Hindu Mythology

Hindu Mythology is based on myths found in many Hindu narratives. A single myth can have many different versions. While some may have some historical meaning, others are symbolic or have a deeper meaning and can be interpreted in various ways.
 

Origin

 
Hindu mythology come from the ancient Vedic religion. The Vedic myths and Hindu beliefs are indelibly linked. The Vedas are:
 
  • Samaveda,
  • Atharvaveda,
  • Rigveda and
  • Yajurveda.
 
Many of the myths are in the Sanskrit epics as well as the Puranas. These myths and legends tell the stories of the various Hindu gods, the origin of the world, the adventures of various heroes, heroines, gods and goddesses as well as some mythological beasts.
 

The Creation

 
There are more than one myths detailing the creation, one being the tale of earth as a cosmic egg in the Rigveda, the other tells of earth and everything else being made from the mangled limbs of Purusha, who had been sacrificed by the gods as was a non-natural man.
In a third story, the god Vishnu jumps in to the cosmic waters in the shape of a boar and brings forth the earth.
 
In the Shatapatha Brahmana, Prajapati, the first father was all alone. He split himself in to 2 persons, a male and a female. The wife runs away and hides herself as various animals, he follows, becoming the male of each type of animal and in this way, all animals were created. In the Puranas, Vishnu was the first being and he thought about creation and Brahma came from a lotus out of Vishnu’s navel.
The universe was then said to be created by Brahma, Vishnu keeps it preserved and Shiva (Maheshvara) destroys it again, beginning the cycle anew.
 

Worlds

 
In Hinduism there are 14 worlds, there are 7 heavens (upper worlds) and 7 underworlds.
Earth forms the lowest level of the 7 heavens.
 
The 7 higher worlds are
 
  • Bhuloka (Earth),
  • Bhuvarloka,
  • Svarloka,
  • Maharloka,
  • Janarloka,
  • Tapoloka
  • and Satyaloka
 
While the seven underworlds are:
  • Atala,
  • Vitala,
  • Sutala,
  • Talatala,
  • Mahatala,
  • Rasatala
  • and Patala.
 
When you die, you are judged by Lord Yama or yamaduts and you then go to one of the worlds in an appropriate body.
The soul returns to earth and is reborn once it’s time is done in that specific world to repeat the cycle until you have reached a state of supreme salvation and can enter in to swarga (uppermost heaven).
 

The main gods

 
Vishnu was originally a solar deity in the Rigveda but becomes the creator in the Hindu Triad which consists of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
In myths he is the giver of grace and restores righteousness.
 
He is also the protector of life and appears as various avatars on earth:
 
  • Matsya (the fish), Kurma (the tortoise), Varaha (the boar), Vamana (the dwarf),
  • Narasimha (half man half lion),
  • Kalki (on a horse, ends time),
  • Rama (lovely moon),
  • Krishna (god of compassion and love),
  • Balarama (god related to farming),
  • Parashurama (god of retribution and equilibrium).
Shiva is a supreme deity and is seen as the god of destruction and is also known as Rudra (the wild god).
The myths tell of sacrifices, love and retribution as well as erotic love and the opposite side of the coin, restraint.
Devi is the wife of Shiva, also known as Parvati and embodies power and strength for her partner.
 
She is also known as the mother goddess or Mahadevi and is equal to Shiva.
In some myths she is the buffalo demon Mahisha who destroys evil when she is in her aggressive form known as Durga.
She is also portrayed as Chumunda or Kali who prevents the demon Raktabija from creating more demons from drops of blood.
 
Other gods of importance (Devatas)
 
Besides the gods Vishnu, Durga (Devi) and Shiva, there were many other gods also worshiped. Brahma was fairly important in the late Vedic periods. 
Thirty three other gods (the Tridasha) made up of 12 Adityas, 11 Rudras, 8 Vasus and 2 Ashvins are mentioned in the Rigveda. Some of these devatas were associated with specific functions or elements such as rain, water, death, precious metals, sun, fire, wind and the moon. Lakshmi is the goddess of blessings and luck and the wife of Vishnu while Sarasvati is the goddess of music, art and writing and the wife of Brahma. Ganesh, the elephant god (depicted as a man with the head of an elephant) comes in as the son of the god Shiva and his wife Parvati and he appears in numerous Hindu myths as well as various other religions.
 

Spirits and demigods

 
There are main gods and secondary gods that come up in Hindu mythology, but besides these, there are many spirits and demigods that also have their place in the traditional stories. 
 
Some of the ones that come up regularly are:
 
  • the Nagas (snake spirits who are human but have snake tails),
  • the Gandharvas (Indra’s heavenly musicians),
  • Yakshas (fairy or gnome like spirits),
  • Vidyadharas (magicians),
  • Rishis (seers/composers), Asuras (evil spirits)
  • and the Pisachas who haunt the fields of battle.
 

Spiritual wars

In the myths there are twelve battles between the Asuras and the gods for control of the three worlds (Martya or earth, Patala the underworld and Svarga or heaven). 
The gods wielded all sorts of weapons such as daggers, swords, spears, bows, clubs and maces as well as more divine weapons such as thunderbolts, a discus, a trident and magical astras that rain down snakes, set enemies alight, invoke floods and put out flames. Other specialized weaponry includes divine armor, helmets, crowns, jewelry and staffs.
 

The tale of the flood

 
A common myth in many religions is the tale of the great flood (deluge) and of a person who is warned that the flood is coming. In the Hindu myth this is Manu who is protected by Vishnu manifesting as his fish avatar, along with the animals and plants and saves him from drowning in the flood.
All humans are said to be descendants of Manu (Manavas).
 
In Sanskrit Krishna means ‘blue skinned’ and he is depicted in most artwork as having a blue tinged skin.  The rivers Ganges, Saraswati and Yamuna are all personified in the Hindu myths as goddesses.
 
In this section are descriptions of Hindu Mythologies and mythological beings described in the encyclopedia.

 

Yama

Yama, twin–alternately the restrainer, in hindu mythology is a Hindu god of death mentioned in Vedic texts. He is either the son of Vavasvan and Saranju, or Surya and Sanjna, and his consort is … Read more

Vrtra

Vrtra in hindu mythology is the Hindu (Vedic) god of chaos. He is believed to be a primordial being existing before the formation of the cosmos, and was slain by … Read more

Vishnu

Vishnu (or Visnu) is one of three great gods in Hinduism, being one of the Trimuti, the others being Brahma and Shiva. Vishnu antecedents are among the Dravidian people in the pre-Aryan past of India, … Read more

Varuna

Varuna, coverer, is a major Hindu god, concerned with the secure operation of the world’s systems and of water. Lord of the asura deities, he was equated with Ahura-Mazdah. His later duty was … Read more

Vac

Vac, Sanskrit, vac, “speech,” Hindu (Vedic), is the goddess of the spoken word. In certain texts she is a daughter of Daksa and the consort of Kasyapa. Alternatively she is the daughter of … Read more

Uma

Uma, in Hindu Puranic texts, is a form of Parvati.and identified as the consort of Chandrashekhara, a form of Shiva that includes the moon among his attributes. The meaning of Uma is uncertain, but possibly … Read more

Tvastar

Tvastar, in hindu mythology carpenter, is a Hindu creator god, mentioned in the Vedas, and referred to as the “divine builder” who fashions living creatures on earth. The Hindus equated to … Read more

Soma

Soma, in hindu mythology and Hinduism, is a Vedic god, plant offering, and beverage. In the Vedic texts the sacred, deified substance Soma is paired with Agni fire, the devouring principle. Both were major … Read more

Skanda

Skanda, a son of Shiva who was begotten without the assistance of a goddess that according to one tradition from the semen produced during the incessant lovemaking between Shiva and Parvati. He was … Read more

Shiva

Shiva (or Siva), in hindu mythology and Hinduism, is one of the major gods and the center of worship of numerous devotional cults. Shiva composes a triad along with Brahman and Vishnu, and … Read more

Sarasvati

Sarasvati is an identifiable in both Vedic and Puranic literature, being mentioned in the Rg Veda and other Vedic texts and later in the Ramayana and Puranic texts. She possibly originated as a Vedic river goddess (the actual … Read more

Rudra

The origin of the name Rudra is uncertain. Its etymologies are symbolic. Possibly, the meaning is “the red one.” The god is called Rudra in the Puranas because he wept at … Read more

Prajapati

Prajapati in Hindu mythology is the primordial lord of creatures, and is mentioned in Vedic, epic and Puranic literature. In Vedic legends he is described in various ways as the creator of the … Read more

Parvati

Parvati may have originated among the Himalayan mountain tribes. As a fertility goddess, she is the youngest of the benign aspects of the goddess Shakti, and also appears as the reincarnation … Read more

Mitra

Mitra, friend, in hindu mythology was a minor Hindu Vedic sun god mentioned in the Puranic texts. As an aditya, one of six descendants of Aditi, he was originally associated with Varuna (Vedic), ruling the day … Read more

Mahadeva

Mahadeva, mighty god, Hindu Puranic. He is an important epithet of Shiva with three heads (two male and one female) signifying the three aspects Aghora (right), Saumya (center), and Shakti (left). The attributes are the … Read more

Laksmi

Laksmi is a major Hindu goddess, perhaps originating as a Mother Goddess, who now represents wealth and prosperity. She also epitomizes the later Hindu (Brahmanical) concept of the active female principle, … Read more

Krishna

Krishna (or Krsna), in Hinduism and hindu mythology is the most popular of all the earthly incarnations of Vishnu. Most texts, including the Maisya Purana and the Varaha Purana, state that thus far nine avatars of Vishnu … Read more

Kasyapa

Kasyapa, in Hindu mythology, is a primordial god mentioned in Vedic and Puranic texts.   His consorts were thirteen daughters of Daksa who bore him all kind of living creatures. From this, in Vedic literature, he … Read more

Kalanemi

Kalanemi, or “Rim of the Wheel of Time,” in hindu mythology is a pre-Vedic spirit of the zodiac or Milky Way. It is viewed as the great star-wheel at the … Read more

Indra

Indra in hindu mythology is the Vedic god of rain and thunder. He is king of the gods in the Rig Veda, ranking next to Agni. The Rig Veda also describes him as the great … Read more

Himavan

Himavan, meaning snowy, is a mountain god in Hindu mythology, the lord of the mountains. And he is the personification of the Himalaya mountains. He is considered to be the … Read more

Ganga

Ganga in hindu mythology is a Hindu river goddess, mentioned in Puranic tests, and guardian of the Ganges. The elder daughter of Himavan and Mena, she is the sister of Parvati and the consort of Vishnu and Agni. … Read more

Ganesa

Ganesa is the Hindu god of wisdom and art in hindu mythology. He is a benign deity generally assumed to offer help when invoked to overcome difficulties.   He may … Read more

Dyaus Pitar

Dyaus Pitar, heaven father in hindu mythology, is the creator god mentioned in the Rg Veda and other Vedic texts. He is associated with the goddess Prthivi, and this primordial couple is normally addressed … Read more