Myths And Legends From Indian Mythology

In this book Myths and Legends from Indian Mythology the Author has picked up sparkling gems of legends from the vast ocean of Sanskrit literature, which illustrate failings of humans and gods and demons as well as their noble deeds with their inevitable pleasant and unpleasant consequences.

In a civilization as old as the Hindu Civilization, religion and mythology are so intermingled that it is difficult to establish where religion ends and mythology begins. Religion descended from generation to generation, and as the story was told and retold, human ingenuity and imagination played their part adding colour, exuberance and romance to the text of these tales. Gods and goddesses in the Hindu religion are described in human form to make them easily understandable and, as all good most have its contra in evil, the Hindu gods have their counterparts in Daityas to contend against.

Apart from Hindu mythological stories, the book also has some Jataka tales which are about Buddha's previous lives. The morals behind the stories are self explanatory.

In short, all the stories collected here are full of deep human interest and it is hoped that these will be read with immense delight and profit.

Shakti M.Gupta is an established author having written on varied subjects. A Botanist by profession, she taught Botany at Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi and retired in 1992 as a Reader Dr. Gupta did her Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Delhi in 1958, subject of specialization: Physiological and Bio Chemical Studies in the Pre-sowing Hardening Treatment of Crop Seeds. In 1972, Dr. Gupta did another Ph. D. from the Faculty of Oriental Archaeology, Martin Luther University, Wittenberg-Halle, Germany. The subject of specialization: Plant Myths and Traditions in India. This qualified her as an Ethnobotanist. Her other books are: From Daityas to Devatas in Hindu Mythology: an illustrated dictionary, Vishnu and His Incarnations: Legends around Shiva; Surya, the Sun God; Karttikeya, the Son of Shiva; A Short Biography of the Renowned Palaeobotanist, Professor Birbal Sahni, A Comprehensive Volume on Festivals, Fairs and Fasts of India. Her most recent book; Plants in Indian Temple Art, is based on a survey of plants sculpted on Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina temples, including the myths, legends and folklore associated with these plants. The Association of Plant Taxonomy awarded her the Jnan Chandra Memorial Medal for the year 2000 for the book Plants in Indian Temple Art.

Dr. Shakti M. Gupta has established her reputation as a writer of books on principal Hindu gods and goddesses, Indian festivals and pilgrimages and on plants and their myths, which constitute her special forte. In the present book Dr. Gupta has picked up sparkling gems of legends from the vast ocean of Sanskrit literature, which illustrate failings of humans and gods and demons as well as their noble deeds with their inevitable unpleasant and pleasant consequences. The main sources are: (1) the great epic Mahabharata which specialises in ancient tales of historical nature, (2) the Puranas which generally yield mythical legends of gods and demons and (3) the Jatakas which deal with the previous incarnations of the Buddha when he was born as a human being or an animal, endowed with exceptional qualities (Paramitas) of bravery, charity and compassion etc.

Nala-Damayanti, Kacha-Devayani and Savitri-Satyavan are popular tales from the Mahabharata, the first two illustrating human failings and the last the supreme virtue of fidelity triumphing over destiny and death. There are also numerous stories of the ascetic Rishis losing their self-control at the sight of the semi-nude charming Apsaras and one such is that of Rishi Visvamitra and Menaka that resulted in the birth of Shakuntala who was destined to be the queen of Dushyanta and mother of King Bharata, as originally narrated in the Mahabharata and later dramatized by poet Kalidasa.

**Contents and Sample Pages**