Transcript Hindu_Mythology_College_Level

HINDU MYTHOLOGY PRIMER
principal figures, texts and festivals
of hindu and vedantic traditions
Shikha Kaiwar Ashneel Krishna Neha Mitragotri Anish Patel
South and Southeast Asian Studies 98/198
University of California, Berkeley
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Lecture – Hindu Mythology Primer
Introduction – Jai Santoshi Maa
Film Screening – Jai Santoshi Maa
Film Discussion
Introduction
Though past and modern Indian society reflects
an incredible amalgam of faiths and religions,
Hinduism and its practices are especially
prevalent throughout Bollywood films
In addition to the “mythological” subgenre,
films of all persuasions often highlight typical
Hindu deities, traditions, texts and festivals.
Pronunciations
Linguistic rules regarding pronunciation vary slightly
between Sanskrit and modern Hindi
An inherent “a” is present in the written form of both
languages. It is pronounced in Sanskrit, but not in
Hindi
Devanagari
Literal Transliteration
Pronunciation in Hindi
rama
Raama
Ram
gaNaoSa
Ganesha
Ganesh
mahaBaarta
Mahaabhaarata
Mahabharat
Hindu Holy Sites
Allahabad
– Confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati,
“Prayag”
– Kumbh Mela
Badrinath
– Established by Adi Shankara
– Char Dham (along with Yamunotri, Gangotri and
Kedarnath)
Dwarka
– Abode of Krishna
– Island off the coast of Gujarat
Hindu Holy Sites
Haridwar
– Hindi, Hari + dwar, gateway to God
– Kumbh Mela
Mathura
– Birthplace of Shri Krishna, near Agra
– Thousands of temples to Krishna
Varanasi
– Situated on the banks of the Ganga, one of Hinduism’s
holiest cities
– Also known as Kashi, Banaras
Sects of Hinduism
Vaishnavism
Saivism
Shaktism
VISHNU
SHIVA
SHAKTI
Ganapatya
GANESH
Saura
SURYA
Amba
• An incarnation of Devi,
the mother goddess
• Considered a form of
Parvati, the consort of
Shiva
• Name means
“invincible” in Sanskrit
• Bears weapons of Shiva
and Vishnu
Ganesh
• The elephant-headed
son of Shiva and Parvati
• Considered the
“remover of obstacles”
• Present, in addition to
Hinduism, in Jainism,
Buddhism as well as in
Muslim traditions of
Indonesia and Southeast
Asia
Ganga
• Deified personification of
the Ganges River
• Daughter of the mountain
god, Himavat, and the
apsara Menaka
• Sister to Parvati
• As told in the Ramayan,
Ganga was originally a holy
river that fell to earth
• Major banks at Haridwar
and Varanasi
Hanuman
• Son of the wind god, Vayu,
and the apsara, Anjana
• Played a major role in the
Hindu epic of the Ramayan
• A paragon of devotion
• One of Hinduism’s most
popular and sacred chants –
the Hanuman Chalisa – is
devoted to him
Krishna
• An avatar of Vishnu
• Played a central role in the
Mahabharat. He is also the
subject of the Krishna Purana
and Harivamsa
• His birthplace in Mathura is
one of Hinduism’s most
sacred cities
• His love affair with Radha, a
gopi from Gokul, is among
the most beloved stories of
Hinduism
Lakshmi
• The Hindu goddess of
wealth and prosperity
• The consort of Vishnu,
incarnates as Sita (Ramayan)
and Radha and Rukhmini
(Mahabharat)
• Worshipped during the
festival of Diwali
(Deepavali)
• Associated with the lotus
and great regality
Narad Muni
• Divine sage, referred to
in many texts,
principally the Bhagavat
Puran and Ramayan
• Cursed by his brother to
forever wander, often
causes mischief and
stirs up trouble
• Carries a vina, using
which he sings songs
praising his lord Vishnu
Parvati
• Second consort* of
Shiva, mother of Ganesh
and Karttikey
• Connected with fearful
forms Durga, Bhadrakali
and Bhairavi
• Worshipped during the
festival of Navratri
• Ironically, known as
both Gauri (light) and
Kali (dark)
Radha
• A cowherdress of Gokul,
and the childhood
sweetheart of Krishna
• Considered to be an avatar
of Lakshmi
• Referred to in the
Mahabharat and Bhagavat
Purana
• Despite being married to
queens Rukhmini and
Satyabhama, Krishna is
always depicted beside
Radha
Ram
• An avatar of Vishnu,
whose story is told in
the Ramayan
• His birthplace in
Ayodhya is one of
Hinduism’s most sacred
sites (Bombay)
• Often referred to as the
Maryada Purushottam,
Sanskrit for “perfect
man”
Saraswati
• The Hindu goddess of music
and knowledge
• Consort of the creator god,
Brahma
• Associated with the lotus,
the swan and the sitar
• Much simpler in
representation than
Lakshmi
• “Lakshmi and Saraswati
will never live in the same
house”
Shiva
• One of three principles
deities of the Hindu
tradition
• Consort of Parvati, father to
Ganesh and Karttikey
• Also attributed with the
dance, and known as
Nataraj in his dancing form
• Abode on Mt. Kailash in the
Himalayas
Sita
• Consort of Ram, and an
avatar of the goddess
Lakshmi
• Kidnapped by the demon
king of Lanka, Ravan and
held captive
• Underwent an “agnipariksha”
as a test of purity
• Also known as Janaki
(daughter of Janak) and
Maithili (princess of
Mithila)
Vishnu
• One of the three members of
the Trimurti, the “preserver”
• Depicted in great regality, as
a king,
• Incarnates numerous times
to save the world from
destruction, dasavatara
• Considered the supreme
god
• Om Jai Jagadish Hare
Surya
• Vedic India was home
to a pantheon of deities
associated with the
elements, as told in the
Rig Veda
• Surya
• Vayu
• Indra
• Agni
• Kuber
• Uma
• Prithvi
Mahabharat
• Ved Vyasa
• The story of a civil war
between the Pandavas
and Kauravas
• Contains the
Bhagavad Gita
• Serialized by B.R.
Chopra, brother of
Bollywood director
Yash Chopra
Ramayan
• Valmiki, Tulsidas
• Tells the story of
exile of Shri Ram,
the crown prince of
Ayodhya, and his
defeat of the demon
king Ravan
• Ramchitramanas
Bhagavad Gita
• One of Hinduism’s
holiest and most
revered texts
• A philosophical
discourse on dharma
between Krishna and
Arjun
• Used as the equivalent
of the Bible in Indian
courts
The Vedas
• Four parts
– Rig
– Yajur
– Sama
– Atharva
• “Shruti,” heard
• Considered of
divine origin
Ganesh Chaturthi
• Birthday of Lord
Ganesh
• During Hindu
month of bhadrapada
• Most elaborate in
Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh
Diwali
• Deepavali
• Hindu festival of lights
• Associated with the
goddess Lakshmi
• Celebrates the return
of Shri Ram to
Ayodhya from his 14year exile
• Hindu New Year
Holi
• Festival of colors
• Bonfires are lit
representing the
burning of Holika
• Dhuleti is the
spraying of colors
• Thandai, bhang
Karva Chauth
• A fast held by
married women
during the Hindu
month of Kartik
• Ensures prosperity,
longevity and wellbeing of husbands
Kumbh Mela
• Hindu pilgrimage that
occurs four times every
twelve years, among
four locations: Prayag
(Allahabad), Haridwar,
Ujjain and Nashik
• The largest single
gathering of people in
the world
• Drops of amrita
Janmasthami
• Celebration of the
birth of Krishna
• Celebrated with
particular pomp in
west India (Gujarat,
Maharashtra),
Mathura
Navratri
• Nine nights of
celebration and worship
of the goddess
• Some sects consider the
nine days divided
between Saraswati,
Lakshmi and Parvati
• Others attribute each
day to a form of the
goddess
• Garba raas
Raksha Bandhan
• Literally, the bond of
protection
• A festival celebrating
relationship between
brothers and sisters’
• Marked by sisters tying a
rakhi on their brothers’
wrist
• Originated between
Mughal emperor
Humayun and Rani
Karnavati of Chitchor
Jai Santoshi Maa
Director
Vijay Sharma
Music
C. Arjun
Santoshi Maa
Satyavati
Birju
Anita Guha
Kanan Kaushal
Ashish Kumar