Hindu Mythology

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 necessarily imply that a narrative is untrue. The use of term mythology is a western construct applied primarily to non-Judeo-Christian religious literature. It is intellectually insincere to describe other religious literature as mythology while labeling the biblical literature as ‘legends’.

It must be noted that many of the topics that fall under the category of Hindu mythology are cherished beliefs of Hindus. All ancient religions contain stories that are accepted as literal truth by some, and as philosophical or allegorical insights by others. Thus, the biblical stories may be similarly construed as Jewish or Christian mythology.

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

Vedic Mythology  Hindu Cosmology  Hindu Idealism  Yuga Hindu Philosophy  Wars of Hindu Mythology  Hindu Beliefs

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 evidence of many acts or places of Hindu narratives have been found, establishing them as historical facts. However, evidence is extremely limited and only allows for the possibility of myths being history.


The characters, theology, philosophy and stories that make up ancient Vedic myths are indelibly linked with Hindu beliefs. The Vedas are said to be four in number, namely RigVeda, YajurVeda, SamaVeda, and the AtharvaVeda. Some of these texts mention mythological concepts and machines very much similar to modern day scientific theories and machines.


 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, the thunder, the sun, the fire, etc. They found expression in early Vedic Gods, namely, Vayu, Varuna, Indra, Surya and Agni. 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.


Ancient Land BridgeThis 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 seem to corroborate this, like the finding of an ancient bridge constructed between India and Sri Lanka. However, more archaeological evidence is required to further substantiate the actual occurrence of the events around which the two epics are based.

The Puranas deal with stories that are "mythologically" older than the epics and are set in the "Kritha" or "Sathya" yuga, the first of the four great time periods said to compose what is called the Divya yuga lasting over 4,320,000 years.

The epics themselves are set in different "yugas" or periods of time in Hindu mythology. The Ramayana, written by the poet Valmiki, describes the life and times of Lord Rama (the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu) and occurs in the Tretha yuga, while the Mahabharatha that describes the life and times of the Pandavas, occurs in the Dwapara yuga, a period in which Lord Krishna (the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu) took birth.


 Epics
The Vedas are the supreme set of Hindu documents. There are four of them: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharvana Veda. The first three provide the rules of daily conduct for all Hindus (both individuals and institutions such as temples). Every brahmin family belongs one of these vedas in the sense that they conduct all their religious activities according to the rules specified by that veda.

The next most important work of Hindu mythology are the eighteen volumes of documents known as the Puranas. Each purana describes the story of one or more of the gods (the list of gods is described later).

The Bhaagavatham (also referred to as Srimad Bhaagavatham or Bhaagavatha Puraanam) is probably the most read and popular of the puranas. It chronicles the story of the god Vishnu and his incarnations (avataars) on earth.

The two great Hindu Epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata tell the story of two specific incarnations of Vishnu (the Rama-avataar and Krishna-avataar, respectively). These two works are known as Ithihaasa. 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.