Essay name: Vaishnava Myths in the Puranas
Author:
Kum. Geeta P. Kurandwad
Affiliation: Karnatak University / Department of Sanskrit
The essay studies the Vaishnava Myths in the Puranas by exploring the significance of the ten principal incarnations of Lord Vishnu as depicted in various ancient Indian texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas. The research also investigates the social, political, philosophical, and religious impact.
Chapter 2 - Varieties of Myths
2 (of 93)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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12
Similarly another western scholar Joseph Cambell offers a
classification of myths into four groups, such as: i) mystical myths,
ii) cosmological myths, iii) Sociological myths and iv) pedeological
myths, which of each how best the life can be led.虏 However, such
classifications are very general and overlapping.
2 Besides a survey of all source materials of myths through bird's
eye view, makes it clear that the myths of Hindu tradition have the
characteristic features describing world-creation, exploits of the
persons of various families, trees, mountains, rivers and the gods as
well. Considering in due manner, all their characteristic features,
the myths may be classified into various groups as mentioned in the
chart below.
Hindu Myths
MYTHS
Non-Hindu Myths
Vedic
Non Vedic
1) Myths in the Vedas
2) Myths in the Br膩hma峁嘺s
3) Myths in the Upanisads
1) Buddhistic myths
2) Jaina myths
1. Greek Myths
2. Islamic Myths
3. Christian Myths
4) Myths in the Pur膩峁嘺s
2.
Ref.: S.A. Dange, Towards Understanding Hindu Myths, Aryan Books
International, New Delhi, 1996. p. xxix.
