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Hindu mythology

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{{Hindu scriptures}} '''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 avatar 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.

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
''See Also'': Aryan 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 Aryan 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 seem to corroborate this. However, more archaelogical evidence is required to further substantiate the actual occurance 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 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 religion religious scriptures. Their stories are deeply embedded in Hindu philosophy and serve as parables and sources of devotion for Hindus into the present day.

Cosmology
{{main|Hindu cosmology}} Hinduism presents a number of accounts pertaining to the Religious cosmology 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. Svarga 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 (weapon) 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 (mythology) 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 Svarga 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), Yama 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 mythology Slavic religion, Swarga is Heaven, and interestingly, the god Svarog is believed to reside there. Other notable inhabitants of the Swarga include the celestial Rishi 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). Yama 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 (Hinduism) 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 * Aryan mythology * List of Hinduism-related articles * History of India * Hindu eschatology * Hindu scriptures * List of Hindu deities * Hindu deities * Hindu Epics ** Ramayana **Mahabharata **Puranas *Vedic mythology

Further reading
*Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna L. Dallapiccola {{Hindu Culture and Epics}} Category:Hindu texts Category:Hindu mythology * de:Indische Mythologie 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 {{catmore}} The '''Hindu mythology category''' contains articles concerning the body of stories that explains or symbolizes Hindu beliefs and are held dear to the tradition. A Hindu myth is a religious story that Hindus may consider factually true or have deep explanatory or symbolic significance. ---- {| class="toccolours" style="text-align:center; border: 1px solid " |- padding:1em;padding-top:0.5em;" |style="font-size: 100%"| |- |style="text-align:justify; font-size: 95%"|'''NOTE''': Categorising a story as a myth does not necessarily imply that it is untrue. Religion and mythology differ, but have overlaping aspects. While the terms "myth" and "mythology" can mean ''fictitious'' or ''imaginary'', these terms can also mean '''''a traditional story or narrative that embodies the belief or beliefs of a group of people''''', and this :Category category should be understood in this sense only. The use of these terms in this category does '''not''' imply that any story so categorized is historically true or false or that any belief so embodied is itself either true or false. |} Category:Asian mythology Category:Hinduism Mythology Category:Mythology by culture es:Categoría:Mitología hindú

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