Vedic Mythology

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Vedic mythology

Politics & Social Sciences

Arthur Anthony MacDonell

Social Sciences

Gordon Press Publishers

A Vedic Reader for Students (Classic Reprint)

Religion & Spirituality

Hinduism

Forgotten Books

Excerpt from A Vedic Reader for StudentsThe Rigveda is undoubtedly the Oldest literary monument Of the indo-european languages. But the exact period when the hymns were composed is a matter of conjecture. All that we can say with any approach to certainty is that the oldest of them cannot date from later than the thirteenth century B. C. This assertion is based on the following grounds. Buddhism, which began to spread in India about 500 B. O., presupposes the existence not only Of the Vedas, but also of the intervening literature Of the Brahmanas and Upanishads. The development of language and religious thought apparent in the extensive literature Of the successive phases of these two Vedic periods renders it necessary to postulate the lapse Of seven or eight centuries to account for the gradual changes, linguistic, religious, social, and political, that this literature displays. On astronomical grounds, one Sanskrit scholar has (cf. P. 146) concluded that the Oldest Vedic hymns date from 3000 B. O., while another puts them as far back as 6000 B. 0. These calculations are based on the assumption that the early Indians possessed an exact astronomical knowledge Of the sun's course such as there is no evidence, or even probability, that they actually possessed. On the other hand, the possibility of such extreme antiquity seems to be disproved by the relationship Of the hymns of the Rigveda to the oldest part of the Avesta, which can hardly date earlier than from about 800 rc. That relationship is so close that the language Of the Avesta, if it were known at a stage some five centuries earlier, could scarcely have differed at all from that Of the Rigveda. Hence the Indians could not have separated from the Iranians much sooner than 1300 B. C.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

On the very threshold of Indian literature more than three thousand years ago, we are confronted with a body of lyrical poetry which, although far older than the literary monuments of any other branch of the Indo-European family, is already distinguished by refinement and beauty of thought, as well as by skill in the handling of language and metre. From this point, for a period of more than a thousand years, Indian literature bears an exclusively religious stamp; even those latest productions of the Vedic age which cannot be called directly religious are yet meant to further religious ends. This is, indeed, implied by the term “Vedic.” For veda , primarily signifying “knowledge” (from vid , “to know”), designates “sacred lore,” as a branch of literature. Besides this general sense, the word has also the restricted meaning of “sacred book.”

A History of Sanskrit Literature

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

It contains thirty hymns selected from the Rigveda primarily for students who, while acquainted with classical Sanskrit, are beginners of Vedic looking the aid of a teacher with adequate knowledge of the earliest period of the language and literature of India.

Motilal Banarsidass,India A Vedic Reader For Students

Reference

Foreign Language Study & Reference

Motilal Banarsi Dass

A practical Vedic grammar has long been a desideratum. It is one of the chief aids to the study of the hymns of the Veda. Many years ago in the preface to his edition of the Rigveda Max Muller said, 'I doubt not that the time will come when no one in India will call himself a Sanskrit scholar who cannot construe the hymns of the ancient Rishis of his country.' It is mainly due to the lack of such a work that the study of Vedic literature, despite its great linguistic and religious importance, has never taken its pro-per place by the side of the study of Classical Sanskrit. Till the publica-tion of the author's Vedic Grammar in 1910, no single work comprehensively presented the early language by itself. That work is, however, too extensive and detailed for the needs of the student, being intended rather as a book of reference for the scholar. This work is to a great extent based on the author's large Vedic Grammar, it is however by no means simply an abridgement of that work. For besides being differently arranged so as to agree with the scheme of his another work Sanskrit Grammar it contains much matter excluded from the Vedic Grammar. It, for example, adds a full treatment of Vedic Syntax and an account of the Vedic Metres. Thus it constitutes a supplement as well as an abridgement of the Vedic Grammar. The term 'Vedic' is here used to comprehend not only the metrical language of the hymns, but also the prose of Brahmanas and the Brahmana-like portions of the Atharvaveda and of various recensions of the Yajurveda.

A Vedic Grammar For Students

Classics

Motilal Banarsidass

Religion in its widest sense includes on the one hand the conception which men entertain of the divine or supernatural powers and, on the other, that sense of the dependence of human welfare on those powers which finds its expression in various forms of worship. Mythology is connected with the former side of religion as furnishing the whole body of myths or stories which are told about gods and heroes and which describe their character and origin, their actions and surroundings. Such myths have their source in the attempt of the human mind, in a primitive and unscientific age, to explain the various forces and phenomena of nature with which man is confronted. Vedic Mythology presents the earliest stage in the evolution of beliefs which constitute the source of religious concepts of the majority of Indian people. The book is divided into seven Chapters. Chapter I is intro-ductory. It deals primarily with the sources and traits of Vedic Mythology. Chapter II states the Vedic concepts of the world and its origin. Chapter III classifies deities into different categories: celestial, atmospheric, terrestrial, abstract, dual and tutelary. Chapter IV relates to mythical priests and heroes. Chapter V details the lower species, birds and animals as well as inanimate objects and describes their general traits. Chapter VI treats of aerial and terrestrial demons and fiends, asuras, pa is, raksasas,pisacas, etc. Chapter VII deals with heaven, hell, yama, pitrs and the life to come. Documented with Sanskrit and General Index, this work consti-tutes a valuable contribution in the field of Vedic mythology. VEDIC MYTHOLOGY presents the earliest stage in the evolution of beliefs which constitute the source of religious concepts of the majority of Indian people. The book is divided into seven Chapters. Chapter I is introductory. It deals primarily with the sources and traits of Vedic Mythology. Chapter II states the Vedic concepts of the world and its origin. Chapter III classifies deities into different categories: celestial, atmospheric, terrestrial, abstract, dual and tutelary. Chapter IV relates to mythical priests and heroes. Chapter V details the lower species, birds and animals as well as inanimate objects and describes their general traits. Chapter VI treats of aerial and terrestrial demons and fiends, asuras, panis, raksasas, pisacas, etc. Chapter VII deals with heaven, hell, yama, pitrs and the life to come. Documented with Sanskrit and General Index, this work constitutes a valuable contribution in the field of Vedic Mythology.

A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary: With Transliteration, Accentuation, And Etymological Analysis Throughout

History

Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers

Specifications of A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary: With Transliteration, Accentuation, And Etymological Analysis Throughout. New Edition of 1924 Original Edition.

A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary

Dictionaries & Thesauruses

Munshirm Manoharlal Pub Pvt Ltd

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