hindu gods vs greek gods

Kailasha, the home of Shiva, isdescribed asone of the pillars of the world. It is essential to improve your grip for better health & well-being. Hera sent poisonous snake to kill Heracles when he was a child but Hercules killed them. Hinduism has its three Supreme Gods - Brahma (The Creator), Vishnu (The Protector), and Shiva (The Destroyer). Taking care of your home means more than just maintenance; its a reflection of Have you ever come across an area that was completely empty and looked very dry in New Mexico, but that had some trees growing Bottom salwar pants are some very important attires that should definitely give a lot of thinking while buying them. 8809. You can improve your grasping ability by doing some basic exercises. Altogether, the conversion of Menander I to Buddhism suggested by the Milinda Panha seems to have triggered the use of Buddhist symbolism in one form or another on the coinage of close to half of the kings who succeeded him. Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. From their character traits to their weapons, the similarities are too many to ignore. Both of them have children with mortal women, for example, Perseus and Theseus in Greek whereas Arjuna and Vali in Hindu stories. There are three main Hindu goddesses - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Rhea was married to Kronos while Aditi was married to Kashyapa who can also be compared to draw a parallelism. This list includes Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Norse and Meitei versions of similar gods and goddesses. While in Greek mythology it is Zeus. the dwelling place of Zeus is Mount Olympus, home of other Greek Gods as well. A 2nd century BCE relief from a Buddhist stupa in Bharhut, in eastern Madhya Pradesh (today at the Indian Museum in Calcutta), represents a foreign soldier with the curly hair of a Greek and the royal headband with flowing ends of a Greek king. Poseidon is often shown riding a chariot driven by horses or hippocampi, while Varuna is seen with chariot of Swan or crocodiles. They might be angry, vain, and envious. Your email address will not be published. Read more at her bio page. Achilles was a great fighter who was washed with the waters of the river Styx to become invincible. Thats true, Alok. Hades is the master of Cerberus (three-headed dog18 who guards the entrance of Underworld, while the gates of Yamarajs abode Naraka are guarded by two insatiable dogs with four eyes and wide nostrils19. 16 http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Haides.html The Heliodorus pillar inscription is another epigraphical evidence of the interaction between Greeks and Hinduism. India and Greece both have a rich history and mythological heritage. 3. All these depictions were shaped by a place that confounds unitary nationalist imaginations: Greater Gandhara. He often plays tricks on others either for his own entertainment or as part of a bigger plan which in the end help humanity. Both lords of death,they preside over the netherworld. Rhea secretly gives birth to Zeus and arranges for him to be brought up in exile. Want to save this article for later? Krishna also killed a demon Trinavarta by strangling him to death while in air. Hasn't this been a beautiful journey? 10 strange similarity between Hindu and Greeks religious understanding. Both of these gods are the portrait in grey, they are polygamous, self-centered and jealous. These men would probably be nearby Indo-Greeks.[14]. 22 http://www.mythindex.com/greek-mythology/A/Achilles.html Similarly, there is a concept of seven sisters in Greek tradition known as the Pleiades, which is a cluster of stars. Shiva- the ultimate destroyer. Before theKurukshetra War, Arjuna is reluctant to fight. The deities of Hinduism have evolved from the Vedic era (2nd millennium BCE) through the medieval era (1st millennium CE), regionally within Nepal, Pakistan, India and in Southeast Asia, and . Gods & Human Relations Despite both of them being nearly invulnerable they died as heroes in the respective wars. Mirrored wardrobe design is one of the most alluring features that you can add in your home dcor. From that time, Menander and his successors may have been the key propagators of Buddhist ideas and representations: "the spread of Gandhari Buddhism may have been stimulated by Menander's royal patronage, as may have the development and spread of Gandharan sculpture, which seems to have accompanied it" (Mc Evilly, "The shape of ancient thought", p378). Your email address will not be published. "Some scholars suggest he (Maitreya) was originally linked to the Iranian saviour-figure Mitra, and that his later importance for Buddhist as the future Buddha residing in the Tusita heaven, who will follow on from Sakyamuni Buddha, derives from this source." Poseidon is the god of rivers, sea, drought, earthquakes, and horses27. In Hindu context, the river is popular known as Vaitarani and Styx in Greek context. 27- http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Poseidon.html In Hindu context, the dragon was known as Vritra while in Greek context it is Typhon. In a manner similar to Hermes, Narada was proficient in music and invented musical instrument called Vina. Indra, the king of the Hindu gods has his court and castle someplace in space. How did Lord Rama travel from Lanka to Ayodhya in Just 18 days? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own articles box! They are the main gods of the Pandava Quintet, a series written by Roshani Chokshi published by Rick Riordan Presents. While in Indian mythology Yamaraj is the ruler of Naraka (a place comparable to the underworld) and the god of Death17. In the book Indika by Megasthenes, he wrote that an Indian tribe Sourasenoi worshipped Herakles in their land with two great cities Methora and Kleisobora, around the river Jobares. bramhagodsgreekhinduindraramaShivavishnuVishwakarmaYama. On his sword appears the Buddhist symbol of the three jewels, or Triratana. [15] Also Chinese murals are known which describe Emperor Wu of Han worshipping Buddha statues brought from Central Asia in 120 BCE. Whether you're just looking to enjoy some relaxation and bonding time As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. Both of their mothers were river goddesses while father were kingsRiver goddess Thetis and King Peleus22 of Achilles and River Ganga and King Shantanu of Bhishma23. Greek gods are anthropomorphic, whereas Hindu gods can have human and non-human forms. In Greek mythology Hades is the king of Underworld (where the dead ones go), the god of death and the dead16. Conversely, the bull is probably associated with Shiva, and often described in an erectile state as on the coins of Apollodotus I. Same way, in the Greek mythology, you have Zeus, Hades,. I think it is safe to say that even though Hinduism has many deities, however, they devote themselves to one god. Both Hades and Yamaraj are said to bring judgment to the departed souls and accordingly send them to their respective afterlife. Similarly Krishna defeated Kaliya Nag, also a serpent with multiple heads. Zeus has a thunderbolt as his weapon. Keep in mind, the Greeks didnt have current science. 14 http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God10.html 10 Homeric Hymns, http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns1.html The Greek God of love is often depicted in the pictures or statues as a young, handsome male with wings. King Kamsa sent Putana to breastfeed baby Krishna with poisonous milk. In Hindu religion, Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwor are three gods considered the most important of all gods. Surprisingly the stories told in these two religions have some similarity. Greek gods are given a beautiful, perfect physical appearance while Roman gods are not given physical form and represented only in the imagination of the people. And for that reason his wife Hera is jealous of him. The earliest known image of the Buddha with approximate indications on date is the Bimaran casket, which has been found buried with coins of the Indo-Scythian king Azes II (or possibly Azes I), indicating a 30-10 BCE date,[19] although this date is not undisputed. Hermes is also said to have invented astronomy and music among other skills. Artistically, they tend to indicate that the Greeks were not particularly reluctant to make representations of local deities, which has some bearing on the later emergence of the image of the Buddha in Hellenistic style. So, even miles apart both cultures named a planet after the similar Gods, a little strange, isnt it? Greek mythology has a pantheon of 12 main gods, while Hinduism has a trinity of three principal deities. Both the religions have gods for everything and every kind. Both of them slay a sea-monster: Indras opponent is the serpent Vritra; Zeus fights andvanquishes Typhon. "Great protector of the Dharma") is said to have come from Alasandra (thought to be Alexandria of the Caucasus, the city founded by Alexander the Great, near today's Kabul) with 30,000 monks for the foundation ceremony of the Maha Thupa ("Great stupa") built by king Dutthagamani at Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka around 130 BCE, indicating the importance of Buddhism within Greek communities in northwestern India, and the prominent role Greek Buddhist monks played in them: "From Alasanda the city of the Yonas came the elder Yona Mahadhammarakkhita with thirty thousand bhikkhus.". Aditi is the goddess of boundless sky and she is also considered the Universal mother, as all forms of life including Gods and Demons are said to be contained in her womb36 (which is drastically similar to Rhea). Their total population is said to number some thirty three million. Plutarch also presents Menander as an example of benevolent rule, and explains that upon his death, the honour of sharing his remains was claimed by the various cities under his rule, and they were enshrined in "monuments" (, probably stupas), in a parallel with the historic Buddha: "But when one Menander, who had reigned graciously over the Bactrians, died afterwards in the camp, the cities indeed by common consent celebrated his funerals; but coming to a contest about his relics, they were difficultly at last brought to this agreement, that his ashes being distributed, everyone should carry away an equal share, and they should all erect monuments to him. He shoots humans using this bow to intoxicate them with love. Greek gods are mainly based on human personality traits likes love, hate, honor and dignity, and myths related to them are shaped by these traits. Quotes in E.Seldeslachts. This could suggest that the Indo-Greek kings respected the Indian aniconic rule for Buddhist depictions, limiting themselves to Buddhist symbolism only (the dharma wheel, the seated lion). In Greek mythology too, there is a famous scene where a character, Achilles, was killed by an arrow that pierced his foot. Both the ancient civilisations had trade, movements of people, traders. The Greeks additionally accepted the Olympians governed over various regions of the planet. Greek too have similar gods for every kind. Zeus and Indra make another strikingly similar pair of Gods. The clothing too is Greek, complete with tunics, capes and sandals. And, yes, youre right about both cultures getting mixed. Zeus, in ancient Greek religion, chief deity of the pantheon, a sky and weather god who was identical with the Roman god Jupiter. 17 http://books.google.co.in/books?id=b7Meabtj8mcC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA171 Indra has Vajra as his weapon32 which has the same power as thunderbolt. In addition to the worship of the Classical pantheon of the Greek deities found on their coins (e.g., Zeus, Herakles, Athena, Apollo ), the Indo-Greeks were involved with local faiths, particularly with Buddhism, but also with Hinduism and Zoroastrianism . These mounts are the residing of Zeus and Indra respectively. These seven sages are said to be those who made the Sun rise and shine. Also, theres a famous story according to which Hermes invented a string instrument called Lyre to quench Apollos anger. Likewise, the supreme gods of Greek mythology are also three - Zeus (The Lord of the Skies), Poseidon (The Lord of the Seas) and Hades (The Lord of the Underworld). 24 http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Sp-Tl/Thetis.html The representation of the Buddha may also be connected to his progressive deification, which is usually associated with the spread of the Indian principle of Bhakti (personal devotion to a deity). In Hindu Mythology, They generally represent great and common decency. 2 http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/hmvp/hmvp32.htm Good souls are sent to Elysium and Swarg in Greek and Indian mythology respectively, while the bad ones are sent to Tartarus and Naraka respectively. When she was about to dip Bhisma, Shantanu stopped her from doing so. One frieze of Sanchi, dated to the 2nd century BCE during the Satavahana period, also shows devotees in Greek attire and activities. - Quora Answer (1 of 6): In my opinion For contending with all the Greek gods I just need one Hindu god. Just as philosophers were routinely represented in statues (but certainly not on coins) in Antiquity, the image of the Buddha would naturally have occurred on statuary only. Like Hermes, he also plays tricks on others triggering a bigger event making his role significant in a great many Indian stories. The main Hindu gods are the Trimurti, which consists of three Devas who Cooperate in general for the universe. Thetis had six sons prior to Achilles, and while in her attempt to make them immortal she burned them in fire. Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods | Comparison & Similarities between Greek and Hindu mythology.It's pretty interesting to finds Greek Gods and Hindu Gods quite simil. In Indian mythology Narada is considered as the first Indian postman/journalist/messenger. The Greeks preserve their gods and cover them in sacrosanct cemeteries with their friends and family while the Indians additionally have consecrated graveyards they dont embalm their gods. The Greeks also had a lot of legend-related stories. The Gods of Mount Olympus represents good while their antitheses are the Titans, representing evil. When the sixth child Zeus is born, Rhea (Kronos' wife) devises a plan to save the baby with the help of Kronos' mother Gaia. For millennia humans have followed different cultures and have practiced diverse religions. The capital has been found with a reliquary and a coin of, "The beginnings of Buddhist Art" Alfred Foucher, Plate I, Text and photographic reference: Terre Lontane > O2, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Indo-Greek_religions&oldid=1142880372, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 21:06. Just like the story of Icarus and Daedalus, there is a story of Jatayu and Sampati in Hindu religion where Sampati saves Jatayu from going too near to the sun and burns its wings due to suns heat and falls straight to the ground, resemblance with the story of Icarus. A grown-up Krishna comes back to kill his uncle Kamsa. It is quite possible that Megasthenes who travelled to India during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, Maurya Dynasty, after his observation of Indian culture, took back the legend of Krishna (Hare Krishna) which due to language barrier got converted to legend of Heracles6. On some coin series of Antialcidas, the elephant holds the same relationship to Zeus and Nike as the Buddhist wheel on the coin of Menander II, tending to suggest a common meaning for both symbols. The coinage depict various Indian iconography: Krishna-Vasudeva, with his large wheel with six spokes (chakra) and conch (shanka), and his brother Sankarshan-Balarama, with his plough (hala) and pestle (masala), both early avatars of Vishnu. After several years, Zeus intervened and transformed the women into doves to help them escape. Anukriti Gupta. 31 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/286640/Indra There are definitely connections between Indian culture and European culture. The inscriptions were found on a vase inside a stupa, dated to the reign of Menander or one of his successors in the 1st century BCE (Tarn, p391): "The meridarch Theodorus has enshrined relics of Lord Shakyamuni, for the welfare of the mass of the people". Whats more, in their history is that the Greek gods and goddesses are connected with individuals frequently. Mahakal or Mahakaleshwar, a name for Shiva, is said to rule time and space in Hindu mythology. When Hercules was born, Zeus tricked Hera into nursing the infant. In the first place, there is Brahma, who is the maker god. 30 http://www.greekmythology.com/Olympians/Zeus/zeus.html But there were also quite afew who went east including a group we know were called the Aryans who settled in India and Iran. 1. They did extraordinary things, frequently with the assistance of Greek gods. Hera is the Greek goddess of wealth and prosperity. somewhere close to 2300 B.C. Mention of Greeks is found in the Vedic Literature, Puranas, Tamil Sangam . Zeus is known for siring a lot of heroes from different mortal women, and also with different goddesses. Whatever the culture be and whatever the religion be, it is never complete without love. This is what Joseph Campbell said, the professor of mythology whose work on comparative mythology is vast and illuminating. She is seen as the one presiding over all art forms. In the Greek myth of the Titanomachy, the Olympian gods defeat the Titans, an older and more primitive divine race, to establish cosmic order. Hindu Gods are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism and/or Hindu mythology. Duringthese wars, both lose men who they deeply loved. Now, lets compare the events from their lives. In fact, it is commonly known that Greeks easily incorporated things he liked from other cultures and called them their own. Hercules killed earth-born giant Antaeus by holding him in air and squeezing the breath out of him. Summary Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods Most Greek gods had similar characteristics, both good and bad, to human beings. Both the religions believe these gods rule the heaven, earth, and the netherworld. BothIndra and Zeus are the kings of the gods. At precisely the same time, right after the death of Menander, several Indo-Greek rulers also started to adopt on their coins the Pali title of "Dharmikasa", meaning "follower of the Dharma" (the title of the great Indian Buddhist king Ashoka was Dharmaraja "King of the Dharma"). After battling the Titans, he administered the world with his family. Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, also called Ganapati, elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, who is traditionally worshipped before any major enterprise and is the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, and authors. Ancient Egyptian deities; Mesopotamian deities; Ancient Greek deities; Ancient Meitei deities; Ancient Roman deities; Norse deities; Hindu deities. Godess Saraswati sprang out from the mouth of Lord Brahma dressed in white carrying a scared book and a veena in her hands. Next comparison is between Poseidon and Varuna. Thats true. Some of the earlier coins of king Apollodotus I directly associate the elephant with Buddhist symbolism, such as the stupa hill surmounted by a star, also seen, for example on the coins of the Mauryan Empire or those of the later Kuninda kingdom. The first similarity between Greek Gods vs Hindu Gods is the god of gods. Sat in your condo you look in the mirror after getting out of bed and a shower. They are known as the Olympians, while important Hindu divine beings are known as the Trimurti, which comprises three Devas. Apollo, Zeus son, drew the sun across the sky. 33 http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanisRhea.html First of all both of them are prominent gods in their respective cultures. The Greeks valued many gods and goddesses. Difference Between Greek Gods and Hindu Gods, Main Differences Between Greek Gods and Hindu Gods. They were creatures who dived regularly, This meant they only had one Human Parent. Indra is also god of rain, regent of the heavens, guardian of the east 31, ruler of cloud and skies32. Avatars were reincarnations of Devas in the Hindu mythology,Gods taking birth in mortal form to live among the mortals & fight & see the welfare of the mankind.In Greek mythology this was the duty . But discovering who the baby was, Hera tried to make amends by quickly pulling him away from her breast. There is bounds to be similarities as we definitely would have branched off the same tree . He spent a great deal of time, trying to win their affection. What is the main message of the book of Revelation in the New Testament? Similarly, the Greeks have a goddess of wisdom, who is Athena. However, another version of the story says that Thetis dipped Achilles in River Styx to make him immortal24. The terms and epithets for deity within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Bhagavan and Bhagavathi. They were happily married to seven sisters, named Krittika. The most obvious difference between Hindu gods and Greek gods is the sheer number of gods. What is the main belief of Anglicanism, established by the Church of England? Similarly, Olympus is thesetting of many Greek myths, and the home of the twelveOlympian gods. Correspondingly when Lord Shiv seemed stripped before the spouses of certain sages, they reviled Shiv to such an extent that he lost his genital. Another possibility is that the Indo-Greeks may not have considered the Buddha strictly as a God, but rather as an essentially human sage or philosopher, in line with the traditional Nikaya Buddhist doctrine. Thank you! Hinduism, major world religion originating on the Indian subcontinent and comprising several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual. 21 http://blog.matrabhasha.com/2012/08/name-of-planets-graho-ke-naam.html Greek gods reside on Mount Olympus, while Hindu gods inhabit various celestial realms. At the of it all, all these ancient civilizations used to believe in the grand scheme of 3 supreme . Hinber (2000), pp. Going to the beach can be a fantastic way to relax and unwind. This is how they comprehended the world. Buddhism [ edit] Main article: Greco-Buddhism Their parents can also be directly compared between the mythologies, hence making the evidence of parallelism stronger. Zeus: Sky/climate, Hades: The hidden world, Poseidon: Sea, Aquatics, etc, Brahman- surprisingly creature. Likewise, the supreme gods of Greek mythology are also three - Zeus (The Lord of the Skies), Poseidon (The Lord of the Seas) and Hades (The Lord of the Underworld). Similarly, in the Greek context, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon are the most important. Kamadeva, like Eros, is also known to be carrying a bow made of Sugarcane and arrows of flowers. Varuna is the God of water, oceans and aquatic animals28. Kleisobora and Jobares may correspond to Krishna Pura and Yamuna respectively. The Indo-Greeks practiced numerous religions during the time they ruled in present-day northwestern India from the 2nd century BCE to the beginning of the 1st century CE. [12] This usage was adopted by Strato I, Zoilos I, Heliokles II, Theophilos, Peukolaos, Menander II and Archebios. In similar fashion, Kronos becomes aware of a prophecy that he will be overthrown by one of his children. 35 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/5981/Aditi Shiva as a figure rippling with muscles, bearing a trident; Skanda as a tall youth grasping a gleaming spear; Durga as a goddess slaughtering a buffalo. It is astonishing that the oldest religion has so many similarities by which we can know that the thinking level of human beings is very much parallel in the context of time regardless of their race or ethnicity. The main Hindu gods can be known as Trimurti, which comprises three Devas who cooperate all in all for the universe. Menander I, the "Saviour king", is documented to have converted to Buddhism, and is described in Buddhist texts as a great benefactor of the religion. If you're looking for a way to spice up your workouts, you should consider using a kettlebell. Also visible are Carnyx-like horns. Most of the early images of the Buddha (especially those of the standing Buddha) are anepigraphic, which makes it difficult to have a definite datation. Both Indra and Zeus are the "kings" of the gods. The association of the Indo-Greeks with the Bhagavata movement is documented in the inscription of the Heliodorus pillar, made during the reign of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas (r.c. In Indian Mythology, in spite of all the other Gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwar are considered to the three most important Gods. India and Greece both have rich, ancient civilisations. Immediately, I thought with that the name might be related to Zeus, but then It really came together when I read that that Indian god was sometimes called Dyaus Pitar which means Sky Father which sounded very similar to Jupiter. Their other parent was gods. (The corporeal relic) of Sakamuni, which is endowed with life". They were portrayed as men or women, but they were thought to be immortal and to hold special powers. Athena is often seen with her companion owl, while Saraswati is seen with a swan (hansa) or a peacock. Required fields are marked *. Similarly, in the Greek context, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon are the most important. According to one story, one of the Pleiades, Merope, deserted her sisters because she was ashamed of having a mortal husband, who also happened to be a criminal. Both posses the same kind of weapon i.e., Thunderbolt (or Vajra in the Sanskrit language). Ganga had forced Shantanu to take a vow that he would never question his actions. The musical instruments are also quite characteristic, such as the double flute called aulos. Lately you have been resting as much Kishor Kumar is a blogger, writer, entrepreneur, enthusiast learner, and occasional web designer. Parents of Varuna are Kashyapa and Aditi29 who can actually be compared to the parents of Poseidon Kronos and Rhea27. He was called the father (i.e., the ruler and protector) of . Hindu philosophy has it that Kaliyuga began with Lord Krishna's death by a mislaid arrow shot by a hunter. Thus Achilles lived and got invulnerability except for the heel. 3 http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hermes.html The name Iranian is definitely related to the name Aryan. The pillar was erected around 110 BCE in central India at the site of Vidisha, by Heliodorus, a Greek ambassador of the Indo-Greek king Antialcidas to the court of the Shunga king Bhagabhadra.

Maria Vera Ratti, Firewater Tincture Recipe, Intercon Dining Table, England V Scotland Tickets Euros, Tiny Lund Shelby County Speedway, Articles H