Indian Mythology: Tales, Symbols, and Rituals from the Heart of the Subcontinent

Description

The Hindu spiritual landscape is populated by multidimensional characters whose embodiments of both positive and negative aspects finds no parallel within the good versus evil mythology of Western world. From the goddess kali to the mysterious elephant-headed Ganesha, Indian Mythology explores the rich tapestry of these characters within 99 classical myths, revealing the essence of the Hindu worldview.

Devdutt Pattnaik examines the meaning behind the metaphors of the classical myths in symbolic art and in a multifaceted traditions of ritual practices. Fifty artistic renderings of important mythological figures( from 17th-century temple carvings to 20th-century calendar art) illustrates the complex polytheistic Hindu traditions and show how central these figures are to Hindu conceptions of the world. Vishnu and Shiva, Gauri and Kali, Krishna and Rama embody the inherent tension between two poles- positive and negative, light and dark, preservative and destructive, world-affirming and world rejecting. These opposing energies are valued equally in the cyclical Hindu worldview- a long view that organizes the natural balance over time. The author also compares and contrasts Indian mythology with the stories of the Bible, ancient Egypt, Greece, Scandinavia, and Mesopotamia, offering Western readers a way to decode the symbolism of the rich Hindu traditions that has empowered millions of human being for centuries.