Indian Mythology

Japanese: インド神話 - いんどしんわ

Indian mythology is broadly divided into Vedic mythology and Hindu mythology.

[Hara Minoru]

Vedic mythology

Many of the gods that appear in the Vedic scriptures have their origins in natural phenomena such as the sun, fire, wind, rain, and thunder. Indra, who has the aspect of a thunder god, is also a god of bravery, holds a vajra, nourishes himself with the sacred wine Soma, and defeats the demon Vritra with the help of a group of wind gods Marut, bringing long-awaited water to the human world. Agni, the fire god who lights the garden of the ritual, is thought to be the guide of the gods and a guest of the chief priest, transporting offerings made to the fire to the heavenly realm. Varuna, the god of law, possesses the laws of heaven and earth, human ethics (rita), and is in charge of the movement of the sun and moon and the cycle of the four seasons, sends out detectives to monitor human behavior, and punishes evildoers with a rope. This god is considered to be one of the Aditya Trinity along with Mithra, the god of contracts, and Aryaman, the personification of hospitality, but has been closely associated with water since ancient times. The sun, which nourishes everything and gives life to living things, is worshipped under the names of Surya, Savitri, Pusham, and Vishnu. Goddesses include Bhatu, the God of Word, who is compared to the Greek Logos; Prithvi, the personification of the earth that preserves everything and blesses fertility; Ratri, the spirit of the night; Aranyani, the forest spirit; and Sarasvati, the river spirit. Particularly well-known is Ushas, the god of dawn who paints the eastern sky crimson, and in his depiction we can see the image of a lovely maiden from ancient India. However, compared to Greek mythology, these Vedic gods have a strong religious overtone and are highly independent, and the genealogy of the kinship between the gods is not clear.

Myths about the creation of the universe have influenced later philosophical speculation. One myth says that a golden fetus was conceived in the vast waters, from which the gods were born, who then mated with the sun, giving birth to the mountains and seas. Another myth says that in the ancient times, when there was neither "being" nor "non-being," everything opened up from a single androgynous principle residing in the darkness. Another myth says that the original human, Purusha, was offered as a sacrifice to God, and from each part of his body the universe and the four classes (four families) were born. Other myths that have been passed down since ancient times include the flood legend reminiscent of Noah's Ark, and the legend that mankind flourished as a result of the ascetic practices of the sole surviving ancestor, Manu.

[Hara Minoru]

Hindu mythology

The most famous gods in Hindu mythology are Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Together, they are known as the Trimurti (three gods), and are said to be in charge of the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the universe, respectively. Of these, Brahma was only a name and rarely attracted followers, but Vishnu and Shiva attracted many followers and formed the two major sects of Hinduism, and many myths have been passed down. Vishnu was originally a sun god, but was associated with rituals and had a bright and orthodox color, while Shiva, perhaps reflecting his original nature as the leader of livestock deep in the mountains, is the enemy of rituals and harbors a ferocious and gruesome shadow. Vishnu, who sleeps peacefully at the bottom of the ocean with his divine consort Sri Lakshmi (the goddess of good fortune) in his arms and with the king of snakes, Shesha, as his pillow, however, when trouble occurs, he responds to the requests of the gods to exterminate demons and uphold justice. There are ten legends of this god's incarnations, including Krishna and Rama, who descend from heaven in times of trouble, appear on earth in the form of a man or animal, and vanquish injustice. He is also said to restore righteous order before returning to heaven, which gives him a messianic character. This character inspired a spirit of fervent monotheistic devotion. In contrast, Shiva, the chief of the shapeshifters, wanders around the cremation grounds, smearing his entire body with the ashes of corpses, wearing elephant skin and a giant snake as his belt. He practiced intense penance in the deep mountains and took Uma Parvati, the daughter of the Himalayas, as his wife. Shiva, the father of Skanda, the god of war, and the goddess himself strongly display a violent and reckless personality. He also appears as an uninvited guest at the ritual of Daksha Prajapati, destroying the ritual and burning to death the god of love who was an obstacle to his penance. He reigns as the leader of the Kiratas, a violent mountain people, but has also been the patron deity of song, dance and music since ancient times, and with a few exceptions, many literary works are dedicated to this god.

In addition, the world's guardian deities are Indra, Varuna, Yama, and Kubera, in the east, west, north, and south, but the first two are Vedic gods. Yama was originally the king of the land of the dead and had a bright side, but in Hinduism he is a god of death with red eyes, shiny black skin, yellow robes, and a rope in his hand, who forcefully pulls out thumb-sized souls from human bodies and then leaves. However, his other name, "dharmarāja (king of law)," suggests that he has a stronger legalistic character that punishes evildoers than a simple god of death. Kubera is the god of treasure and is said to live in the beautiful Alaka Palace at the top of Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas, but he was originally the leader of demons, yakshas, and rakshasas (evil spirits), and is not very bright-hearted.

It is said that these gods once churned the ocean of milk to obtain the elixir of immortality called amrita (nectar), which they drank and remained youthful at the age of 25. They do not sweat, so dust does not collect on their clothes and they are not accompanied by shadows. Furthermore, their feet do not touch the ground and they do not blink. These characteristics distinguish them from mortal humans, and some of these are found in Buddhist scriptures and are mentioned in the "Five Decays of Heavenly Beings."

[Hara Minoru]

"Indian Mythology by Katsuhiko Uemura (1981, Tokyo Shoseki)"

[References] | Bede

Krishna
Vijayanagar Empire (14th century) Bronze Height: 67.5cm Tamil Nadu, India Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago

Krishna

Saraswati
Hoysala Dynasty (12th century) Phyllite-schist Height: 89.6 cm Karnataka, India Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago

Saraswati

Shiva
Chola Dynasty (10th-11th century) Bronze Height: 69.3 cm Tamil Nadu, India Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago

Shiva

Surya
Chola period (11th-12th century) Copper alloy Height: 48.6cm Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art ">

Surya

Parvati
Chola dynasty (early 10th century) Copper alloy Height: 69.5cm Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tamil Nadu, India

Parvati

Vishnu
Vijayanagar Empire (15th century) Bronze Height: 85.9 cm Tamil Nadu, India Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago

Vishnu

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

インドの神話はベーダ神話とヒンドゥー教神話とに大別される。

［原　實］

ベーダ神話

ベーダ聖典に現れる神々のなかには、太陽、火、風、雨、雷などの天然現象に淵源(えんげん)するものが少なくない。雷霆神(らいていしん)の様相を有するインドラは、同時に武勇の神として金剛杵(こんごうしょ)を持し、神酒ソーマによって鋭気を養い、風神マルトの群を従えて悪魔ブリトラを退治し、待望の水を人間界にもたらす。祭祀(さいし)の庭を照らす火神アグニは、神々の先達(せんだつ)となり、祭主の客人となって火に捧(ささ)げられた供物を天上界に運搬するものと考えられた。律法神バルナは天地、人倫の理法リタを持し、日月の運行、四季の循環をつかさどり、探偵を放って人間の行動を監視し、索をもって悪人を懲らしめる。この神は契約の神ミトラ、歓待の神格化アリヤマンとともにアーディティヤ三神とされるが、古来水との関連が深い。いっさいをはぐくみ生類を活気づける太陽は、スーリヤ、サビトリ、プーシャン、ビシュヌの名のもとに崇拝される。女神としては、ギリシアのロゴスに比較される言神(げんしん)バーチュ、いっさいを保持し豊穣(ほうじょう)を恵む大地の神格化プリティビー、夜の精ラートリー、森の精アラニヤーニー、川の精サラスバティーなどがある。とくに著名なのは東の空を紅(あけ)に染める暁紅神(ぎょうこうしん)ウシャスで、その描写のなかに古代インド人の可憐(かれん)な乙女の像をみることができる。しかしギリシア神話と比較したとき、これらベーダの神々は宗教的色彩が濃く、また各自独立性が強く、神々相互の親族関係の系譜は明らかでない。

　後世の哲学的思弁に影響したものとして、宇宙の創造神話がある。茫洋(ぼうよう)たる水のなかに黄金の胎児がはらまれ、それから神々が生まれ、太陽と交え、山海が生じたとなすもの、また「有」もなく「無」もなかった太古に、暗黒のなかに安らう唯一の中性的原理からいっさいが開ききったとなすもの、さらに原人プルシャを神に生贄(いけにえ)として捧げ、その身体の各部分から森羅万象および四階級（四姓）が生まれたとなす巨人解体神話がこのなかで数えられる。ノアの箱舟を思わせる洪水伝説、1人生き残った人祖マヌのなした苦行の結果、人類が繁栄したとする伝説も、古くから伝えられる。

［原　實］

ヒンドゥー教神話

ヒンドゥー教の神話にあってもっとも著名な神々は、ブラフマー（梵天(ぼんてん)）、ビシュヌ、シバの3神である。三者は三位(さんみ)一体的に「トリムールティtrimūrti（三柱の神）」と呼び習わされ、宇宙の創造、維持、破壊をそれぞれにつかさどるものといわれる。このうちブラフマーは名ばかりで、信者を集めたことがまれであったが、ビシュヌ、シバ両神は多数の教徒を集めてヒンドゥー教の二大宗派を形成し、数多くの神話が伝えられている。ビシュヌ神はもと太陽神であったものが、祭式に関係づけられ、明朗にして正統的な色彩が濃厚であったのに対し、シバ神は山奥にあって畜群の長としての元来の性格を反映してか、祭祀の敵であり、凶暴にして陰惨な影をとどめている。大海の底で神妃(しんぴ)シュリー・ラクシュミー（吉祥天女(きっしょうてんにょ)）を抱き、ヘビの王シェーシャを枕(まくら)に安らかに眠っているビシュヌは、しかしいったん事変が起これば神々の請いをいれて悪魔を退治し、正義を守る。この神にはクリシュナ、ラーマなど10の化身伝説が伝えられ、乱世には天から降り、人獣の形をとって地上に現れ、不義を討つ。また正しい秩序を回復して天に帰るといわれ、その点で救世主的な性格がある。この性格が熱烈な唯一神教的信愛の精神を鼓舞した。これに対してシバ神は、妖怪変化(ようかいへんげ)の長として火葬場にさまよい、全身に屍(しかばね)の灰を塗り、象皮(ぞうひ)をまとって大蛇を帯とする。深山に激烈な苦行を営み、ヒマラヤ山の娘ウマー・パールバティーを妃(きさき)とする。軍神スカンダの父神としてのシバ神と、この女神が狂暴放埒(ほうらつ)な性格を濃厚に示す。またダクシャ・プラジャーパティの祭式に招かれざる客として乗り込み、祭祀を破壊し、さらに苦行の障害をなす愛の神を焼き殺す。凶暴な山間民キラータの長として君臨するが、古くから歌舞音曲の守護神となり、少数の例外を除いて文芸作品の多くがこの神に捧げられている。

　このほか、世界の守護神も東西南北にインドラ、バルナ、ヤマ、クベーラとあるが、前二者はベーダの神である。ヤマはもと死者の国の王とされ、明るい側面を有したが、ヒンドゥー教にあっては赤目で肌が黒光りし、黄衣をまとって縄を手にし、人間の体から親指大の霊魂を力まかせに引き抜いて去っていく死神とされる。ただし、単なる死神というよりも悪人を懲らしめる律法的性格が強いことは、「ダルマラージャdharmarāja（法の王）」という別名からうかがい知れる。クベーラは財宝の神で、ヒマラヤのカイラーサ山頂にある美麗なアラカー宮殿に住むといわれるが、もともとは妖怪、夜叉(やしゃ)、羅刹(らせつ)（悪鬼）の長であり、むしろ明朗な性格は希薄である。

　これらの神々はその昔、乳海を攪拌(かくはん)して不老不死の妙薬アムリタ（甘露）を得、これを飲んでつねに25歳の若さを保ったといわれる。体に汗をかくことのない彼らは、その衣に塵(ちり)を寄せ付けず、また影を伴わない。さらに足は地につかず、まばたきもしないなどといわれて、可死の人間とは区別される特徴を有しているが、そのなかのいくつかは仏典に入り、「天人の五衰」のなかに言及されている。

［原　實］

『上村勝彦著『インド神話』（1981・東京書籍）』

[参照項目] | ベーダ

クリシュナ
ビジャヤナガル王国（14世紀）　青銅　高さ67.5cm　インド　タミル・ナド州シカゴ美術研究所所蔵">

クリシュナ

サラスバティー
ホイサラ朝（12世紀）　千枚岩-片岩　高さ89.6cm　インド　カルナータカ州シカゴ美術研究所所蔵">

サラスバティー

シバ
チョーラ朝（10～11世紀）　青銅　高さ69.3cm　インド　タミル・ナド州シカゴ美術研究所所蔵">

シバ

スーリヤ
チョーラ朝期（11～12世紀）　銅合金　高さ48.6cmメトロポリタン美術館所蔵">

スーリヤ

パールバティー
チョーラ朝（10世紀初めころ）　銅合金　高さ69.5cm　インド　タミル・ナド州メトロポリタン美術館所蔵">