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Trifunctional Elements in the Mythology of the Hindu Trimurti

Trifunctional Elements in the Mythology of the Hindu Trimurti TRIFUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS IN THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE HINDU TRIMURTI * G. M. BAILEY It is no exaggeration to suggest that the bulk of the mythology found in the Hindu epics and Puranas is about Visnu, 8akti, Brahma and the group of gods closely associated with them. The divinities of the earliest strata of Vedic literature-Indra, the so-called group of thirty-three gods and the various groups of demons-play a role in many of these myths, but they do not dominate, as they did in Vedic mythology. This is not to say that the main themes of Vedic mythology or the images occurring in it are necessarily absent from myths which occur in post-Vedic literature. Indeed, the richness and variety of epic and Puranic mythology is in part a result of the trans- formation of Vedic images and themes under the influence of socio- religious values not current during the early Vedic period (till about 800 BC), or, if current, not represented in the extant literature. Of these values, the most important have been those associated with the rise of asceticism as a creative and abiding force within Indian religions and bhakti. The trimurti of Brahma, Visnu and ?iva first http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Numen Brill

Trifunctional Elements in the Mythology of the Hindu Trimurti

Numen , Volume 26 (2): 152 – Jan 1, 1979

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1979 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0029-5973
eISSN
1568-5276
DOI
10.1163/156852779X00028
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

TRIFUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS IN THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE HINDU TRIMURTI * G. M. BAILEY It is no exaggeration to suggest that the bulk of the mythology found in the Hindu epics and Puranas is about Visnu, 8akti, Brahma and the group of gods closely associated with them. The divinities of the earliest strata of Vedic literature-Indra, the so-called group of thirty-three gods and the various groups of demons-play a role in many of these myths, but they do not dominate, as they did in Vedic mythology. This is not to say that the main themes of Vedic mythology or the images occurring in it are necessarily absent from myths which occur in post-Vedic literature. Indeed, the richness and variety of epic and Puranic mythology is in part a result of the trans- formation of Vedic images and themes under the influence of socio- religious values not current during the early Vedic period (till about 800 BC), or, if current, not represented in the extant literature. Of these values, the most important have been those associated with the rise of asceticism as a creative and abiding force within Indian religions and bhakti. The trimurti of Brahma, Visnu and ?iva first

Journal

NumenBrill

Published: Jan 1, 1979

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