Lesson 1: Introduction I
Mythology, Religion, Philosophy and Culture
In most cultures mythology, religion and philosophy are clearly distinct. But in Hinduism this is not so. Before we understand how and why, certain connotations of the word ‘Hinduism’ need to be cleared.
We are discussing a society that evolved in the northern plain of the Indian subcontinent in the areas that are today known as North India and Pakistan. For thousands of years, this society evolved without any external influence. They did not give any name to their religion, because there was only one religion in the society. About two thousand years ago this society was subject to two influences – Christianity came from the west and Buddhism evolved from within. Later the society was subject to Islamic invasions. Over time these influences began to co-exist with the original society. Hence it became imperative to give it a name to distinguish it from the other societies. Ultimately the name ‘Hindu’ was used for this society. This name derives from ‘Sindhu’. Sindhu is the name in the local language for the river Indus on the banks of which the society originated. Sindhu means a large body of water and is today used for the seas or oceans. But one can imagine that for a people who had never seen the sea, the river Indus would be a formidable body of water. Though today Hinduism is used for the religion of this ancient society, in a broader sense it refers to all aspects of this society. In this course we shall use the word Hinduism interchangeably and let the context decide the meaning.
The confusion between Hindu mythology, religion and philosophy arises because all originate from the same set of scriptural texts. These texts shall be discussed in more detail in the next section. What is pertinent is that the texts do not categorize these disciplines and move from one discipline to another as if at will. Very often they use mythological episodes to elucidate points of religion or philosophy. The Mahabharata is well known as a mythological epic. It contains a collection of verses known as the Bhagwad Geeta (The Celestial Song), which is perhaps the holiest religious text. In it Krishna (an incarnation of God) delivers a sermon to Arjuna exhorting him to battle against his cousins, explaining how it is his moral duty to do so.
The situation can be pictured as follows. Consider each of the three disciplines as strands of wool of different colours. Then mentally twist the strands, bundle them, tangle, them and knot them into a ball. The different strands can be clearly visible but cannot be separated from each other. What this means to us is that we cannot totally separate the discussion of mythology from religion or philosophy so we must take care not to mistake one for another.
Another source of confusion is that in popular perception there is no difference between mythology and religion. The mythological deities are prayed to regularly and are not considered legendary or fictional characters. Whereas one respects this belief and at one level accepts it, this belief prevents any academic analysis of mythology. This belief leads to a situation where actions have a divine purpose and hence are taken out of the ambit of analysis. A student of mythology needs to analyse motives and consequences in order to find contemporary relevance. Hence we shall follow the second route but be aware of the first one.
Hindu mythology has spawned an immense amount of culture, which includes rituals, festivals, literature, music, dance, art and architecture. About a thousand years ago almost all Hindu culture originated from mythology. Even today a substantial part of the culture emanates from mythology. Culture grows over time to accommodate contemporary values. Today’s culture is day after tomorrow’s mythology. What is immediately important is that culture adds a fourth dimension. The “coloured ball” now has four colours.
Optional Exercises
2a. Consider the mythologies that you are aware of. To what extent do they contribute to contemporary religion, philosophy and culture?
2b. Now consider the contemporary societies that you are aware of. To what extent are their religions, philosophies and cultures based on mythologies?
2c. In the Introduction to ‘The Indian Epics Retold’ on page x there is a brief discussion on Hindu religion and culture that is worth reading.
