Hindu mythology
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Hindu mythology is a term used by modern scholarship for a large body of Indian literature that details the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse.
The mythological literature is intertwined with the ethos of ancient Vedic religion and Vedic civilization, and fundamentally constructed with Hinduism, Jainism and Ayyavazhi systems of philosophy.
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Definition
Though they are often classified as 'Hindu' or 'Indian' 'mythology,' the label does not capture the centrality of religious and spiritual affiliations of the texts that ring true today for most Hindus. They are replete with long philosophical discourses and are often seen as sourcebooks for Hindu ethics and practice. Many Hindu stories seem mythological only because they have been passed down generation after generation. It is also to be noticed that many Hindu stories are not mythology, and historical evidences of many acts or places have been found recently.
Vedic mythology
See Also: Ayyavazhi mythology, Vedic mythology, Indian mythology
The roots of mythology that evolved from classical Hinduism come from the times of the Vedic civilization, from the ancient Vedic religion and Indo-Iranian mythology.
The characters, theology, philosophy and stories that make up ancient Vedic myths are indelibly linked with what is considered modern Hindu mythology.
Sources
It is believed that the Hindu mythology dates back to around 7200 BC when the first hymns of the Rigveda were sung praising the elements of nature, namely, the air, the water and the fire. They found expression in the triad of the early vedic gods, namely, Agni, Vayu, and Surya. According to modern scholars over a period of time several vedic gods were conceptualized. Over next several millennia, in the post-vedic period, and during the period of the Puranas, the gods were personified and assumed specific shapes and characteristics, with individual endowments. This was followed by the period of the epics, when the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were composed. It is believed that they capture and depict, to a large extents, the historical events and happenings, and certain modern findings also corroborate this.
Epics
The most important of these are a voluminous group of works known as the Puranas, of which there are eighteen main. The two great Hindu Epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, are other major works of Hindu mythology although recent evidences are conclusively proving that both are accounts of real events, not merely mythological.
The epics Mahabharata and Ramayana are very much religious scriptures. Their stories are deeply embedded in Hindu philosophy and serve as parables and sources of devotion for Hindus into the present day.
| Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Itihasa | Image:Aum.png |
|---|---|
| Male Deities: Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Indra | Lakshman | Hanuman | |
| Female Deities: Gayatri | Lakshmi | Saraswati | Durga | Devi | Sita | Radha | Kali | Parvati | Shakti | |
| Texts: Vedas | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata |
The wars
Main article: Wars of Hindu Mythology
The weapons
There are several weapons used by the Gods of the Hindu mythology, and such weapons included Agneyastra, Brahmastra, Chakram, Kaumodaki, Narayanastra, Pashupata, Shiva Dhanush, Sudarshan, Trishul, Vaishnavastra, Vajra, Varunastra, and Vayavastra. A particular weapon was generally associated with a particular god.
The first man was known as Aryaman.
The Deluge
Like the accounts of the Deluge found in several religions and cultures, the story of the great flood also finds a mention in ancient Hindu texts, particularly the Satapatha Brahmana. Manu, the composer of the Manusmriti, may be equated with Noah, a biblical character, the story of whose life is told in the Book of Genesis and the Qur'an. Manu was informed of the impending flood and was protected by the Matsya Avatara of Lord Vishnu, who had manifested himself in this form to rid the world of morally depraved human beings and protect the pious, as also all animals and plants.
After the flood the Lord inspires the Manusmriti, largely based upon the Vedas, which details the moral code of conduct, of living and the division of society according to the caste system.
The Peoples of the Epics
Hindu mythology is not only about Gods and men, but classifies a host of different kinds of celestial, ethereal and earthly beings.
Sapta Rishis
Lord Brahma, out of his thought, creates seven sages, or Sapta Rishis, who are the fathers of all other created beings. Sapta Rishis (sapta means seven and rishis means sages in Sanskrit). They are Bhrigu, Angira, Atri, Vishvamitra, Kashyapa, Vashishta, and Agastya. The other meaning of Saptarishis is constellation of Great Bear (Ursa Major).
Swarga
The concept of Swarga is one of the central concepts of Hindu mythology. In Slavic religion, Swarga is Heaven, and interestingly, the god Svarog is believed to reside there. The Swarga is inhabitated by the Devas (Gods), who are believed to be the children of Rishi Kasyapa and his wife Aditi, masters of the elements. Indra, the god of thunder and lightning, heads the Swarga and other devas residing there include Varuna (the god of the oceans), Agni (the god of fire), Kuvera (the treasurer of the gods), Yamaraja, or Dharma (the lord of religion and death), Surya (the sun god), Soma (the moon god), Bhumi (the goddess earth), Ganga (the goddess Ganges), and Kamadeva (the god of love).
Other notable inhabitants of the Swarga include the celestial sages; a number of of semi-gods; Gandharvas; and apsaras like Urvasi and Menaka.
Naraka
Most of the Hindu traditions believe in the existence of Naraka (which may be equated with the concept of the Hell). Lord Yama rules the Naraka with a band of emissaries called the Yama duta, who bring the souls of dead persons to the Naraka, where they have to suffer pains and sufferrrings depending on the sins committed on the earth. Certain Hindu texts contain very vivid descriptions of such sufferings. Chitragupta functions as the record-keeper of all the actions of the human beings on the earth, based on which dead persons are assigned the privilege of living in the Swarga or consigned to the Naraka to undergo pain and suffering to atone for their sins on the earth.
House of Ikshvaku
Ikshvaku is the son of Manu, and founder of the Sun Dynasty.
Bharatavarsha
The first king to conquer all of the world was Bharata, son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. All of this world, Vishwa, is named Bharatavarsha, or The Land of Bharata, or The Cherished Land.
King Bharata's conquests are described to have stretched over all of modern India, and Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, as well as the ancient Gandhara region of Afghanistan. No account has been known to exceed these geographical boundaries.
See also
- Ayyavazhi mythology
- Indo-Iranian mythology
- List of Hinduism-related articles
- History of India
- Hindu eschatology
- Hindu scriptures
- List of Hindu deities
- Hindu deities
- Hindu Epics
- Vedic mythology
es:mitología hindú ja:インド神話 ko:인도 신화 nl:Itihasa pl:Mitologia indyjska pt:Mitologia Hindu zh:印度神话
