According to Hindu Creation Myth, Brahma is the divine creator of the world, as well as other things in the universe. However, different views on how actually the creation process occurred. The most famous one is recounted in the Vedas. The sacred book runs, “all living creatures were made from the ghee (purified buter) that came from Purusha” (Gibson and Wootten 48).
Thus, parts of Purusha’s body were used to create different objects of the universe. Navel was used to create the earth’s atmosphere, the head was used to create the havens, the earth was made up of his feet and the sky was made up of his ears. Purusha was also responsible for creating the four varnas of Indivian society – the Brahmis, which came from Purusha’s mouth, the Kshatriyas coming from his arms, the Vaishyas that came from his thighs, and, finally, Shudras coming from Purusha’s feet.
The story of Hindu creation myths differs from Ancient Greek creation myths in a number of facts, including the beginning of the world, and some elements of the creation of the living creatures. The divinity creation also has certain tangible discrepancies.
As per the beginning of the world, the Hindu world creation starts with the God Brahma who initiated the beginning of the universe: “Hindus believe that God, in the form of Brahma, is the creator of the universe and everything in it” (Gibson and Wootten 48). Unlike the Indian version, the Greek world begins with “an emptiness called Chaos – the yawning gap” (Martin 23).
With regard to these creation myths, significant difference lies in using nothingness as the beginning in Greek myths, which is absent in the Indian legends. In contrast, Indians focus on the divine origins of the world which produced all creatures whereas Greeks refer to emptiness which created divinity.
In Hinduism, there was one creature that gave life to all living beings on earth. It has been torn apart to form water, earth, atmosphere, and various social layers of people.
In such a way, Hindu myths prove the divine origin of all people, including all varnas. Unlike Hindu, Greek mythology provides an account of creating divine and mythological creations where there is no place for human beings: “Earth brought forth Ouranos, the Sky, to be her cover and protector and a place for the blessed gods” (Martin 23).
In Greek mythology, however, includes humans at the end of creation, which underlines the emergent hierarchy with gods at the top and humans in the bottom. However, both myths prove the divine origin of all human beings on the planet.
There are different concepts of evil origins on Earth with regard to Greek and Hindu mythology. In particulars, Greek myths show “…there is not principle of evil … but Greek tales acknowledge that there are all sorts of bad influences and misfortunes in the world, including the shortness of human life” (Martin 21). In Hinduism, evil is presented as an opposition to good: “Hindus believe that Vishni is the preserver of the universe and protects the world from evil” (Gibson and Wootten 16).
In conclusion, despite the divergence in creation mythology represented by Greeks and Hindus, there are certain similar points which provide a solid basis to explore the origins of the world. This is of particular concern to the analysis of divinity creation, human beings creation, and conception of evil in ancient world.
Works Cited
Gibson, Lynne, and Pat Wootten. Hinduism. US: Heinenmann, 2002, Print.
Martin, Richard. Myths of Ancient Greeks. US: New American Library, 2003. Print.