The Myths and Gods of India

The study of Hindu mythology explores the significance of the most prominent Hindu dieties as they are envisioned by the Hindus themselves. Referred to by its adherents as the "eternal religion," Hinduism recognizes for each age and each country a new form of revelation--and for each person, according to his or her stage of development, a different path of realization.

This widely praised study of Hindu deities reveals the message of tolerance and adaptability at the heart of this ancient religion.

Auteur

Alain Daniélou (1907-1994) spent more than 15 years in the traditional society of India, using only the Sanskrit and Hindi languages and studying music and philosophy with eminent scholars. He was duly initiated into esoteric Shaivism, which gave him unusual access to texts transmitted through the oral tradition alone. He is the author of more than 30 books on the religion, history, and arts of India and the Mediterranean.

Contenu

**Foreword

List of Illustrations

Note on Translation of the Sanskrit

Note on Pronunciation

**ONE: Philosophy

1. The Theory of Polytheism
   The Language of Symbols; The Representation of the Transcendent; The Nondual Principle 6 Monotheism and Polytheism; Nondualism and Monism; The Equivalence of Religions

2. The Nature of the Ultimate
The Origin of Existence;The Perceptible Continua: Space, Time, and Thought;The Three Modes of Being: The Substrata of Space, Time, and Consciousness; The" r and the Self; The Realization of the Soul; Immensity (brahman), the Common Substratum; The Three Fundamental Qualities and the Trinity; The Three States of Experience; The Three Qualities and Manifestation; The Power-of-Illusion (maya); Illusion and Ignorance; Nature; The Living Individuality as the Power That Can Oppose Nature; The Power of Nature as the Obstacle to Knowledge; The Fundamental Duality; "God" (Isvara) and the Illusion of Divine Unity; Life as the One Deity; The Relationship of "God" and the Universe; The Causal Word; Dangers of Applied Metaphysics

3. The Cosmic Being
Macrocosm and Microcosm; Cosmic Duration; Cosmic Location; The Nature of Manifestation; The Appearance of the Universe; Cosmic Consciousness; The Personification and the Description of the Cosmic Being

TWO: The Gods of the Vedas

4. The Cosmic Sacrifice
Fire and Offering, Agni and Soma; The Relation of the Spheres; The Ritual of Sacrifice (yajna); The Forms of the Sacrifice; The Technique of the Sacrifice; The Creation of Man; The Last Sacrifice; The Way of the Gods; The Way of the Fathers; Divinity as the Embodiment of the Sacrifice; The Image of the Sacrifice; The Inner Yajna of the Yogi

5. The Thirty-Three Gods
   The Three Spheres of Agni; The Three Aspects of Deities; The Number of the Gods
   
6. The Spheres and Their Deities
   The Eight Spheres of Existence, the Vasus; The Earth; Agni (Fire); The Ten Forms of Fire; The Sphere of Space and the Lord-of-Wind (Vayu); The Sky (Dyaus); The Sun (Surya); The Image of the Sun; Dawn (Usas); The Constellations (naksatra); The Moon, the Cup-of-Offerings ( Soma); The Story of the Moon

7. The Divinities of the Sphere of Space
The Divinities of Space and Life, the Maruts and the Rudras; The Maruts (Immortals); A Legend of the Maruts; Indra, the Ruler of Heaven

8. The Adityas, the Sovereign Principles
Aditi (the Primordial Vastness), Source of the Adityas; Mitra ( Friendship), Solidarity; Aryaman (Chivalry); Bhaga (the Inherited Share); Varuna (the Coverer or Binder), the Mysterious Law of the Gods; Daksa ( Ritual Skill); Amsa (the Share of the Gods); Tvastr (the Shaper), Craftsmanship, the God of Industry; Pusan (the Nourisher), Security, the Protector of Cattle; Vivasvat, the Ancestor, the Embodiment of Morality or Ancestral Law; Savitr (the Vivifier), the Magic Power of Words; Sakra (the Mighty), the Divinity of Courage and Outer Security; Visnu, the All-pervading Light of Knowledge, the Cosmic Law Pervading the Three Worlds

9. Other Vedic Deities
The Asvins, the Twin Horse-headed Gods of Agriculture and Physicians of the Gods; The Regents of the Directions; Yama (the Binder), the Lord of Death; Manifold-Secret (Citra-gupta), the Scribe of the Lord of Death; Kubera, the Lord of Riches; The Yaksas, Guardians of the Earth's Treasures; Misery (Nirrta); Nirrti, the Goddess of Misery; Trita (the Third) or Aptya, the Water Deity

10. Gods and Antigods
The Antigods (asura); The Gods of Pre-Vedic India; Description of the Antigods; Different Kinds of Asuras; The Gods (sura) or the Resplendent-Ones (deva); The Age and the Felicity of the Gods

THREE: The Trinity

11. Visnu, the Pervader
Sattva, the Cohesive Tendency; The Name Visnu; The Nature of Visnu; The State of Dream; All Religion Is of Visnu; The Names of Visnu

12. The Image of Visnu
The Four Arms; The Twenty-Four Icons of Visnu; The Conch; The Discus; The Lotus; The Bow, Arrows, and Quiver; The Mace; The Jewel Treasure of the Ocean; The Lock of Hair Beloved of Fortune; The Garland of the Forest; The Earrings, the Armlets, and the Crown; The Yellow Veil and the Sacred Thread; The Chariot; The Dark Color; The Whisk, the Fan, the Flag, and the Parasol; The Sword and Sheath; The Bird Wings of Speech; The Serpent Remainder; The Attendants of Visnu

13. The Avatars, or Incarnations, of Visnu
The Planets; The Incarnations of the First Age, the Satya Yuga (Age of Truth)

The Fish-Incarnation (Matsya-avatara); The Tortoise-Incarnation (Kurma-avatara); The Boar-Incarnation (Varaha-avatara); The Man-Lion-Incarnation (Nr-simha-avatara)

The Incarnations of the Second Age, the Trela Yuga; The Dwarf-Incarnation (Vamana-avatara); Rama-with-the-Ax (Parasu-Rama); THE TALE OF RENUKA; Rama (Ramacandra), the Charming, the Embodiment of Righteousness; THE MANTRA "RAMA"; THE IMAGE OF RAMA

Krsna, the Incarnation of the Third Age; Rama-the-Strong (Bala-Rama); The Incarnations of the Fourth or Present Age, the Kali ruga (Age of Strife); Buddha; Kalki

14. The Minor Incarnations of Visnu
Nara and Narayana, Devotion; Kapila, Philosophy; Dattatreya, Magic; Yajna (Ritual Sacrifice); Rsabha (the Bull), Morality; Dhanvantari, Medical Science; Hayasirsa (the Horse-headed), Protector of the Scripture; Vyasa, the Compiler of the Scripture; Prthu, the First King - Agriculture and Social Order; Dhruva (the Immovable), Will Power 186 Visnu as Rescuer of the Elephant-King in Response to His Faith; Mohini (the Enchantress), Lust; Narada, Music

15. Siva, the Lord of Sleep
The Origin of Saivism; The Tendency toward Disintegration (tamas); The Many Aspects of Siva; The Fearful and Auspicious God; Rudra, the Lord of Tears, the Destroyer; The Name Rudra; The Personification of Anger; The Fire That Kills; Bhairava (the Terrible); The Lord-of Elements or Lord-of-Ghosts (Bhutesvara); Death, the Remover (Hara) Siva, the Auspicious, the Lord of Sleep; The Lord of Knowledge, Mahesvara; The Maheivara Sutra; Time (Kala), the All-Destroyer; The Divinity of Time; The Lord of Yoga; Sankara (the Giver of Joy) and Sambhu (the Abode of Joy); The Hermaphrodite

16. The Forms of Rudra-Siva
The Elemental Forms of Rudra

1. The Archer (Sarva)
2. Existence (Bhava)
3. The Herdsman (Pasupati)
4. The Ruler (Isana)
5. The Tremendous (Bhima)
6. The Lord-of-Tears (Rudra)
7. The Great-God (Maha-deva)
8. The Fearful (Ugra), or the Thunderbolt (Asani)

The Five Components (kala) of Siva and the Manifestation of Speech

1. The Conqueror-of-Death (Mrtyum-jaya)
2. The Southern-Image (Daksina-murti)
3. The Lord-of-Lust (Kamesvara)
4. The Herdsman (Pasupati)
5. The Lord-of-the-Elements (Bhutesa)

The Ruler of Space, the Five-faced

1. The Ruler (Isana)
2. The Supreme-M…