Narratives

The Itihāsas and Purāṇas teach mainly through stories. A teaching about dharma is rarely given as a bare rule. It is shown through the life of a king, a ṛshi, a devoted wife or a child, and the listener is left to draw the lesson.

Many of these are stories within the main story. A character pauses to tell an older tale that answers a question or settles a doubt. Such a story is called an upākhyāna. The Mahābhārata alone contains dozens of them.

Who tells these stories

Most of these stories are told by a ṛshi to someone in need of guidance. In the Mahābhārata, the ṛshi Mārkaṇḍeya and others tell many stories to Yudhishṭhira during the years in the forest. In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Śuka tells them to King Parīkshit, who has only seven days left to live. Knowing who is speaking, and to whom, often explains why a story is told in the way it is.

What they teach

A good story stays in the mind longer than a rule. The story of Nala and Damayantī shows how a king can lose everything and win it back through patience. The story of Sāvitrī shows a wife whose resolve wins her husband back from Yama. Stories like these gave people in every age a way to think about their own choices.

On this website

This section collects these narratives, with where each one is told and what it teaches. It begins with the Upākhyānas.

Upākhyānās

An Upākhyāna is a story told inside a larger story. In the Itihāsas and Purāṇas, a character often pauses to tell an older tale that answers a question, settles a…

Narratives from the Mahābhārata

The Mahābhārata holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa

The Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa

The Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa

The Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa

The Hari Vaṃśa Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Brahma Purāṇa

The Brahma Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Padma Purāṇa

The Padma Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Vishṇu Purāṇa

The Vishṇu Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Śiva Purāṇa

The Śiva Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Vāyu Purāṇa

The Vāyu Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa

The Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Nārada Purāṇa

The Nārada Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa

The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Agni Purāṇa

The Agni Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Bhavishya Purāṇa

The Bhavishya Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa

The Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Liṅga Purāṇa

The Liṅga Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Varāha Purāṇa

The Varāha Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Skanda Purāṇa

The Skanda Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Vāmana Purāṇa

The Vāmana Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Kūrma Purāṇa

The Kūrma Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Matsya Purāṇa

The Matsya Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Garuḍa Purāṇa

The Garuḍa Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa

The Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa

The Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa

The Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Narasiṃha Purāṇa

The Narasiṃha Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa

The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa holds many narratives.

Narratives from the Kalki Purāṇa

The Kalki Purāṇa holds many narratives.