Vedic Myths, Allegory, Symbolism, Gods and Deities

In Vedic Philosophy everything in the universe emanates from the ONE ultimate reality, which is the genderless, formless, unknowable and indescribable principle called Brahman. As such, the Vedic path is pantheistic, where God and the Universe are the same. But Hinduism is polytheistic with thousands and thousands of gods, goddesses and deities.  Although no one has counted all of them, according to Wikipedia there may be as many as 330 million Gods and deities in Hinduism. All these have names and describable characteristics, many also have thousands of names within names re-counting each of their unique exalted traits.

Some deities represent forces of nature like mountains and rivers, others moral codes and some our impulses and desires. Some exalt courage others exalt compromise. Some symbolize an aspect of universal knowledge like music or mathematics. Some create the universe, others destroy, and some help sustain it. Invoking these deities through myths, ritual and mantras are considered remedies for our physical, mental and spiritual predicaments in the Vedic tradition.

In this class we will study the myths, allegory and symbolism of some of the prominent Hindu deities, such as Shiva and Shakti, Hanuman, Ganesh, Kali, Krishna, Rama & Arjuna and the Bhagavat Gita.

We will also learn about the importance of incorporating myth based Jung and Campbell study of mythology, comparative literature and astrology and that they saw a similarity of stories shared by cultures across the world and over thousands and thousands of years. This Jung and Campbell described as being part of the collective unconscious or “timeless truths”, which serve as a template to assist us in our psychological maturation. We will look at Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and Hero’s Journey and see how these ancient stories overlap with out modern myths.

Myths and symbolisms across cultures reveal the yearnings fears, aspirations and struggles common to every individual. They also provide the roadmap for our own life’s journey. Familiarity with the Myths and symbolisms of the Vedic tradition is critical for all who are students of eastern philosophy and Yoga.