Saumya Bansal
he Hindu religion has been in existence since forever and can be traced back from 5000 BC to 10,000 BC. Given the timeline, it is no wonder that there might be numerous beliefs and myths in the picture since that time. With time, the tales around these myths have also seen better versions of themselves, with one story modeling additional facts than the others. The Hindu history comprises of very rich history, mighty characters, and a very interesting linkage to modern science. Tales such as Mahabharata and Ramayana have been told to children while they are growing up thereby making this the longest ongoing tradition since the advent of time.
Some less-known facts that the Hindu mythology has presented in front of us over the years include-
1) Creation of Life
There are a number of answers around what led to the creation of the universe which also states that there was no heaven, earth, and no space existed between the two. All the universe was a huge ocean filled with darkness. It is said that it all began with the sound of oom or ohm which is also considered to be very sacred by Hindus. Hindu scriptures state that the Brahman has three main functions which are found in the trinity of Gods i.e., Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva which is also the reason due to which one can see all three of them merged into one body known as Trimurti. Brahma here is the creator of the universe, Vishnu is the protector while Shiva is the one who destroys the earth whenever needed.
2) The Deities
Hindus have been worshipping certain Gods and Goddesses since they were born and this tradition has been followed in houses ever since life began. 300 million gods are mentioned in the Hindu mythology where each deity stands for a different aspect of life. For example – Goddess Saraswati is from where the knowledge flows while Lord Brahma has created the universe. However, if we were to look at the Vedas, there are 33 main deities. The Hindus are devoted to a single God and all the other Gods are mere avatars. All the deities are considered to be as old as the creation of the universe.
3) Connection Between the Vedas and Modern Science
The Vedas are religious scriptures that were formulated between 1500 and 1000 BC. Hinduism is believed to have originated in the Indus region which is also the place where these scripts were written. The Vedas have been written in the Sanskrit language and have found to have a connection with Modern Science. The existence of a parallel universe as highlighted by the modern scientist has already been mentioned in the Vedas as the existence of the cyclical infinite world.
4) Curses
Curses form an integral form of Ancient Hindu history. In Mahabharata, after killing Karna, the Pandavas realised that he was their half-brother as a result of which they were distraught and hurt by what their mother had done by hiding this information from them. As a result of this, Yudhistara cursed her that no woman would be capable of keeping any secrets. There is another curse that was wished by Gandhari upon Lord Krishna after all her 100 sons were killed in the battle of Mahabharata. She cursed him that there would be nobody present to continue his legacy which ultimately happened as everyone in his family killed each other and he died an untimely death with nobody else present to continue his bloodline.
These are some facts that have prevailed ever since Hindu Mythology came into the picture. Some believe them while others don’t but you sure cannot ignore these as these have been re-iterated in front of us ever since we were born and have certainly left behind a mark.