mythology and impact on cultural history with comparative study of indian and greek mythology

1. Comparison of GREEK & Indian
Mythology
Asst. Prof. Sandeep Kulkarni
Dept. of Environmental Studies
K. J. Somaiya College of Arts & Commerce,
Mumbai

2. INDIC MYTHOLOGY
The Meruvians & Trinity

5. Meaning / Typology / Relevance:
 Colonial Meaning – False stories
 Contemporary meaning – Individual Truth; subjective
 Types of mythology – Region / Religion / Community
 Illustrative, metaphoric, influencing with no literal meaning.
E. g: Globe of Geography / Sabbath Elevators
Know false to know truth

6. Kekule the benzene dreamer….

7.  Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from
different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes &
characteristics.
 To develop management practices, training programs, etc.
 Comparative mythology has served a variety of academic
purposes.
 Scholars have used the relationships between different
myths to trace the development of religions and cultures.
 To propose common origins for myths from different
cultures.
 To support various psychological theories.
Application:

8. To understand business of
mythology, you will have to
hear a story……..

10. My world The world
Mythos Logos
Subjective Objective
Emotional Logical
Personal Universal
Belief Fact
Myth Science
Why sun rises, why are we born ? How sun rises, how are we born ?

11. Every culture tries to understand itself and passes
on information to next generation in the form of rituals
and stories which are indifferent to rationality.
Nature → Culture → Myth → Belief → Behaviour →
Business
1. Every individual lives in his / hers subjective truth,
proclaim their self truth is logical, authentic,
scientific, real etc and others truth is illogical, unreal,
superstitious.
2. This leads to the clash of civilization. Like the one
which took place on the banks of the rivers Indus
(Sindhu)

14. Theseus killing bull
headed Minotaur

15. Sisyphus

19. One life theory Multiple life theory
Binary logic Fuzzy logic
Truth Opinion
Standardization Contextual
Absolute Relative
Linear Curvaceous

22. One life theory Multiple life theory
Wilderness to the promised land.
Chaos to order.
Vision-mission-value-processes.
Compliance with protocol.
Many promised lands.
Chaos to order – order to chaos.
Result oriented.
Settings .
Contracts and documents.
Vaad.
Conversation and faith.
Samvaad.
E. g: Ten Commandments
Sure about what is right and wrong
Rigidness
Darshan – Large eyed gods
Not sure about what is right and wrong
Flexible

23. Greek Gods Indian Gods
Defeated the titans & became the rulers of
Mt. Olympus.
Exist across space & time. Never born / die.
Constant fear of humans taking over them
some day.
Infinite existence not fearing of being
defeated by humans.
Concept of Olympics where everyone strives
to break records.
Developed Yoga.
Game of testing the maximum limits of
human potential.
The Greeks wanted to break every barrier and
wanted to overcome their Gods.
They insisted on forming a transcendental
relationship with the supreme energy instead
of overcoming it.

24. Reside on Mt. Olympus which is on Earth. Reside on transcendental planes, like
Brahmalok, Vaikunth & Kailash.
Possess powers which are equivalent to those
of minor Indian Gods.
Minor gods are not worshipped as much as
trinity.
People worship Zeus (Thunderbolt) to save
themselves from punishment for not
following commandments.
People worship Shiva (Wisdom) & not trident
possessing.
Greek mythology has an idea that the world is
in need of changing, so heroes, prophet, king,
scientist, activists, capitalist etc are required.
Indic mythology has an idea that the world is
constantly changing and notwithstanding
human intervention, so god is required.
Masculine, active, decisive, violent,
straightforward
India feminine, passive, ambiguous, non-
violent, cunning

25. THE CHASE…..

26. Mount Kailasa Mount Olympus

28. Arjuna & Achilles
Both the heroes are reluctant to fight but ultimately take part in war.
Both are extremely skilled warriors & both lose men who they
deeply loved.

30. Yama and Hades
Both lords of death, both decide the fates of the souls and both
are deeply concerned with justice.

31. Indra and Zeus
Both kings of the gods. Both have thunderbolts as weapon. Both of
them slay a sea-monster (serpent Vritra & Typhon).

32. Helen & Draupadi
Helen being blamed for Trojan war. Draupadi being blamed for Mahabharata.
Draupadi, although loves Arjuna, begins to have a soft corner for Karna. Helen,
although loves Paris, begins to have a soft corner for Hector, for she knows that
Paris is useless and not respected while Hector is the warrior and well respected.

33. Sita and Persephone
Both Sita and Persephone were abducted against
their will — Ravana & Hades. Both of them
disappearing under the earth, albeit under
dissimilar circumstances.

34. Kamadeva & Eros (Cupid)
The gods of love and desire, both shoot arrows into
the hearts of unsuspecting people to make them fall
in love.

35. Hermes & Narada
Hermes (son of Zeus) & Narada (spiritual son of Vishnu) both
are quick & cunning, can move between the world of Gods &
the world of men at will. Messenger of the Gods & trickster
who outwits the Gods for the good of humankind.

38. Heracles or Hercules Krishna
Hera breast feeding. Putana breast feeding.
Hydra (multiple headed snake) Kaliya nag (multiple headed snake)
Wrestled & captured Cretan Bull Wrestled & killed Arishta monstrous Bull
Captured man-eating Mares of Diomedes Killed fire breathing horse called Kesi
Killed man-eating Stymphalian birds with
bronze beaks
Killed man-eating crane with sharp beaks.
Killed earth-born giant Antaeus by holding
him in air & squeezing the breath out of him
Killed a demon Trinavarta by strangling him
to death while in air

39. Other similarities & many more:
Apollo/Helios & Surya
Saptarishis & The 7 sisters (Pleiades)
Athena & Saraswati

40. Which mythology to follow ?

41. Website References:
1 – http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Eros.html
2 – http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/hmvp/hmvp32.htm
3 – http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hermes.html
4 – http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Hermes/hermes.html
5 – http://www.hindutemplesc.org/balagokulam/BGDownloads/Sage_Narada.pdf
6 – Page 5, http://books.google.co.in/books?id=0z02cZe8PU8C
7 – http://bibhudev.blogspot.in/2014/03/hercules-and-balarama-symbolic-
and.html
8 – http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/apollo/
9 – Page 120,
http://books.google.co.in/books/about/Greek_Religion.html?id=sxurBtx6shoC
10 – Homeric Hymns, http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns1.html

42. 11 – Homeric Hymns,
http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns3.html
12 – Page 65,
https://books.google.co.in/books?id=1iASyoae8cMC
13 – http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/athena.html
14 – http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God10.html
15 –
http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/The_Myths/Birth
_of_Athena/birth_of_athena.html
16 – http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Haides.html
17 –
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=b7Meabtj8mcC&lpg=P
P1&pg=PA171
18 – http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cerberus.html
19 – http://veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/dying.htm
20 –
http://www.pantheon.org/miscellaneous/roman_vs_greek.
html

43. 21 – http://blog.matrabhasha.com/2012/08/name-of-planets-graho-ke-naam.html
22 – http://www.mythindex.com/greek-mythology/A/Achilles.html
23 – http://creative.sulekha.com/birth-of-bhishma-story-from-mahabharata_67978_blog
24 – http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Sp-Tl/Thetis.html
25 – http://creative.sulekha.com/birth-of-bhishma-story-from-mahabharata_67978_blog
26 –
http://books.google.co.in/books?id=bgHuDL0ONWEC&pg=PT88&dq=Iccha+mrityu&hl=en&s
a=X&ei=7wMDU4DYLI-UhQewooDQCw
27- http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Poseidon.html
28 – http://hinduonline.co/HinduReligion/Gods/Varuna.html
29 – http://www.indianetzone.com/39/lord_varuna.htm
30 – http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Zeus/zeus.html
31 – http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/286640/Indra
32 – http://www.ancient.eu/Indra/
33 – http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanisRhea.html
34 – http://www.pitarau.com/nd/Girl/aditi
35 – http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/5981/Aditi
36 – http://www.hinduhumanrights.info/goddess-aditi-the-primal-creatix/
https://sharathkomarraju.com/2014/.../7-parallels-between-hindu-and-greek-mytholog..
www.storypick.com/greek-and-indian-myths/

44. Books:
• Olympus, Jaya, Sita, 7 Secrets of Shiv &
Vishnu, Ram, Indian Mythology, Myth=Mythya
– Devdutt Pattanaik
• Immortals of Meluha, Oath of the Vayuputras,
Nagas – Amish Tripathi

45. Within Infinite myths lies an eternal
truth
Who sees it all ?
Varuna has, but 1000 eyes
Indra a 100
You & I, only 2..
Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik

46. Dedicated to Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik

47. Be Happy…..