Sacred History

The History section brings together the stories behind the bhajans on this website. Many kirtans mention Krishna’s childhood in Gokul, Hanuman’s devotion to Rama, the game of dice in the Mahabharata or Shabari waiting for Rama. When you have read the story first, these songs become much easier to follow, especially for children and for anyone who did not grow up hearing them.

Everything here is retold in simple language by the Hansaben Poriya team, based on the traditional scriptures and on the way these stories are told at home and in satsang. It is not a word-for-word translation, and it does not try to settle debates between versions: where tellings differ, we follow the one most familiar in Gujarat.

What you will find

• Gods History: the lives and stories of Krishna, Ganesh, Mahadev, Hanuman and Rama, in short parts you can read one at a time.
• The Mahabharata: the whole story in 18 chapters, with character pages and a family tree of the Kuru dynasty.
• The Ramayana: all seven kandas, from Bala Kanda to Uttara Kanda, with character pages and a family tree.
• Festivals: what Diwali and other festivals mean, how they are celebrated and the stories behind them.

If you are new here, start with Gods History or the first chapter of the Mahabharata and read one part a day. Every page links to the next one, and the bhajans connected to a story are a click away on the Kirtans page.