The lofty Triad--Brahma, Visnu and Siva--which is frequently stated to be three facets of the same supreme being, is the subject of the present book. The Indian Theogony traces the historical development of Indian mythology and its connection with parallel mythologies elsewhere.In the first part of the book, the Vedic-Brahmanical and epic-Puranic components of Siva are discussed with a view to delving into the god's Vedic, non-Vedic, Aryan and non-Aryan composition. The second part of the book studies the rise of Visnu. With Brahman, in the third part of the book, the picture is quite different. In the Vedic-Brahmanical gods we do not get a very tangible figure, far less that of a sectarian god. The last part dwells on the general characteristics of the Puranic pantheon. Here, on the other hand, there are innumerable regional, functional divinities, tutelary gods and goddesses, village-- or disease-gods, and also gods for different occasions in life.This new edition will be a boon to both the scholar and the general reader alike. About the Author: SUKUMARI BHATTACHARJI taught English Literature at Brabourne College and Comparative Literature at Jadavpur University. She has published monographs on many aspects of Hindu mythology and ancient India. She has also written a number of articles in Bengali on current political issues. She was recently awarded the prestigious Bankim Puroskar for literature. Sukumari Bhattacharji was the Vice President of the Asiatic Society. She lives in Calcutta.
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