2.2 How Hindu Mythology

Should any one stumble on this blog by mistake or otherwise, he or she should be made aware what the subject of the posts is. This blog is essentially about literature, and to a lesser extent about art, sculpture, architecture, dance, cinema and theatre. Specifically, it is about how Hindu mythology has evolved in these arenas of communication. Since Hindu mythology is inextricably also linked with theology, devotion and rituals, these will also make an appearance from time to time. However, I am not fully conversant with these issues and they will not be the focus of my blogs.

It is my belief that the evolution of mythology is driven by changes in the social environment of the related community. The creative souls in the community continuously revisit the mythological stories and reinterpret and recast them according to the needs and interests of the society. While there are changes in form and even in certain values, I have found that the core generally remains the same. It is the perfect coexistence of continuity and change. At the same time evolving mythology also drives social change. Sometimes the retelling of stories, by accident or design, not only gives new direction to the future retelling of stories, but also to larger social objectives. In this manner, both driven by and driving social change, the ancient mythology of a community is kept alive, grows and remains relevant.

Future generations can delve into mythology for solutions to their problems. Joseph Campbell said, “The myths and rites were means of putting the mind in accord with the body and the way of life in accord with the way that nature dictates.” [1] But unless the mythology is presented in a manner that interests them, it will not attract new generations and this storehouse of symbolic information will lie idle. For example, hardly anyone today reads the original Ramayana and Mahabharata written by the seers Valmiki and Vyas, because of their verbosity and florid language. But almost all Hindus, and even all Indians, know the content of these great epics, because their stories have been retold in every generation. At one time Amar Chitra Katha in comic strip form enthralled and educated a generation of youngsters. The next generation was introduced to the epics through the mega television serials produced by Ramanand Sagar and B.R. Chopra. Today animated episodes from the epics can be downloaded from You Tube.

Having put the preliminaries out of the way, I aim to start on the retelling of stories.

[1] Campbell, J. The Power of Myth with Bill Moyers. Anchor Books A Division of Random House Inc. (1998). p. 87.

2.1 Why Hindu Mythology

Hindu mythology is a maligned phrase. Hinduism purists who believe that the events described in the sacred texts happened exactly as stated have a problem with these events being described as mythological. Their objection is understandable. The word mythological today has acquired a sense of falsehood. But after due consideration, I have decided to persist with the term Hindu mythology. Therefore, a clarification is in order.

OxfordDictionaries.com offers the following independent definition for mythology: A set of stories or beliefs about a particular person, institution, or situation, especially when exaggerated or fictitious. [1] Dictionary.com offers a similar definition: A set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered. [2]

My sense of mythology fits in with these definitions. I do not believe that the events described in the texts under consideration occurred as stated. I believe that the described events are exaggerated or fictitious or deliberately fostered versions of the actual ones. However, I prefer to use the word dramatized to those given in the dictionary definitions. The dramatization of actual events has a specific purpose. The idea is to entrench the ethos underlying those events into the collective psyche of the society.

Let me illustrate this with an example. Way back in school when studying the world history I was taught about Cleopatra.  I do not remember anything from those lessons.  But I have a vivid recollection of the Hollywood film Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, which obviously dramatized events. Several scenes from the movie are impressed in my memory. In one of them Cleopatra unleashes a tirade on Julius Caesar when his soldiers have burnt the library of Alexandria. She tells Caesar that his soldiers could have raped, murdered, pillaged all they wanted but they had no right to destroy a library that was the store house of the world’s knowledge. [4] It is historically recorded that the library did burn down. But Caesar’s soldiers were responsible for burning at best a part of the library, and even that is not certain. [3] And it can never be known if Cleopatra did admonish Caesar. That is why it is dangerous to take mythology for history. You can get the details wrong. But the dramatized version does provide insights. Even at that time knowledge was valued and efforts were made to preserve it. And it helps you to remember the broad superstructure that would be true to a degree.

Therefore with apologies to the purists, I will move ahead.

[1] http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mythology

[2] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mythology?s=t

[3] http://ehistory.osu.edu/world/articles/articleview.cfm?aid=9

[4] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056937/quotes

1. The Retelling of Stories

Stories have been told since time immemorial. The practice of storytelling perhaps originated with the recounting of the day’s hunt while the meat was cooking on the fire. Thereafter music and acting got added to the process of storytelling. Over time formal theatre came into existence. Stories were also told through sculpture, painting, dance and other art pursuits. With the advent of printing storytelling changed drastically. The requirement of someone or some people to narrate stories was no longer necessary. Stories were more conveniently told through books that could be read in solitude. Today movies have become a popular medium for telling stories, whether on the big screen, television or computers. Throughout the millennia of storytelling two laws have emerged. The first law of storytelling is that stories will be retold. The second law of storytelling is that stories will change in the retelling.

The stories of Hindu mythology extend far back into time. For several thousands of years there were transmitted orally from generation to generation. Around 5000 years ago they were put on record, mainly in the epics and the puranas. These have been the basis for Indian literature, dance, music, art and sculpture down the ages. Till about 50 years ago almost all Hindu cultural activities were based on stories from the puranas. However, these were not a mere the repetition of the originals. The cultural creators changed the stories to suit their own perceptions and also the mood of the times.

I have been following this retelling of Hindu mythology for a few decades with utmost interest. My mind is getting saturated with reactions, analyses, comparisons and the entire spectrum of activities that follow serious reading. I need to disgorge these so as to create space for more. Just as Albus Dumbledore of Harry Potter fame used a “pensieve” to store his memories, I intend using this blog to record my encounters with the retelling of stories from Hindu mythology. It will be an endeavour without research and will in all likelihood have incompleteness and errors. If it is God’s will I would rectify this in the future. At the moment the blogs are an exercise in self-indulgence or swant sukhay. Those who share this interest are invited to join this journey. Your comments and criticisms will be valued and acknowledged if used.