Lord Brahma is highly disturbed when the four vedas are stolen from him the moment he goes to sleep at the end of the kalpa. It’s Asura Hayagriva who’s gotten away with the sacred scriptures. Lord Vishnu offers to go to the creator’s rescue and takes the guise of Matsya, the fish. King Satyavrath lands up with a tiny gold fish when he’s offering prayers to the Sun God one morning. Is the fish all that it appears to be? How can Satyavrath help the fish? Read more to find out the reason for Lord Vishnu taking the avatar on earth as Matsya. \*This is a straightforward story of the first avatar of Mahavishnu, retold in simple English just the way it’s written over the ages. The target audience is the youngsters, children, who don’t know all that much about Indian mythology. It’s also for those parents who are keen to read aloud stories to their children and are looking for suitable books on mythology.

Sage Durvasa’s curse makes not just Indra, the Deva king, but also all the other Devas, lose their powers. The completely shaken Devas rush to Lord Vishnu for help. The Blue Lord suggests that they churn the ocean of milk for Amrut, a divine potion, that would help them get back their lost powers and more. For this, the Devas seek the help of their strong half-brothers, the evil Asuras. With Mount Mandara as the churning rod and the serpent king Vasuki as the rope, the Devas and Asuras begin the churning of the ocean. When the mountain sinks into the ocean without support, it’s Lord Vishnu to the rescue as Kurma, the tortoise. Read the story of Samudra Manthan to know about all the avatars Lord Vishnu takes in this segment to save the situation.

Jaya and Vijaya, gatekeepers of Vaikunta—Lord Vishnu’s abode—since millions of years, grow arrogant about their jobs, only to be cursed by the Kumaras. Jaya takes birth as Hiranyaksha, an Asura, as a result of the curse. The Asura is mighty and destructive. He only manages to increase his powers by doing a severe penance, receiving a boon from Lord Brahma. The boon protects Hiranyaksha not just from Asuras, Devas, Humans and Gods but also from flesh-eating animals. Confident that he was as good as being immortal now, Hiranyaksha goes on a rampage to destroy all the three worlds. Things turn really ugly when he captures Bhoomi Devi and hides her in the depths of the oceans in patal loka. Mother Earth’s cries reach the heavens and Varaha goes to her rescue; an avatar of Lord Vishnu in the form of a boar. Will Varaha be able to slay the evil Hiranyaksha despite the powerful boon that protects the Asura?

Hiranyakashibu, the younger brother of Hiranyaksha who was slain by Varaha, is keen to avenge his brother’s death. And for that he decides to empower himself with a boon from the creator. After an intense tapasya, Hiranyakashibu has a strange request to Lord Brahma in the form of five conditions. Conditions under which he cannot be destroyed. The creator grants the asura king the boon that he seeks, much to the rakshasa’s excitement. Hiranyakashibu goes on a rampage of the three worlds and declares himself God of all he surveys. The people begin to worship him at his behest. All, except one… Prince Prahalad, the young son of the asura king, insists on worshipping only Mahavishnu, who is the lord of the universe. Hiranyakashibu gets so angry when his son refuses to change his mind that he orders the prince to be killed. Lord Vishnu takes the form of Narasimha to protect his staunch devotee, Prahalad. But what about the conditions that Hiranyakashibu had laid out to Brahma while seeking a boon? Will Narasimha be able to overstep those?

Bali, the king of asuras, has a dream, that of becoming the ruler of all three worlds—the earth, the nether regions and the heavens. He had even proved that he is capable of it, what with his kind and just nature, as against the viciousness of the rakshasa clan that he is born into. After a severe penance and a successful yagna, Bali is all set to make his dream come true, only to find out that Indra had been crowned king of the heavens. Overcome by greed, Bali drives Indra out of the Devaloka and crowns himself king. At Indra’s mother’s request, Lord Vishnu takes the avatar of Vamana, a dwarf, to reinstate Indra in his throne. Read the story to find out how Vamana brings an end to Bali’s reign.