Post by snowdragon on Aug 2, 2007 20:10:38 GMT -5
Hindu Mythology
With
Snow Dragon
An introduction
What is it about Hindu Mythology that has had it last through ages upon ages of hardship and competition and still come out as a whole? What is it about Hinduism that seems to make it timeless and unable to be torn apart?
Hinduism has lasted a very long time, despite the fact that it is a relatively complex mythology. It hasn’t always been the same as we know it now. It has lasted, it has changed, adapted and evolved with the times. When it was needed, new ideas, open minded changes were made to have it outlast all others.
The ages of Hinduism are different, but each contributed to the faith as a whole. Nothing is thrown out in Hinduism. It is changed, altered, put to a different use, but never discarded. It is a very interesting and different concept, one that not many religions of their ilk have subscribed to using.
You have to understand that the area of India was seemingly a crossroads for many cultures and religions. The Indian people have incorporated ideas from many faiths to create the rich complex mythology we are all familiar with in some way.
No matter what, one cosmic truth exists within Hinduism. Tat is that all things are simply a part of a greater whole One. This Universal whole was called Brahmam. All beings and things, from the gods and demons, through humans, on to the lowliest pebble on the beach, were and are part of this One. In later times, the neutral Brahmam became equated with the masculine Brahma, but the original idea is still very much a part of Hindu thought.
Like all ready stated, the history of Hindu Mythology can be broken down into ages. The Pre-Vedic age, the Vedic age, the Brahmanic age, the age of Buddhism and Jainism, and the Epic Age. Each had an important role in shaping Hinduism into what is seen as today.
The Pre-Vedic age started around 2400 BCE with the early Indus valley civilizations of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, which were believed to be destroyed around 1700 BCE. Some scholars suggest that the Indo-European invaders known as the Indo-Aryans came and conquered both much of India and Persia around 1500 BCE. This is when it is suggested that the Vedic age begins.
The Vedic age brings the Indo-Aryans as the lords of India. They bring with them new Gods and hymns dedicated to them, respectively known as the Vedas. The Indo-Aryan gods become more important in the pantheon of gods, though older gods are still revered, but in new roles.
The Aryans also brought with them a social structure that had not been prominent in India before. There was the priestly class, the warrior and ruling class and the trade or merchant class. All natives under Aryan rule were a fourth class, which, to my mind, was a slave class. This class system was the basis of the caste system that has a very important role in Indian life. By the end of the Vedic period, these castes were called, respectively: Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras.
The Vedic gods were led by the God Indra, a thunder god. During the Vedic age he is by far the most powerful, though his role will change as other gods are brought forth to take his role as leader of the pantheon as the ages change. The Gods of this era got their strength for a drink called Soma, a form of Ambrosia.
From around 900 BCE to around 500 BCE, the age of Hinduism came into the Brahmanic age, bringing about further changes. As the Aryan culture spread, Hinduism had to adapt to changes, had to grow and change to fit the times, so to speak. The Brahmans (priest class) and the Kshatriyas (ruling class) were fighting for supremacy and over who ruled more of Indian life, which had new concepts and ideas coming to the forefront.
One of the new concepts was the idea of the soul or atman becoming a major part of Hinduism and the transmigration of that soul becoming a foundation of the religion. During this time, the Brahmans asserted that the gods needed human priests to keep their power, and some of the rishis, or sages, became more powerful than the gods. Basically the same as Catholic popes and bishops being one with god.
Sacrifice became the chief form of worship. The major Vedic deities began to fall from their high positions and were slowly replaced by the cults of the three gods who came to dominate Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
From around 500 BCE to 100 CE, Hinduism met with a sharp decline, due to the growth of other religions, during the age of Buddhism and Jainism. The decline was so dramatic, that the religion was nearly wiped away completely. They adapted and were miraculously able to survive by introducing new ideas.
Sacrifice went out of favor completely, and influence by the worshipers of Jainism and Buddhism, who led their lives of self denial and physical hardship, led to the composition of the Upanishads, or the Hindu scared texts of philosophy and doctrine. It was also during this time frame that Vishnu and Shiva completed their dominance of the pantheon over Indra and the other major Vedic gods.
The next age is referred to as the Epic age, or the Classical age because it is during this time that the Epics poems and stories were written. The great Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were compiled in their modern forms now, though they had origins to at least Vedic times, if not longer. The Puranas were also compiled during this time.
We come into modern Hinduism around 1000 CE, when it once against becomes the dominant religion and faith on the sub-continent. According to scholars, we are still currently in the age of modern Hinduism, and since it has stayed relatively the same since the age started, there is not much to report on that front.
So, basically, that is a quick run down of the history of Hinduism through time. You will note, in the future, when I post information about certain myths or about a god or goddess, that I will sometimes use the word Vedic to refer to the time frame in which the information was the most relevant.
With
Snow Dragon
An introduction
What is it about Hindu Mythology that has had it last through ages upon ages of hardship and competition and still come out as a whole? What is it about Hinduism that seems to make it timeless and unable to be torn apart?
Hinduism has lasted a very long time, despite the fact that it is a relatively complex mythology. It hasn’t always been the same as we know it now. It has lasted, it has changed, adapted and evolved with the times. When it was needed, new ideas, open minded changes were made to have it outlast all others.
The ages of Hinduism are different, but each contributed to the faith as a whole. Nothing is thrown out in Hinduism. It is changed, altered, put to a different use, but never discarded. It is a very interesting and different concept, one that not many religions of their ilk have subscribed to using.
You have to understand that the area of India was seemingly a crossroads for many cultures and religions. The Indian people have incorporated ideas from many faiths to create the rich complex mythology we are all familiar with in some way.
No matter what, one cosmic truth exists within Hinduism. Tat is that all things are simply a part of a greater whole One. This Universal whole was called Brahmam. All beings and things, from the gods and demons, through humans, on to the lowliest pebble on the beach, were and are part of this One. In later times, the neutral Brahmam became equated with the masculine Brahma, but the original idea is still very much a part of Hindu thought.
Like all ready stated, the history of Hindu Mythology can be broken down into ages. The Pre-Vedic age, the Vedic age, the Brahmanic age, the age of Buddhism and Jainism, and the Epic Age. Each had an important role in shaping Hinduism into what is seen as today.
The Pre-Vedic age started around 2400 BCE with the early Indus valley civilizations of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, which were believed to be destroyed around 1700 BCE. Some scholars suggest that the Indo-European invaders known as the Indo-Aryans came and conquered both much of India and Persia around 1500 BCE. This is when it is suggested that the Vedic age begins.
The Vedic age brings the Indo-Aryans as the lords of India. They bring with them new Gods and hymns dedicated to them, respectively known as the Vedas. The Indo-Aryan gods become more important in the pantheon of gods, though older gods are still revered, but in new roles.
The Aryans also brought with them a social structure that had not been prominent in India before. There was the priestly class, the warrior and ruling class and the trade or merchant class. All natives under Aryan rule were a fourth class, which, to my mind, was a slave class. This class system was the basis of the caste system that has a very important role in Indian life. By the end of the Vedic period, these castes were called, respectively: Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras.
The Vedic gods were led by the God Indra, a thunder god. During the Vedic age he is by far the most powerful, though his role will change as other gods are brought forth to take his role as leader of the pantheon as the ages change. The Gods of this era got their strength for a drink called Soma, a form of Ambrosia.
From around 900 BCE to around 500 BCE, the age of Hinduism came into the Brahmanic age, bringing about further changes. As the Aryan culture spread, Hinduism had to adapt to changes, had to grow and change to fit the times, so to speak. The Brahmans (priest class) and the Kshatriyas (ruling class) were fighting for supremacy and over who ruled more of Indian life, which had new concepts and ideas coming to the forefront.
One of the new concepts was the idea of the soul or atman becoming a major part of Hinduism and the transmigration of that soul becoming a foundation of the religion. During this time, the Brahmans asserted that the gods needed human priests to keep their power, and some of the rishis, or sages, became more powerful than the gods. Basically the same as Catholic popes and bishops being one with god.
Sacrifice became the chief form of worship. The major Vedic deities began to fall from their high positions and were slowly replaced by the cults of the three gods who came to dominate Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
From around 500 BCE to 100 CE, Hinduism met with a sharp decline, due to the growth of other religions, during the age of Buddhism and Jainism. The decline was so dramatic, that the religion was nearly wiped away completely. They adapted and were miraculously able to survive by introducing new ideas.
Sacrifice went out of favor completely, and influence by the worshipers of Jainism and Buddhism, who led their lives of self denial and physical hardship, led to the composition of the Upanishads, or the Hindu scared texts of philosophy and doctrine. It was also during this time frame that Vishnu and Shiva completed their dominance of the pantheon over Indra and the other major Vedic gods.
The next age is referred to as the Epic age, or the Classical age because it is during this time that the Epics poems and stories were written. The great Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were compiled in their modern forms now, though they had origins to at least Vedic times, if not longer. The Puranas were also compiled during this time.
We come into modern Hinduism around 1000 CE, when it once against becomes the dominant religion and faith on the sub-continent. According to scholars, we are still currently in the age of modern Hinduism, and since it has stayed relatively the same since the age started, there is not much to report on that front.
So, basically, that is a quick run down of the history of Hinduism through time. You will note, in the future, when I post information about certain myths or about a god or goddess, that I will sometimes use the word Vedic to refer to the time frame in which the information was the most relevant.