The Yellamma Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Yellamma, who is considered a form of Devi, the mother goddess. There are actually a few Yellamma temples in India, but the most famous one is the Shri Renuka Yellamma Temple located in Saundatti, Karnataka.pen_spark
Shri Renuka Yellamma Temple, Saundatti
The temple is situated on a hilltop known as Yellamma Gudda, named after the temple itself. The deity worshipped here is associated with Parasurama’s mother, Renuka, and is revered as a fertility goddess. The temple is built in a combination of Chalukyan and Rashtrakuta architectural styles, with evidence of Jain influence as well. tunesharemore_vert
RENUKAA – Daughter of Renu Rishi (or of King Prasenjit?) Married to – Jamadagni Rishi (Son of Richeek and Satyavatee) Children – 5 sons – Rumanvaan, Sushen, Vasu, Vishwaavasu and Parashuraam —Wikipedia gives the five sons’ names as Som, Kritwu, Turvasu. Megh and Parashuraam. –Once Renukaa went to fetch some water from a River for her husband’s worship. There she found Gandharv Raaj playing with his wives in the river. She watched them playing for quite some time and wished for a young husband. Then she overtook her thoughts and soon came back home. But she was late for Rishi’s worship. Rishi knew her mental sin by his Yog power so he got very angry and asked his all sons to behead their mother. But nobody did so except Parashuraam. So he asked Parashuraam to behead his brothers also. He did that also. Jamadagni got very pleased with Parashuraam, he asked him to ask for any Var. He immediately asked their life, requested to incorporate them in the family, and that they should not remember that he killed them. He did so. https://sushmajee.com/reldictionary/names/names-Q-R.htm
Parashuraam Temples Most famous temples of Parushram) (1) This s one of the most ancient temples of South India. It is situated on the banks of Karamana River near Thiruvallam, Thiruvananthapuram. It is the only Temple in Kerala dedicated to Lord Parashuraam The Temple is 9 Kilometer from Kovalaam Beach and Trivendram airport. History says that it was built by a legendary Cheraa King Perumal during the 12th and 13th century AD. During the Karkidaka Vavu day (a holiday in the Malayalam month of Karkidakam) as part of the Bali (sacrifice – a religious ritual), devotees pay homage to the departed souls of forefathers, after taking a dip in the holy water. . It is believed that Guru Aadi Shankaraachaarya made the “Bali” for his mother at this temple.
One of the unique features of this Temple is that the Temple has separate shrines for the Tri-moorti of Hindu religion – Mahaa Vishnu, Lord Shiv and Lord Brahmaa. Another specialty is that the Temple is located at the Triveni Sangam (merging of 3 rivers) of Karamana River, Killi River, and Parvathiputhanar River – and hence considered a holy spot to perform Bali ritual. Thiruvonam Arattu and Parashuraam Jayantee are the two important festivals celebrated at this Temple
(2) His another place for worshipping him is in the fort on the mount Salher which is at the extreme North end of the Sahyaadri Mountain range; in the Kaangadaa district of Panjaab (North India); on a mountain 5 kms away from Chiplun in Konkan (West India);
(3) There is also an old temple of Parashuraam Jee on a mountain near Kankon in Gomantak, Goa,
other temples in India;
Akhanoor, J&K There is one temple of Parashuraam Jee at Akhanoor at 18 kms away from Jammoo City, J&K. Every year, in the month of May, an enormous fete in the form of a parade, referred as Parashuraam Jayantee, with hundreds of tableaux, thronged through the main city of Jammoo. Belgaam, Karnaatak There’s a place called “Saudatti” Belgaam, Karnaatak, where there is a very famous temple, called Sri Renukaa Devee Temple attracting huge devotees from Mahaaraashtra, Karnaatak, and other parts of India. Renukaa Devee is also known as “Yellammaa” here. Near this temple there is a small temple for Parashuraam Jee also called Jamadagni who is believed to be the Son of Sri Renukaa Maataa who was beheaded by her son Parashuraan Jee on the order of his father Jamadagni Jee. In Kannad, Yellamma is a compound word – “Yella” – which means all and “Ammaa” – which means mother; so Yellammaa means “the one who is the mother of all Anantheshwara Temple, Udupi: This temple in Karnataka is dedicated to Lord Shiva, but it also has a shrine dedicated to Lord Parashurama Parshuram Temple, Nirmand: This temple is located in Himachal Pradesh. It is a relatively new temple, built in the 20th century.
Parshuram Temple, Chiplun:Located in Maharashtra, this is one of the most prominent temples dedicated to Lord Parashurama. It is believed that the temple was built by Parshurama himself. The temple complex includes shrines dedicated to Lord Hanuman and Lord Ganesha,pen_sparkand two ancient kunds (water bodies).
Nanjangud Near Nanjangud is the Sangam, where the Kapilaa and Kaundinya rivers meet. This place is termed as Parashuraam Kshetra which is where the sage Parashuraam is said to have cleansed himself from the sin of beheading his mother. A small rivulet called Swarnavatee also joins the rivers here. Here is a temple also dedicated to Lord Parashuraam. Phagawara, Panjaab There is temple dedicated to Lord Parashuraam in Khattee, near Phagwara in Panjab, India. Phalodee, Jodhpur, Raajasthaan Recently in 2010 a big statue of Parashuraam is developed in Phalodee (Jodhpur-Raajasthaan) near Shivsar Talao (Pond). Parshuram Mahadev Temple:This cave temple is situated in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. It is believed that Lord Parshurama meditated here for a long time. The trek up to the cave temple is a bit challenging, but the scenic beauty and the serenity of the place make it worthwhile.pen_spark Opens in a new window en.wikipedia.org Parshuram Mahadev Temple Raajkot, Gujaraat There is a temple of Parashuraam in Rajkot (Gujarat), India. Painguinim, Goa There is a temple of Parashurama in the village of Painguinim in Canacona, Goa. Thiruvallam, Kerala The most famous Parashuraam Temple is in the suburbs of Trivendrum at Thiruvallam where all the Tri-moorti are worshipped. It is believed to be the place where Parashuraam’s axe fell in the Arabian sea to claim Kerala. The temple is situated on the banks of the river Karamana, 6km south of the city. This 2000 year old temple is the only temple in Kerala dedicated to Parashuraam, the mythological creator of Kerala. Many pilgrims visit this temple for ‘Bali and Tarpan’ (homage to the departed souls). They make offerings to their ancestors, after taking a dip in the holy river. There is also a belief that the great monk Adi Shakara made the ‘Bali’ for his mother at this place. Gaazeepur, UP There is a temple of Parashuraam in Harpur, Zamania, Ghazipur (Uttar Pradesh).
Hanumaan Jee is the most worshipped Devtaa in India and his temples are also in largest number. The most interesting thing about his temple is that one does not need to make a big temple for him. If one keeps even his small statue, one foot or above tall, in a small depression in any wall, it becomes his temple. Even his prayer “Hanumaan Chaaleesaa is also the most sung prayer after “Om Jaya Jagadeesh Hare…” Aaratee.
In early years these folktales were available only to very few people because they used to be preserved only by telling and hearing. They could not be preserved in writing for many years. The following short description gives a glimpse of publishing history of folktales for common man. It is not certainly complete but it shows that publishing of folktales was somewhat aggressively started from the 19th century only. By the way the first printing started from Gutenberg Bible (40 pages) in 1450 – mid-15th century.
Up to 15th Century – Development and recording of folktales up to 15th century has been given on the Introduction page. Till now there was no normal publishing available in the world. Printing Press was invented in 1455 and even the first book was published 20 years later. Printing gave a sudden rise to produce writing and producing the literature, so from the 16th century our Medieval Period starts –
Medieval Period The two special main characteristics of Medieval Period are writing more aggressively and publishing them quickly. This Period started from 16th century and continued till the end of the 18th century – 300 years. Not many books were written during this period but still they were all published.
16th Century Publication of folktales starts after 100 years of the invention of printing press in 1455, from the folktales of Italy. The first collection, “The Facetious Nights of Straparola” / The Pleasant Nights (in Italian: Piacevoli Notti) was published by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in Italy in 1550. Strarparola was one of the most famous novelist of Italy of his times. This collection passed through 16 editions during the next 20 years after its first publication. It was translated into French and German also. 13 nights were spent listening these 74 stories. They cover 24 stories of little-known origin, 15 stories from French, 6 stories of Oriental origin, remaining 29 stories never appeared before in the literature of Europe.
17th Century After the publication of this collection there was again a silence again for an almost 100 years. Next publications were a few publications of folktales, such as “,” (The Tale of Tales) a collection of 50 Italian stories written by Giambattista Basile published in 1634 and 1636 narrated by 10 old women in five nights. It was written on the same fashion as the Giovanni Francesco Straparola’s collection mentioned above – “The Facetious Nights of Strarparola”. It is available on the Web Site World of Folktales with its 32 tales. But its full version was translated by the renowned translator Richard Francis Burton in 1893 in two volumes – after 260 years, in 1893.
18th Century This period was the period when folktales were written in France and Britain during the years 1690 and 1756. In 1690 A female writer came up to record French folktales. That was Marie-Catherine D’Aulnoy, the foremost fairy tale author of the French Salons, who published four volumes of fairy tales. They were translated into English in 1699.
In 1697 an other very famous French author rose to write fairy tales. That was Charles Perrault who wrote “Histoires ou Contes du temps passe”, also known as “Mother Goose Tales”. It was published in Paris. The tales enjoyed instant success. Some of the tales included are Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard, and Puss in Boots. He ultimately recorded 11 fairy tales, most of which are among the most popular tales today. All of Perrault’s tales are available on SurLaLune Website at The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault
In 1740, an other female writer of French folktales Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve writes the original novella length version of Beauty and the Beast which appears in “La jeune ameriquaine, et les contes marins”. This version is not intended for children with its many storylines, length, and subject matter.
Yet in 1756 Madame Le Prince de Beaumont publishes her own considerably shorter version of Beauty and the Beast. This version is the best well-known and most used as the basis for later interpretations of the tale. It is written for a young audience, with didactic messages and a simpler storyline. This is the first example of a literary fairy tale being written specifically for children.
In the meantime, in 1729, Robert Samber of Britain translates into English and publishes Perrault’s “Histories”, or “Tales of Times Past”. They are a hit and become some of the most popular fairy tales of all time.
The gap of publication of folktales reduced from 100 years to 70 years and after 70 years another publication was published. Arabian Nights was first published in 1706. Its first translation in English from French was from Antoine Galland’s Les Mille et Une Nuits (1704-17) by an anonymous ‘Grub Street’ translator. But Richard Francis Burton’s translation still remains the most complete version of One Thousand and One Nights in English published in 1885. It is generally considered one of the finest unexpurgated translations from Calcutta II. After the publication of Arabian Nights there is another large gap in publishing folktales – of 100 years. No more notable publication appeared in this century.
Modern Period After this period the Modern Period starts – writing and printing and publishing – everything started together.
19th Century After leaving 18th century blank (or say after the publication of “Arabian Nights”), because even the proper English translation of Arabian Nights was published in 19th century, regular kind of publication of folktales was started in 19th century. Only a couple of books are found in the beginning of this century.
Two German brothers Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm restarted this tradition. The first collection of their 86 fairy tales was published in 1812. Although it was criticized for their inappropriateness for the children. Another edition was published in 1817 with 70 tales. After this several editions were published after subtracting and adding several tales until the last edition, the 7th edition with 211 tales in 1857. These two brothers are well-known by the name of Grimms or Grimm Brothers. With the exception of the Lutheran Bible, Grimms’ “Fairy Tales” is considered to be the most widely distributed literary work of German origin, with translations in more than 160 languages.
Two collections of Norwegian tales were published in 1843 and 1852 – “Norwegian Folktales” (1841-1842, 1843) by Peter Christen Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe. The tales were first translated into English by Sir George Webbe Dasent – a British well-known translator. He translated all but a few of the tales from the two series of Norske Folkeeventyr. Dasent’s Popular Tales from the Norse (1859), contains all 58 tales from the initial edition of the original collection. Dasent’s Tales from the Fjeld: A Second Series of Popular Tales (1874) covers the two tales added to later editions of the original collection and 45 of the tales from the new collection.
The first collection of Russian folktales in English language was published by William Ralston Sheddan Ralston “Russian Folktales” (London, Smith Elder) with 51 tales in 1873. The greatest collection of Russian Folktales, about 600 in number, was printed by Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev during 1855-1863. From among his many stories 73 stories were translated in English as one book titled “Russian Folk-Tales” by Leonard Arthur Magnus and was published in 1916.
A collection of 51 Folktales of Serbia “Serbian Folklore” was published in 1874.
In the mean time a very important and well-known folktales collector of Scotland Andrew Lang started publishing his own works. He is regarded the best and the greatest collector of folktales of the world . He started his publishing from 1878 and continued till 1913. His first book was “Folklore of France” published in 1878. Along with collecting the folktales of various countries, he has published many fairy tales and has translated Arabian Nights also.
A translation of India’s “Katha Saritsagar” in English by CH Tawney with the title “The Ocean of Story” was also published during this period in two volumes in 1880 and 1884. After this the same was published again by NM Penzer with an extensive commentary etc in 10 volumes during 1924 and 1928. It has been translation in several languages – one in Hindi by Kedar Nath Sharma Saraswat in several volumes, bilingual (Sanskrit and Hindi), another one was published by Motilal Banarsidas only in Sanskrit in 1970. One more smaller collection of these stories was published as “Katha Sarita”, 4th edition, by Dvijendra Nath Mishra was published in 1979.
Later the collection of Portuguuese folktales “Portugese Folk-Tales” was published in 1880. It was published by Consiglieri Pedroso.
Brother Grimms’ “Household Folktales” was translated in English by Margaret Hunt in 1884.
One more collection of Italian folktales “Italian Popular Tales” was published in English by Thomas Frederick Crane in 1885.
20th Century 20th century was full of publications on folktales. It started with “Zanzibar Tales” of Tanzania country (Africa) was published by George W Bateman in 1901. It contains only 10 tales. Many other African folktale books were also published later.
One more collection of Italian folktales was published by Italo Calvino, with the title “Italian Folktales: collected and retold by Italo Calvino” with 200 tales in 1956. Here you may find the titles of his all the 200 tales and links for some of its tales. Its one English translation was published by George Martin in 1980.
A Short Survey and the Need of Translation A short survey revealed that only a countable books of folktales were available in Hindi therefore if we have to enrich our society with the global information of folktales we must translate as many possible of them in Hindi and provide them with from some platform to our public. Most folktales are available in their own languages to which they belong. Later some bilingual people started making the attempt to translate those foreign language tales in English German France Italian for the benefit of their own society. Now a days as English is considered a kind of universal language that is why if the translation of a non-English material is available in English language it is considered quite a usable literature.
Many people in India either do not know English or do not have access to these books (either the book itself is not available, or not available in the library near them, or they are not available in Hindi – neither physically nor on Internet), thus they are not able to read them. To reach them we need to translate or retranslate them into Hindi and make them available to those people who speak Hindi.
We are in dire need of their translation in Hindi. Foreign language does not mean only that language which is used in other countries, it includes those languages too which are not understood by other people, for example even in India more than 20 languages are spoken. It means the one language is a foreign language to another. Thus for a Hindi speaking person Tamil, Malayalam, Kannad, Bengali etc all languages are foreign languages. Most grassroots people are not able to understand those languages, leave English, so they need to read it in their own language. This is the effort to bring their dream true that they can also know about the outside world.
Here I would like to cite an example of a book written in Italian “Il Decamerone” in 1353. Now Italian language has several dialects. Since that dialect was only understood in a particular part of Italy it remained unknown even to their own countrymen for a long time. So people speaking other dialects translated that book of 75 tales in four other Italian dialects. This is called to send the literature to grassroots people, that those 75 tales were available then in Italian’s five dialects. That is the kind of movement we need.
Folktales do not need any introduction to anybody. They have been told and heard since the origin of the man in one form or the other. In past their form might have been the personal experiences around themselves and their aim to tell them others just as entertainment. Later these experiences turned into short stories about themselves and their environment – animals, dreams (of anything), imagination (fairies in special to fulfill their wishes etc), horror if they felt it at times, travelogue etc.
After hundreds of years when they had started living in societies, they became civilized, some educational element also entered them. Thus when one person told it to other, the other person told it to his child and the child told that to his child; it was handed over from generation to generation, telling, listening, retelling and listening; we don’t know how many times. Some materials got lost while some were added during this process.
Because folktales are related to a particular place, time and society, that is why they represent that society – its style of living, living standard, food and drinking, animals and birds found in there, sayings etc.
Normally any folktale can fulfill three types of objectives – to impart moral education, to influence the listener psychologically and to entertain him or her. And these objectives are fulfilled by characterization of the characters in that tale.
Although printing in one way or the other is said to be started as early as 3,500 BC, but its commercial use came into existence when Gutenberg printed his first book, The Bible which is known as Gutenberg Bible, containing 40 pages, first printed in 1455. Although it was the first year to use the press commercially but it was not available for public use for a long time.
Gradually first turn of printing was for the most essential and important books, later other less important material was considered for printing.
characteristics of folktales:
Oral tradition: Passed down through generations by telling and retelling stories.
Cultural lessons: Often contain morals or life lessons that are important to the culture.
Universality: Deal with themes that are common across human experience, like love, loss, bravery, and foolishness.
Variations: Can have many different versions depending on the region or storyteller.
Fantastical elements: May include magic, talking animals, or other fantastical elements.
Types of Folktales
Folktales, or folklores, or folk stories are a very good source to know about a culture or civilization. Every place, every religion, every country, every society has its own folktales. What is a folktale and how does it differ from Myth, Fairy tales or Legend.
Fairy Tale A fairy tale may involve fairies, giants, dragons, elves, goblins, dwarves, and other fanciful and fantastic forces. While traditionally intended for children, fairy tales have also been drawn into the field of literary theory and, many books are based on the story of “Cinderella”, “Beauty and the Beast” and other fairy tales.
Folktales Whereas myth has at its core the origins of a people, and is often sacred, folklore is a collection of fictional tales about people and/or animals, a folktale describes how the main character copes with the events of everyday life, and the tale may involve crisis or conflict. Superstitions and unfounded beliefs are important elements in the folklore tradition. The study of folklore is called folkloristic and the person who does it he is called Folklorist.
This particular class of folklore, folktales, can have three objectives – (1) entertainment (2) education through stories, and (3) passing and preserving our heritage through spoken word passing to as many people as possible in the absence of any written medium.
Legend A legend is a story purported to be historical in nature, but without substantiation. Prominent examples include: King Arthur, Black Beard and Robin Hood. Where evidence of the existence of actual historical figures exists, figures like King Richard are legends due in large part to the many stories that have been created about them. Legend also refers to anything that inspires a body of stories, or anything of lasting importance or fame. The story is handed down from earlier times, but will continue to evolve with time.
Myth A myth is a traditional story which may describe the origins of the world and or of a people. A myth is an attempt to explain mysteries, supernatural events, and cultural traditions. Sometimes sacred in nature, a myth can involve gods or other creatures. And, a myth represents reality in dramatic ways. Many cultures have their own versions of common myths, which contain archetypal images and themes.
History of Folktales Here is the brief history of folktales. Its history may be divide in three main periods – Ancient period, Medieval Period and Modern Period.
Ancient Period This period is since beginning the known folktales till 12th century. The following collections are of Ancient Period.
Aesop’s Tales (Greece, 620-564 BC) World’s first well-known folktale collection is supposed to be the Aesop’s stories. Aesop was the greatest well-known storyteller from Greece. His tales are of about 600 BC. These tales were collected only after about 300 years after Aesop’s death. His 584 tales are available in English on Internet – http://mythfolklore.net/aesopica/perry/index.htm
Jatak Stories (India, 3rd century BC) Second well-known collection of folktales is from India. These tales have been told and heard since 3rd century BC. These tales are about the birth of Mahatma Buddha, whether they are related to his birth as a human being or as an animal. The Jatak tales are found as a textual division of the Pali Canon called Jatakapali. From among these 547 tales some tales are found in Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian and some other languages of Europe also. The Jataka-Mala of Arya Shura gives 34 Jataka stories in Sanskrit. They have already been translated into Chinese in 247 BC.
Panchtantra Tales (India, 200 BC) The Third large collection of folktales also comes from India, that is Panchtantra Tales. These tales were written in Sanskrit language by Vishnu Sharma. All these tales are of animals and birds and are based on ancient folktales. And because this collection has been translated in many languages that is why its many folktales can be found in foreign folktales also.
These tales were written for a King Amarshakti’s three foolish sons in a mode that a Guru teaches his students through these tales. People believe that these tales are found in 50 languages all over the world. Its 25 translations are available in India only. Every child of India grows by reading, or listening to its one tale at least. Hitopadesh’s tales have got the inspiration only from this collection.
By 11th century, the tales of this collection had been mixed up with the folktales of several European traveling countries through Persian, Arabic, and Greek folktales. And then by 16th century these folktales were found in many languages of European countries. Before the advent of Islam, in 6th century AD, these folktales were traced in Iran in Pahalvi language also.
These folktales encircle many subjects. But their greatest specialty is that another story comes out from the original tale, such as in Arabian Nights of Persia – although a few folktales do stand alone. Somewhere its level goes down up to three levels. Its correct age cannot be ascertained as original Sanskrit version has been lost.
Brihat Katha Saritsagar (India, 1070 AD) This is another very large collection of Indian fairy tales, legends and folktales. There are two versions available of this book.
One is believed to derive from Gunaadhyaaya’s Brihat Katha which was written in a poorly understood Paishaachi language in South India. Another one is the Kashmirian Brihat Katha which Somadev Bhatta took inspiration from. But this Katha Saritsagar may be quite different from the Paishachi one, as there are two versions of the Brihatkatha extant in Kashmir, as well as Brihat Katha Shlok Sangrah Buddhaswami from Nepal. The Somadev one is written by Somadev Bhatt in Sanskrit language.
This work was written for the entertainment of Queen Sooryamati, wife of the King Anantdev of Kashmir (1063-1081). It consists of 18 Books of 124 Chapters, and more than 21,000 verses in addition to prose texts. Its principal tale is of Naravahandatta, son of the legendary King Udayan. It also contains Betal Pachchisi in its 12th Book. The original version of Brihat Katha Saritsagar in Sanskrit is available at Internet.
Only one translation of this whole book is found in English language. translated by CH Tawney. This translation is available at several Web Sites. And that was published during 1880-1884. Later one more translation was published by Norman Mesley Penzer as an extended version – Translated in English. Katha Saritsagar. 10 vols. 1924-1928. It is available in Bangla language also at several Sites.
Arabian Nights (Persia, 12th century) Arabian Nights is another collection of tales told by the Queen of a Persian King Shaharyar Shaharzad to her husband – a new story every night. She did this for three whole years, thus told him 1,001 stories during that period. This is the collection the same 1,001 stories and is known as Arabian Nights.
Its incomplete title has been found in a manuscript of 9th century, but its complete mention is found in Cairo (Egypt) in 12th century only. It has first been mentioned in “Hazar Afsane” written in Pahalvi language. It is believed that these stories were heard and told freely during the reign of Khalifa of Bagdad, Haroon al-Rashid, during 786-808 AD. Its all stories are in Arabic language.
Its first translation in English was published in 1706. Its first known English edition was titled as “Arabian Nights Entertainment”. Read some of its stories in English here. Although there are many Web Sites for Arabian Nights stories, but the best site I found is http://wollamshram.ca/1001/. This site gives many stories in original. Its many translations in English are available but well-known collections are by Andrew Lang (1898) and Sir Richard Burton (1955), William Lane (1909-14).
It was not the work of one translator but it was translated by several translators in several years. Its 1st edition was published by East India Company in Calcutta (Bengal, India) in 1814. It is still available in Calcutta. It also covers varied subjects.
Up to 12th century the age of folktales was in ancient age. Up to this age the folktales were really in telling/hearing fashion. That is why they were scattered, not at one place and sometimes their teller’s names were also not known.
Decamerone (Italy, 14th century) Here I would like to mention one title of a folktale book, Decamerone, which was written by Giovanni Boccaccio in Vernacular of the Florentine language of Italy and was completed in 1353. Previous collections were either told or written but not found as whole at one time. Of course they were never printed also as there was no printing facilities at that time. That is why this collection is questionable as where to put it – in Ancient Period or in Medieval Period. If we take by years then it is a part of Medieval Period, but when you see the other characteristics of Medieval Period folktales then it fits more in Ancient Period.
It is considered a masterpiece of classical early Italian prose. It was not known to outside this community for a long time because of the limitation of its language that is why this collection should not be counted enough to be counted of Medieval Period although it was written during the Medievel period. Besides this collection was printed privately, still we will cover this collection in our next section.
Classification of Folktales Let us mention about the classification of folktales before we move forward toward Medieval Period. When enough faolktales were available from Europe several attempts were made to classify them. A Finnish folklorist Antti Arne began such a system, but it was later developed by a Russian NP Andreyev. This system identified 915 main types of folktales (categorized by themes, plots, characters, and other story elements). Of these, about one third (317 types) were found in both Eastern and Western European tales, one third (302) types were found exclusively in Western European tales, and one third (296 types) were found exclusively in Eastern European tales. This classification helps a lot to identify the part of Europe where a tale comes from.
[3-145] Vaishampaayan Jee said – “They lived there for 6 nights in the expectation of seeing Dhananjaya. Then one day a very fast wind blew from the North-East and it brought a thousand-petal lotus and left it on the ground. Paanchaalee saw it, it was very charming and had a Divine fragrance. She said to Bheem – “See this flower, this is so beautiful. I will give this flower to Yudhishthir, for my pleasure you bring me more such flowers so that I can take them to our Aashram in Kaamyak Van. You bring me many such flowers, I wish to take them to our Aashram.” And she approached Yudhishthir with that flower Bheem got up and set to go to collect such flowers for the pleasure of his beloved. He was going at a fast pace in the direction from which the flower came. He was looking around on the slopes of Gandhmaadan Parvat. There were many kinds of fragrance coming but they were not the same as he was looking for. On the way there were many Gandharv and Kinnar with their wives who were there with their husbands invisibly. He was thinking while going about his vows taken at the time of Draupadee’s insult, then he thought that Arjun had gone to Swarg, what Yudhishthir will do? I hope that out of affection he doesn’t let Nakul and Sahadev come in search of us. How can I get that flower soon?………………….. rest of the story you can read on the link above;
Bheem Brings Flowers
[3-151] Vaishampaayan Jee said – “When Hanumaan had gone away Bheem proceeded on Gandhmaadan path. He went on thinking about Hanumaan’s body and the dignity of Dasharath’s son Raam. On the way he seeing herds of elephants, lotus lakes, scattered deer and many other things came to Saugandhikaa forest with fresh golden lotuses. Bheem had got his object and mentally presented himself before Draupadee.
[3-152] Vaishampaayan Jee said – When Bheem reached at the spot, he was in the vicinity of Kailaash. He saw the lake full of golden lotus flowers and guarded by Raakshas. Its all banks were beautiful, a wonder of the world, so romantic in look. Its water was like Amrit – cool and light, clear and fresh. Bheem drank the water to his heart’s satisfaction. This lake was the resort place for Kuber. It was frequently visited by Siddh, Apsaraa, Yaksh, Kimpurush, Raakshas etc. It was guarded by Krodhvash Raakshas wearing uniform and armed with various weapons. As the guards saw Bheem so they asked him – “Who are you? Your guise is of an ascetic but you are armed with weapons, why have you come here?”
rest of the story you can read on the link above;
Bheem killed MANIMAAN; Paandav Meet Kuber
There was a Raakshas, Kuber’s friend, named Manimaan, he came to show his bravery and might to Bheem. He said to his people – “When you will go to Master what will you say to him that how many were defeated only by one mortal person?” and he proceeded towards Bheem. There they fought first with arrows then Bheem took his mace for fighting, but Manimaan used a club which hurt Bheem’s right arm, still Bheem hurled his mace at Manimaan, then Manimaan also threw his dart at him, but still Bheem could succeed killing him.”
a long story, you can read it on the third and last link above.
Dasharath had a daughter by name Shaantaa before performing Putra Kaameshti Yagya. He gave her to his good friend Raajaa Rompaad. Raajaa Rompaad married her to Rishi Rishya Shring after he had rain in his kingdom by inviting Rishya Shring Rishi to his kingdom.
Thus Rishya Shring was the son-in-law of Dasharath. He performed Putra Kaameshti Yagya for him and then only Dasharath got four sons.
That Dasharath was 60,000 years old when he had his four sons. [1/6/20]
King Dasharath had 350 wives more, other than his three chief wives. [2/17/39]
Many names have been mentioned in Vaalmeeki Raamaayan. It is difficult for anybody to remember all the names. A list of most names mentioned in Vaalmeeki Raamaayan is given here according to their first appearance in the Raamaayan along with a brief description. In the Names description, some words, normally names, appear as bold. These are those names which are included in this list.For example see one of the entry in the index;
Bharadwaaj Muni Bharadwaaj Muni was the disciple of Vaalmeeki Jee. Later he used to live in Prayaag (Alaahaabaad). Many Muni used to come to Prayaag for religious baths. Once when they came to take Maagh bath and started going back to their Aashram, Bharadwaaj Muni requested Muni Yaagyavalkya Jee to stay back and tell Raam Kathaa to him. Tulasee Daas Jee’s Raam Charit Maanas begins from this point. [1/2]
Stones Floated on Water Raam Naam Mahimaa in limitless. When Raam wanted to cross the sea, Nal and Neel wrote the name of Raam on stones and threw them in the sea. They did not sink, they floated. It is said that when Raam saw them throwing the stones in water and seeing them floating, He thought “let me also throw some stones, the bridge will be built soon.” So He also threw one stone in the water, but it did not float, it sank. Raam was surprised to see this. Hanumaan was looking at this, he said – “Stones are floating because your name is written on it and thus they are carrying your power.”
राम नाम की महिमा, राम नाम का महत्व पानी पर तैरते पत्थर राम नाम महिमा अपरंपार। जब राम समुद्र पार करना चाहते थे तो नल और नील ने पत्थरों पर राम का नाम लिखकर समुद्र में फेंक दिया। वे डूबे नहीं, तैरते रहे। ऐसा कहा जाता है कि जब राम ने उन्हें पानी में पत्थर फेंकते और तैरते हुए देखा, तो उन्होंने सोचा “मैं भी कुछ पत्थर डालूँगा, पुल जल्द ही बन जाएगा।” इसलिये उसने भी एक पत्थर पानी में फेंका, परन्तु वह तैरा नहीं, डूब गया। यह देखकर राम को आश्चर्य हुआ। हनुमान यह देख रहे थे, उन्होंने कहा – “पत्थर इसलिए तैर रहे हैं क्योंकि उन पर आपका नाम लिखा है और इस प्रकार वे आपकी शक्ति को धारण कर रहे हैं।”
There was an old woman who used to worship Ganesh Jee everyday very regularly and with devotion. She used to live with her daughter-in-law. She was very poor.
On every Ganesh Chaturthee Ganesh Jee came out of his abode to bestow Var to worthy people. Once when he came out to bestow Var he had a little rice in his one palm, and some milk in his another palm. He came to a village saying, “Can somebody cook Kheer (an Indian sweets made out of rice and milk) for me?” Many women came out of their homes but seeing that Ganesh Jee had only very little rice and milk for Kheer went inside thinking who is going to cook his Kheer out of so little rice and milk?
There lived this old woman. She was hearing that voice for some time, so she came out of her mud house to see that who wanted somebody to cook Kheer for him. She saw Ganesh Jee walking on the road carrying a little rice in his one palm, and some milk in his another palm. The old woman pitied on him, so she brought a small bowl for milk and a tiny plate for rice and asked Ganesh Jee to pour his rice and milk in those pots – “Come my son, I will cook the Kheer for you. You pour your rice in this plate and milk in this bowl, I will cook your Kheer.”
Ganesh Jee said – “These pots are very small, bring the bigger ones.” So the woman brought a big plate and a big cooking pot, but Ganesh Jee refused to pour his rice and milk in those pots also and asked her to bring much bigger pots than those ones. The woman got irritated, so she brought the biggest cooking pot (about 4 feet in diameter and 4 feet deep) to pour the milk and the biggest plate (about 5 feet diameter plate, normally used in marriages) to pour the rice. Ganesh Jee was still not happy with that size of pots but he couldn’t do anything so he turned his one palm with rice over the biggest plate. The plate got full, and much rice scattered outside the plate also. In the same way Ganesh Jee turned his another palm over the cooking pot, the pot was not only filled but got overflowed with milk. The woman was amazed to see this that so much rice and milk was hiding in his little palms.
Well, after pouring rice and milk in her pots, Ganesh Jee said to her – “I am going to river to take bath. After taking bath I will come and eat my Kheer.” The woman said “All right” and went inside. She asked her daughter-in-law to cook the Kheer and instructed her strictly that she should not taste it before Ganesh Jee has eaten it. The daughter-in-law started cooking Kheer. As the milk started boiling, the rice cooked in milk started smelling sweet and nice. Now the daughter-in-law couldn’t resist herself, and she tasted some foam of the milk.
Evening had fallen. Ganesh Jee came home. The woman said – “Ganesh Jee, you took long time in taking bath. Your Kheer has been ready for quite some time. Come and eat you Kheer.” Ganesh Jee said – “Mother, I ate my Kheer at that time when your daughter-in-law tasted my Kheer. But now I am very tired, so I want to sleep.” The woman said – “Ganesh Jee, I don’t have any bedroom in my house, I put this broken bed for you in my courtyard, you may sleep here.” Ganesh Jee said – “That is all right.” And Ganesh Jee started snoring in a few minutes. The woman also went to sleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Ganesh Jee called the woman – “I want to urinate, where should I go?” The woman was damn tired on that day, so in sleep she said – “I don’t have a toilet here, but there is an outlet in the courtyard, you pass it there, I will clean it tomorrow.” Ganesh Jee said “All right.” And Ganesh Jee passed his urine there.
After some time Ganesh Jee woke up again and said – “I want to use toilet, where is it?” The woman was very sleepy so she said to him, “You know that I don’t have toilet in my house, so use a corner in my courtyard, I will clean it tomorrow morning. You don’t have to worry” So Ganesh Jee passed his stool all around the courtyard and went back to sleep.
When next morning the woman got up, she straightway went to bring her broom and a bucket of water to clean Ganesh Jee’s dirt. But when she came out to do that, she found that Ganesh Jee had gone and her courtyard was shining with heaps of gold all around and a nice sweet smell was going around in her hut. The woman forgot to clean the courtyard, instead she got busy in collecting gold from there. In a few days time she was the richest woman of the village. She had a big palace to live, the finest clothes and the costliest jewelry to wear, and the best food to eat.
Now there was a neighboring woman who noticed this. She thought what made this poor old woman so rich in a couple of days time, so she went to that woman and asked the secret of this. The woman was very innocent so she told everything clearly and plainly.
The neighbor thought that the next time when Ganesh Jee would come she would also do the same. So next time on Ganesh Chaturthee when Ganesh Jee came out to bestow Var to worthy people, the neighbor took the lead. She had brought the large pots before hand. Somebody cook my Kheer, somebody cook my Kheer.” She immediately came out of her house and said to him politely – “Come, Ganesh Jee, let me cook your Kheer.” She brought those big pots before hand, so Ganesh Jee poured his milk and rice in those pots and went to take bath after saying to her that he was going to take bath and would eat his Kheer after coming back from there.
The woman asked her daughter-in-law to quickly cook the Kheer. She sat down to cook the Kheer, that her mother-in-law said – “Listen, You should taste it while it is cooking.” The daughter-in-law explained her a lot that it was Ganesh Jee’s Kheer, we should not eat it until he has eaten it but she did not listen to her and said – “Do as I say.” She tasted it praying to Ganesh Jee that it was not her mistake.
Ganesh Jee came in the evening. The woman said – “Your Kheer is cooked, come and eat it.” Ganesh Jee said – “I ate it before your daughter-in-law tasted it. Now I am tired, so I will go to sleep.” The woman had everything in her house but since she was imitating the old woman she gave him a broken bed and asked him to sleep in her courtyard. Ganesh Jee lay down on that bed and started snoring in a few minutes time.
The woman could not sleep the whole night with the happiness that she would also be rich next morning. She was waiting for Ganesh Jee asking for using toilet etc as he asked in that old woman’s house. He did ask for it as he asked from the old woman, but in spite of having everything in her house she directed him to use her courtyard as the old woman did. Ganesh Jee did so.
The woman couldn’t wait for long. As the morning broke she got up and straight went to her courtyard to collect gold but instead of gold she found Ganesh Jee’s stool and urine smelling foul all around the courtyard. The poor woman brought the broom and the water to clean everything abusing him. She cleaned and cleaned, but there seemed no end of cleaning. Then she went to that old woman and asked the way to get rid of that dirt. She told that since she got that by the grace of Ganesh Jee, so she should also worship Ganesh Jee to get rid of that.
The woman worshipped Ganesh Jee repenting for all of her actions. Ganesh Jee appeared before her and removed his Maayaa from her house and gave her lots of wealth.
That is why it is not good to copy everything just like that. One should have true Bhakti (devotion) in one’s heart then only one can get something from Bhagavaan.
गणेश जी की खीर ; एक गरीब, धर्मनिष्ठ वृद्ध महिला जो नियमित रूप से गणेश जी की पूजा करती है। गणेश जी, एक आदमी के रूप में प्रच्छन्न होकर, उसे अपने साथ लाए गए थोड़े से चावल और दूध से खीर (चावल का हलवा) पकाने के लिए कहते हैं। महिला अपने स्वयं के बर्तन पेश करती है, और चमत्कारिक रूप से, गणेश जी की छोटी हथेलियों से भारी मात्रा में चावल और दूध बड़े बर्तनों में बह जाता है।
महिला की बहू द्वारा निर्देशों की अवहेलना करने और उसे चखने के बाद गणेश जी खीर खाने का नाटक करते हैं। फिर वह शौचालय का उपयोग करने के लिए कहता है और थकी हुई महिला उसे आंगन का उपयोग करने के लिए कहती है। सुबह में, आँगन सोने से भर जाता है, जो महिला के आतिथ्य का प्रतिफल है।
एक ईर्ष्यालु पड़ोसी यह देखता है और अगले वर्ष घटनाओं को दोहराने की कोशिश करता है। हालाँकि, उसकी सच्ची भक्ति की कमी और उसकी नकल लालच पर आधारित होने के कारण, उसके आंगन में सोने की जगह गणेश जी का कचरा भर जाता है।
कहानी का उपदेश यह है कि सच्ची भक्ति और अच्छे कर्मों का फल मिलता है, जबकि ईमानदारी के बिना दूसरों के अनुभवों का अनुकरण करने से दुर्भाग्य होता है।
davendrak 