Vedic mythology refers to the mythological aspects of the historical Vedic religion and Vedic literature. It has directly contributed to the evolution and development of later Hinduism and Hindu mythology. The four Vedic Samhitas are part of the Hindu Śruti. Sanskrit veda means "knowledge".

Vedic mythology

Vedic lore contains numerous elements which are common to Indo-European mythological traditions, like the mythologies of Persia, Greece, and Rome, and that of the Celtic, Germanic and Slavic peoples. The Vedic god Indra in part corresponds to Dyaus Pitar, the Sky Father, Zeus and Jupiter. The deity Yama, the lord of the dead, is Yima of Persian mythology and the (later) Buddhist Yanluo or Emma in the traditions of China and Japan. Vedic hymns refer to these and other deities, often 33, consisting of eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, and the late Rigvedic Prajapati. These deities belong to the three dimensions of the universe/heavens, the earth, and the intermediate space. Some major deities of the Vedic tradition include Indra, Surya, Agni, Vayu, Varuna, Mitra Aditi, Yama, Soma,Ushas, Sarasvati and Rudra.

The Vedas in Puranic mythology

The Vishnu Purana attributes the current arrangement of four Vedas to the mythical sage Vedavyasa. Puranic tradition also postulates a single original Veda that, in varying accounts, was divided into three or four parts. According to the Vishnu Purana (3.2.18, 3.3.4 etc) the original Veda was divided into four parts, and further fragmented into numerous shakhas, by Vishnu in the form of Vyasa, in the Dvapara Yuga; the Vayu Purana (section 60) recounts a similar division by Vyasa, at the urging of Brahma. The Bhagavata Purana (12.6.37) traces the origin of the primeval Veda to the syllable aum, and says that it was divided into four at the start of Dvapara Yuga, because men had declined in age, virtue and understanding. In a differing account Bhagavata Purana (9.14.43) attributes the division of the primeval veda (aum) into three parts to the monarch Pururavas at the beginning of Treta Yuga.

See also

• Vedic deities
• Hindu mythology
• Wars of Hindu Mythology

References

• Vedic Mythology by A. A. Macdonell (ISBN 81-215-0949-1)