Indian Mythology in Gurbani - Introduction

The title Hindu Mythology is actually inaccurate and inadequate. First, the term mythology tends to invoke the notion that the stories and characters involved are necessarily fictional. The word myth in modern times has come to mean an explanation that is widely held as true but is actually wrong. However, mythology in the context presented here is as a foundational story or idea that is meant to explain something important to or about a people or society. Therefore, Hindu Mythology here refers to the important, foundational stories of the Hindu people. This leads to the second pitfall of the term - Hindu. (Editing note: Due to a thoughtful suggestion from a reader the name of the series has been changed to Indian Mythology in Gurbani. However, this introduction is still relevant.)

Maharishi Valmiki Composing the Ramayana

The word ‘Hindu’ can be traced backed to the Sanskrit word ‘Sindhu’ which originally meant a river or stream. The word eventually came to define the great river Sindhu into which the 5 rivers of Punjab still feed. The Arya (the term used by the people of the Rig Veda for themselves) often referred to Saptasindhu (7 rivers or Land of 7 Rivers) which is generally believed to be the ancient name of Punjab (5 waters or Land of 5 Rivers). The Arya added the Indus (or Sindhu) and the Saraswati (since dried up) rivers to the remaining 5 rivers of modern Punjab to form Saptasindhu. It is from Saptasindhu that the Arya are believed to have colonized the lands of Ganga and Jamuna, creating the area which they referred to as Aryavarta (Country of the Arya). With the South Asian subcontinent being surrounded by ocean to its south and the great Himalayas to the North and Northeast, the only practical route to the South Asian subcontinent was to cross the Sindhu. Thus, in ancient times, to outsiders – the Persians, Greeks, etc. – contact with the South Asian subcontinent was limited to area surrounding the Sindhu and so to them this land was the land of the Sindhu which the Persians called Hindhu and the Greeks Indus (from which the name India originated). Eventually, the word Hindu came to refer to the people who occupied this land.

Map of Saptasindhu with theoretical Sarswati River

As the Persians and Greeks themselves were practitioners of polytheistic religions with fluid doctrine the word Hindu did not yet come to be associated with religious identity. This would come later with the arrival of Islam. At this point, Hindu simply meant the people who occupied the land of Sindhu. In this sense, as uncomfortable as it might be to modern identities, Hindu people included the people of Punjab. And so, Hindu mythology is also the mythology, the foundational stories of Punjab and the Punjabi people. These are not stories that are foreign or alien. They are in fact the opposite; they are ours, part of our history. This was clear in the minds of the Gurus who often utilized these myths to confer their pristine teachings to the people of Punjab and India. These stories would have been familiar and instantly recognizable by the general population from which the first people became Sikhs. It is only over time, with the arrival of the Christian overlords, the rise of Hindu nationalist organizations such as the Arya Samaj, the growth of the Sikh Diaspora in the West and the events surrounding 1984 that Sikh identity began to expunge from itself of all things “Hindu”. With this non-Hindu identity, the general Sikh population also lost its knowledge of “Hindu” myth to which references in Sri Guru Granth Sahib and Dasam Granth are far from insignificant.

 Guru Nanak holds a discourse with the Nath Yogis of Himalyas

In these series of posts, I hope to begin a discussion on the Snatam (ancient) Myths. The ultimate goal in understanding these myths is to better understand our own Guru and to enrich our experience of Gurbani.

The one discussion I hope to avoid is the discussion on whether these myths are real or not. The point is that they are in Gurbani and so should be understood by Sikhs. Whether they are literal or symbolic does not change the messages or teachings of the Guru. Similarly, I hope to avoid the discussion about whether they are Sikh or not. Again, they are in Gurbani. In making these posts I am not saying that one must believe or must not believe in these myths. What I am trying to convey is that their inclusion in Gurbani warrants study of them. 

Before finishing the post I want to state that this series not meant to offend or expropriate the religion of modern day Hindus. Instead I am reaching into a shared past from which the great Indian religions: modern Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism all sprouted.