Mythology: Imagination or Coded Secrets?
Myths often reflect the creativity and storytelling traditions of cultures. They can be seen as symbolic narratives that explain natural phenomena, human behaviour and societal values. These stories often incorporate fantastical elements and characters illustrating human experiences and emotions. Can mythology be interpreted as profound metaphors or even a coded system of secrets? I believe myths contain deeper meanings, metaphorical truths and cultural values that their fantastical narratives might obscure. Hidden messages about morality, rituals, or societal structures are conveyed through myths and passed on to successive generations. Sometimes, myths can serve as allegories for psychological experiences or historical events.
Even in the 21st century, half of science is dogmatic and no different from myth. This includes the celebrated molecular biology theory that genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to protein and cannot happen in a reverse fashion. There is no proof, but it cannot be disproved either. After the conclusion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, which sequenced all 3 billion ‘letters’, or base pairs, in the human genome, the mystery of life was declared an open book. However, a confusing dilemma rapidly emerged: while scientists could copy the text, they could only comprehend a small portion.
The vast bulk – up to 98 per cent – of our DNA does not code for proteins. Much of this ‘dark matter genome’ is assumed to be nonfunctional evolutionary remnants that are along for the journey. However, numerous critical regulatory elements are hidden in this noncoding DNA that controls thousands of gene activations. Furthermore, these elements have a significant role in diseases including cancer, heart disease and autism and may hold the key to potential therapies. No wonder the modern medical industry is busy mainly with ‘managing’ chronic diseases for which there is no cure. Even questions like why one has high blood pressure are not answered.
The observable universe is limited to only a fraction of what we know and observe. The portion of the universe we can detect from Earth, including the Hubble telescope which is stationed 525 km above Earth’s surface, spans about 93 billion light-years in diameter. Still, it is just a tiny part of the entire universe, which might be much larger or infinite. Approximately 95% of the universe comprises dark matter and dark energy, which are not directly observable. Dark matter is thought to account for about 27% of the universe’s mass-energy content, while dark energy is believed to make up around 68%, driving the universe’s accelerated expansion.
How incredibly the Shiva Purana describes Lord Shiva, the unmanifested primal God, as using 10% of His power to create Vishnu, the Lord of the manifested universe
संप्रधार्येति स विभुस्तया शक्त्या परेश्वरः ।
सव्ये व्यापरायन्चक्रे दशमेऽगें सुधासवम् ॥
[Lord Brahma narrates] The Almighty Lord of the Supreme, as by that power He is to be understood, perfused with nectar [activated] a tenth portion of His left side. (Rudra Samhita 6.37)
Even the name of the manifested God is not arbitrary. ‘Vishnu’ embodies the preservation, protection and sustenance of the universe. The ancient Indian imagination of the cosmos as an ocean, specifically the ‘Kshira Sagar’ or the ‘Ocean of Milk’, is profound and accurate. Various forms of life and the universe emerged from the Cosmic Ocean.
The ancients brilliantly captured reality by identifying ‘God is in every living being’ and identifying this divine presence with Narayana, ‘floating over waters’. The view that ‘all other elements appeared from that great Being’ encapsulates a profound sense of spirituality that encourages reverence for life and emphasises the oneness of all existence, promoting a compassionate and harmonious way of co-existence. Not only me but all others; everything else is God-originated and God-sustained.
The universe is unimaginably vast, with billions of galaxies, each containing millions or even billions of stars, many of which have their planetary systems. The Earth is just one small planet in a medium-sized galaxy (the Milky Way), among an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe. While the Earth may seem tiny on the cosmic scale, a mere sand particle in a desert, and I am among more than 8 billion like me living here, the idea of interconnectedness suggests that every part of the universe is part of a larger whole; all human beings carry with them One divinity, whatever it is.
Ancient Indians captured this with the spectacular imagery of a lotus flower growing out of Vishnu’s navel and a four-headed, red-coloured Lord Brahma sitting in it. The flower symbolises the transient nature of human life and experiences, and it comes out of Vishnu’s navel, suggesting that our physical existence is a small chapter in the larger narrative of the universe.
The origin of life on Earth remains one of the most intriguing scientific mysteries. While several theories propose how life could have begun, a definitive explanation has yet to be established. A hypothesis suggests that life might have originated from self-replicating ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules that may not have originated on Earth but arrived here via comets, meteoroids, or interstellar dust. The way the ancient Indians described it, ‘Lord Brahma, being playfully kept upon the lotus’, is fantastic.
The Shiva Purana mentions an exciting argument between Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma. Lord Vishnu treats Lord Brahma as His junior because he has grown out of Him. Lord Brahma refutes this, sure of His independent origin, powers (four heads), and potency (blood-red colour). So, an infinite column of light appears between the two warring ones, exposing the pettiness of their thinking. They both attempt to measure the column of light by trying to reach its end: Lord Brahma, as a swan, goes upward, while Lord Vishnu, as a boar, goes downward. However, they still looked for its boundaries even after travelling for thousands of years. Lord Brahma laments:
सत्वरं सर्वयत्नेन तस्यान्तं ज्ञातुमिच्छया।
श्रान्तो न दृष्ट्वा तस्यान्तमहं कालदधोगतः॥
[Lord Brahma tells Narada Muni] I quickly made every effort to find the end of it [the column of light]. Exhausted from not seeing, He [Vishnu] was also back, I fell into the abyss of time. (Rudra Samhita 7.62)
So, what do I envisage as 2024 draws to a close? According to mythology, the duration of Kaliyuga is around 4,32,000 Earth years, of which hardly 5000 years have passed. There is a long way ahead, and thousands of human generations will roam the Earth before the curtains are drawn in whatever be the final act. How narrow and short a human life of some seven, eight, or nine decades is in the cosmic drama! And yet, the incredible fact of our times is that we are close to transferring information from living brains made out of carbon to those made from silicon and taking intelligence to other planets where the human body may not survive without water and oxygen, but silicon brains can.
The image of Lord Brahma sitting on a lotus is soothing, though the scary infinite serpent of Time can’t be ignored and wished away from the frame. Indeed, the romanticised aspects of life often mask the challenging realities of ageing, illness, and mortality. While love and connection can bring immense joy, the inevitability of health decline and loss can create significant emotional turmoil. Embracing the full spectrum of life, its beauty and difficulties can ultimately lead to a richer understanding of what it means to be human.
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Whether seen purely as imaginative creations or as repositories of hidden knowledge, myths have the power to shape cultures, provide moral guidance, and inspire the imagination. They act as both vehicles of creativity and potential bearers of profound truths, serving to connect individuals with larger existential questions.
Special mention: Comment of Deep Joshi Ji. Found it very interesting and apt.
Ps: I go through all comments too along with your phenomenally written blog each time.
Dear Sir, Good Evening! Thank you for sharing another fantastic piece of blog. This blog beautifully weaves together mythology, science, and the profound mysteries of existence. The juxtaposition of ancient narratives like the cosmic ocean and modern scientific discoveries like dark matter and noncoding DNA highlights how humanity has always sought to make sense of the universe. The parallels between metaphysical concepts and contemporary scientific dilemmas—such as the ‘infinite column of light’ reflecting the boundlessness of the unknown—are particularly striking.
I’m fascinated by the idea that myths are not merely stories but profound metaphors encapsulating cultural wisdom and universal truths. The comparison between mythological ‘God-originated’ unity and the scientific interconnectedness of life reminds us of our small yet significant place in the cosmos. Genuinely inspiring and thought-provoking! Warm Regards.
It’s a different perspective on things. For example, the myth of the eternal return demonstrates life’s indestructibility. Numerous tales describe how the wheel of the seasons represents the cycle of life played out against the backdrop of the planets and stars. On an individual level, the hero discovers a method to attain immortality or rebirth. These myths point to a cyclical view of time rather than a linear one. This may not seem significant daily, but my belief in reincarnation alleviates my fear of death.
Some myths represent contemporary issues. For example, there were two fertility goddesses in Greek mythology: Demeter and Aphrodite. Demeter was an agricultural goddess representing fields, farms, crops, livestock, the home, children, and kinship relationships. She required consistent, enforced constraints on behavior, such as moral principles and even laws. Aphrodite was the goddess of love incarnate. She was very wild and highly sexual, had children but did not raise them, disregarded rules and morality, and lived for beauty and pleasure. The rampant increase in population in specific communities proves this myth right.
Interesting how mythology has brought groups of people together, across geographies. All different, yet uniting.
Fundamentally, humans are storytellers. Familiar tales bond us. A generation’s common stories convey lessons and influence people’s opinions. They are used to transport huge groups of people during times of crisis. Parents use stories to teach their children about morals, endurance, overcoming obstacles, loyalty, making sacrifices, and growing up. As adults, humans draw on stories like this from their upbringing and throughout their lives to remain loyal to some ideal of what these stories express about what a human should be as they confront problems and degrading influences on their journey.
Before today’s age, philosophers were concerned about the loss of shared interpretive processes found in older generations’ religious traditions and folk tales. Today’s heroes include superficial film characters, athletes, and musicians. The symbolism in their orbits is pale and empty compared to the more profound, centuries—or millennia-old myths and legends of the past, polished by countless years of refinement and sometimes bearing insight and wisdom more significant than one generation could collect and retain.
This is an iconic picture that every Hindu grows with seeing. I do not consider anything a “myth” in its original meaning. Myths are things that we do not fully grasp. It’s similar to how we don’t know what an Indian grindstone is and how our grandparents don’t understand the purpose of an iPhone.
The best way to convey stories has been preserved over time, which means we only know a few thousand other people’s perspectives from that era. In some ways, democratic opinion prevails. Of course, some stories are unpredictable at the most fundamental level, and I cannot recall an era without hoaxes. Modern cinematographers have done this to make more money.
Sometimes, the story goes too far. However, it could also be a divine intervention that intentionally appeared foolish and unimportant to benefit the party in question without creating any buzz. These stories are maintained in the timeline to underline the decisions they wished to make, the ones they did make, and how they apply to us. Please keep writing such blogs to keep our rich tradition of imagination alive.
Dear Sir, it’s a lovely blog with a beautiful picture. Certain norms accumulate statistically rather than logically. A corpse is a highly perishable, non-living entity. Even the family is aware of the urgency of its disposal. Still, we do elaborate cremations and burial ceremonies; why? No logic at all. It’s a method to say goodbye. The poets compared it to losing a toy. You can never truly recuperate unless you know it’s gone permanently, leaving no trace behind. Learning history is also like learning history. By learning history, we can avoid making the same mistakes again. After all, the purpose of human life is to pass on the knowledge we have acquired.
The world is chaotic in every way. As a computer scientist, I can tell you that unpredictability represents information, innovation, and inspiration. However, attempting to create rules and exceptions may be an effective method of comprehension. Mythology is one of those methods. It must have an impact on our daily life. Sometimes, a taboo is made to focus our thoughts… which is helpful. Mythology is the telling and preservation of history in the dominant opinion. The definition of significance is entirely subjective, but its relevance is unarguable.
Thanks, Arunji. It’s fascinating to see how you correlate symbolic narratives with natural phenomena and societal values. Although I haven’t delved deeply into this subject, I recognize that the seers who propounded such thoughts were on a different plane of understanding. They likely perceived truths that are beyond the grasp of ordinary mortals like me. Your analogy of Earth as a mere sand particle in the vast desert, and us as one of over 8 billion individuals, yet connected through the Hindu philosophy of ‘God exists in every being,’ is a profound way to envision harmonious existence. This philosophy extends not just to humans but to all beings, living and non-living. I hope that modern intelligence platforms will one day unravel the intriguing facts of Pauranic science for the greater good, well before the remaining 427,000 years of Kaliyug pass by.
पौराणिक कथाएँ किसी भी संस्कृति का एक महत्वपूर्ण हिस्सा हैं। यह समाज में अपनाए जाने वाले रीति-रिवाजों और आपके समुदाय के सोचने और काम करने के तरीके में एक बड़ी भूमिका निभाती हैं। अभी दिवाली हुई। सब रोमांचित होते हैं। हमें दीये जलाना, अपने घरों को सजाना, स्वादिष्ट भोजन का लुत्फ़ उठाना बहुत पसंद है, लेकिन क्या हम अपने बच्चों को यह समझाने के लिए पर्याप्त आत्मविश्वास रखते हैं कि हम दिवाली क्यों मनाते हैं? रामायण के माध्यम से हमारे बच्चे राम की कहानी की बुनियादी समझ प्राप्त कर सकते हैं और यह हमारी संस्कृति के लिए क्यों प्रासंगिक है।
अगर आप कहानियों के असली सार को समझें, तो यह सिर्फ़ कई सिर और हाथों वाले काल्पनिक पात्रों की जीत नहीं है, बल्कि वास्तव में एक व्यक्ति द्वारा अपने भीतर के राक्षसों पर विजय प्राप्त करने के बारे में है। हमारी पौराणिक कथाओं में सभी खलनायक अवांछनीय लक्षणों का प्रतिनिधित्व करते हैं जो कभी-कभी हमारे अंदर विकसित हो जाते हैं। उदाहरण के लिए, हिरण्यकश्यप अहंकार का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है और भस्मासुर वासना का प्रतिनिधित्व करता है, इत्यादि। अगर बच्चे छोटी उम्र से ही ऐसे विषयों को पढ़ें, तो वे न केवल अच्छे और बुरे लक्षणों के बारे में जानेंगे, बल्कि यह भी जानेंगे कि उन पर कैसे विजय प्राप्त की जा सकती है।
Humans are adept at describing, disassembling, and reassembling things. Still, we could improve our ability to interpret and derive some ordinary and healthy meaning from current events or banal happenings in our fast-paced lives.
Part of the reason for this is that we require repetition to remember and integrate more profound thoughts and wisdom into our lives. Meditation has been compared to a cow’s rumination, in which the contents are digested, burped up, chewed over again, and re-digested several times to extract enough nutrients for a healthy life.
Stories imbue a society’s collective consciousness with principles and ideals that provide purpose and guidance. Even academic points stick when we hear them three or five times. To live meaningfully, we must halt the world and take non-physical aspirations seriously, something few people strive for or even realise is possible.
Thank you, Tauji, for underlying the importance of myths we young people tend to discard as fanciful and irrelevant. Mythology is people’s accumulated myths—their body of stories that explain nature, history, and customs—which survived thousands of years and existed without anyone supporting them by choice.
To put it simply, mythology tells us the stories of other cultures. Indian mythology focuses on stories from famous epics such as the Mahabharat and the Ramayana. Every story has some cultural significance. Greek mythology tells us about Greek gods like Zeus and heroes like Hercules. Actual occurrences and exaggerated portrayals inspired the majority of the stories. I liked Lord Brahma explaining why Lord Vishnu is not superior to him. He is not grown out of the lotus but ‘kept’ upon it as we sit on a chair.
When we hear about lion-headed gods or giants as tall as mountains, we should remember that the writer’s imagination is most likely at work. Many cultures have symbolically spun stories to keep readers captivated. But modern folks continue to investigate ancient epics and the stories presented in them, hoping that the mighty artefacts and weapons mentioned in them exist. The stories are so unique that the reader wants to believe them.
What a reflection my friend!
Sir a bit too complicated for a simple farmer like me☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
Dear Prof
Nice piece of myths and mythology!