FOUNDATION

COURSE PROJECT

Name: - KRISHNA SINGH

Class: - SYBMS ‘A’
Roll No.: - 6049
Topic: - INDIAN MTYHS AND REALITY
 INDEX
 Introduction
 Meaning of Myth
 Difference between Myth and Superstition
 Hinduism is a Religion
 Myths
 Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives or stories that play a

fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. The
main characters in myths are
usually gods, demigods or supernatural humans. Stories of everyday human
beings, although often of leaders of some type, are usually contained in legends,
as opposed to myths.
Myths are often endorsed by rulers and priests or priestesses, and are closely
linked to religion or spirituality.[1] In fact, many societies group their myths,
legends and history together, considering myths and legends to be true accounts
of their remote past. In particular, creation myths take place in a primordial age
when the world had not achieved its later form. Other myths explain how a
society's customs, institutions and taboos were established and sanctified. There
is a complex relationship between recital of myths and enactment of rituals.
The study of myth began in ancient history. Rival classes of the Greek
myths by Euhemerus, Plato and Sallustius were developed by
the Neoplatonists and later revived by Renaissance mythographers. Today, the
study of myth continues in a wide variety of academic fields, including folklore
studies, philology, psychology, and anthropology. The term mythology may
either refer to the study of myths in general, or a body of myths regarding a
particular subject. The academic comparisons of bodies of myth is known
as comparative mythology.
Since the term myth is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the
identification of a narrative as a myth can be highly political: many adherents of
religions view their religion's stories as true and therefore object to the stories
being characterized as myths. Nevertheless, scholars now routinely speak
of Christian mythology, Jewish mythology, Islamic mythology, Hindu mythology,
and so forth.
Hindu mythology are narratives found in Hindu texts such as
the Vedic literature, epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana, the Puranas, the
regional literatures like Periya Puranam. Hindu mythology is also found in widely
translated popular texts such as the Panchatantra and Hitopadesha, as well as
Southeast Asian texts
Hindu mythology does not often have a consistent, monolithic structure. The
same myth typically appears in various versions, and can be represented
differently across socio-religious traditions. These myths have also been noted to
have been modified by various philosophical schools over time and particularly in
the Hindu tradition. These myths are taken to have deeper, often symbolic,
meaning, and have been given a complex range of interpretations.
Meaning of MYTH: -
A traditional story, especially one which explains the early history or a
cultural belief or practice of a group of people, or explains a natural event. A myth
is also a commonly believed but false idea.

Difference between Myths and Superstition

At first glance, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a myth and a
superstition as they are both similar in that they entertain a concept of belief. In
most cultures, a myth is understood as a traditional type of story which may or
may not have supernatural elements to it but is not historically accurate. A myth
is often considered to be a social construction that contains a moral but does not
provide factual information. A superstition, however, is a strong belief in that there
are supernatural influences or practices at play. Let’s break this down further into
their definitions, rationalization, moral, and culture connections.

What is considered a MYTH?

Myths are often long-lost fables that are told about early history, ancient legends,
or supernatural beings. For instance, tales about the Greek Gods, like Heracles
the Greek demi-god, Zeus, or Odysseys are some of the most well-known tales
to humankind. These myths were created as a way to explain a natural event that
involved supernatural beings so that one could rationalize the world around them.
Other than this, myths contain a moral and were often told through societal
traditions, customs, and rituals as a way to sustain social order. Popular myths
involve King Arthur, Robin Hood, and the parable of Atlantis. Myths can be origin
stories, archetypes, dreams, pre-scientific explanations, and sacred histories.

What is considered a Superstition?

In its simplest form, a superstition is a belief in supernatural influence where
practices are based around this sole belief. A superstition can involve witchcraft,
religious ideals, and even evil spirits or ghosts. A lot of the time, superstitions
found throughout the world are embedded within the cultural beliefs of that
particular society, which is often why you see a wide range of superstitions when
you travel from one region to another. Beyond this, a lot of superstitions revolve
around luck, which is why you come across superstitions involving black cats,
mirrors, and salt despite there being no factual or rational basis for them. In older
days, superstitions were heavily relied upon, but with the development of
scientific research, beliefs in these are dwindling.
With a myth being a story or fable that is used to explain a natural event, their
primary focus is to center around events that involve supernatural beings that
need to be rationalized because they are unknown to humankind. A superstition,
on the other hand, is a belief or practice that is based within supernatural
influence and focuses directly on objects and animals that signify the
supernatural or bad luck and are used to embrace the supernatural rather than to
rationalize it. Myths will often support the societal order through morals, whereas,
superstitions will not have a moral or lesson behind them. You will come across
myths when reading about long-lost civilizations, cities, and cultures, but with
superstitions, you will often find these embedded within the cultural beliefs of
more rural communities, settlements, and tribes.

Hinduism is a Religion

Hinduism is the world’s oldest extant religion and has a billion followers, which
makes it the world’s third largest religion. But Hinduism is not strictly a religion,
as we think of it in the west. It was not founded by one person, it does not have
a core doctrine, there is no central authority, it does not require followers to
accept any one idea, and no one can agree on when or even where it began.

The origins of Hinduism are lost in time, and are highly disputed. Scholars now
believe Hinduism arose as long ago as 10,000 B.C. The earliest of the Hindu
scriptures – The Rig Veda – could have been composed before 6,500 B.C. But
the word Hinduism itself is not to be found in any of the scriptures. It was named
after the people of Sindh, who settled between the rivers Indus and Sindh in what
is now Pakistan. The Persians named people of Sindh “Hindus.”

Hinduism is a way of life – known as Dharma, the law that governs action. It is
essentially a conglomeration of diverse religious, philosophical, and cultural
ideas, beliefs and traditions. “It is characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one
absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following
the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births
and deaths.”

The principal deities of Hinduism are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, sometimes
referred to as the Hindu Trinity. Brahma is thought of as the creator, Vishnu as
the sustainer of life, and Shiva is associated with dissolution and death. But
many Hindus regard their gods and goddesses as manifestations of the Supreme
God, Brahman — and there are as many as 30 million manifestations. After a
visit to India, Mark Twain wrote: “India has two million gods, and worships them
all. In religion all other countries are paupers; India is the only millionaire.”

Why do we not connect with Indian mythology?

The main problem in understanding the importance of mythology lies in the lack
of easily understandable material that can explain the symbolic depths of
mythological stories. We either have big fat scholarly tomes with words that
hardly any commoner can understand, or we have comic books and children's
books relating in simplistic words the tales from Indian mythology. These
children's books do not explore the layers of meaning behind the mythological
tales and gradually, we find ourselves being far removed from the understanding
of our cultural roots.
Solving this connectivity problem, Devdutt Pattanaik, mythology expert, author,
illustrator, columnist and lecturer on Indian mythology since 1996, has come up
with his 31 books explaining how stories, symbols and rituals construct the
subjective truth (myths) of ancient and modern cultures around the world, the
latest being My Hanuman Chalisa, which released late June.
Q. What is the relevance of mythology in shaping the societies of the world
today or in the future?
Mythology tells a people how they should see the world. For example, Islamic
mythology speaks of how one God created the world and laid down rules of good
conduct while Jain mythology speaks of how the world has no creator and that is
goes through cycles of degeneration and regeneration. There is no one
mythology for the world today or for the future. Different people will have their
own mythology, reframing old ones or creating new ones.

Q. Why is it important for both children and adults to understand the

mythology associated with one's culture?
Understanding mythology has nothing to do with age. It is part of being human.
Unlike plants and animals, humans seek meaning, purpose and value in life. This
comes to us only from stories. Science cannot do that. Logic cannot do that. We
need to feel we matter.
Concepts like nation, patriotism, divinity, liberation, salvation, achievement,
heaven, hell, right, wrong, are essentially established through stories. The idea
'you have to make the world a better place' is a human myth; animals have no
such urge. We need the myth to feel good about ourselves. Every culture creates
these myths and transmits it through stories, symbols and rituals. In the last 100
years, nations were established based on these myths. National 'borders' are just
human myths.
Q. How are popular myths formed? Are they a result of stories passed
through centuries via word of mouth from a time when written word
didn't exist? Are they history coated in symbolism? Or do they simply
affirm a code of conduct based on a particular faith?
Scholars are not sure if ideas come first or language. Did we first communicate
using gestures which became rituals, then symbols which became art, or words
which eventually we put down in texts? The earliest myths related to what
happens after we die. And so the earliest proof which shows we told each other
stories about the afterlife is found in the various funeral practices discovered
from the Stone Age, burials with various goods, funeral and the ash placed in an
ornate pot, special dolmens where bodies were kept.
Myths have nothing to do with 'history'. History is time bound. Myth is timeless.
History tells us how people lived in the past. Myth tells us how heroes and gods
live all the time.

Q. People today both young and old are glued to their smartphones or
computers. How can mythology be made interesting enough to
inculcate that feeling of curiosity regarding Indian myths so that they
would themselves be motivated to uncover the complexities?
Mythology has nothing to do with medium. Phones and computers are just
mediums no different from song and dance to communicate stories, symbols and
rituals. Devlok on Epic TV was designed to bring the magic of Indian mythology
to Indian homes via television and soon via internet. By seeking to explore and
unravel the complex mystery of Hindu mythology, we hope to attract viewers to
the Devlok show and readers to the Devlok books.
Q. The worldview depicted by Indian mythology is very different from
the West and calls for introspection, accommodates for diversity, and
inspires a person to work for the benefit of humanity as a whole-- how
can Indians be made to realize the immense potential for
understanding life that Indian mythology provides?
Western mythology is far more glamorous as it establishes 'villains' and 'victims'
and calls for 'heroes' to act. That is the model that is even part of many Indian
mythologies. But Indian mythology is not just that. It expands the scope and
speaks in terms of infinity that is more wisdom driven and less glamorous. By its
very nature, Indian mythologies cannot be 'sold' or 'propagated'. It is like water,
waiting for the thirsty to come and drink. You can at best bottle it in an attractive
package, as we do in shows and books such as Devlok. But the thirsty has to
pick up the bottle. No one can force it down people's throat.
MYTHS
Shesha Naga

Shesha Naga is a cosmic serpent who is believed to support all the planets of the
universe on its thousand heads. Lord Vishnu, protector of the universe, is often
pictured lying down on Shesha’s body. It is said that every time the divine serpent
uncoils, the creation of life takes place but when he finally coils back, the world
will cease to exist. Shesha, which means ‘the one who remains’, is the only one
who will continue to abide when everything else in the universe is annihilated.
This is why Shesha is also known as Ananta, which translates to infinite.

Madhavi
Madhavi is a female character in Indian mythology who only bears male children,
all of whom go on to become warriors. She also has the power to restore her
virginity after every birth. As gurudakshina (offering to a teacher after the
completion of one’s education), Galava has to find 800 white horses with black
ears for his guru, Vishwamitra. This brings him to King Yayati, who hands over
his daughter, Madhavi, to Galava instead. The latter then gives Madhavi to three
different kings, who in turn furnish him with 200 horses each. Finally, he offers
these 600 horses to guru Vishwamitra along with Madhavi. Feminists have
argued that such legends have constantly reinforced and justified patriarchy in
Indian society.

Ram Setu Bridge

Adam’s Bridge, most commonly known as Ram Setu Bridge, connects Pamban
Island near Rameshwaram in India and Mannar Island off Sri Lanka. According to
the Hindu epic, Ramayana, the bridge was built by Lord Rama’s Vanara (ape
men) army to help him rescue his wife, Sita, who was a captive under Ravana,
the king of Lanka. Interestingly, the documentary What on Earth, which airs on
Science Channel, claims that the bridge is man-made and not natural as
previously thought. This has added fresh credibility to the legend in the Hindu
mythological text.
Matsya

As with many religions and cultures, Indian mythology also mentions a great
flood, which once threatened to destroy earthly existence. It is believed that Lord
Vishnu appeared in the form of a fish called Matsya to save the world when this
deluge took place. However, some ancient texts also suggest that Matsya was an
incarnation of Lord Brahma. Legend has it that a tiny fish approached Manu, the
leader of the human race, pleading him to save him from a big fish. In return, the
aquatic creature promised to protect the earth from the impending flood. Heeding
the request, Manu put the small fish in a pot. Day by day, the fish grew bigger
and bigger until it had to be placed in the ocean. To save himself from the deluge,
the fish asked Manu to take shelter in a boat along with his family and also
instructed him to take various animals and plants and seven wise sages on board
with him. The legend is intriguing because of its uncanny similarity with the story
of Noah’s Ark.

Legend of Mahabalipuram

Mahabalipuram is a town in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu renowned for its
group of monuments. The legend of Mahabalipuram states that there were six
other temples that stood alongside the famous Shore Temple, which was built
during the eighth century. The so-called ‘Seven Pagodas’ was so beautiful that
even the gods became jealous of it. This caused Lord Indra to instigate a storm
that submerged the entire city underwater except for one temple. During the
tsunami of December 2004, century-old sediments were removed from the ocean
floor and structures suspected to be remains of the submerged temples were
revealed.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/myth
 https://knowledgenuts.com/difference-between-myths-and-superstitions
 https://breathedreamgo.com/top-5-myths-about-india
 https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/devdutt-pattanaik-mythology-
importance-interview
 https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/8-fascinating-indian-myths-and-legends
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_mythology