca (Areca catechu) nut tree emerged from its centre, that covered all the three worlds of Nether- region( Patal) , Earth( Bhu) and Heavens( swarga). King Bali was placed at its roots ( the region of Patal which was covered by Ocean waters) while gods where perched on its leaves (swarga or heavens). Then Ishwar declared, the one who first sets his foot on earth will own the earth. Soil on the earth had not hardened and was still very soft and viscous. Gods feared that if they set their foot on the soil, it might cave in and they might get sucked into Patal or nether region. But Bali was a brave and courageous man, he cautiously started walking on the earth, and covered the entire landmass. Ishawara declared him to be the first king of the earth or ‘Bhupati’. Thus Bali ruled over Patal,Ocean, and the earth. Soon he learnt the the art of tilling the earth and started cultivating the land. He passed on this knowledge of agriculture to humans and thus prosperity and wealth came to mankind. Farmers till today recognise his contribution by venerating him as the first hero or god.

Fishing communities in Goa too consider King Bali as their ancestor and worship him as their god. Folk myths narrate that Once when King Bali was busy tilling the land, gods killed his son by deceit. When Bali’s wife found their son dead, she came crying to Bali and informed him of the son’s death. Bali realised that gods had killed his son. He remained calm and asked his wife to go back home and cover their son’s body with leaves and cook a sumptuous meal. Bali belonged to asura race and thus Shukracharya was his guru. When he returned home he brought his guru Shukracharya with him for a meal and requested him to bring his son back to life. Shukracharya with his yogic powers, brought Bali’s son back to life. But since his son had visited Patal (land of dead) he could no longer walk on Earth and so Bali sent him to rule the Ocean. Fisher community of Goa believes that they learnt the art of fishing from the son of King Bali. Once in a year they celebrate the homecoming of King Bali by taking a procession around the town.

Bali’s role and contribution as the first agricultural hero gets recognised during the celebration of the new year or Padwa in his name as ‘Bali Pratipada’ marking the dawn of Indian civilisation.

*The order of auspicious dates change according to the Hindu calendar and need not follow the order as suggested.

Story collected by Vidya Kamat
Text Source: Ramayana and Baliraja by Pratapsingh Velip Kankar
Location: Goa
Image Copyright: Vidya Kamat

Every year, on the day after Markar Sankranti (summer solstice), Santal tribes of Odisha celebrate an archery competition known as ‘bheja tun’, which literally means shooting the banana tree.The origin of this tradition is revealed in this story.

Once there was a King who ruled over his vast kingdom. Though he was married for many years, the king and the queen had no children. As a result their relationship got strained day by day. The queen had a secret lover, a black Cobra. Whenever the king was away hunting, the Cobra would visit the queen and both of them would have a good time in each other’s company. Eventually, the king got wind of the matter and he decided to catch them. Once when the queen and the cobra were together, the king tracked and found them, and shot an arrow to the cobra’s head killing him instantly. The Queen was heartbroken and distraught with grief. All of a sudden she heard the voice of the cobra lover in her ear, telling her “Oh my sweetheart don’t cry. Bury my head at the entrance of your palace and we will meet each other again soon”. The queen followed his instructions and buried the head and soon a tree grew in that spot. But no one knew the name of this strange tree.

Meanwhile, the relationship of the king and queen deteriorated to such an extent that they would argue everyday. One day the queen set up a condition and told the king ” Let us put an end to this day to day argument of ours. I will ask you a simple question. If you fail to answer it, then you will be killed by an arrow shot through your heart. But if you answer it correctly then you can shoot an arrow, pierce my heart and kill me. Thus we can finally put an end to our endless quarrels.” the king agreed. He sent an invitation to all his relatives and his friends to be the witness of this strange game. He thought, if it had to be his last day of his life, then he would prefer to die with his loved ones surrounding him. So the queen asked the question ” Tell me the name of the plant that is at the entrance of our palace?” The king did not know the answer. He was in a fix and realised he would have to die, as per the rules of the game.

Meanwhile the king’s sister who stayed far away and was also invited to attend the ceremony was on her way travelling on a palanquin . While on the way she rested under a tree and she heard a huge vulture nesting on a high branch of the tree talking to her children. The mother vulture told her children, “Tomorrow all of you will fly off from this nest”. “But why tomorrow?” asked one of the young vultures. Mother answered “Tomorrow the King will be killed if he loses the challenge. Then I will bring you human flesh to eat. Our tradition is after eating human flesh the young vulture babies will have to move out of the nest and find their own destinies.” “But why will the king be killed?” asked the baby vulture. ” Oh Baby! The queen has asked the king to tell the name of the plant which is at the entrance of the palace gate. But the king does not know that it is the cobra- the lover of the queen that has grown into a plant. It’s a Banana plant”.The king’s sister who was resting under the tree overheard the conversation. She gave up resting and immediately resumed her journey. As soon as she reached the palace, she ran to her brother the king and whispered the name of the plant in his ear.

When the time for the question ceremony arrived the king revealed the name of the plant to the queen and won the competition. It was the turn of the queen to be killed by the arrow. She was tied to the banana tree. All the tribal chieftains strung their bows, took aim and got ready to shoot their arrows at the queen. As soon as the arrows were released, the queen’s lover, the cobra, pulled her into the Banana plant. The queen disappeared within the plant without a trace, and the arrows merely pierced the tree trunk.

The Santal tribes call this tree ‘Kaira’, meaning Banana tree. Till today the ritual of shooting the banana tree is conducted among the few tribal hamlets of Odisha on the day after summer solstice.

Story collected by Vidya Kamat
Textual Source: Folklore of Tribal Communities by Nityanand Patnaik
Location: Odisha

Image Copyright: Vidya kamat

No one knows from where they came or how they ended up in Goa, but the priest of Lairai temple narrates the following tale about the Seven sisters. Seven sisters and their younger brother came from Karnataka region riding an elephant. They first stopped over at Mayem village in Bicholim Taluka of north Goa. As soon as they arrived, Mhamai the eldest of the seven sisters, sent the brother Khetalo to fetch fire from near by market. She wanted to set up a stove to cook food for all of them. Young Khetalo went in search of fire to the nearby market and got lost in the hustle bustle of the market. Mhamai then asked Lairai and Kelbai to go find out why Khetalo was taking such a long time to fetch fire. The two sisters found Khetalo engrossed in watching children playing games, having forgotten his errand to fetch fire. Lairai got furious and kicked him hard. Kelbai watched without intervening while Khetalo was being kicked. Lairai kicked Khetalo so hard that he got a permanent bent in his waist. Lairai repented her action and vowed to atone her sin by walking through fire. Kelbai too felt ashamed and guilty for standing silently and watching her brother being kicked. She too vowed that she would walk carrying fire on her head. Eventually the seven sisters and their brother dispersed among the various villages of Goa.

In many folk traditions in India the first creator is always the Mother- nature.

The following tale is collected from the Nukulamma temple of Ankapalle town of Vishakhapatnam District in Andhra Pradesh. This tale presents ‘Para Shakti’ or the supreme feminine power as the first creator of this universe. To create the universe she laid three eggs. Two of them remained unhatched but the third one hatched and Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara ( Shiva) were born. Parashakti as a young devoted mother suckled and nourished them into strong healthy adolescents. When they came of age she gave them each their own cities to dwell and rule. Shiva was given the city of Devagiri to rule. But over a period of time all her three sons turned rogue and disobedient and disregarded her authority as their mother.

One day Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva gathered in Devagiri, enjoying their time together and as usual ignoring their mother. Parashakti decided to teach the boys a lesson. She transformed herself into a twelve hooded cobra and coiled around the city of Devagiri. A fierce battle broke between Parashakti and her three sons- Brahma , Vishnu and Shiva. Parashakti easily won the battle and she killed her sons by biting them on their heads. But, being the loving mother she was, she became very sad and unhappy, and she brought them back to life, whereupon Brahma Vishnu and Shiva admitted their wrong doings and surrendered themselves to her power and authority. She forgave them and established them as ‘Gods’ who would always look after the interests of mankind and take care of them.

Some Folk-myths try to remind the supreme position of the Mother Nature. Lest we forget.
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Story Collected by : Vidya Kamat
Textual Source: Shree Padma, Vicissitudes of the Goddess, OUP, New York, 2013
Location : Andhra Pradesh
Image Copyright : Vidya Kamat

There are quite a few stories about crows in the Ramayana. The black crow, also known as a raven in some regions is said to possess clairvoyance by which he can see different worlds. Although considered to be an ugly bird, crows are one of the most mystical and intelligent birds valued for its wisdom. It is believed that crows warn humans of oncoming danger by their frenzied cawing. And yet, many ancient cultures have attached negative connotations to these magnificent birds. In Hindu mythology, crows are considered to be both auspicious and inauspicious when sighted within the context of a particular ritual or ceremony.

The most well-known example of a story featuring the crow is the tale of KakBhushundi, mentioned in Tulasi’ Das’s epic poem ‘Ramacharitamanas’. Bhusundi who was an ardent devotee of Ram had no respect or devotion for any representation God other than Lord Ram. His guru sage Lomas tried to correct this attitude by teaching him to develop devotion for nirguna brahman or the formless aspect of God. But Bhusundi ignored his guru’s teachings and kept on worshipping Ram as the Ultimate Truth. In a fit of anger Sage Lomasha cursed Bhusundi to become a crow because of his repeated rejection and arguments against the sage’s guidance and advice. When Lord Ram intervened on behalf of Bhusundi, Sage Lomas relented and recalled Basundi who was now in the form of a crow as ‘KakBhushundi’ or Bhusundi the crow and taught him Ramcharitmanas, stories about Rama’s spiritual journey. Thus KakBhusundi in the form of a crow became the ultimate narrator of the events in the life of Lord Rama. He was also blessed with the ability to travel through time and recreate the story of Lord Rama.

There are also other stories about crows that get a mention in various localised versions of the Ramayana. Tulu Ramayana known as ‘Seetha Kalyana’ mentions an episode in Rama’s life that is connected to crows.

Once the crows in Janak’s’ kingdom grew in numbers and started creating chaos in his all over his land. King Janak was so troubled by the menace of these crows that he announced that anyone who can get rid of crows from his kingdom would be eligible for marrying his beautiful daughter Sita. Rama’s younger brother Lakshmana managed to kill all the crows and restored peace in Janak’s kingdom. As per the announcement, Janak offered Sita’s hand to Lakshmana. But Lakshmana refused to marry Sita, stating that as per the custom, he cannot get married unless his elder brother Ram gets married first. Lakshmana then requested Rama to marry Sita. This episode in Tulu Ramayana is a substitute for the Shiva Dhanush episode in Valmiki Ramayana which leads to the marriage of Rama and Sita.

Yet another folk narrative of Ramayana explains why crow looks at the world through one eye. The peculiar habits of the crows to look sideways through one eye has generated a belief that crows can see only through one eye. According to the tale, once Sita went to have a bath at a nearby water tank. While she was having her bath a crow pecked at her delicate foot creating a wound. As Sita cried in pain, Ram who was standing nearby in attendance saw the culprit crow flying away and quickly shot an arrow. The arrow struck the crow in the eye making him blind in one eye. Since then crows can only see through one eye.

Durga Bhagwat who first noted this folk tale observes that this story incorporates the prevalent belief in Maharashtra and central India that if a crow touches a woman, her sexual desires get aroused. Kaksparsh  literally meaning the touch of a crow is considered inauspicious and seen as a bad omen. On the other hand, during the shraddha ceremony or oblation offered to ancestors, a ball of cooked rice ( pind) is offered to the dead ancestor. If crows eat ( touch/peck) it, then it is assumed that the dead ancestor’s soul has been released from his or her bindings with the physical body and has embarked on the continuation of the soul’s journey to the next level of existence. In this rite, crows touching the rice ball is considered auspicious and is also seen as a good omen.

The crow remains an intriguing symbol in mythological tales

Story Collected by : Vidya Kamat
Source: inputs from Adimata by Ashok Rana
Location: Pan India

Image Copyright : Vidya Kamat

There is a saying in Konkani language – ” Ghova baileche ek chit zalyar chiche panar nhid. Meaning, even a small thin leaf of the tamarind tree is enough to accommodate a couple if they love each other (otherwise even a big bed is not enough!)

The tamarind (Tamarindus indica or imli in Hindi and chinch in Marathi and Konkani) is a large, evergreen tree, with dense foliage. A native plant of the African continent, tamarind is a tropical tree that grows abundantly in India.It is popular as an avenue tree as it provided a very cool shade. Known for its sour fruit and acidic pulpy juice, tamarind is used in many south Indian curries and chutneys. The tamarind tree is a sacred tree for Krishna ; Vaishnav saints Nammalvar and Chaitanya are said to have meditated under this tree. However for a tree which is large and grows to be 25-30 meters tall, its leaves are remarkably small and tiny.

There is a tribal myth that explains why this tree has such tiny leaves. Once upon a time, the tamarind tree had large and broad leaves and would provide cool shade to people who would rest under its shade. When Ram, Lakshaman and Sita went into exile, they would often rest under a tamarind tree ,as it could shelter them from rain, sun, and heat and cold. One day Ram realised that being in exile meant they have to lead a life of struggle and inconvenience and not of comfort and pleasure. The nurturing shade of the tamarind tree was actually providing them  the comforts of a palace. He immediately ordered Lakshmana to shoot at its large leaves and split into tiny small leaves. Lakshman obeyed his brother’s command and since then the tamarind tree has tiny leaves.

According to another myth, long ago Devas and Asuras lived on the earth. One day, Bhasmasura the chief of asura army challenged Mahadeo to a duel, proclaiming whoever wins would be the sole ruler of earth. Mahadeo accepted the challenge and the duel began. Soon Mahadeo wounded Bhasmasura grievously and. Bhasmasura scooted for his life with Mahadeo chasing him. Bhasmasura ran and entered a thick jungle and started searching for a place to hide. He noticed a huge tamarind tree and clambered onto it hastily, shielding himself with its thick broad leaves. Mahadeo followed Bhasmasura and entered the jungle, but he could not see the demon Bhasmasura who was hiding behind the broad tamarind leaves. Out of frustration Mahadeo roared and opened his third eye. The whole sky lit up with fire from the eye and the large tamarind leaves shattered into tiny fragments exposing Bhasmasura. The Demon was killed immediately by Mahadeo, and since then tamarind leaves have remained small and tiny.

Pointing out to its small tiny leaves, my grandmother would tell her grandchildren, “Look boys!  be together and work together in harmony like these tiny tamarind leaves.If small people like you and me work together, we can do a great deal to transform the world. It is not the place that makes the man, but the man who makes the place.”

Story by : Avadhut Kudchadker

Source: As told by grandmother inputs from Sacred plants of India by Nanditha Krishna and M. Amrithalingam.

Location Goa and Pan India

Image copyright: Vidya Kamat

Tribal myths of India hold quaint explanations on why floods and drought occur on the earth periodically. Hill Miri tribals of the north east region explain the phenomena of floods and drought as a domestic quarrel between the divine couple.

Dugum and his wife Dorak are a divine couple living in their abode in the sky. They have a great tank which is always kept filled with water. At times Dorak forgets to fill up the tank and very little water is left in the tank. But other times he over fills the tank and it starts overflowing, and water comes falling down on the earth below.When this water falls on earth, people on the earth think that gods have sent them rains and they rejoice. But when there is very little water left in the tank Dugum and his wife Dorak start quarreling.

Dugum starts complaining that she is always wasteful . “ You waste so much water that there is none left” Dugum shouts at his wife. Dorak too accuses her husband by saying “ It is not my fault, you use all the water to prepare your beer”. “ Dorak, you don’t accuse me! You too drink beer with me” rebuts Dugum. Dorak feels Dugum is always blaming her for no fault of hers and she gets upset. As Dorak lifts her cane belt her body starts to shine and dazzle. Dugum becomes furious as he feels Dorak is putting on an act. He immediately dons his armour and taking hold of a spear in his hand, adopts a war dance stance threatening to kill his wife. Dorak swiftly flies up and away fearing for her life, and her dazzling body flashes across the sky in the form of a lightening. Meanwhile Dugum beats his arm shield and dances making the loud noise of thunder.

As Dugum’s dance becomes vigorous, a river that flows across the earth quietly curves up into sky and fills Dugum’s tank with water. As the tank gets filled up Dugum quiets down and Dorak returns quietly back home, and everything settles down and becomes peaceful till the next quarrel breaks out.
Hill Miri tribals explain that lightning and thunder is caused by the divine couple in the sky who quarrel over water.

Story Collected by : Vidya Kamat
Text Source: Myths of the North East frontier of India by Verrier Elvin.
Location : North East, Manipur

Who is the supreme devotee of Vishnu? Garuda or Hanuman?

According to Puranic accounts Garuda was once filled with pride since he helped the gods acquire the pot of nectar from asuras, also he had aided Krishna steal Parijat tree from Indra’s abode. Other than that, Vajra- or thunderbolt the ultimate weapon of Indra was ineffective on him and he was instrumental in killing and wounding innumerable asuras with his strength and speed. Lord Vishnu had given him the coveted position of his Vahana or carrier. Thus Garuda was filled with arrogance to be superior to all other devotees of Vishnu.

Noticing Garuda’s arrogance, Krishna decided to test Garuda. He summoned Hanuman to Dwarka aksed him to help shatter Garuda’s pride and arrogance. After crossing the gates of Dwarka, Hanuman began destroying the palace orchard. He ate all the fruits, uprooted a number of trees, and in no time demolished the whole orchard. The palace guards rushed to Krishna to inform of the unruly monkey wreaking havoc on the orchard.

Krishna called Garuda who was beside him, and asked him to attend to the problem.” You better go with your army and capture the monkey” Krishna advised Garuda.

“O Lord, I don’t need an army to catch an insignificant monkey. I myself can tackle the problem and bring the monkey before you ” Garuda replied brimming with over confidence.

There lived a pious Brahman who owned a number of cows. The cow named Bahula, was his favourite one among all. She was most sincere and kind and had given birth to a young calf recently. As usual on that day Brahmana sent out all his cows for grazing. Bahula too headed for the grassland. She wanted to have a few quick mouthfuls and return to her young calf to feed her. Unfortunately, she strayed into the deep forest while grazing. Suddenly she noticed a tiger before her getting ready to pounce upon her. Realising she will be devoured by the tiger, her eyes widened and began shedding copious tears. She thought of her hungry calf waiting for her back home and pleaded with the tiger, “ Let me go home and feed my calf for one last time, and then you can eat me” Bahula begged. The tiger took pity on Bahula and asked her return as quickly as possible after feeding the calf , as he was very hungry.

Bahula hastened home. She fed her calf her milk for the last time and told Brahmana, what had happened. After listening the tale, Brahmana said “O Bahula! If you die what will happen to your young calf ? Instead, let me offer myself to the tiger.” But Bahula was adamant. She explained to the Brahmana that she had promised the tiger to return and she cannot go against her word. Saying thus she returned to the tiger. Brahman and little calf too followed behind her. When they reached the jungle, Bahula gladly offered herself to the tiger. Instantly, the tiger changed shape and the brilliant form of Lord Shri Krishna appeared in place of the tiger. Krishna said “ I am so pleased with your truthfulness and integrity and from now on, this forest will be known as Bahulavan”

One day Parvati, the consort of Shiva requested Shiva to tell her a story. “ Oh lord ! tell me a story that no one has heard before”, she pleaded. Shiva agreed and compiled a fresh tale for her. Shiva closed the door to the bed chamber so that no one else should hear it. While he was closing the door one of Shiva’s minions concealed himself as a tiny fly and entered the bedchamber and listened to the tale sitting unnoticed on the wall.

Once he heard the story he could not contain himself and shared the story with his wife . She then went ahead told the story to her companions with the rider “ please don’t tell it to anyone”. Finally the story got shared among everyone as it completed its circle and reached Parvati’s maid, who told it back to Parvati. Parvati was aghast. How could Shiva cheat her by telling a story that everyone knew? She immediately reported it Shiva and accused him for cheating her.