Health & Personal Development
October 2020
Hindu Myths
From Ancient Cosmology to Gods and Demons
by MARTIN J. DOUGHERTY
There is no clear start point for Hinduism, no single prophet or messiah who taughtpeople how to worship and the forms to follow. Nor is there a single text containingthe universal truths; instead, there are many different practices and innumerablevariants of common myths and tales.From the ancient Sanskrit texts of the Upanishads, Vedas, Mahabharata and Ramayana, the characters, gods and narratives of Hinduism emerged to demonstratethe moral precepts, duties and correct behaviour of Hinduism. Learn about Vediccosmology, which is divided into four cyclical Yugas, or epochs, and which has nobeginning or end; or the creation myth of Varaha, a powerful boar who saved theearth from primordial waters; or the legend of Rama, who against great odds rescueshis love Sita from the demon-king Ravana; or Vishnu, the greatest god in the HinduTrimurti (triad), who takes the form of nine different avatars and stops the earth frombeing destroyed through preserving Atman, the unchanging ultimate reality.Illustrated with 120 photographs and artworks, Hindu Myths is an accessible,engaging and highly informative exploration of the complex mythology underlyingone of the world’s oldest and most influential religions.
