Indian Mythology Research Articles

The Psychological Deterioration of Characters and Elements of Myth in Girish Karnad’s Play Yayati

This paper attempts to study the psychological degeneration of characters and the presence of mythical elements in the play Yayati. Karnad traverses through unfathomable depths of old Indian mythology to make the social and cultural problems that reflects the traditional Indian society. He portrays a modern context of characters by the amalgamation of symbols. His plays are usually found very close to common people with a very realistic approach towards the issues of humans. He used not only myths to frame the plot but also to pinpoint the human psyche and cultural practices in the society. He took mythical elements from the Mahabharatha with an intention to examine the ludicrousness of life with all its fundamental passions and crisis. The play focuses on man’s eternal struggle to achieve perfection, dreams and desires.

Assessment of the Role of Environmental factors and Associated Plants for the Mass Cultivation of Santalum album L in Nepal and India

Sandalwood (White Sandal) is the fragrant heartwood of some species of genus Santalum. The widely distributed and economically important Santalum genus belongs to the family Santalaceae which includes 30 genera with about 400 species, many of which being completely or partially parasitic (John, 1947). The word Sandal has been derived from Chandana (Sanskrit), Chandan (Persian), Savtador (Greek) and Santal (French). There are references of Sandalwood in Indian mythology, folklore and ancient scripts. ‘Chandana’ the Sanskrit name ascribed to Santalum album L. was known and used in India from the earliest historic times and is frequently mentioned in the ancient Sanskrit writings, some of which dated before Christian era. Kautilya’s Arthashastra (320 B.C.) considered Sandal as one of the important forest products to increase royal revenue. Charaka Sanhitha, the major text book of internal medicine in Ayurveda (300 B.C.) quotes uses of Sandal over 160 time in the entire text. In treatment of major diseases like fever, piles, hemorrhagic conditions, diabetes, dropsy, mental disorders, management of poisons & skin disorders wide spread uses of sandal is seen. Susrutha Samhita (150 B.C.) a great text on Indian wisdom on surgical procedures, equally preferred sandal for the management of wounds. Sandal fumigation is indicated in warding off evils and organisms, which contaminate the wounds. Such fumigations hasten the wound healing & surgical wards remain aseptic. Dusting of wounds with sandal for early healing is common. In the Amarkosha (Lexicon 3rd or 4th Century A.D.) sandal is mentioned and it is said that ‘Vina-malayam anyathra chandanam vivarditha’

Mythical Women and Journey towards destined Roles -Comparison between the Contemporary Characters in the Novels: The thousand Faces of Night and the Vine of Desire

India is a land of culture and tradition. Indian mythology has carved its niche om the world of Mythology. Indian Mythology is rich in scriptures and Vedas. The Hindu mythology has its roots in the religion. The rituals and tradition area part of the Hindu Mythology. The present paper focuses on the Hindu Mythology with special reference to the Panchakanyas from the Vedic Scriptures. These Panchakanyas were revered in the scriptures and their names were chanted during the sermons and rituals as they are believed to be the Pativratas. This paper focus on the mythical figures from the fiction of Sudha Murthy “The Daughter from a wishing tree” these women carved their own destiny. This paper gives a comparative study of the characters ‘ Devi’, from “Thousand Faces Of Night” and ‘Sudha’ from “The vine Of Desire” with that of the mythical characters .These people from the novels carved their own destinies .Along with these mythical women the writer talks about many women and their tales were of importance to mention.

Non-random Distribution of Geographical Locations in Iran Where the Name Fairy Exists and a Look at the Poem "Fairy" Shamloo

has a special place in Iranian popular literature, whether it is a remnant of the pre-Aryan goddess or a beautiful and well-liked character of the Iranians against the Indian deities. In Indian mythology, ostriches are depicted as Fairies living in springs or seas, and in the arid land of Iran, a fairy with water is seen in the names of places and springs. The is considered to be opposite to the demon, but there are hints that classify the two as one and distinguish them on the basis of sex, or good and evil, and recognize fairies as the identical source of the demon and the Fairy, and at least, He knows the fairy comes out of the air and water. This descriptive-analytical study has examined the reflection of the word in Iranian geographical letters and Persian poetry and proverbs, and has identified three attitudes: the confrontation of a with a male demon, the kindness and guidance of a Fairy, and its continuity. With water and fertility, while honoring Indo-Iranian ideas and dissimilarity to Zoroastrian thought, it has reflected the collective unconscious need of Iranians to increase fertility in their agricultural life; Witchcraft, intimidation, and other misdeeds of Fairies are also associated with the beliefs of Zoroastrian Iranians, who despise pre-Zoroastrian ideas and portray Fairies as enchanting, enchanting, ugly, and unholy. The beauty of in the Islamic period, while honoring the ideas of Madaistan Perikani, is based on the humiliation of Zoroastrian ideas. Findings show that these three approaches are seen in Iranian literature and culture and the second approach in the poem Fairy includes, and the approach of sanctity of fairies and their connection with water in non-random registrations of places. The multiplicity of the name Peri in Azerbaijan, Kurdistan and Lorestan indicates the protection of the ancient pre-Zoroastrian rituals, the struggle against drought and the idea of honoring agriculture, water and development.

Learning from The Mahabharata For an Anew Contemporary Political Understanding

The Indian Spiritual Epic, the Mahabharata, is a precise write up of Indian mythology of yesteryears and the way social life was led by the top Statesmen who were at the helm of all societal affairs. The Indian Holy Scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, the socio-philosophical- literature of the Indian Socio-Cultural Milieu, also find special place within the Mahabharata in the format ‘Special Dialogue’, otherwise can be quoted as Spiritual Discourse. This literary work originally composed in Sanskrit, the Mother of all Indian Languages, sometime between 400 BC and 400 AD is set in a legendary era thought to relate to the period of Indian culture and history approximately during the tenth century BC.

Snake venom – From a deadly poison to a life-saving remedy

Snake is considered and proved to be the most potently poisonous reptile. It is evidenced that venom of some snakes can cause the death of an individual immediately, even without giving time to utter a word. In modern toxicology, extensive study is being continued on snake venom to know it properly with special reference to its composition, property, mode of action, agents that can neutralize its effect and many secrets are invented by till now. In Indian mythology, there are many stories about snakes. Indians imagine a goddess as the mother of the snakes and the snakes are mentioned to have immense power and strength even to hold the earth. Several snakes like Basuki and Takshaka are mentioned as divine snakes and their anger is said to be of destructive power. Ayurveda, the well-accepted ancient health science, has also discussed the snake venom in detail and many interesting facts about it are also mentioned in the classics. Classification of snakes, the character of each of them, their behaviour, the effect of bite, preventive measures of snakebite, diagnosis, mode of action of snake venom, treatment etc. are the beauty of the Ayurvedic classics. Interestingly, Ayurvedic classics describe the use of snake venom for the treatment of some critical diseases which can be considered as a unique concept. A discussion on the use of snake venom as medicine is considered to be important and beneficial. It is expected that the information provided in this article will be able to inspire the researchers to explore new things in the field of not only toxicology but also medical care of some serious and incurable diseases.

Physiochemical Analysis of Gomti River in Lucknow City, Uttar Pradesh

River water is significant for every living organism. In Indian mythology, rivers are given the status of Goddesses and were worship. Modernization and urbanization have polluted the river water and degraded their status. Assessment of water quality and determination of pollution level has become a big necessity today. In view of the above, the present work envisages findings of various physicochemical characteristics (pH, hardness, chloride, alkalinity, etc.) examined for Gomti river water samples collected from three different locations of Lucknow. This study was meant to determine the recent status of river Gomti along the Lucknow stretch. Results of the study indicated that river water is highly contaminated and not suitable for recreational activities.

Iconography of Sage Narada in Indian Sculptural Art: Regional Variations

Narada is one of the most admired characters in ancient Indian literature and mythology. He has been associated with numerous aspects of Indian life like music, architecture, art, law, justice, storytelling, agriculture and devotion. This versatile and adroit nature of Narada made him very popular among different ethnic, linguistic, religious groups and geographical regions of India. This paper is an attempt to document the sculptural depictions of Narada across the country and to identify and designate its iconographical features. The authors have tried to understand the regional varieties among the sculptural illustrations of Narada. This paper also looks into the symbolism behind the attributes and icons of Narada in view of the regional variations in legends and mythologies.

HİNT MİTOLOJİSİNDE ÖLÜM VE ÖLÜM SONRASI

In Indian mythology, the issue of death was very important and many gods and goddesses were associated with death. The first ones that come to mind are Yama, Rudra-Shiva, Kālī, Durgā, Agni, Pūshan, Savitṛi, Nirṛitī, Mṛityu and Varuṇa. One of the first writings on this subject is located in Ṛigveda (X, 14-18). When the issue of death is examined in Indian mythology, the first notions that we will encounter are; death, immortality, immortality drink, after death, gods and goddesses related to death, descriptions of heaven and hell, reincarnation, ātman, karma, nirvāna, samsāra. It is also necessary to examine these issues by dividing them into two separate periods: the Vedic Period in which Saṃhitās, Brāhmaṇas, Ᾱraṇyakas and Upanishads were written; and the Epic Period in which the epics of Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata and Harivaṃsha were written. As it is seen, Indian mythology and religious belief are so rich that it is very difficult to classify a subject according to its examples in other geographies / societies. On the other hand, the goddess named Chinnamastā occupies a very important place among death-related imaginations. According to this, Chinnamastā is standing or sitting on the bodies of Kāma (God of Love) and his wife Rati (this pair is sometimes replaced by Kṛishṇa and Radhā ve) and is shown in his own blood with a cut head. She also feeds two more women with her own blood. In this form of the goddess; birth, life and death are shown in a single frame. This is extremely important in terms of explaining the beginning, continuing and ending of life completely independently from concepts such as karma, samsāra and nirvāna. Although the description is shown as belonging to the later periods, it can be taken back to early times in terms of the expression it emphasizes.

The Seven Avatars of Love: Deliberations on Rūmī’s Mathnawī

AbstractAn ‘avatar’ is a technical Sanskrit term used in Indian mythology, referring to a divine manifestation on earth. The ultimate goal of an avatar is to save the earth and guide its occupants to salvation. Similarly, Rūmī equates true love with God and introduces seven different personifications of love on earth as divine agents who are there to lead mankind to the ultimate joy of liberation – liberation from their own egos and from their surroundings. The typical stories of love revolve around the lovers’ fears, pains, joys, and other emotional states, and the path they follow in order to experience the ultimate ecstasy of union with the beloved. In the Mathnawī the issue of love has been discussed in various passages and stages. A detailed analytical study of the magnum opus shows an effort by Rūmī to represent various stages of love in bodily forms. That is to say the lover, in his mystical journey, faces individuals who are in fact personifications of love. In his journey of self-discovery, the lover encounters seven mysterious individuals, whom we have termed the Seven Avatars of Love. These seven avatars appear at various stages of the journey in order to test, help, and provide guidance to the lover. They are in fact manifestations of a single reality disguised in seven forms: the Blood-shedder, the Spiritual Guide (Pīr), the Constable, the King, the Caliph, the Angel Gabriel, and finally, the Musician. Together they display various intellectual, mental, and emotional challenges that are experienced by true lovers on the path of love.

Environmentally Responsible Business; lessons from Indian Mythology

The phenomenal speed of corporate development in modern era demands a universal call for action. The role of corporate sustainable practices should be designed to generate value for all stakeholders’, in a manner to ensure positive ethical, social, cultural, economic and most importantly environmental impact. Evolving world order engendered a greater concern for ecology whereas in the race of materialism, sustainable development has just become an illusion. Sympathizing sustainability issues necessitates human to think and appreciate the extended chains of cause and effect relationship of human doings on his future, these doings can be intentional or otherwise. The agenda of corporate sustainable development cannot be fulfilled until the greedy creatures realize the importance of living in harmony with nature. The most ancient known literature in the world had already suggested the sustainable solutions way back in about 1500 and 1000 BCE [3]. Indian mythology since ages is preaching and practicing sustainability in all traits of life for the establishment of a better society. The present paper is an attempt to draw corporate sustainability lessons from Indian mythology literature that projects natural resources as God and also device ways to please the almighty. This paper is an attempt to suggest corporate world to learn sustainability lessons hidden in Indian mythological preaching through rigorous literature content analysis. The ancient Indian literature (Vedas) encompasses several principles of sustainable development. Principles relating to the unavoidability of facing consequences of one’s actions, the interconnectedness of all living beings, the linkage between present and future, the integrity of the human family, the necessity of harmony between humanity and the natural order and many others are equally apt and can guide sustainable corporate growth. The lesson sums up in “Vasudevkutumbakam” (all belongs to one family) that needs to be engrossed in the corporate strategies for a better tomorrow.

Environmentally Responsible Business; Lessons from Indian Mythology

The phenomenal speed of corporate development in modern era demands a universal call for action. The role of corporate sustainable practices should be designed to generate value for all stakeholders’, in a manner to ensure positive ethical, social, cultural, economic and most importantly environmental impact. Evolving world order engendered a greater concern for ecology whereas in the race of materialism, sustainable development has just become an illusion. Sympathizing sustainability issues necessitates human to think and appreciate the extended chains of cause and effect relationship of human doings on his future, these doings can be intentional or otherwise. The agenda of corporate sustainable development cannot be fulfilled until the greedy creatures realize the importance of living in harmony with nature. The most ancient known literature in the world had already suggested the sustainable solutions way back in about 1500 and 1000 BCE [3]. Indian mythology since ages is preaching and practicing sustainability in all traits of life for the establishment of a better society. The present paper is an attempt to draw corporate sustainability lessons from Indian mythology literature that projects natural resources as God and also device ways to please the almighty. This paper is an attempt to suggest corporate world to learn sustainability lessons hidden in Indian mythological preaching through rigorous literature content analysis. The ancient Indian literature (Vedas) encompasses several principles of sustainable development. Principles relating to the unavoidability of facing consequences of one’s actions, the interconnectedness of all living beings, the linkage between present and future, the integrity of the human family, the necessity of harmony between humanity and the natural order and many others are equally apt and can guide sustainable corporate growth. The lesson sums up in “Vasudevkutumbakam” (all belongs to one family) that needs to be engrossed in the corporate strategies for a better tomorrow.

On the existence of a perennial river in the Harappan heartland

The legendary river Saraswati of Indian mythology has often been hypothesized to be an ancient perennial channel of the seasonal river Ghaggar that flowed through the heartland of the Bronze Age Harappan civilization in north-western India. Despite the discovery of abundant settlements along a major paleo-channel of the Ghaggar, many believed that the Harappans depended solely on monsoonal rains, because no proof existed for the river’s uninterrupted flow during the zenith of the civilization. Here, we present unequivocal evidence for the Ghaggar’s perennial past by studying temporal changes of sediment provenance along a 300 km stretch of the river basin. This is achieved using 40Ar/39Ar ages of detrital muscovite and Sr-Nd isotopic ratios of siliciclastic sediment in fluvial sequences, dated by radiocarbon and luminescence methods. We establish that during 80-20 ka and 9-4.5 ka the river was perennial and was receiving sediments from the Higher and Lesser Himalayas. The latter phase can be attributed to the reactivation of the river by the distributaries of the Sutlej. This revived perennial condition of the Ghaggar, which can be correlated with the Saraswati, likely facilitated development of the early Harappan settlements along its banks. The timing of the eventual decline of the river, which led to the collapse of the civilization, approximately coincides with the commencement of the Meghalayan Stage.

Toru Dutt’s Concern for Indian Culture and Immortal Hindu Mythology in Ancient Ballads

Indian culture is embodied in the collective consciousness of the nation governed by Sanatana Dharama the ancient yet eternal religion symbolized by the Vedas, the Upnishadas and the Gita. The Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan of Toru Dutt is replete with all the Indian cultural trends such as the supremacy of the doctrine of Karma, non-attachment from worldly things, self-surrender, devotion, illusiveness of this world, love, fidelity and parental devotion. ‘Savitri,’ ‘The Legend of Dhruva’ and ‘Sindhu’ present the doctrine of Karma. In the poem ‘Savitri’, Savitri tells Yama the doctrine of Karma. Toru Dutt has an ardent eye to feel the transitoriness and nothingness of this life. For her, life is a bubble on water of the earth and when man glances at it, it dies at the very moment and exists no more. The Indian mythology speaks about the devotion to the parents and Guru. In India both of them are considered equal to God. For the attainment of God, one should whole-heartedly devote to Him. If one loses one’s life in obedience to Him, his greatest obligation is done. Shravan Kumar, an ideal son sacrifices his whole life for the service of his parents and also breathes his last in their service. Chastity and love is another name of Savitri and Sita, Savitri falls in love with Satyavan and decides to marry him. Toru Dutt who was the innovative poetess of India, following the determinate sense and wisdom of life through poetry, endured the base of truth where Hindu views and philosophy were subjected. Thus, her poetry is a journey into the gallery of Indian mythology and Indian culture.

Research on A1 and A2 milk: A1 milk is not a matter of health concern

Milk has special significance in Indian mythology, culture and diet. While milk has been considered as a complete food since ages, there are many lobbies, who have been discouraging consumption of milk citing health or cruelty reasons. This review article discusses about the latest controversy about the quality of milk produced by certain exotic breeds of cattle.

Karmic Philosophy and the Model of Disability in Ancient India

Disability has been the inescapable part of human society from ancient times. With the thrust of disability right movements and development in field of disability studies, the mythical past of disability is worthy to study. Classic Indian Scriptures mention differently able character in prominent positions. There is a faulty opinion about Indian mythology is that they associate disability chiefly with evil characters. Hunch backed Manthara from Ramayana and limping legged Shakuni from Mahabharata are negatively stereotyped characters. This paper tries to analyze that these characters were guided by their motives of revenge, loyalty and acted more as dramatic devices to bring crucial changes in plot.
 The deities of lord Jagannath in Puri is worshipped , without limbs, neck and eye lids which strengthens the notion that disability is an occasional but all binding phenomena in human civilization. The social model of disability brings forward the idea that the only disability is a bad attitude for the disabled as well as the society. In spite of his abilities Dhritrashtra did face discrimination because of his blindness. The presence of characters like sage Ashtavakra and Vamanavtar of Lord Vishnu indicate that by efforts, bodily limitations can be transcended.

JAMSHID OBRAZINING GENEZISIGA DOIR

There are many Turkic superheroes depicted in the ancient folklore, literary fiction, and historic prose. For centuries, people in many regions of ancient Uzbekistan and Iran glorified the extraordinary traits of brave Jamshid who is famous for his immortality, symbol of happiness, and creator of all handcrafts and professions.This article introduces the historical ethno genesis of Jamshid, how his characters developed with time into a symbol of bravery, immortality, glory, and prosperity. The very first image of Jamshid can be found in the Iranian manuscripts of ancient “Avesto” and Indian mythology. Additionally, the author observes the interpretation of Jamshid in various historically works and literary fiction.

Pollution mapping of Yamuna River segment passing through Delhi using high-resolution GeoEye-2 imagery

River Yamuna is the largest tributary of river Ganges and has been acclaimed as a heavenly waterway in Indian mythology. However, 22-km segment of river Yamuna passing through Delhi from downstream of Wazirabad barrage up to Okhla barrage is considered as the filthiest stretch having been rendered into a sewer drain. The present study employs high-resolution GeoEye-2 imagery for mapping and monitoring pollution levels within the river segment by testing correlation between water quality parameters (WQPs) and the corresponding spectral reflectance values of the image. A total of 100 water samples collected from random sampling locations along the river segment were analyzed for 12 WQPs in the laboratory and grouped into two classes, namely (WQP)organic and (WQP)inorganic. Several spectral band combinations as well as single bands were tested for any significant correlation with the two formulated WQP classes by performing multiple linear regression analysis. Results reveal that spectral band combination, i.e., left{ {overline{{left( {RGB} right)}} times sqrt {B/R} } right}, and the two formulated WQP classes exhibit strong positive correlation with R = 0.92 and 0.91 (R2 ~ 0.85 and 0.82; RMSE ~ 1.03 and 1.12) for calibration data and 0.85 and 0.84 (i.e., R2 ~ 0.74 and 0.72; RMSE ~ 1.45 and 1.64) for validation data, respectively. The spatial distribution maps depicting pollution levels of two WQP classes were generated in GIS framework, substantiating to the actual in situ pollution concentration levels in the river segment. The methodology adopted in the present study and results obtained validate the potential of high-resolution GeoEye-2 imagery for monitoring and mapping pollution levels in the water bodies.

Specifics of God's sensation in folk fairy tales and mythological dimensions (formulation of the problem)

The article reveals the features of God’s reflection through the prism of mythological ideas and Ukrainian fairy tales. The purpose of the paper is to describe the God’s perception by human, which appears in childhood and which later can be transformed and acquire a different meaning and form, but do not disappear insofar as God gives man the inspiration to live and fight, to enjoy life and victories, to improve his mind and thought, to profess ideals of love and goodness. Relevance of scientific research is to reveal God’s reflection in ancient Ukrainian, antique and Indian mythology on the basis of an analytical approach and the importance which he plays in human life. The novelty of scientific research is that the author tries to find out the mystery of the universe, the values of universal morality and the ontological essence of moral values. The disharmony of human existence raises the needs of the man and nature unity, and therefore, in his being a person seeks to create a mental harmony, forming in the minds such a picture of the world in which it is possible to find answers to the sensational issues. A person needs to know himself through the knowledge of spiritual divine manifestations in himself. Mythology and fairy tales, which described God and the most mysterious aspects of cognition played a significant role in human life. Conclusions. In the article is found out that in Ukrainian fairy tales God appears as a certain symbol through which a person can know him, as well as himself, to know human spiritual divine manifestations, the moral concepts essence of "goodness", "evil", "sin", "love" .

Who Put the Super in Superhero? Transformation and Heroism as a Function of Evolution.

Transformation and heroism are reciprocally related. Transformation produces an individual that others may call hero; one who inspires, guides, and protects something precious—an ordinary extraordinary person, master of the self. Heroes exhibit the further reaches of human development by transforming into entirely new, resplendent individuals that demonstrate valuable capacities whiles still being mortal. Because transformation is the means through which heroes are made, a more thorough understanding of the forces affecting transformation may advance collective understanding of the demands upon the individual. Founded on the scholarship of seminal authors of depth psychology, East Indian spirituality, anthropology, physics, mythology, Hermetic science, and other disciplines, this paper argues that a hero develops through both natural and supernatural processes, which can eventually produce a transhuman or superhero—depending on one's perspective, one who is natural (bound by nature) and supernatural (beyond nature). If this psychospiritual proposition has merit, advancement from ordinary to hero and from hero to super hero—each resulting from trans-form-ation—constitutes a subtle yet fundamental change in form, a microevolution of a subsect of individuals. The progressive framework begins with a description of patterns of evolution salient to heroism and transformation; an exploration of four key “laws” that govern the realm of matter, which support and delimit the budding hero as an earth-bound human; and an examination of four “supernatural” abilities the initiate must cultivate and enact in order to transform. The heart of the paper is a detailed guide identifying when during the process of transformation, the initiate can expect to receive the support of natural processes, when to be vigilant for beyond nature or Divine intervention, and when to intervene with “supernatural” activities. The framework culminates with an elucidation of how the ordinary yet heroic individual becomes a superhero or transhuman as outlined by spiritual teacher Sri Aurobindo, through three transformations of biopsychosocial maturation and spiritual realization.