Hindu mythology - Citizendia

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In its broadest academic sense, the word "myth" simply means a traditional story, whether true or false. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" (—OED, Princeton Wordnet) Unless otherwise noted, the words "mythology" and "myth" are here used for sacred and traditional narratives, with no implication that any belief so embodied is itself either true or false. SACRED was a Cubesat built by the Student Satellite Program of the University of Arizona. A narrative or story is a construct created in a suitable format (written spoken poetry prose images song Theater, or Dance) that describes a sequence of

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Mahakavya (epics) Mahabharata · Ramayana
Other scriptures Smriti · Śruti · Bhagavad Gita · Purana · Agama · Darshana · Pancharatra · Tantra · Sutra · Stotra · Dharmashastra · Divya Prabandha · Tevaram · Ramacharitamanas · Shikshapatri · Vachanamrut · Ananda Sutram
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Part of a series on Hindu Mythology

Sources Vedas · Puranas · Bhagavatham ·
Vedic Mythology Rigveda · Samaveda · Yajurveda · Atharvaveda
Epics Mahakavya · Ramayana · Mahabharata · Bhagavad Gita ·
Cosmology Hiranyagarbha · Swarga · Prthivi
Deities Trimurti · Brahma · Vishnu · Shiva · Saraswati · Lakshmi · Parvati · Ganesha · Murugan ·
People of the Epics Sapta Rishis · Bhrigu · Angira · Atri · Gautama · Kashyapa · Vashishta · Agastya · Pitrs · Bharata · Krishna · Kauravas · Pandavas · Rama · Sita · Lakshman · Hanuman
Hindu Mythology Portal
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Hindu mythology is the large body of mythology related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. Literature regarded as central to the Hindu literary tradition was predominantly composed in Sanskrit, Indeed much of the morphology and linguistic "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" The Yajurveda ( Sanskrit यजुर्वेदः, a Tatpurusha compound of yajus "sacrificial formula' + veda The Samaveda ( Sanskrit: सामवेद sāmaveda, from sāman "melody" + veda "knowledge") is third (in the usual The Atharvaveda ( Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद atharvaveda, a Tatpurusha compound of {{IAST|atharvan}}, an ancient Rishi The oral tradition of the Vedas ( Śrauta) consists of several pathas, "recitations" or ways of chanting the Vedic Mantras Such traditions The Brāhmaṇa s ( Devanagari: sa ब्राह्मणं are part of the Hindu śruti literature The Aranyakas (Sanskrit आरण्यक āraṇyaka) are part of the Hindu śruti, the four Vedas these religious texts were composed in The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings The Upanishads ( Devanagari: उपनिषद् IAST: upaniṣad also spelled "Upanisad" are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings The Aitareya Upanishad is one of the older "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upanishad ( Sanskrit: बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् is one of the older "primary" ( Mukhya The Isha Upanishad ( īśa upaniṣad, otherwise Ishopanishad īśopaniṣad or īśāvāsya upaniṣad) is one of the shortest of the Upanishads The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the older " primary " Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the "primary" ( Mukhya) Upanishads Together with the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana and the Brihadaranyaka The Kena Upanishad (kenopaniṣad is one of the older "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. The Muṇḍaka Upanishad is one of the older "primary" ( Mukhya) Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. Māndūkya Upanishad is the shortest Upanishads - the scriptures of Hindu Vedanta. The Kaṭha Upanishad is one of the older Mukhya "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. Prashna Upanishad ( IAST praṣnopaniṣad is one of the older "primary" Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. The Shvetashvatara Upanishad (Sanskrit Śvetāśvatara) (400 - 200 BCE is one of the older "primary" Upanishads It is associated with the Black The Vedanga ( vedāṅga, "member of the Veda" are six auxiliary disciplines for the understanding and tradition of the Vedas. See Shiksha (NGO for the Indian non-governmental organization The main principle of Vedic meter is measurement by the number of syllables The Sanskrit grammatical tradition of vyākaraṇa is one of the six Vedanga disciplines Nirukta ("explanation etymological interpretation" is one of the six {{IAST|Vedānga}} disciplines of Hinduism, treating Etymology, particularly Jyotiṣa ( Sanskrit jyotiṣa, from jyótis- "light heavenly body" also spelled Jyotish and Jyotisha in English Kalpa is one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, treating Ritual. Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki The following is a bibliography of Hindu scriptures and texts. Smriti (Sanskrit स्मृति " that which is remembered " refers to a specific body of Hindu religious Scripture If you are looking for the singer see Shruti Haasan. For other meanings see Śruti (disambiguation. For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" Darśana ( Darshan, दर्शन is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" (in the sense of an instance of seeing or beholding from a root Pāñcarātra are Vaishnavite devotional texts dedicated to a single deity Sriman Narayana who manifests in different forms Tantras (" Looms " or " Weavings " refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions In Hinduism a Stotra is a hymn of praise These hymns praise aspects of the divine such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. Dharmaśāstra is a genre of Sanskrit texts and refers to the śāstra, or Indic branch of learning pertaining to Hindu Dharma, religious The Nalayira Divya Prabandha (or Nalayira Divya Prabhandham) is a collection of 4000 verses (Naalayira in Tamil means 'four thousand' composed before 8th century The Tevaram ( Tamil: தேவாரம் Teva means "God" aram means "garland") denotes the first seven volumes of the Śrī Rāmacaritamānas ( Devanāgarī: hi श्री राम चरित मानस ( Hindi / Avadhi) is an Epic poem composed by the The Shikshapatri ( Devanagari: शिक्षापत्री is a text of two hundred and twelve verses written in Sanskrit by Bhagwan Swaminarayan The Vachanamrut of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is the most sacred and foundational scripture of the Swaminarayan faith. Ananda Sutram is the basic scripture of modern Yoga composed in Sanskrit by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti (1921-1990 in the year 1961 Hindu mythology is the large body of Mythology related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" The Bhagavata Purana (also known as Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, or simply Bhāgavatam) is one of the Puranic texts of Hindu literature The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" The Samaveda ( Sanskrit: सामवेद sāmaveda, from sāman "melody" + veda "knowledge") is third (in the usual The Yajurveda ( Sanskrit यजुर्वेदः, a Tatpurusha compound of yajus "sacrificial formula' + veda The Atharvaveda ( Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद atharvaveda, a Tatpurusha compound of {{IAST|atharvan}}, an ancient Rishi Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. Literature in Sanskrit begins with the Vedas, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki According to Hindu mythology and Cosmology, the universe is cyclically created and destroyed Hiranyagarbha, meaning the "golden fetus" or "golden womb" in one hymn of the Rigveda ( RV 10. In Hinduism, ( Sanskrit: स्वर्ग Svarga (or Swarga) is set of heavenly worlds located on and above Mt Prithvi ( Sanskrit: pṛthvī, also pṛthivī) is the Hindu Earth and Mother Goddess. The Trimurti ( English: ‘three forms’ Sanskrit: trimūrti) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva Saraswati (pronounced as; Sanskrit: sa सरस्वती sarasvatī; Malay: Saraswati Thai: สุรัสวดี is the Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi (pronunciation; Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth Parvati ( Sanskrit: Pārvatī sa [[wiktपार्वती पार्वती]] sometimes spelled Parvathi or Parvathy, is a Hindu Ganesha ( Sanskrit: sa गणेश Gaṇeśa) also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar The Saptarshi (sa सप्तर्षि saptarṣi a Sanskrit Dvigu meaning "seven sages" are the seven Rishis who are extolled Maharishi Bhrigu was one of the seven great sages one of the Saptarshis in ancient India one of many Prajapatis (the facilitators of Creation created by Brahma This article is about the sage named Atri See also the Gotra named Atri. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder This article is about the Hindu sage Kashyapa or Kasyapa See also Kassapa Buddha for information on the ancient buddha and Mahakasyapa information on the disciple Vasistha ( Sanskrit: वसिष्ठ in Hindu mythology was one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi) in the seventh i In Hinduism, Agastya (अगस्त्य in Devanagari, pronounced /ə gəs tyə/ is a legendary Vedic sage or Rishi. The Pitris ( Sanskrit पित्र् (the fathers are the spirits of the departed Ancestors in Hindu culture Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism The term Kaurava ( Sanskrit:कौरव is a Sanskrit term that means a descendant of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava (or Pandawa brothers ( Sanskrit: पाण्‍डव pāṇḍavaḥ are the five acknowledged sons of Rama ( IAST: rāma Devanāgarī: राम Khmer: Phreah Ream Thai: Phra Ram Lao: Phra Lam Tagalog: SITA is a multinational Information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the Aviation industry Lakshmana ( Sanskrit: लक्ष्मण IAST Lakṣmaṇa Malay: Laksmana Thai / Lao: Phra Lak was the brother and close companion Hanuman (हनुमत् sa-Latn '''Hanumat''' nominative singular sa हनुमान् sa-Latn ''Hanumān'' known also as ' Anjaneya' (son of Anjana is one of the The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore" Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Literature in Sanskrit begins with the Vedas, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" As such, it is a subset of Indian mythology.

1 Sources
2 Vedic mythology
3 Epics
4 Cosmogony
5 The wars
- 5.1 The weapons
6 The Deluge
7 The peoples of the epics
- 7.1 Sapta Rishis
- 7.2 Pitrs
8 Worlds
9 Gods and goddesses
- 9.1 Incarnations
10 House of Ikshvaku
11 Bharatavarsha
12 See also
13 Further reading
14 External links

Sources

The four Vedas, notably the hymns of the Rigveda, contain allusions to many mythological themes (see Rigvedic deities, Rigvedic rivers). "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. The Rigveda ( Sanskrit sa ऋग्वेद ṛgveda, a compound of ṛc "praise verse" and veda "knowledge" There are 1028 hymns in the Rigveda, most of them dedicated to specific deities. Rivers play a prominent part in the hymns of the Rigveda, and consequently in early Vedic religion.

In the period of Classical Sanskrit, much mythological material is preserved in the Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki Besides mythology proper, the voluminous epics also provide a plethora of information about ancient Indian society, philosophy, culture, religion and ways of life.

The Puranas deal with stories that are "mythologically" older than the epics (Purana is Sanskrit for "ancient"). For other meanings see Purana (disambiguation. The Puranas ( Sanskrit: sa पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times" The date of the Puranic texts as preserved however mostly post-dates the epics, dating to the Early Middle Ages.

The epics themselves are set in different Yugas (epochs) or periods of time in Hindu mythology. A Yuga ( Devanāgari: युग in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages 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 associated with Lord Krishna (the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu).

The Bhagavatham (also referred to as Srimad Bhagavatham or Bhagavatha Purana) is probably the most read and popular of the puranas. The Bhagavata Purana (also known as Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, or simply Bhāgavatam) is one of the Puranic texts of Hindu literature The Bhagavata Purana (also known as Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, or simply Bhāgavatam) is one of the Puranic texts of Hindu literature The Bhagavata Purana (also known as Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, or simply Bhāgavatam) is one of the Puranic texts of Hindu literature It chronicles the story of the god Vishnu and his incarnations (avataars) on earth. Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation

Vedic mythology

Main article: Vedic mythology

The roots of mythology that evolved from classical Hinduism come from the times of the Vedic civilization, from the ancient Vedic religion. Vedic mythology refers to the mythological aspects of the Historical Vedic religion and Vedic literature. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The Vedic Period (or Vedic Age) is the period in the History of India during which the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, were being This article discusses the historical religious practices in the Vedic time period see Hinduism and Indian religions for details

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.

Epics

The two great Hindu Epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata tell the story of two specific incarnations of Vishnu (Rama and Krishna). Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki Rama ( IAST: rāma Devanāgarī: राम Khmer: Phreah Ream Thai: Phra Ram Lao: Phra Lam Tagalog: Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism These two works are known as Itihasa. Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. The epics Mahabharata and Ramayana serve as both religious scriptures and a rich source of philosophy and morality for a Hindu. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical The epics are divided into chapters and contain various short stories and moral situations, where the character takes a certain course of action in accordance with Hindu laws and codes of righteousness. The most famous of these chapters is the Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit: The Lord's Song) in the Mahabharata, in which Lord Krishna explains the concepts of duty and righteousness to the hero Arjuna before the climactic battle. The Kurukshetra War ( Devangari: कुरुक्षेत्र युद्ध forms an essential component of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata These stories are deeply embedded in Hindu philosophy and serve as parables and sources of devotion for Hindus. Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit ''{{IAST|āstika}}'') schools of thought or darshanas (literally "views" Sankhya A parable is a brief succinct story in Prose or verse, that illustrates a Moral or Religious lesson The Mahabharata is the world's longest epic in verse, running to more than 30,000 lines.

Cosmogony

Main article: Hindu cosmogony

Hinduism presents a number of accounts pertaining to cosmology, and several explanations have been given as regards the origin of the universe. See Cosmology (disambiguation. Religious cosmologies are ways of explaining the history and evolution of the Universe based The most popular belief is that the universe emerged from Hiranyagarbha, meaning the golden womb. Hiranyagarbha, meaning the "golden fetus" or "golden womb" in one hymn of the Rigveda ( RV 10. Hiranyagarbha floated around in water in the emptiness and the darkness of non-existence. Ultimately, this golden egg split and the cosmos was created. In its most general sense a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system Swarga emerged from the golden upper part of the Hiranyagarbha, whereas Prithvi came out from the silver coloured lower half part. In Hinduism, ( Sanskrit: स्वर्ग Svarga (or Swarga) is set of heavenly worlds located on and above Mt Prithvi ( Sanskrit: pṛthvī, also pṛthivī) is the Hindu Earth and Mother Goddess.

The wars

Main article: Wars of Hindu Mythology

The weapons

Apart from the traditional human weapons like swords, daggers, spears, clubs, shields, bows, arrows and maces, and the weapons used by the Gods (such as Indra's thunderbolt Vajrayudha), the texts mention the utilization of various divine weapons by various heroes, each associated with a certain God or deity. The Wars of Hindu mythology depict great heroes and demons in battles of celestial proportions filled with the awesome force of celestial weapons religious mysticism magic Vajra ( Devanagari: वज्र Tibetan: dorje ( is a Sanskrit word meaning both Thunderbolt and Diamond These weapons are most often gifted to semi-divine beings, human beings or the rakshasas by the Gods, sometimes as a result of penance. A rakshasa ( Sanskrit: राक्षसः rākṣasaḥ; alternately rakshas, Malay: raksasa, Bengali: rakshosh

There are several weapons which were believed to be used by the Gods of the Hindu mythology, some of which are Agneyastra, Brahmastra, Chakram, Garudastra, Kaumodaki, Narayanastra, Pashupata, Shiva Dhanush, Sudarshana Chakra, Trishul, Vaishnavastra, Varunastra, and Vayavastra. Agni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" (noun cognate with Latin ignis In Hindu scriptures a Brahmastra ( IAST: Brahmāstra Sanskrit: ब्रह्‍मास्‍त्र is a Weapon created by Brahma The chakram ( Devanāgarī: चक्रम is a throwing Weapon that was used by the ancient Indians it is a flat Metal disc with a sharp outer The Kaumodaki is the divine mace weapon of Vishnu. It is believed to be invincible and without parallel The Narayanastra ( IAST: nārāyaṇastra Sanskrit: नारायणास्त्र) is the personal missile weapon of Vishnu in his Narayana The Pashupatastra ( IAST: Pāśupatāstra Sanskrit: पाशुपतास्त्र, in Hindu mythology, is the irresistible and most destructive Shiva Dhanush ( Sanskrit: शिव धनुश in Hindu Mythology, was the divine bow of Lord Shiva gifted to King Janaka by Sage Sudarshana Chakra ( Sanskrit: सुदर्शन चक्रम् is a spinning disc like weapon with very sharp edge which serves as an attribute of the Hindu Trisula redirects here For the Genus of noctuid Moths see Trisula (moth. In Hinduism, the Vaishnavastra ( Sanskrit वैश्णवास्त्र is the personal missile weapon of the God Vishnu. The Varunastra ( Sanskrit वरुणास्त्र is the water weapon (a storm incepted by God Varuna, master of the oceans rivers and lakes The Wars of Hindu mythology depict great heroes and demons in battles of celestial proportions filled with the awesome force of celestial weapons religious mysticism magic

Some of these weapons are explicitly classified ( for example, the Shiva Dhanush is a bow, the Sudharshan Chakra is a discus and the Trishul is a trident), but many other weapons appear to be weapons specially blessed by the Gods. For example, the Brahmastra, Agneyastra (Sanskrit: Astra = divine weapon) and the other astras appear to be single use weapons requiring an intricate knowledge of use, often depicted in art, literature and adapted filmography as divinely blessed arrows.

Sometimes the astra is descriptive of the function, or of the force of nature which it invokes. The Mahabharata cites instances when the Nagastra (Sanskrit: Nag=snake) was used, and thousands of snakes came pouring down from the skies on unsuspecting enemies. Similarly, the Agneyastra (Agni) is used for setting the enemy ablaze, as the Varunastra (Varuna) is used for extinguishing flames, or for invoking floods. Agni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" (noun cognate with Latin ignis In Vedic religion, Varuna or Waruna ( Devanagari:वरुण IAST: varuṇa) is a god of the Sky, of Rain and Some weapons like the Brahmastra can only be used (lethally) against a single individual.

Apart from the astras, other instances of divine or mythological weaponry include armor (Kavacha), crowns and helmets, staffs and jewellery (Kundala). Karna ( Sanskrit: कर्ण written Karṇa in IAST transliteration is one of the central characters of the Mahābhārata. Karna ( Sanskrit: कर्ण written Karṇa in IAST transliteration is one of the central characters of the Mahābhārata.

The Deluge

The story of a great flood is mentioned in ancient Hindu texts, particularly the Satapatha Brahmana. The Shatapatha Brahmana (sa शतपथ ब्राह्मण śatapatha brāhmaṇa, " Brahmana of one-hundred paths" abbreviated ŚB It is compared to the accounts of the Deluge found in several religions and cultures. The story of a Great Flood (also known as the Deluge) sent by a Deity or deities to destroy Civilization as an act of Divine retribution is a 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. This article concerns the Hindu avatar For the ancient kingdom see Matsya Rajya. Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific

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 Manu Smriti ( Sanskrit: मनुस्मृति is a work of Hindu law and ancient Indian society "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. Castes are Hereditary systems of occupation, Endogamy, social culture, Social class, and Political power.

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, to help him in his act of creation. Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. The Saptarshi (sa सप्तर्षि saptarṣi a Sanskrit Dvigu meaning "seven sages" are the seven Rishis who are extolled Sapta Rishis (sapta means seven and rishis mean sages in Sanskrit). Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical They are Bhrigu, Angira, Atri, Gautama, Kashyapa, Vashishta, and Agastya. Maharishi Bhrigu was one of the seven great sages one of the Saptarshis in ancient India one of many Prajapatis (the facilitators of Creation created by Brahma This article is about the sage named Atri See also the Gotra named Atri. Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder This article is about the Hindu sage Kashyapa or Kasyapa See also Kassapa Buddha for information on the ancient buddha and Mahakasyapa information on the disciple Vasistha ( Sanskrit: वसिष्ठ in Hindu mythology was one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi) in the seventh i In Hinduism, Agastya (अगस्त्य in Devanagari, pronounced /ə gəs tyə/ is a legendary Vedic sage or Rishi. The other meaning of Saptarishis is constellation of Great Bear (Ursa Major). In common usage a constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement typically stars to form a visible figure or picture Ursa Major ( is a Constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere

Pitrs

The Pitrs, or fathers, were the first humans. Pitrs comes from the word Pita(In Hindi and Sanskrit) or Father. So it is about paternity and paternal relations.

Worlds

Hindu mythology defines fourteen worlds (not to be confused with planets) - seven higher worlds (heavens) and seven lower ones (hells). (The earth is considered the lowest of the seven higher worlds. ) All the worlds except the earth are used as temporary places of stay as follows: upon one's death on earth, the god of death (officially called 'Yama Dharma Raajaa' - Yama, the lord of justice) tallies the person's good/bad deeds while on earth and decides if the soul goes to heaven and/or hell, for how long, and in what capacity. Some versions of the mythology state that good and bad deeds neutralize each other and the soul therefore spends time in either a heaven or a hell, but not both, whereas according to another school of thought, the good and bad deeds don't cancel out each other. In either case, the soul acquires a body as appropriate to the worlds it enters. At the end of the soul's time in those worlds, it returns to the earth (is reborn as a life form on the earth). It is considered that only from the earth, and only after a human life, can the soul reach supreme salvation, the state free from the cycle of birth and death and the place beyond the fourteen worlds where the eternal god lives.

Gods and goddesses

There are many deities in Hinduism. At the top are the trimurti: Shiva (the destroyer), Vishnu (the protector), and Brahma (the creator), and their wives (goddesses in their own right): Shakti (also known as Paarvathi, Ambicaa) the goddess of courage and power, Lakshmi the goddess of all forms of wealth, and Saraswathi the goddess of learning. The Trimurti ( English: ‘three forms’ Sanskrit: trimūrti) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva For other meanings see Vishnu (disambiguation. Vishnu ( IAST viṣṇu Devanagari विष्णु (honorific Brahma is the Hindu god ( deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. Shakti, meaning sacred force, power, or energy, is the Hindu concept or personification of the divine feminine aspect sometimes referred Lakshmi or Mahalakshmi (pronunciation; Sanskrit: लक्ष्मी lakṣmī) is the Hindu Goddess of Wealth Saraswati (pronounced as; Sanskrit: sa सरस्वती sarasvatī; Malay: Saraswati Thai: สุรัสวดี is the The children of the Trimurti are also devas, such as Ganesha and Skanda or Kartika. Deva (देव in Devanagari script pronounced as /'d̪evə/ is the Sanskrit word for "god Deity " Ganesha ( Sanskrit: sa गणेश Gaṇeśa) also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar

Brahma is considered the ruler of the highest of the heavens (the world called Sathya), so in one sense, Brahma is not beyond the fourteen worlds as Shiva and Vishnu are.

Some gods are associated with specific elements or functions: Indra (the god of thunder and lightning; he also rules the world of Swarga), Varuna (the god of the oceans), Agni (the god of fire), Kubera (the treasurer of the gods), Surya (the sun god), Vayu (the god of wind), and Soma (the moon god). Indra ( Sanskrit: इन्द्र or इंद्र Indra, Malay: Indera, Thai: พระอินทร์ Phra-Intra In Vedic religion, Varuna or Waruna ( Devanagari:वरुण IAST: varuṇa) is a god of the Sky, of Rain and Agni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" (noun cognate with Latin ignis Kubera ( Sanskrit: कुबेर (also Kuvera or Kuber) is the king of the Yakshas and the lord of wealth in Hindu mythology In Hinduism, Surya ( Devanagari: सूर्य sūrya, lit "the Supreme Light" Malay: Suria; Thai: In Hinduism Vayu ( Sanskrit: वायु, IAST: Vāyu Malay: Bayu Thai: Phra Pai is a primary deity the father of Soma ( Sanskrit: सोम) or Haoma ( Avestan) from Proto-Indo-Iranian * sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance

Swarga also has a set of famous heavenly dancers: Urvasi, Menaka, Rambha, and Tilottama (all female), whose job is to entertain the heavenly court, and upon orders from the heavenly kings, to distract people on the earth from accumulating too much good deeds so as to become a threat to the heavenly kings. This article is related to Hindu mythology For the Indian film actresses with the name Urvashi see Urvashi (actress and Urvashi Sharma Urvashi In Hindu mythology, Menaka ( Sanskrit: मेनका is considered one of the most beautiful of the heavenly Apsaras. Rambha in Hindu mythology is the Queen of the Apsarases the magical and beautiful female beings in Devaloka. Tilottama ( Sanskrit: तिलोत्तमा in Hindu mythology is an Apsara.

Other notable inhabitants of the heavens include the celestial sages, and Narada the messenger of the gods. A rishi (ṛṣi denotes a Vedic poet by whom Vedic hymns were composed or according to post-Vedic tradition a "sage" to whom they were "originally revealed" (Ṛṣis Narad redirects here for the village in Slovakia see Ňárad.

Yama (the god of death and justice) is said to live in Kailash along with his master Shiva. Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva He rules the lower world of Naraka with a band of emissaries called the Yama doota (messengers of Yama), who bring the souls of dead persons to Yama for evaluation. Chitragupta is one of those lower level celestial beings who functions as the karmic accountant of all the actions of the human beings on earth. Chitragupta (Sanskrit चित्रगुप्त rich in secrets is a Hindu god assigned with the task of keeping complete records of actions of human beings on the earth

Incarnations

Several gods are believed to have had incarnations (avatars). Avatar or Avatara (अवतार IAST Avatāra) is often inaccurately translated into English as incarnation As the protector of life, one of the duties of Vishnu is to appear on the earth whenever a firm hand is required to set things right. The epic Bhagavatham is the chronology of Vishnu's ten major incarnations (there are in total twenty six incarnations): Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (lion-faced human), Vamana (an ascetic in the form of a midget), Parasurama (a militant Brahmin), Rama, Krishna,Gautam Buddha(later buddhists separated themselves from Hindus), Kalki (a predicted warrior on a white horse who would come in this yuga ) whose appearance also signals the beginning of the end of the epoch. The Bhagavata Purana (also known as Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, or simply Bhāgavatam) is one of the Puranic texts of Hindu literature This article concerns the Hindu avatar For the ancient kingdom see Matsya Rajya. "Kurma" is also an alternative transliteration of Korma. In Hinduism, Varaha (वाराह is the third Avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a Boar. Narasimha ( IAST Narasiṃha Sanskrit नरसिंह (other spellings are Narasingh, Narasinga) is an Avatara of Vishnu Vamana ( Devanagari: वामन IAST: Vāmana) is a personality described in the Puranic texts of Hinduism as the Fifth Parashurama a Brahman ( Sanskrit: परशुराम or Parasurama ( Axe-wielding Rama) the sixth Avatar of Vishnu, Rama ( IAST: rāma Devanāgarī: राम Khmer: Phreah Ream Thai: Phra Ram Lao: Phra Lam Tagalog: Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder In Hinduism, Kalki ( Devanagari: कल्कि also rendered by some as Kalkin and Kalaki) is the tenth and final Maha Avatara (great ¥

House of Ikshvaku

Ikshvaku was the son of Manu,the first mortal man, and founder of the Sun Dynasty. This article is about king Ikshvaku For other uses see Ikshvaku. For other uses of Manu see Manu In Hinduism, Manu is a title accorded the progenitor of mankind, first king to rule The Sun Dynasty or Solar Dynasty or Suryavansha is one of the most prominent dynasties in the history of Hinduism, along with the "Chandravansha"

Bharatavarsha

The first king to conquer all of the world was Bharata, son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Bharata is a legendary king in Hindu mythology He was the first to conquer all of Greater India, uniting it into a single entity which was named after him as Dushyant or Dushyanta (दुष्‍यंत was a great king in classical Indian literature and mythology In Hindu mythology Shakuntala ( Sanskrit: शकुन्‍तला Śakuntalā) is the mother of Emperor Bharata and the wife of All of this world, Vishwa, is named Bharatavarsha, or The Land of Bharata, or The Cherished Land. Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit ''{{IAST|āstika}}'') schools of thought or darshanas (literally "views" Sankhya Bharata is a legendary king in Hindu mythology He was the first to conquer all of Greater India, uniting it into a single entity which was named after him as

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. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. Gandhāra ( Sanskrit: गन्धार Urdu: گندھارا Gandḥārā; also known as Waihind in Persian is the name of an ancient Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, No account has been known to exceed these geographical boundaries.

External links

Clay Sanskrit Library publishes classical Indian literature, including the Mahabharata and Ramayana, with facing-page text and translation. Also offers searchable corpus and downloadable materials.
Sanskrit Documents Collection: Documents in ITX format of Upanishads, Stotras etc.

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