Mythology By Sidhanth Narula

Mythology

Who are we? Why are we here? How did our world begin? These are some questions we humans are eagerly trying to find answers to. While science comes up with theories such as “The Big Bang”, it is also religion and myths that try to answer the unexplainable.        

Mythology is a set of stories or beliefs about a particular person, institution, or situation, especially when exaggerated or fictitious. Myths are simply mistranslated true accounts or mutations of historical references; it is more likely that myths were important tools for societies to preserve their history, their values and their culture. Myths have been passed on from one generation to another and are unique to the cultures that create them. Most myths reflect on themes like fear, anxiety, and death, good and evil.

Myths provide permanence to a culture. They cultivate a shared set of perspectives, values, history, and literature, in the stories themselves. Through these communal tales, we are connected to one another, to our ancestors, to the natural world surrounding us, and to society. Myths have also been extremely instrumental when it comes to creating laws and morals and hence a guideline for living. They teach us right and wrong and therefore we can perceive the rewards and consequences of our actions. It is through myths that society has certain expectations of behaviours and standards. They reveal our fate after death, in terms of ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’ and they also offer role models as most myths consist of deities showing attributes of strength, persistence and courage.

A perfect example of this description of myths can be of the epic Ramayana. The main universal moral behind Ramayana is the victory of ‘good’ over ‘evil’. The myth surrounds the life of Lord Rama, who was a loyal son, a caring husband and an ideal student while Ravana was greedy, a thief and had many enemies. The myth would clearly draw a comparison between the two kingdoms of Ayodhya and Lanka, stating the differences in the two societies and the laws they followed. Hinduism wants each and every one of its devotees  to look for Lord Rama as their role model as in Ramayana he is clearly projected as an ideal human being.

Just as Gods in religion came about due to personification of archetypal facets of life such as rain, sun, wind etc. Mythology too follows the same path but it is also metaphorical. We learn about life and people and values in a way which cannot be offered by dry historical or philosophical accounts; in mythology, we learn through imagination, as we feel and visualize the colourful adventures of the deities. Although mythology is not a literal rendering of a culture's history, we can still use myths to explore the culture - its viewpoints, activities, and beliefs.

Mythology has always been and always will be a vital part of religion. It transcends the logical, the rational and the scientific. It has always been the source of pre-scientific explanations, as we all know science can’t answer everything, that’s where myths come into the picture.