Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists

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m MYTHS OF THE HINDUS AND BUDDHISTS
ANANDA K. COOMARASWAMY AND SISTER NIVEDITA
As the Iliad and the Odyssey provide a key to ancient Greek civilization, so the two great epic poems of India, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, are our best sources for the beliefs of the Indian people—their gods and heroes, their myths and legends. In fact, so plentiful a treasury is the Mahabharata, the older of the two poems, that it has been said that whatever is not contained within it is not true of India.
Gathered together in this single volume are the most important stories of Indian mythology, taken mainly from these two epics, with additional tales from the puranas and vedas and from assorted narratives of Krishna, Buddha, and Shiva. The stories range from the initial stages of mythology, when man viewed everything in the universe anthropomorphically, to the final stages when mythology had reached its maturity. They make accessible to Western readers the deeds of Rama and Sita, of the... Tovább

Fülszöveg

m MYTHS OF THE HINDUS AND BUDDHISTS
ANANDA K. COOMARASWAMY AND SISTER NIVEDITA
As the Iliad and the Odyssey provide a key to ancient Greek civilization, so the two great epic poems of India, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, are our best sources for the beliefs of the Indian people—their gods and heroes, their myths and legends. In fact, so plentiful a treasury is the Mahabharata, the older of the two poems, that it has been said that whatever is not contained within it is not true of India.
Gathered together in this single volume are the most important stories of Indian mythology, taken mainly from these two epics, with additional tales from the puranas and vedas and from assorted narratives of Krishna, Buddha, and Shiva. The stories range from the initial stages of mythology, when man viewed everything in the universe anthropomorphically, to the final stages when mythology had reached its maturity. They make accessible to Western readers the deeds of Rama and Sita, of the elephant-headed Ganesha, of the monkey deity Hanuman, of the golden deer Maricha, and scores of other stories of passion, grief, and magic. 32 illustrations by Abanindro Nath Tagore and other artists show "The Victory of Buddha," "Rama's Marriage," "The Death of Maricha," "The Birth of Krishna," and other episodes.
This book was prepared by two of the foremost scholars and writers on Indian life. The Sister Nivedita (1867-1911), a disciple of the Swami Vive-kananda, wrote many books explaining and interpreting Indian ways and thought to the West. These include, besides the present volume, Cradle of Tales of Hinduism, Religion and Dharma, and her best-known work. The Web of Indian Life. The late Ananda Coomaraswamy, curator of Indian art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, had an almost unmatched understanding of Indian culture, language, religion, and philosophy, and combined this rich background with considerable expository skill. The result of their combined efforts is the finest one-volume introduction to Indian mythology ever prepared. Since Indian mythology is inextricably bound up with Indian art, this book has much to offer art historians as well as anthropology students, folklorists, students of Indian culture, literature, religion, and general readers who will appreciate these stories for their intrinsic narrative merit.
Unabridged republication of 1913 edition. Preface by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy. 32 black and white plates, xiv -j- 400 pp. of text. 53/g x 8'/2-
21759-0 Paperbound Vissza