Hinduism: Details about 'Hindu Mythology'

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Hindu texts

Shruti

Smriti

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. Despite connotations of fiction in common usage, the term myth, in theological and academic studies, does not necassarility imply that a narrative is untrue. It must be noted that many of the topics that thus fall under Hindu mythology are cherised beliefs of Hindus and have been proved to be historical accounts.

The mythological literature is intertwined with the ethos of ancient Vedic religion and Vedic civilization, and fundamentally constructed with Hindu systems of philosophy.

1 Definition and Misconception
2 Vedic mythology
3 Sources
4 Epics
5 Cosmology
6 The wars
- 6.1 The weapons
7 The Deluge
8 The Peoples of the Epics
9 House of Ikshvaku
10 Bharatavarsha
11 See also
12 Further reading

Definition and Misconception

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. It is also to be noted that historical evidences of many acts or places of Hindu narratives have been found, establishing them as historical facts rather than just 'myth' or beliefs.

Vedic 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 Hindu beliefs.

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 extent, 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. Recent evidences are conclusively proving that both are accounts of real events, not merely beliefs.

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.

Shrimadbhagavadgita is a part of Mahabharat. On occasion of Mahabharat Sangram when Arjun was confused whether the decision of war was right or not, Shri Krishna told him Bhagavadgita. It has 18 chapters.

Cosmology

Main article: Hindu cosmology

Hinduism presents a number of accounts pertaining to the cosmology, and several explanations have been given as regards the origin of the universe. The most popular theory is that the universe emerged from Hiranyagarbha, meaning the golden womb. Hiranyagarbha floated around in water in the emptiness and the darkness of the non-existence. Ultimately, this golden egg split and the cosmos was created. Swarga emerged from the golden upper part of the Hiranyagarbha, whereas Prithvi came out from the the silver coloured lower half part of the Hiranyagarbha.

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

The story of a great flood is mentioned in ancient Hindu texts, particularly the Satapatha Brahmana. It is compared to the accounts of the Deluge found in several religions and cultures. Manu, the composer of the Manusmriti, 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 (heaven) is one of the concepts of Hindu mythology. Hinduism deems swarga a temporary place to enjoy the fruits of ones actions on earth, while Moksha is the supreme salvation a soul can aspire to. 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). A parallel can be found in Slavic religion, Swarga is Heaven, and interestingly, the god Svarog is believed to reside there.

Other notable inhabitants of the Swarga include the celestial sages; a number 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 to suffer pains and punishment for the sins committed on the earth. Certain Hindu texts contain vivid descriptions of such sufferings. Chitragupta functions as the karmic accountant of all the actions of the human beings on earth, based on which dead persons are assigned the privilege of living in Swarga or consigned to 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.