See Devasharma.

Fasting for 12 days at this holy place has the same effect as conducting a Naramedhaya yajna, as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 25 verse 41.

A sage named Uddalaka had a disciple named Khagodara (Kahodaka) and a daughter named Sujata. The sage was pleased with his disciple and married his daughter to him. Soon Sujata became pregnant. Once, when Kahodaka was reciting the vedas, the unborn child said that it had already learned the vedas and that Kahodaka’s reciting had flaws. Kahodaka was angry and cursed that just like the child’s words, its body too would be twisted. As per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 132, Sujata gave birth to a child which 8 twists and eight curves in its body. It was thus called Ashtavakra.

There is another story that appears in the scriptures. Once there was a sage named Asita. He prayed to Shiva for a child, and Devala was born to him. The apsara Rambha was besotted with Devala, but he was uninterested. Rambha cursed him and made his body twisted, and he was then called Ashtavakra. He prayed for six thousand years after which Krishna and Radha appeared before him. Radha found his form repugnant, but Krishna hugged him, following which Ashtavakra regained his original form and left for the heavens with Krishna and Radha, ina  chariot that appeared, as per Brahmavaivartapurana.

As per Uttararamayana, Ashtavakra was one of the sages who attended Rama’s coronation ceremony after his return from Lanka. Ashtavakra cursed all the deva women who mocked his form and they were born as Krishna’s wives. After the destruction of the Yadava clan, these wives were kidnapped by the gopalas, as per Agnipurana Chapter 15.

While Sujata was pregnant, her family was living in poverty. She asked Kahodaka to seek alms from the king Janaka. Janaka was busy then with a yajna and could not meet Kahodaka. Kahodaka later entered Janaka’s court and issued a challenge to Vandeena for a debate, in which the loser would be thrown into the ocean. Kahodaka lost and was thrown into the ocean. Uddalaka had a child named Shwetaketu. Shwetaketu and Ashtavakra grew up in the hermitage together. Uddalaka and Sujata kept the news of his father’s death from Ashtavakra.

Once, when Shwetaketu and Ashtavakra were playing, they had a fight and Shwetaketu ridiculed Ashtavakra for not having a father. Ashtavakra learned the details of how this came to be, from his mother, and then set out for Janaka’s court. Since he was only a boy, the gatekeepers wouldn’t let him in, but he said that knowledge should be considered, not age, and was finally let in. He then started a debate with Vandeena, won it and Vandeena was thrown into the ocean as part of the challenge. But since Vandeena was the son of Varuna, he escaped. However, as soon as Vandeena was thrown into the ocean, Kahodaka emerged from it. Kahodaka returned with his son to the hermitage and took a bath in the river. When Ashtavakra emerged, his body was normal, as per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 133.

After a few years, Ashtavakra decided to marry Suprabha, daughter of the sage Vadanya. He conveyed his desire to Vadanya, who wanted to test Ashtavakra. Vadanya asked Ashtavakra to proceed north to Kailash, greet Shiva and Parvati, and then go further north, where he would find an extremely beautiful woman. Vadanya asked Ashtavakra to speak to that woman and return and then he would get Suprabha. Ashtavakra set forth and when he reached the Himalayas, he was met by Kuber. He stayed there for a year, watching the dance of the apsaras, and after meeting Shiva and Parvati, continued on his journey. After some time, he met seven beautiful women. he asked for their leader and the oldest among them Uttara stayed while the others went away. She told Ashtavakra that she desired him, and after transforming into a more youthful self, asked him to marry her. But he declined and told her of his conversation with Vadanya. She was happy with his response and told him that she was a goddess who had appeared in this form to test him. She blessed him, following which Ashtavakra returned to marry Suprabha, as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 19.

Brahma, Daiva, Aarsha, Prajapatya, Gandharva, Asura, Rakshasa, Paishacha.

When a father gives away his daughter to a brahmachari without reward, it is called Brahma. When he gives her away to the purohit during a yajna, it is called Daiva. Aarsha is when he gives her away in return for cows. When a father gives his daughter away to any man with his blessings it is Prajaptya. When a man marries a woman without counsel from anyone else it is Gandharva. Asura is when a man buys a woman from her father. Rakshasa is when a man abducts a woman and Paishacha is when a man makes a woman his wife when she is unconscious.

Ashtavasus are ganadevas, who were born to Dharma and Vasu, the daughter of Daksha. Some scriptures also have a version that they were the children of Kashyapa.

Their names are Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Ahas, Anila, Anala, Pratyusha, Prabhasa, as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 65 verses 17,18. But as per Vishnupurana, Ansh 1 Chapter 15, their names are Apa, Dhruva, Soma, Dharma, Anila, Anala, Pratyusha, Prabhasa, and as per Bhagavata, they are Drona, Prana, Dhruva, Arka, Agni, Dosha, Vasu, Vibhavasu. According to Harivansha, they are Akha, Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Anila, Anala, Pratyusha, Prabhasa. It is assumed that they are the same set known by several names.

Once, when they were traveling with their wives, they happened to reach Vasishta’s hermitage. One of the wives liked Vasishta’s cow Nandini, and to please her, her husband carried it away along with its calf. Later, ater failing to find the calf nearby, Vasishta used his divine vision to locate it. Having found out what had happened, he cursed that the vasus would be born as humans. The vasus apologised to Vasishta, who said that the seven vasus who weren’t guilty would spend a negligible time in human form, but Apa, who took the cow would definitely remain human for a very long time. As per Devibhagavata Dwitiyaskanda, it was Apa who was later born as Bhishma.

When the vasus were contemplating the curse, Ganga approached them. They requested her to take a human form, marry a king,  become their mother when they took the human form, and throw them into the river as soon as they were born. Ganga agreed.

There was a Chandravanshi king named Pratipa. Once, while praying to Surya by the river, he saw a beautiful woman emerging from the river. She came and sat on his right thigh. He was distressed and asked her why she had done this, and whether she thought he lusted after women. He also said that the right thigh as meant for daughters or daughters-in-law. He told her that when he had a son, she could perhaps marry him. The woman, who was Ganga, disappeared on hearing this.

Later, Pratipa had a son named Shantanu, whom Ganga married. Before agreeing to marry him, Ganga had laid one condition – that he would not question any act of hers, and would not offer an opinion, and that if he did so, she would disappear. After their marriage, one by one, the vasus were born to them, and as per their agreement, she drowned seven of them, who went back to heaven. The king stopped her when she tried to drown the eighth, and a furious Ganga disappeared. This child was Bhishma, as per Devibhagavata Dwitiyaskanda.

When Bhishma fought Parashurama on account of Amba, the vasus, helped him by giving him the Praswapastra, as per Mahabharata Udyogaparva Chapter 183 verses 11-13.

The first vasu was Apa and his sons were Vaithanda, Shrama, Shanta, Dhwani. The second was Dhruva, whose son was Kala. The third was Soma, whose son was Varchas. Fourth was Dharma, whose wife was Manohari. Their children were Dravina, HutahavyavahanaShishira, Prana, Varuna. The fifth vasu was Anila who was married to Shiva. Their children were named Manojava and Avijnatagati. Sixth was Agni whose sons were Kumara, Shakha, Vishakha and Naigameya. Pratysha was the seventh vasu and his son was Devala. Varastri, who was Brihaspati’s sister and was famous for her travels and yogic prowess became the wife of Prabhasa, the eighth vasu. Their son was the famous prajapati Vishwakarma, who was a skilled artisan and possessed the knowledge of many arts and crafts. He went on to become the devas’ sculptor, goldsmith and architect, and even built their flying machines. He had four sons – Ajaikapat, Ahirbundhya, Twashta, Rudra. Twashta’s sons were Vishwarupa, Hara, Bahurupa, Tyambaka, Aparajita, Vrishakavi, Shambhu, kapardi, Raivata, Mrigavyadha, Garva, Kapali. They are called Ekadasha rudras, as per Vishnupurana Ansh 1 Chapter 15.

See Ashtavakra

Raga, Dwesha, Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, Matsarya. Raga is the desire for intercourse, Dwesha is the desire to avenge, Kama is lust, Krodha is anger, Lobha is the desire to hoard, Moha is getting lost in the glitz of worldly pleasures, Mada is pride that goes on to become arrogance and Matsarya is not being able to tolerate another’s success.

Marjari, Karpuratilaka, Malayagandhini, Kaumudika, Bherunda, Matali, Nayaki, Jaya, who were Durga’s maids.

Earth, water, wind, fire, sky, yajaman, Surya, Chandra.

Its significance is that Kali incarnated to disrupt Daksha’s yaga on this day, as per Devibhagavata Tritiyaskanda.