Indian mythology and its reflection in art. Vedic mythology
Chronologically, Vedic mythology refers to the era between the second and first millennium BC, when the primitive communal structure of the Vedic society was already at the stage of decomposition and a way was gradually formed that was characteristic of military democracy.
Sources of Vedic mythology: four ancient collections of the Vedas; brahmins to the corresponding Vedas (information about the ritual, interpretation of its innermost meaning and symbolism, a number of myths and mythologized legends); aranyakas (texts associated with the Brahmins); upanishads. These sources belong to the class of shruti, i.e. "revelation".
Vedic mythology was transmitted orally, and the "divine" character of the texts corresponded to the special role of speech and memory, opposing oblivion and inarticulate chaos. Smriti texts - "remembered" (ascending to authorities) include sutras, which deal with sacrifices, domestic rituals, mythologized legislation, etc.
Some information about Vedic mythology can be extracted from later Hindu texts, genetically related to the Vedic tradition, and even from Buddhist texts. Vedism was not a pan-Indian religion, it was adhered to only by a group of Indo-Aryan tribes that inhabited Eastern Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, it is also the creator of the Rigveda and other Vedic collections. One of the characteristic features of the Vedic religion is polytheism - the worship of many gods, who are usually endowed with human properties. The main god was considered Indra - the god of thunder, a powerful warrior. Varuna is the guardian of world order and justice. Agni is the god of fire and the protector of the hearth.
The Indian of the Vedic era deified the forces of nature, animated plants, mountains and rivers. Later, on the basis of this, the doctrine of the transmigration of souls took shape. To win the favor of the gods, the Indians made sacrifices to them, prayed for help, offspring and wealth. It is customary to attribute 33 gods to the highest (divine) level of Vedic mythology (333 in some Brahmins), and this number itself is an essential constant, under which the number of characters is “adjusted”. These 33 gods are divided into earthly, atmospheric (intermediate) and heavenly. Sometimes the gods are divided into groups (8 Vasus, 11 Rudras, 12 Adityas), opposed according to the same threefold principle.
At the center of Vedic mythology are myths about the "second creation", more precisely, the main myth about the struggle of Indra with his opponent, embodying the forces of chaos, uncertainty, destruction, and the creation of a new universe organized on other principles.
First of all, demons act as the enemy of Indra - the monsters Vritra, Vala, less often Shushna, Pani and others, hiding cattle (in a rock, in a cave), the sun, the morning dawn or fettering waters. The victory of Indra leads to the liberation of cattle, waters, etc., the dismemberment of the monster into parts, the reconstruction of the cosmos, in particular in that aspect of it that is associated with fertility, wealth, offspring, with the transition from extensive use of nature to intensive, that is, to Vedic social cosmos.
Vedic mythology, as it is reflected in the most ancient texts, assumes a free composition of myths on the basis of the totality of mythopoetic knowledge (veda); each plot, motif, attribute is mythological in principle and does not require a special myth in an established, finished form for its explanation. The historical and cultural significance of Vedic mythology is exceptionally great.
Hindu mythology originates from the 1st millennium AD in the Indo-Aryan Vedic culture through Brahmanism, which was influenced by Buddhism. Includes many teachings that reflect monotheistic, pantheistic, polytheistic and other religious ideas. Of course, many ideas of Vedism have entered Hinduism. But it must be borne in mind that Hinduism is a developed religion of a new stage in the life of ancient Indian society. In Hinduism, the creator god comes to the fore, a strict hierarchy is established in the pantheon. The cults of the gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva began to play a special role. This is how the triad (trimurti) of these main deities is formed, perceived as a manifestation of a single supreme deity. Brahma was considered the creator and ruler of the world, he also owned the establishment of social laws on earth (dharma), the division into varnas.
Gradually, Vishnu, the guardian god, and Shiva, the destroyer god, began to play a special role in the trimurti, which led to the emergence of two main trends in Hinduism - Vishnuism and Shaivism. This division was enshrined in the texts of the Puranas, the main monuments of Hindu thought, which took shape in the first centuries of our era. Along with the Indo-Aryan beliefs, both directions of Hinduism absorbed the beliefs of the non-Aryan, primarily the Dravidian, population. The inclusion of various cults in the Hindu religious system, their correlation with the image of Vishnu was carried out thanks to the concept of avatars - the doctrine that God descends into the world, reincarnating each time in a new image.
One of the richest and most peculiar layers of Indian culture is mythology. The Vedas can be considered the most extensive source of mythological ideas of ancient India. According to the Aryans, they are filled with divine revelation.
The vast majority of the Vedic gods, as in other ancient myths, are associated with nature. Some of them represent certain qualities of the soul. In Vedic mythology, there are 33 earthly, "atmospheric" and heavenly, higher gods, among which it was not possible to establish a sufficiently clear hierarchy. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Vedas most likely absorbed the beliefs of the Dravidians, the indigenous population of India. Suffice it to say that in a number of older books it was possible to count 3333 (!) gods. However, the sage Yajnavalkyu, naming such a number, added that these are various manifestations of the 33 main gods, and, in essence, there is only one god. If it is impossible to unambiguously identify the supreme deity, then it can be established, at least, that the most popular god in the Vedas is Indra, which personifies strength, fertility and, at the same time, the masculine principle. This creator of the sky, the sun, the dawn, the inspirer of poets and singers, is constantly accompanied by the deities of rain and wind. Judge and Keeper of the Law - God Varuna, punishes for the sins of not only people, but also the gods. He sends diseases and natural disasters to people. Agni- the god of fire, stolen from the sky by one of the priests, Soma - the keeper of the divine drink, Surya- Sun, Ushas- dawn, vayu- wind, Saraswati- daughter of lightning.
The creation of the world takes place in the "Vedas" from some initial indistinguishable emptiness. Its fundamental principle was a thousand-eyed, thousand-headed, thousand-armed and thousand-legged creature Purusha dismembered by the gods. Ruler realms of the dead -Pit. In it, people meet with the shadows of their ancestors. The Indo-Aryans, who had not yet erected temples, cajoled the gods with sacrifices at feasts in their honor.
In the second half of the I millennium BC. revision has been completed Brahman- comments on the Vedas for the priests, as well as the Upanishads and Aranyakas. IN Brahmanism creator of the universe Brahma is born from a golden egg floating in a boundless ocean. The power of his thought divides the egg into two parts - heaven and earth, then water, fire, earth, air, gods, stars, time, animals and plants, male and female principles, people are formed. Brahma is usually depicted as a four-headed giant sitting on a lotus, the sacred flower of the Hindus. In his hands is a ritual jug of water, a spoon with sacred oil for sacrifices, a wand, a sacred book.
God was born at the word of Brahma Vishnu, one of the main in Indian mythology, the keeper of all that exists. Vishnu is depicted as a giant lying on the cosmic serpent Shesha. He is immersed in sleep, leaving which he creates worlds. Vishnu flies on a gigantic eagle with a half-human face - Garuda, his wife is beautiful Sri Lakshmi. IN " Bhagavadshte”describes his nine descents into the world in nine different incarnations.
From the forehead of Brahma, wrinkled in anger, another god appeared, Shiva, the personification of both fertility and destruction. Shiva is surrounded by spirits and ghosts, on his neck is a necklace of skulls, he is invisibly present on the battlefields, in places of burning corpses, crossroads (they are considered dangerous places in India). The inconsistency of the image of Shiva, involvement in destruction and rebirth at the same time, may be due to the fact that he came from the mythology of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, that is, from the deepest antiquity. Let's add here the fact that in Indian mythology and religion the world around us is only an appearance, an illusion. On Shiva's forehead is the third eye, a symbol of supreme wisdom, and his throat is black from the poison drunk to save the gods, snakes wrap around his body, it is covered with ash - a symbol of asceticism and purity. Shiva is a great lover and a wonderful family man, his symbol is lingam(phallus), its power in energy shakti, the life-giving force accumulated in meditation. Dancing Shiva- one of the most popular images in Indian art.
The vitality or destructiveness of Shiva depends on the relationship with his female incarnations. The wives of Shiva, who are worshiped in India, are often depicted with a mirror - as its reflection, strengthening, multiplication. Shiva is contemplative and ascetic, wives are active and active, at the moment of their intercourse the divine energy multiplies many times over. She is worshiped in Tantrism that completes Hinduism. In Tantrism, the human body is seen as a cosmos with six energy centers - chakras. The highest of them corresponds to the brain, where it connects with its atman- spirit, like Shiva with Shakti. As a result, complete liberation, akin to the state of nirvana, is achieved. However, Tantrism warns that the awakening of the chakras is available and permissible only to trained people.
Hindus are divided into Vishnuists and Shaivists, but it turned out to be possible to reconcile them in the concept trimurti, a single god in three forms (Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu). In Hinduism, the idea of the cyclical nature of the universe clearly emerges: the world perishes when Brahma falls asleep, with his awakening he comes to life.
The religious and mythological ideas of the Indians found expression in original in original festive rituals. A holiday is celebrated in India at the end of October. full moon, there are holidays in honor of the sacred tree, snakes and other representatives of the animal world, among which Indian mythology highlights monkeys and cows. Most mass and a long holiday - from January to February is held at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna. Once every 12 years they come here for sacred ablution up to 5 million people. Most colorful hindu holiday, Holi, is celebrated on the day of the full moon in the period March-April and symbolizes the spring flowering of nature. At crossroads, they drive out evil spirits with bonfires, everyone pours water on each other with tinted water, regardless of gender and even castes, hugs and treats themselves to sweets. This holiday is dedicated to the victory of the shepherd krishna over the devil Holika. In the same period, the birthday of the prince is celebrated frames. Of course, there is a holiday in honor of Shiva,Shivaratri, with exalted dances. Hero of another holiday - Ganesh- the god with the head of an elephant, sitting on a lotus, the patron of knowledge and arts, the organizer of obstacles.
Indian holidays can equally be considered part of not only religious and mythological, but also artistic traditions.
The main monuments that reflected the mythological ideas of the Egyptians are a variety of religious texts: hymns and prayers to the gods, records of funeral rites on the walls of the tombs. The most significant of them are the "Pyramid Texts" - the oldest texts of royal funeral rituals.
Carved on the walls of the interior of the pyramids of the pharaohs of the V and VI dynasties of the Old Kingdom (XXVI - XXIII centuries BC); "Texts of sarcophagi" preserved on the sarcophagi of the Middle Kingdom (XXI - XVIII centuries to...
It is impossible to imagine a more proud and more grateful image than the image of the Aryan king of India, standing on his war chariot and giving orders to a whole army of elephants, horse and foot soldiers. One Vedic priest initiates his king in front of the assembled crowd with these words: "I have brought you into our midst.
All the people want you. The sky is unshakable, the earth is unshakable and these mountains are unshakable."
In one of the later legislations, in the Manava Dharma Shastra, one can read:
"These lords...
Justice reigned in the days of the noble sons of Pandu, the kings of the solar cycle, who listened to the voices of the sages. Winners, they treated the vanquished as equals. But since the sons of the sun were exterminated or removed from their thrones, and their rare descendants hid with hermits, injustice, ambition and hatred have taken over.
Changeable and deceitful, like the night luminary, which they took as their symbol, the kings of the lunar cycle fought among themselves mercilessly. One of them...
Having rested, she went deep into the forest under the cool arches, formed from majestic trunks, whose branches sank into the soil and, rising again, scattered their green tents in all directions.
She walked for a long time, protected from the sun, as if in a dark and cool pagoda, to which there was no end in sight.
The buzzing of bees, the cries of peacocks in love, the singing of a thousand birds, attracted her further and further, and the trees became larger and larger, the forest darkened more and more, and the tree branches were more and more intertwined in ...
All religious creeds have their origin in India or are influenced by Indian holy scriptures. Indian saints did not seek identification with religious forms and words. They asked, “What science will help us find God? Who is the One, knowing Whom I know everything?”
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Ancient Egypt is a powerful civilization of antiquity, it still attracts researchers with its mystery and grandeur. The ancient Egyptians had a special attitude towards religion, which left a huge imprint on their culture and way of life.
The Role of Religion in Ancient Egypt
The daily life of the inhabitants of Egypt was closely intertwined with beliefs and religious traditions. The ancient Egyptians believed that cults had the ability to directly influence their destiny. In that era, even small things were given ...
Vedic mythology - a set of mythological representations of the Vedic Aryans; Usually, Vedic mythology is understood as the mythological representations of the Aryans of the period of the creation of the Vedas, and sometimes the period of the creation of the Brahmins, prosaic commentaries on the Vedas, and the Upanishads, secret teachings of a philosophical and religious nature, genetically related to the Vedas, but reflecting, in fact, a different cultural tradition .
Chronologically, Vedic mythology refers to the era between the middle of the 2nd and ser. 1st thousand to...
The tribes of the ancient Rus about 40 thousand years ago, according to legend (With special permission, the author for the first time in the world, publishes a special secret history of the great Russian people, transmitted for thousands of years only through the secret oral Vedic tradition.), Came from Arabia (upper reaches of the Tigris River ) to the north of the Balkans.
"Rus" in ancient Arabian means "leopard." Then the Rus moved north and settled virgin forests rich in game. Some tribes went even further north, taming
Besides horses...
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The prince lived in luxury, knowing no worries, no sorrows. But having learned that there is illness, old age and death in the world, the prince decided to save people from suffering and went in search of...
Mythology of India is a complex phenomenon due to the fact that the Indian subcontinent has become home to the most different peoples very dissimilar origins with completely different cultural and mythological origins.
One can distinguish between the ancient Vedic mythology that existed before our era, and the modern mythology and philosophy of Hinduism, the living religion of modern India. It is also worth mentioning the Buddhist and Jain mytho-religious systems, which are also relevant for India.
Vedic mythology
Vedic mythology developed at the end of the 2nd millennium BC in the northwestern part of India, inhabited by Aryan tribes who came from Iran. Due to kinship with Iran, the mythology and language of the northern part of India was similar to Iranian. It is customary even to talk about a certain period of Indo-Iranian relations, about the Indo-Iranian language and culture.
The origins of Vedic mythology are rooted in the common Indo-European mythology of the 3rd millennium BC. Because of their archaism, Vedic mythology and language are an excellent source for understanding the antiquity of all Indo-Europeans. One can see a deep connection between such words as "veda" with the Russian verb "to know" and the words "witch", "knowledge", etc., derived from it.
gods of ancient india
The Vedic pantheon consisted of 33 deities, some of which lived on Earth, some - in Heaven, and some were universal.
The earthly gods were Prithivi, Agni, Brihaspati, Soma, Saraswati. The "mixed" gods included Indra, Trita Aptya, Apam Napat, Matarishvan. The heavenly gods were Dyaus, Varuna, Mitra, Vishnu, Ushas and Ashvins.
These gods played an important role in the life of the ancient inhabitant of India. Vital and religious foundations supported Varuna and Mitra, Indra and his Marut assistants were in charge of the war, Ashvins were responsible for fertility and harvest.
Later, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva stood out among the main gods - this was already a significant step towards later Hinduism, which absorbed both Vedic mythology and the mythological ideas of other inhabitants of Hindustan.
The ancient Indian gods were divided into two groups: devas and asuras, who fought among themselves. There is a legend that during the battle of these gods, drops of their blood fell to the ground, froze and turned into precious stones.
Vedic myths
One of the main myths of Vedic mythology was told about how the warlike god Indra fought with his monstrous opponent - the demon Vritra, who personified chaos and the rebellious forces of nature. Vritra locked up the world's waters and stole cattle from people, and Indra freed them.
Mahabharata
One of the largest sources on the mythology of India is the majestic epic Mahabharata. It represents one of the most striking cultural heritage of mankind. Mahabharata consists of many legends and traditions. The Ramayana is part of the Mahabharata.
Ramayana
Another famous Indian epic is the Ramayana. It tells how the demon king Ravana seized power over the world and forced the gods to serve him.
To get rid of his tyranny, the god Vishnu decided to be born on earth in the guise of a mortal, whose name was Rama. The birth of a god in the form of a mortal in Indian mythology is called an avatar, that is, an incarnation.
The struggle between Rama and Ravana began after Ravana kidnapped the beautiful Sita - Rama's wife. Together with his faithful friend Lakshmana, Rama went to rescue his wife, and with the help of the hawk king Jatayu and the king of the anthropoid apes Sugriva, he defeated him in fierce battles and returned his wife.
In the illustrations:
1. King Rama, his friend Lakshmana, wife Sita and monkey king Sugriva
2. Dancing god Shiva
3. God Vishnu
4. Rama and Lakshmana with companions go in search of Sita
5. Rama, the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu
6. Modern performance of the Ramayana during the international festival dedicated to the Indian epic
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Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Karaganda State Technical University
Department of SRS
Essay
On the topic: "Ancient Indian mythology"
Plan
1. Mythology of ancient India
1.1 Myths in the spiritual culture of the peoples of India
1.2 Sources of Indian mythology
2. Beliefs, Gods and Heroes of Ancient India
3. The myth of the great ages of mankind
4. The myth of the creation of the world
5. Family of Brahma
1. Mythology of ancient India
1.1 Myths in the spiritual culture of the peoples of India
Along with Egypt and Mesopotamia, India is one of the centers of human civilization. Europeans have always sought to understand the mystery of this country, to get closer to its culture. Many were warmed by legends about countless treasures, great geographical discoveries began with the search for India.
The origin of Indian civilization is lost in the mists of time. Its first foci were discovered by English researchers. In the middle of the XIX century. General L. Cunningham, who led the archaeological research in the Indus River basin, discovered monuments of an unknown culture (seals with letters and drawings, and then the ancient dead cities - Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa). This ancient civilization, later called the Indus, or Harappan, presumably existed from the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. e. before 1800 BC e. The language and culture of this civilization, the way of life of its population, as well as its myths and beliefs, remain a mystery. The reasons for her death are also unclear.
The Indian civilization is being replaced by another civilization, the creators of which were the tribes that came from the north. They called themselves the word "Arya", which means "noble".
The distant ancestors of these tribes lived somewhere in Eastern Europe. These were nomadic tribes. Several thousand years before our era, they began to move in two directions - to the West, to Europe, and to the south, to the territory of present-day Iran and India. It is possible that this beginning of the "great migration of peoples" "was associated with climate change. It led to the settlement of Europe by tribes. Slavs, Celts, Balts, Germanic, Romanesque peoples, Greeks are the distant descendants of those distant migrants. The tribes of the Aryans, who went south, also switched to a settled way of life and became the ancestors of most of the modern peoples of India.Thus, despite the vast spaces separating Europe from India, the peoples inhabiting them have a common ancient homeland, common historical and cultural roots.Therefore, they are called Indo-European peoples.Their proximity is confirmed data of linguistics.Even a non-specialist sees the similarity of many words of Sanskrit, the language of the Aryans, and modern Indo-European languages.
The words denoting family relations, numerals and others coincide. Only words coincide, but also myths, images of gods and heroes. Apparently, the distant Indo-European ancestors had their own mythology, which they partially preserved by moving to new habitats.
Turning to agriculture, the Aryans adopted from the local Indian peoples (Dravids) the culture of rice and cotton cultivation. They raised cows and horses, which they considered sacred. Initially, the Aryans lived in communities. They subjugated the locals to their power. It is believed that in this way there was a division of Indian society into castes (varnas). The three highest castes - Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (wars), Vaishyas (merchants, artisans) - were descended from the Aryans, while the lower caste, the Sudras, came from the local population. Having arisen, the caste system has existed in India for thousands of years, right up to our time.
At that time, between the Indus and the Ganges, many states arose, which united in a series of successive empires: the states of Magadha, the Mauryas, the Kushan kingdom, the power of the Guptas. Around 330 BC e. India survived the invasion of Alexander the Great, who was unable to advance inland and was forced to return his troops.
In the first millennium BC in India, the flourishing of spiritual life is noticeable, a number of philosophical and religious trends and schools arise: Brahmanism, Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism; at the dawn of the Aryan civilization, one of the ancient books humanity - the Vedas, in the I millennium BC. e. -- another great book -- the Upanishads. Upanishads systematized, world view ancient india which determined the spiritual image of its peoples for many centuries. It is in this book that we meet the ideas and concepts of philosophy and ethics, the most important of which are "brahman", "karma", "atman", "samsara", "dharma", "moksha" and a number of others. Brahman was understood as the spiritual fundamental principle of the world, a kind of world soul; atman is a “particle” of the world soul, belonging to an individual person, an individual soul, a human “I”; Hindus believed in the eternal rebirth of all objects, in the transition of some things into others while maintaining their spiritual essence and called it "samsara"; “karma” is the law according to which such a rebirth takes place, these are the actions of a person that ensure the character of his “afterlife”; “dharma” is a law that prescribes a certain style of behavior, deviation from which entails karmic consequences, and, finally, “moksha” is “liberation” from the dependence of the soul on the body shell, from everything earthly, worldly, carnal.
The central concept of the Upanishads is Dharma. Translated from Sanskrit, it means "law", "order", duty. "In accordance with Indian tradition, each person has his own dharma, that is, the norm of behavior that is prescribed to him from above, has a sacred character. One dharma is with the king, the other with commoner, one for the husband, the other for the wife.Every person should know how to act in this or that life situation based on the dictates of dharma.
These principles and concepts formed a system of values characteristic of the Indians, a certain way of life. The Indian has always been characterized by the deification of nature, the ban on killing the living, the desire for non-violence. They explained evil, misfortune, belonging to a lower caste by a bad rebirth, a karmic payment for sins. past life. There have always been many ascetics in the country, people striving for spiritual self-improvement, who were looking for a way to salvation in it. In India, yoga arises as a teaching and a system of spiritual and physical exercises leading to the highest goal - the liberation of a person from hardships and dependencies in the physical world, the connection of the "soul", "I" with the divine absolute.
At the same time, India is considered the birthplace of many rational discoveries and inventions. Many thinkers, famous and nameless poets worked in it, the great epic poems "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana" were born there. India was the birthplace of beautiful myths, legends and tales. They have played and continue to play an extremely important role in the spiritual culture of the Indian people. Like the myths of other peoples of the ancient East, Indian myths explain the origin of the world and man, tell about gods and heroes. Generations are brought up on the characters of heroes and their exploits. Indian mythology brought up tolerance, contempt for death, which was seen as only a step towards the next rebirth, a sense of duty.
India becomes a British colony in the 19th century. Only in 1947 did India gain independence without resorting to violence. So Indian philosophical and moral principles, penetrating mythology and religion, were embodied in Everyday life millions of people, having formed a special character, worldview, mentality, values of life that distinguish Indian culture from other cultures.
myth india spiritual brahma
1.2 Sources of Indian mythology
In India, one of the oldest books in the history of mankind, the Vedas, was created. Hindu tradition tells about their origin that they were compiled by a sage named Vyasa, in whom the god Vishnu himself incarnated. It happened, according to tradition, three thousand years before our era. And in the distant past, and now Hindus respect the Vedas, considering them sacred books.
According to scientists, the Vedas arose later, somewhere between 1500 and 1000 years. BC e. This book is earthly, it is a collection of hymns and comments to them, created by the Aryans after they settled in India. The Vedas were written in Sanskrit, the ancient language of the Aryans. The title of these books is translated as "Knowledge".
Vedas is a generalized name for several independent works. The oldest among them is considered the Rigveda - the Book of hymns. It is a recording of hymns to various Aryan gods, which were sung during ritual sacrifices. The Aryans considered these hymns to be divine. They believed that reading them, as well as making sacrifices, could protect a person from the wrath of the gods and ensure his well-being.
The Rigveda is a very large book. It contains 1028 hymns, 10500 verses, which is equal to the Iliad and the Odyssey combined. About what the hymns of the Rig Veda were like, one of them testifies:
When the purusha was divided, how many parts was it divided into?
What became his mouth, than his hands, than his thighs, than his legs?
Brahmins became his mouth, his hands became a kshatriya,
His thighs became a vaishya, and a sudra emerged from his legs.
The moon was born from a thought, the sun was born from the eyes,
From the mouths of Indra and Agni, from the breath arose the wind.
Out of the navel came the airspace, out of the head came the sky.
From the feet - the earth. Countries of the world - from hearing So the worlds were distributed.
In this passage, we are talking about the emergence of many elements real world, including the social structure (caste system) from the beginning, which is called "purusha".
Hindus believe that it is not given to everyone to understand the Vedas, to decipher their divine meaning, but only to those who are pure in soul, heart and thoughts. Up to today knowledge of the Vedas is considered a sign of true education, and connoisseurs of sacred books are surrounded by deep honor.
In later times, comments and additions were made to the Rigveda and other original Vedic texts (Atharvaveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda). They are combined into three books: Brahmans, Aranyakas, Upanishads. Together with the Vedas, they are called Vedic literature. The book of the Brahmins appears when Indian society is divided into castes (varnas), among which the brahmins occupy a special position.
The Brahmanas contain comments on the Vedas and give instructions on how to perform religious rites.
Some Brahmins became hermits. They went to the forests and mountains in search of answers to the most important questions of life. Thus arose the Aranyakas, the "Forest Books", which were the fruit of the reflections of the sages-hermits.
The last part of the Vedic books is called the Upanishads. Its name is translated as "Seated at the feet of the teacher." The Upanishads, like the Vedas, were considered secret books. The uninitiated, especially the one who did not belong to the higher castes, did not even dare to touch them. The Upanishads are called philosophical books. From them we learn how the ancient Indians understood the world, the cosmos, what they thought about life, what they aspired to.
In general, the Vedic books can be called an encyclopedia of the spiritual life of Ancient India. They contain information about the religion, customs, worldview of India, making up an important foundation for its spiritual culture. At the same time, the Vedas and Vedic literature are the most important source of Indian mythology. The gods, their names, their images, their relationship, their relationship with the material world, its origin, the exploits of the heroes - all this we find in the Vedic books.
Time passes, and ancient beliefs, myths and legends receive a perfect artistic embodiment in the two greatest poems - "Mahabharata" and "Ramayana". These poems are rightfully considered the largest monuments of ancient Indian literature.
The poem "Ramayana" tells about the legendary events that took place in northern India, in the principalities where the main characters, Rama and Sita, came from. If you believe the legends, the events described in the Ramayana date back to 1200-1000 years. BC e. and tell about the Burden of prosperity and power of the country.
Researchers believe that the text of "Ryamayana" was compiled later, somewhere between 200 BC. e. and 200 AD e. It includes 24,000 couplets (slokas). This gigantic work was done by the poet Valmiki.
The poem tells how the god Vishnu incarnated in the guise of the earthly prince Rama in order to kill Ravana, the ten-headed monster who embodied evil. Ravana kidnaps the beautiful Sita, the wife of Rama. With the help of his brother Lakshgmana, friends and the monkey king Hanuman, Rama defeats Ravana in a fierce fight and frees Sita.
Thanks to Valmiki, we can look into the distant past of India, find out how its people lived, in which gods they believed, what they feared and what they hoped for. In general, the time described in the Ramayana can be represented as a "golden age", and its heroes as ideal people. Dasaratha embodies the image of a perfect ruler. Rama is a perfect prince and husband, a fighter against evil. Sita is the model of a faithful wife.
Another great poem of ancient India is the Mahabharata. It consists of 100,000 couplets (slokas), that is, of two hundred thousand lines. It is believed that the poem was composed around 300 BC. e. Its plot is centered around the story of the struggle between two princely families of Northern India - Kauravas and Pandavas - for power. The most important part of the "Mahabharata" is the book "Bhagavad Gita", which has become the sacred book of the Hare Krishnas.
Following the Vedas, the Mahabharata and Ramayana are major sources study and presentation of Indian mythology. All major literary retellings of ancient Indian myths are based on the content of these poems.
2. beliefs,gods and heroes of ancient india
Having moved to India, the Aryans brought their ancient beliefs and ideas about the gods to their new homeland.
The oldest religion of the Aryans is usually called Vedic. It developed as a religion of sacrifice and hymns to the gods. These hymns were transmitted first in the oral tradition, and then were written down and made up the book Rig Veda known to us.
The Vedic religion is rightly considered polytheistic, that is, polytheistic. She included in her pantheon many gods, the number of which reached hundreds. There are 33 main gods mentioned in the Vedas. Each god or goddess of the Vedic pantheon was identified with a certain natural phenomenon - water, fire, storm, air, etc. among them were older gods, progenitors, and younger gods, children. The gods got married and got married. Every god had a consort, a goddess. The elders among the gods were considered: Aditi, the mother goddess, the goddess of the Earth, the god of Heaven, the father-god Dyaus. Their children were revered as the main gods: the thunder god Indra; the sun god Savitar, he is Surya; fire god Agni; wind god Vayu; Mitra and Varuna are the gods of day, light and night, respectively. The companions of the thunder god Indra are the winds - Maruts, stormy deities, frantically rushing through the sky. Their father Rudra is the terrible god of thunder and storms. The beautiful goddess Ushas was the personification of the morning dawn. The harbingers of the day were the twin gods Ashwins. Fire was personified by the god Agni. God Putan patronized herds and roads, helped travelers. Aryaman ruled over the souls of the dead ancestors. Over time, the pantheon is replenished with the god Kama, the god of love Kala, the god of time, the god named Vach, patron of speech (compare "vach" and "broadcast"), Prana, the god of breath, Brihaspati, the god of prayer and sacred spells, Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and others. Extremely popular was the god Soma, the god of the moon and the sacred drink that the Hindus used during sacrifices. Death was personified by the god Yama.
When the social life of ancient India becomes more complicated, and its population moves from patriarchal to caste relations, the Vedic religion gradually turns into a Brahmanic one. The Vedas were still revered, but with the advent of new books - the Brahmins - new gods appear: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Hindus see in the new gods not so much the embodiment of certain decrees of nature, but associate them with philosophical reflection peace. The world is not only seas and rivers, mountains and forests. The world is, first of all, something that exists as a whole. It has a certain order, stability, stability. At the same time, everything is changing in the world, there are continuous processes of emergence and destruction, birth and death, there is a continuous struggle between good and evil. And if so, then the gods first of all embody these deep sides of the world - its existence, the emergence and destruction of its parts. This is what the great Brahmin trinity (trimurti) symbolized. Brahma acted in it as the creator god, the creator of all things. Vishnu was the guardian god who maintained balance in the world, the protector of all living, good, the embodiment of order. Shiva was revered as a terrible destroyer god, a symbol and source of death, misfortune, disease and death.
Hindu gods could turn into each other: the ancient great and formidable Rudra eventually became Shiva, and Vishnu took the form of Brahma, then Shiva, then descended from heaven to people, taking the form of various heroes and even animals. The most popular incarnation of Vishnu was Krishna, the famous hero of the Mahabharata, and Rama, about whom the Ramayana narrates. An important place in the pantheon belongs to the wives of the great gods: the wife of Brahma Saraswati (the goddess of wisdom), the wife of Shiva, the terrible goddess of death Kali.
3. The myth of the great ages of mankind
Along with belief in gods, Indians believed in the existence of evil spirits. If they called the gods the word "maiden", then the evil spirits were called asuras and rakshasas. One of the cycles of ancient Indian myths is dedicated to the struggle of the maidens with the asuras.
One of the most important myths of ancient India tells that the world we live in is periodically destroyed and recreated. The cycles of his death and rebirth are continuously repeated. Each such long interval of the existence of the world from its re-creation to death is called Maha-yuga, or a great era.
In ancient India, it was believed that the duration of each Maha Yuga is four million three hundred and twenty thousand years. The beginning of each Maha Yuga is distinguished by moral perfection, harmony of people with nature and among themselves, while the end is marked by moral decline, wars, suffering, which is a sign of the end of the Great Era.
The first of the four parts of each Maha Yuga is called the Krita Yuga. In Sanskrit "Krita" means "whole", "perfect". This is the era of moral virtue, perfection, a kind of "golden age". The great god Vishnu reigns in the world, he appears in the guise of the creator god Brahma, the creator of all things. The Krita Yuga is the longest epoch within the boundaries of the Maha Yuga. The Indians believed that its duration was 1,728,000 years. This is the time of harmony between people and nature. People do not need dwellings, they live on the seashore or in the mountains. Nature gives them everything they need in abundance - both food and clothing. People do not know the disease, they live happily ever after. Everyone is happy with what they have. There is no envy or strife among the people. Their life is beautiful. Their highest virtue is prayer, meditation. People's lives are spent in labor, but they work more out of pleasure than out of necessity.
The second epoch of each Maha-yuga is called "Treta-yuga". The word "treta" means "three" and says that dharma no longer stands on all four legs, but only on three. But it stands strong enough.
In the era of Treta Yuga, as before, trees bear fruit, giving food to everyone. But there are greedy people who want to appropriate the generous vegetation and make it their own. Life gets harder. Nature begins to experience various disasters: heavy rains, floods. Now people have to work to get their own food, as well as build dwellings. From the forces of nature, one has to seek protection and shelter.
The next era of the Great Yuga is called "Dvapara Yuga". The word "dvapara" comes from the word "two", which in Sanskrit, as in many other languages, means "two". The era is so called due to the fact that dharma, the basis of order, duty and morality, now stands on only two (and not four) legs.
In this era, misfortunes fall upon people - illness, injustice, death. Adversity becomes a part of their daily life. People are more and more overcome by greed and greed, wars are being waged all around and blood is shed. To save themselves, people create religious movements and various cults.
The fourth and last epoch of each Maha Yuga is called the Kali Yuga. Kali is the goddess of death. In terms of duration, this era is the fourth part of the "golden age". The great god Vishnu assumes the form of the formidable and merciless Shiva, the destroyer of life.
In the era of Kali Yuga, there is a stratification of society. People live in constant fear of hunger, death and disease. The only virtue that they turn out to be capable people, mercy remains. Kali Yuga means the approach of the end of the Great Era, the onset of the end of the world, which should be followed by its rebirth.
4. Creation myth
Yudin from ancient Indian myths tells that once, infinitely long ago, the world was completely empty, there was nothing in it. There was no day and night, there was no light and darkness, there was no earth and sun, there were no gods and people The whole world rested, as if in a deep sleep, waiting for a great power to come and wake it up. This went on for a very long time, no one knows how long, because there was no one to keep track of time, and then there was no time itself.
In a gloomy and motionless world, water arises, which washes the world. Fire arises from water, the world warms up, and the Golden Egg is born from water and fire. whole year floated the Golden Egg in the boundless ocean. Then it split in two, and the Progenitor Brahma emerged from it. He made the upper half of the Egg the sky and the lower half the earth. Between them Brahma placed an air space. Brahma established seas and rivers, mountains and valleys on earth, giving them names. He also established the cardinal points. In the sky Brahma placed the Moon, the Sun and the stars. He also established day and night. The progenitor Brahma gave the beginning of days and months, and he established the account of time. This is how the world was created
Nobody knows where Brahma lives, nobody knows where his spirit lives. They say it's everywhere.
When Brahma assumes human form, he has four faces: with one face he looks to the north, two on the sides of his head contemplate the west and east, and with the fourth face, located where the back of the head is, he sees the south. Sometimes Brahma is depicted with eight arms. This is because he is the creator of the world.. The flower of Brahma is a lotus. His sacred bird is the swan.
According to Indian legends, Brahma lives indefinitely, his life lasts for a hundred years. "Day" of Brahma is equal to the period of existence of the world created by him. The "night" of Brahma is the time when he is inactive, resting from the previous creation.
5. Brahma family
A huge world was created by Brahma, but he did not have an assistant to manage it. Brahma wished that he had children Because he did not have a wife, Brahma gave birth to children by the power of his thought He had eight sons, and they became the first living beings in the Universe, and later they created all life in the world
The first son was Marichi. In Sanskrit, his name means "luminous light". The legend tells that he came out of his father's shoulder. From the eyes of Brahma was born his second son Atri. His name translates as "eating", was the father of the god Soma. Marichi became the progenitor of demons and humans. The third son of Brahma, the great Angiras, came out of the mouth of his father and became an intermediary between the gods and people. Ancient legends tell that Angiras was the creator of many hymns of the Rig Veda. He also established many laws for nature and created astronomy. The fourth son of Brahma was Pulastya. He, too, was a great Lord of Creatures. The fifth son of the Progenitor was Pulakh, the sixth - Kratu. And the seventh son, Daksha, was born in a very unusual way: he came out of thumb right leg of Brahma. This was a difficult task, and therefore it was named after Daksha, that is, "dexterous."
When the sons of the Progenitor became adults, they took the lead. The eldest son of Marichi, a flickering light, staght with a powerful beam of light, and from this light Kashyapa was born. Kashyapa means "tortoise". Therefore, until now, many in India believe that all living things came from a turtle. Kashyapa became the progenitor of other gods, and demons, and birds, and snakes, and giants, and cows.
The last, eighth son of Brahma, was Bhrigu, the keeper of the heavenly fire, who passed it on to people.
Brahma also had daughters: Having created sons, Brahma was not completely satisfied and decided to create a beautiful woman. Having uttered sacred spells, he creates the goddess Gayatri (she is also Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom) from half of his body, and the beautiful goddess charmed the father-creator, who burned with passion for her. She ascended to heaven, and then Brahma made himself a fifth face, with which he could continuously look upwards. From the toe of Brahma's left foot came another goddess, Virini.
So the great Brahma started a family, and numerous gods and goddesses began to help him rule the world. The Progenitor himself retired to the top of the greatest mountain Meru. This mountain is inaccessible, somewhere high in the Himalayas, its peak is hidden between heaven and earth, and a rare traveler can get there.
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