Contents: Preface. I. The Vedic deities: 1. The Vedas. 2. The Vedic Gods generally. 3. Dyaus and Prthivi. 4. Aditi and the Adityas. 5. Agni. 6. Sun or light deities. 7. The storm deities. 8. Soma. 9. Tvastr or Visvakarma. 10. Yama. II. The Puranic deities: 1. The Puranas. 2. Brahma. 33. Brahma and Sarasvati. 4. Visnu and Laksmi. 5. The incarnations or Avataras of Visnu. 6. Siva. 7. Uma. 8. Sons of Siva and Parvati. 9. The Puranic account of the creation. 10. The Puranic divisions of time. III. The inferior deities: 1. The divine Rsis. 2. Kubera. 3. The demi-Gods of the Ramayana. 4. The demi-Gods of the Mahabharata. 5. The planets. 6. The Asuras. 7. Sacred animals and birds. 8. Ganga. 9. Sacred trees. 10. Miscellaneous minor deities. 11. Superhuman, though not divine beings. Index.
"Hindu mythology is a fascinating world of legends and stories centred around a sophisticated structure and hierarchy of deities and their worship. The many Gods and Goddesses, depicted in myriad forms in art and literature, constitute a sacred and complex subject of interesting study. The book, Hindu Mythology attempts to offer a systematic and complete account of the names and character of the deities of Hinduism and their relationship with one another.
The book, typed afresh, studies the main attributes of the deities and recounts myths associated with their origin, nature, function and worship. For the purpose, the deities are classified into the major deities of the Vedic age and those of the Puranic age, and the inferior deities which include demigods, sacred plants, animals and birds, supernatural beings and minor deities like Sitala and Manasa. Based on authoritative sources, the reliable accounts are supported by well-drawn illustrations of the deities that add to the appeal of the work. The work involves clear explanation of terms and concepts in a fluent language.
The volume will prove to be an interesting reference work for scholars and students of Hindu mythology and will attract general readers keen to acquire information on the subject."
