What do you think?
Rate this book
Hindu Myths [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2005] WENDY DONIGER OFLAHERTY
These tales of Hindu gods and demons express in vivid symbols the metaphysical insights of ancient Indian priests and poets.
This selection and translation of seventy-five seminal myths spans the wide range of classical Indian sources, from the serpent-slaying Indra of the Vedas (c. 1200 BC) to the medieval pantheon — the phallic and ascetic Śiva, the maternal and bloodthirsty Goddess, the mischievous child Krishna, the other avatars of Vishnu, and the many minor gods, demons, rivers, and animals sacred to Hinduism. The traditional themes of life and death are set forth and interwoven with many complex variations which give a kaleidoscopic picture of the development of almost three thousand years of Indian mythology.
This selection and translation of seventy-five seminal myths spans the wide range of classical Indian sources, from the serpent-slaying Indra of the Vedas (c. 1200 BC) to the medieval pantheon — the phallic and ascetic Śiva, the maternal and bloodthirsty Goddess, the mischievous child Krishna, the other avatars of Vishnu, and the many minor gods, demons, rivers, and animals sacred to Hinduism. The traditional themes of life and death are set forth and interwoven with many complex variations which give a kaleidoscopic picture of the development of almost three thousand years of Indian mythology.
Paperback
First published September 30, 1975
91 people are currently reading
1232 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 1, 2023
(3.5 stars)
This is a selected collection of 75 stories from an assortment of Hindu texts including the Puranas, Rig Veda, Upanishads. Ramayana, Bhagavad-Gita and the epic Mahabharata. The first is a creation story, the last story ends with a battle between demons and gods.
When I read this back in 2019 its contents were new to me. I had very high expectations that it would give me the understanding I needed to improve communications with my family. I was born into this culture but grew up with western ideology, where things continually, like most of the time, get ‘lost in translation’. This is a big ask of any book, and despite it not being able to do this, back in 2019 I liked how the myths came with commentary. I also liked the fantastical elements to some of the stories. I was left with the idea that ascetism is important.
This time, in 2023, I came back to this book having a slightly better understanding of Hindu and Indian philosophy, where I now realise dharma is also an important factor; and it’s only now I understand that dharma is a way of life rather than an aspect of religion. This book makes an attempt to illustrate this but in 2019 this was not obvious to me. Reading this again in 2023, I would still say this message is subtle as it focuses more on the stories than the story’s cultural function.
The strength of this book is giving an overview of several Hindu texts, it also demonstrates well that some stories have several versions. What’s still challenging are the stories that are a short extract from the original tale. The commentary sometimes helps to make this a cohesive read, but I think this book works better read if you’re more in tuned to some of the underlying philosophy, for now this is not me but who knows what the future brings.
This is a selected collection of 75 stories from an assortment of Hindu texts including the Puranas, Rig Veda, Upanishads. Ramayana, Bhagavad-Gita and the epic Mahabharata. The first is a creation story, the last story ends with a battle between demons and gods.
When I read this back in 2019 its contents were new to me. I had very high expectations that it would give me the understanding I needed to improve communications with my family. I was born into this culture but grew up with western ideology, where things continually, like most of the time, get ‘lost in translation’. This is a big ask of any book, and despite it not being able to do this, back in 2019 I liked how the myths came with commentary. I also liked the fantastical elements to some of the stories. I was left with the idea that ascetism is important.
This time, in 2023, I came back to this book having a slightly better understanding of Hindu and Indian philosophy, where I now realise dharma is also an important factor; and it’s only now I understand that dharma is a way of life rather than an aspect of religion. This book makes an attempt to illustrate this but in 2019 this was not obvious to me. Reading this again in 2023, I would still say this message is subtle as it focuses more on the stories than the story’s cultural function.
The strength of this book is giving an overview of several Hindu texts, it also demonstrates well that some stories have several versions. What’s still challenging are the stories that are a short extract from the original tale. The commentary sometimes helps to make this a cohesive read, but I think this book works better read if you’re more in tuned to some of the underlying philosophy, for now this is not me but who knows what the future brings.
May 7, 2020
Yay! I finished this book! The effort involved almost rivaled the effort it took to finish The Iliad, especially since I read this in about a quarter of the time it took to read THAT book.
Anyway, it is almost impossible for me to review a book like this based on the actual content. How does a woman living in the West in 2020 review stories that were first told in a time and place so vastly different? I don't know if it's really fair for me to critique the subject matter. It's not like this is Twilight. The writings contained here form the foundations for the beliefs of literally a billion people (currently alive), and I know next to nothing about their culture and history and religion. It just doesn't feel right to make uneducated statements about something like that. I probably would be annoyed by if someone did that to my religion.... If I had one...
But I can tell you why I wanted to read it and what my experience was with the way the subject matter was presented.
A few months ago I attempted to read selections from the Rig Veda as part of the Lifetime Reading Plan (even though the Vedas aren't actually on the Lifetime Reading Plan, but whatever). I pretty much had no idea what was going on, so I thought that reading a book of Hindu beliefs might help in this attempt. Because I only have a LITTLE background in Hinduism from a comparative religion class when I was a college freshman, I wanted a book that was pretty basic. Like I don't know if there is a Hindu Gods for Dummies book, but that was kind of what I was looking for.
This is NOT that. I kind of still didn't know what was going on half the time, at least when I began reading. The book consists of 75 different myths pulled from a wide variety of Hindu writings (the Vedas, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Puranas) that were grouped into different chapters or topics starting with Creation and ending with "Gods and Demons."
I do not believe this is the best resource for beginners. Many times I struggled to grasp certain concepts within the myth. Sometimes I struggled to understand ANYHING. The translator included intros at the beginning of each myth, which I appreciated, but sometimes those confused me too. Also there were many, MANY epithets, which were sometimes difficult to keep straight. I think that is common in ancient literature, because I seem to recall Homer using them too, but I feel like there was A LOT!
I suspect that a person who was more knowledgeable would have a very different experience of the book. Because when I DID understand it, I found the stories very interesting.
Thankfully, there is a glossary of terms in the back. It is pretty fantastic. A lot of books like this have glossaries that don't include half of the important terms, but I think every time I looked something up I found it. And I looked a lot of stuff up. A lot. So. Many. Epithets.
At some point near the beginning-ish, I remembered something that my freshman philosophy teacher told me about reading texts that make no sense. Just keep reading it, and eventually it may start to make sense. So that is what I decided to do with this, and it really did start to make sense. I am in no way claiming that I understand everything I read, because obviously I did not. But I did start to see a lot of patterns, and ideas, and have a less difficult time with reading the myths on a surface level at the very least.
I do, however, still wish I could find a book of Hindu mythology that was just the basic stories of some of the Gods and heroes. Like you know how there are 8 zillion books about the Greek Gods for every age? Where is there a version of that for Hinduism? And another thing, maybe I shouldn't keep calling it Hindu "mythology." I feel like that might be offensive to Hindus. I don't see a lot of books of "Christian mythology." It's more like "stories from the Bible." or something like that.
In the end, I realize this is a very long and rambling review, but maybe if you are like me and have a very basic understanding of Hinduism, it will help you decide if you want to read it or not. I do think it will probably be useful when I get to some of the later works and epics, but I'm not sure how useful it will be with the Rig Veda. Maybe I will update this review when I find out.
4 stars for the translation, not the content for reasons mentioned above. Even though it was confusing at times, I imagine this took a LOT of work on the part of the translator. Plus it's not her fault if I'm kind of an idiot. :)
Anyway, it is almost impossible for me to review a book like this based on the actual content. How does a woman living in the West in 2020 review stories that were first told in a time and place so vastly different? I don't know if it's really fair for me to critique the subject matter. It's not like this is Twilight. The writings contained here form the foundations for the beliefs of literally a billion people (currently alive), and I know next to nothing about their culture and history and religion. It just doesn't feel right to make uneducated statements about something like that. I probably would be annoyed by if someone did that to my religion.... If I had one...
But I can tell you why I wanted to read it and what my experience was with the way the subject matter was presented.
A few months ago I attempted to read selections from the Rig Veda as part of the Lifetime Reading Plan (even though the Vedas aren't actually on the Lifetime Reading Plan, but whatever). I pretty much had no idea what was going on, so I thought that reading a book of Hindu beliefs might help in this attempt. Because I only have a LITTLE background in Hinduism from a comparative religion class when I was a college freshman, I wanted a book that was pretty basic. Like I don't know if there is a Hindu Gods for Dummies book, but that was kind of what I was looking for.
This is NOT that. I kind of still didn't know what was going on half the time, at least when I began reading. The book consists of 75 different myths pulled from a wide variety of Hindu writings (the Vedas, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Puranas) that were grouped into different chapters or topics starting with Creation and ending with "Gods and Demons."
I do not believe this is the best resource for beginners. Many times I struggled to grasp certain concepts within the myth. Sometimes I struggled to understand ANYHING. The translator included intros at the beginning of each myth, which I appreciated, but sometimes those confused me too. Also there were many, MANY epithets, which were sometimes difficult to keep straight. I think that is common in ancient literature, because I seem to recall Homer using them too, but I feel like there was A LOT!
I suspect that a person who was more knowledgeable would have a very different experience of the book. Because when I DID understand it, I found the stories very interesting.
Thankfully, there is a glossary of terms in the back. It is pretty fantastic. A lot of books like this have glossaries that don't include half of the important terms, but I think every time I looked something up I found it. And I looked a lot of stuff up. A lot. So. Many. Epithets.
At some point near the beginning-ish, I remembered something that my freshman philosophy teacher told me about reading texts that make no sense. Just keep reading it, and eventually it may start to make sense. So that is what I decided to do with this, and it really did start to make sense. I am in no way claiming that I understand everything I read, because obviously I did not. But I did start to see a lot of patterns, and ideas, and have a less difficult time with reading the myths on a surface level at the very least.
I do, however, still wish I could find a book of Hindu mythology that was just the basic stories of some of the Gods and heroes. Like you know how there are 8 zillion books about the Greek Gods for every age? Where is there a version of that for Hinduism? And another thing, maybe I shouldn't keep calling it Hindu "mythology." I feel like that might be offensive to Hindus. I don't see a lot of books of "Christian mythology." It's more like "stories from the Bible." or something like that.
In the end, I realize this is a very long and rambling review, but maybe if you are like me and have a very basic understanding of Hinduism, it will help you decide if you want to read it or not. I do think it will probably be useful when I get to some of the later works and epics, but I'm not sure how useful it will be with the Rig Veda. Maybe I will update this review when I find out.
4 stars for the translation, not the content for reasons mentioned above. Even though it was confusing at times, I imagine this took a LOT of work on the part of the translator. Plus it's not her fault if I'm kind of an idiot. :)
July 8, 2016
2.5/5. This book has problems with it:
1) This book is actually a translation of Sanskrit texts about Hindu myths authored by Brahmins. It is not a description of the beliefs and myths of people who would have identified are can be identified as Hindus. This is clear by the fact that many of the myths concern Brahmins attempting to explain or coopt competing religious beliefs (e.g. Mother Goddess worship, fertility gods/goddesses worship, Buddhism, etc.) that challenged their material power. By only focusing on these texts, this work reifies Brahmin's (problematic) claims as being stewards of Hinduism.
2) The book needs far more explanatory notes/context. I am broadly familiar with the Hindu pantheon and the corpus of Hindu myths yet I struggled in many places to follow along. In particular, most of the Vedic myths were indecipherable. At other points the author refers to religious pratices that existed alongside Brahmanism (e.g. Mother Goddess worship, tantra, etc.) but provides little information about them.
3) The translations are a problem. The translator favored precision in translation over meter and rhyme, making the texts unwieldy and difficult to enjoy. Moreover, in many of the myths the translations choose words in English, that while precise, have a medical context. For example, many myths refer to embryos. I doubt that people in ancient times had a concept of an embryo independent of that of an unborn child. However, by choosing to use the word embryo the translator makes reading the myths more difficult -- the reader is forced to accept that these ancient authors had simultaneously precise but errneous ideas of human reproduction.
4) The book needed more myths. The myth cycles of Rama and Krishna, while well known, were very sparse. Between 2 and 3 of the avatars of Vishnu had no myths at all. The myths of the Devi were few. Myths from more heterodox traditions (e.g. Tantra, Shakti, etc.) were excluded. All of these would have added to a richer exploration of Hindu myths and beliefs (and may even have forced attention away from the monopoly Brahmins held on Sanskrit texts).
Overall, a disappointment.
1) This book is actually a translation of Sanskrit texts about Hindu myths authored by Brahmins. It is not a description of the beliefs and myths of people who would have identified are can be identified as Hindus. This is clear by the fact that many of the myths concern Brahmins attempting to explain or coopt competing religious beliefs (e.g. Mother Goddess worship, fertility gods/goddesses worship, Buddhism, etc.) that challenged their material power. By only focusing on these texts, this work reifies Brahmin's (problematic) claims as being stewards of Hinduism.
2) The book needs far more explanatory notes/context. I am broadly familiar with the Hindu pantheon and the corpus of Hindu myths yet I struggled in many places to follow along. In particular, most of the Vedic myths were indecipherable. At other points the author refers to religious pratices that existed alongside Brahmanism (e.g. Mother Goddess worship, tantra, etc.) but provides little information about them.
3) The translations are a problem. The translator favored precision in translation over meter and rhyme, making the texts unwieldy and difficult to enjoy. Moreover, in many of the myths the translations choose words in English, that while precise, have a medical context. For example, many myths refer to embryos. I doubt that people in ancient times had a concept of an embryo independent of that of an unborn child. However, by choosing to use the word embryo the translator makes reading the myths more difficult -- the reader is forced to accept that these ancient authors had simultaneously precise but errneous ideas of human reproduction.
4) The book needed more myths. The myth cycles of Rama and Krishna, while well known, were very sparse. Between 2 and 3 of the avatars of Vishnu had no myths at all. The myths of the Devi were few. Myths from more heterodox traditions (e.g. Tantra, Shakti, etc.) were excluded. All of these would have added to a richer exploration of Hindu myths and beliefs (and may even have forced attention away from the monopoly Brahmins held on Sanskrit texts).
Overall, a disappointment.
April 24, 2022
Let me just start by saying it you're looking for an easy introductory guide to slide your way with ease into the maze that is Hindu mythology, this is NOT your book. This is a highly academic book encompassing so many different variations if integral Hindu myths, and it doesn't really cater to beginners. You'll be looking in the glossary a LOT, and probably pausing to scratch your head in confusion a couple dozen times too. You might even stop and wonder, "What the fuck am I reading?" if, like me, you are relatively new to Hindu mythology. But despite not knowing what I was reading about half the time, and after discovering that this was certainly not the beginners introduction I'd been hoping for, I really enjoyed reading this. I learned quite a bit, and found myself fascinated even by the myths that I didn't quite understand or thought were disturbing in some way. Honestly, it just makes me want to learn more. I just wish there were a more simplified version of this book for people, so that they can get a basic idea of what's going on first, before getting into all the tiny, confusing details.
January 3, 2015
i wasn't too impressed with this collection of Hindu myths. i found the format hard to follow and i found the notes and explanations actually hindered my understanding because it either referenced other versions of the myth that were not in the book or read much earlier.
October 30, 2013
Possibly too content-heavy to be a 'beginners' mythology book. Read more like a textbook than prose. Interesting, albeit confusing. I feel I have a slightly better understanding of Hindu myths, but would not recommend the book.
January 27, 2022
lots of fun! certainly there was more i didn't understand than what i did, especially culturally & contextually - that's work for later. but these images will live powerfully in my imagination regardless. i enjoyed the english rendering of the later myths especially, some beautiful turns of phrase that help the stories really pack a punch. "you look like a dark night touched by the light of the moon..."
September 14, 2025
8/10
Pretty terrific work from Doniger in being able to guide the reader through the history/themes of quintessential Hindu myths.
Pretty terrific work from Doniger in being able to guide the reader through the history/themes of quintessential Hindu myths.
September 7, 2022
Interesting!
Read
July 30, 2011I feel much more learned about Hindu culture which was the aim of the exercise. The author is certainly very thorough and very scholarly.
These myths are not told in a fairy story kind of way but are instead academic translations of the original source material - hence they are flowery and twisting , with idiosyncratic naming and heavy subtext. I feel that despite this it provides a good insight into the Hindu religion.
The appendix / glossary is something that was continuously useful and I will definitely be dipping back into this to find that elusive name - oh right, so its a fifth different name for Siva, silly me!
These myths are not told in a fairy story kind of way but are instead academic translations of the original source material - hence they are flowery and twisting , with idiosyncratic naming and heavy subtext. I feel that despite this it provides a good insight into the Hindu religion.
The appendix / glossary is something that was continuously useful and I will definitely be dipping back into this to find that elusive name - oh right, so its a fifth different name for Siva, silly me!
June 24, 2012
Another very excellent book on Hindu mythology. The contents would be somewhat confusing and contradictory to those unfamiliar with Hindu mythology but a rich collection of lore to those who know.
February 2, 2020
I love mythology and reading these ancient texts. What I’m struggling with in reading these Hindu myths is my lack of experience with them. While there are some similarities to other mythologies that I’ve read there are enough major differences that it makes them difficult for me to contextualize and absorb them. It is my firm belief that as I delve deeper into these myths my understanding and this, my appreciation for them will grow exponentially. Here are my notes I jotted down through my reading.
The creation myths are wild. They are full of incest, rape, dismemberment and rather bawdy humor. In some sense they remind me a bit of creation myths of Mesopotamia or even Grecian ones, but they are far more bizarre. The notion of ex nihilo creation is not found at all; but, then there is some linguistic similarities between Brahma’s references to himself and YHWH’s references to himself. I don’t know if this is because of limitations in human speech or thought or if there is something so true in creation that demands the creator speak that way of himself/itself.
Don’t mess with the God’s cows. Indra killed the Panis who stole his cows. Helios causes so much trouble for Odysseus because his men ate the god’s cattle. Even YHWH gets in on claiming the cows as his own in Psalm 50.
Indra, after he has been downgraded a little reminds me of Odin. But the Odin of Douglas Adams or Neil Gaiman: crafty and conniving, hellbent on achieving his goals, which aren’t exactly lofty or godlike. His sexual appetites and proclivity for lightning bolts are similar to Zeus.
I’m at a loss for comparisons to Agni. I guess the most obvious is that Agni the fire god is called The Purifier; but, his roles are varied and seemingly contradictory. I think this lack of either/or and embracing of opposites simultaneously is what is so foreign and different to me. It’s interesting that this fire god tries to hide from all the other gods. The story of his son, Skanda from the Mahabharata is like reading a Freudian nightmare. Honestly, there seems to be a lot more of the Oedipus complex in Hindu mythology than in the Oedipus cycle.
Rudra and Siva are by far the hardest to grasp of the mythology so far. They feel much older and much darker than anything in Agni or Indra. The emphasis on the phallus of Siva is even more pronounced than the other myths, even with their constant talk of “seed” and its place in the mythology.
Visnu is prefaced by the translator as being “far more straightforward” and “orthodox” than Siva. To me his myths are something I can wrap my brain around far more easily.
The creation myths are wild. They are full of incest, rape, dismemberment and rather bawdy humor. In some sense they remind me a bit of creation myths of Mesopotamia or even Grecian ones, but they are far more bizarre. The notion of ex nihilo creation is not found at all; but, then there is some linguistic similarities between Brahma’s references to himself and YHWH’s references to himself. I don’t know if this is because of limitations in human speech or thought or if there is something so true in creation that demands the creator speak that way of himself/itself.
Don’t mess with the God’s cows. Indra killed the Panis who stole his cows. Helios causes so much trouble for Odysseus because his men ate the god’s cattle. Even YHWH gets in on claiming the cows as his own in Psalm 50.
Indra, after he has been downgraded a little reminds me of Odin. But the Odin of Douglas Adams or Neil Gaiman: crafty and conniving, hellbent on achieving his goals, which aren’t exactly lofty or godlike. His sexual appetites and proclivity for lightning bolts are similar to Zeus.
I’m at a loss for comparisons to Agni. I guess the most obvious is that Agni the fire god is called The Purifier; but, his roles are varied and seemingly contradictory. I think this lack of either/or and embracing of opposites simultaneously is what is so foreign and different to me. It’s interesting that this fire god tries to hide from all the other gods. The story of his son, Skanda from the Mahabharata is like reading a Freudian nightmare. Honestly, there seems to be a lot more of the Oedipus complex in Hindu mythology than in the Oedipus cycle.
Rudra and Siva are by far the hardest to grasp of the mythology so far. They feel much older and much darker than anything in Agni or Indra. The emphasis on the phallus of Siva is even more pronounced than the other myths, even with their constant talk of “seed” and its place in the mythology.
Visnu is prefaced by the translator as being “far more straightforward” and “orthodox” than Siva. To me his myths are something I can wrap my brain around far more easily.
February 2, 2024
Is Prajapati:
A. A unique god;
B. A god who shares an identify with Brahma;
C. A class of gods;
D. A combination of the above?
If you know the answer to this, then you read something other than Hindu Myths.
The idea here was good. Present several godly figures through the lens of their myths told in chronological order, i.e., read about Agni as he appears in Rig Veda Samhita (oldest), then Brahamanas, then Mahabharata, then various Puranas.
If you read the Old Testament, especially Leviticus and Numbers, you'd be shocked by how little it resembles anything in the New Testament and certainly modern Judaism or Christianity. The analogy in Hindu Myths is pretty clear: the characterization of Judeo-Christian God evolves a lot and so do the proto-Hindu gods.
But what was rough about Hindu Myths?
I think the moral messaging of virtually all of the myths was hard to unpack. What is good, what is bad, how do we behave in light of the story? I found myself confused by Indra switching peoples' heads with horse heads and totally unclear what it all means.
Then, I felt the grandeur and beauty of the language in the King James Bible was no where to be found. I'm sure the translations were fine. But were they inspiring? Maybe the Sanskrit is less grandiose in the first place versus the Bible's Hebrew and Koine Greek. But still: there were no real notable lines and the Bible is chock full of bangers.
The biggest concern for me thought was ultimately drawing some connection to modern Hinduism and these myths. I would have loved more color on which gods are celebrated, how, and when / why. And do not have a great sense, 300 pages later.
A. A unique god;
B. A god who shares an identify with Brahma;
C. A class of gods;
D. A combination of the above?
If you know the answer to this, then you read something other than Hindu Myths.
The idea here was good. Present several godly figures through the lens of their myths told in chronological order, i.e., read about Agni as he appears in Rig Veda Samhita (oldest), then Brahamanas, then Mahabharata, then various Puranas.
If you read the Old Testament, especially Leviticus and Numbers, you'd be shocked by how little it resembles anything in the New Testament and certainly modern Judaism or Christianity. The analogy in Hindu Myths is pretty clear: the characterization of Judeo-Christian God evolves a lot and so do the proto-Hindu gods.
But what was rough about Hindu Myths?
I think the moral messaging of virtually all of the myths was hard to unpack. What is good, what is bad, how do we behave in light of the story? I found myself confused by Indra switching peoples' heads with horse heads and totally unclear what it all means.
Then, I felt the grandeur and beauty of the language in the King James Bible was no where to be found. I'm sure the translations were fine. But were they inspiring? Maybe the Sanskrit is less grandiose in the first place versus the Bible's Hebrew and Koine Greek. But still: there were no real notable lines and the Bible is chock full of bangers.
The biggest concern for me thought was ultimately drawing some connection to modern Hinduism and these myths. I would have loved more color on which gods are celebrated, how, and when / why. And do not have a great sense, 300 pages later.
June 4, 2025
It was truly interesting to read an unbiased version of the Hindu myths that I grew up hearing. I had never read them directly from the Vedas, and most of my exposure came during festivals or from my grandparents’ storytelling. This book was a refreshing way to revisit those stories, giving me a deeper understanding of my own culture.
While I recognize that not every meaning from the original scriptures can be fully captured in English, the effort put into translating and presenting these myths is commendable. What I particularly appreciated were the brief descriptions of the myths and the insightful footnotes, which I found more engaging than the myths themselves. Some of the myths can be quite lengthy and repetitive, so these condensed versions provided a more digestible way of revisiting these ancient tales.
Overall, it’s a great book for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Hindu stories and culture while getting a fresh perspective on these timeless stories.
While I recognize that not every meaning from the original scriptures can be fully captured in English, the effort put into translating and presenting these myths is commendable. What I particularly appreciated were the brief descriptions of the myths and the insightful footnotes, which I found more engaging than the myths themselves. Some of the myths can be quite lengthy and repetitive, so these condensed versions provided a more digestible way of revisiting these ancient tales.
Overall, it’s a great book for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of Hindu stories and culture while getting a fresh perspective on these timeless stories.
April 18, 2022
I have to admit I became very confused reading this because the Hindu Gods and Demons each go by many names, including "husband of..." or "son of...", so I wasn't sure if a character was still speaking or if someone else started speaking. But having very limited exposure to Hindu stories, I was not prepared for as much incest as I found. By that I mean any incest at all was more than I expected to find! Definitely racier than I was expecting, for example how Kavya expressly admires Jayanti (daughter of Indra) and her "excellent buttocks." Descriptions of a god's "release" inside a desirable female god can be found hidden throughout these myths. I'm sorry this is my main take away here, but it was striking in its tone. I enjoyed this better than Tropic of Cancer for its prurient subjects.
January 28, 2019
This took quite a bit of reading! The stories were totally gripping and imaginative, but the book is so packed with names and cultural ideas that are new to me, that I needed pauses to reflect, recover, connect things together, and look things up!! It has inspired me to start a short course in Hindu scriptures. The more I learn, the more respect I have for this collection, for what a task it must have been to make this selection, amid so many layers of possibility. I feel richer for it, so thank you. :-)
April 26, 2020
It's not fully accurate but good enough to tell the story as it was.
Some stories that I really enjoyed in this are: Prajapati and Brahma , Rudra and Shiva, Vishnu, Devi the goddess, Gods and demons. The stories have been taken from Rig veda , Shiv puran and some of them are folk tales.
But this book will get you more interested in the hindu mythology. And if possible try shiv puran after finishing this.
Some stories that I really enjoyed in this are: Prajapati and Brahma , Rudra and Shiva, Vishnu, Devi the goddess, Gods and demons. The stories have been taken from Rig veda , Shiv puran and some of them are folk tales.
But this book will get you more interested in the hindu mythology. And if possible try shiv puran after finishing this.
November 15, 2025
The book tell Hindu myths that are mindblowing and will surely blow your mind. Some myths are absurd and make no sense. The depiction of demons is not anywhere, even in the scriptures, that defined who they were and where they went. They still don't have any explanation for it. Any ways as for myths and fantasy it is a good read to know about the myths and tales of Hinduism that is in the scriptures.
May 27, 2023
The myths are quite interesting, but a tad hard to follow, perhaps because of translation issues or a lack of cultural context. The myths are kind of disturbing at times, but I can understand how they are meant to be parables and religious tales. I feel there are better books and translations for Hindu mythology, because even though this book was disappointing I still want to know more.
August 28, 2023
After putting up getting this book since I didn't really enjoy Doniger's similar translation of the rig Veda I have to say I really enjoyed this. The translations are very readable and it's helped me understand some myths / mythological figures which are referred to in other Indian works which I have been reading. The helpful list of other works at the end will be very helpful too.
September 25, 2020
Too many personal comments in between. It is a great compilation, but as a book, it rarely keeps you reading it further. No myths busted.
April 6, 2023
An otherwise well-researched book on Hindu mythology blemished by the insertion of the author's personal opinions of deities and confusion between Sanskrit terms and names of characters.
February 21, 2017
Surprisingly more cum and less creativity. Whilst there is some beautiful imagery and new philosophical concepts within many of these stories, there is equally a great deal of misogyny. The mythology is also quite hard to follow, this is not necessarily a flaw, but the intense amount of new names and concepts were hard to grasp for someone new to Hinduism. The introduction and notes provide a good insight into understanding and contextualising some of the complexities (including some of the Sanskrit puns which is cool) but there really is a lot to take in and on reflection I probably would have rather read an abridged version.
March 14, 2014
Wendy Doniger is a fine author and the research she has input to this book is humongous but the worst part more of a realization on my part; growing up in India, a country with such vivid mythology which I have always maintained has a base in science, I never had any idea about all those Upanishad and Purān that she has mentioned.
She has got my interest in mythology back and after this book, I definitely am going to shout out to anyone that it has always been mythology through and through when they ask me what genre of books I love reading.
A letter of appreciation therefore is in order & here it goes!
Dear Hindu mythology,
You are best!
Amazed,
Āyushī Nāyak
She has got my interest in mythology back and after this book, I definitely am going to shout out to anyone that it has always been mythology through and through when they ask me what genre of books I love reading.
A letter of appreciation therefore is in order & here it goes!
Dear Hindu mythology,
You are best!
Amazed,
Āyushī Nāyak
April 29, 2016
the first myths about creation and the gods of rig veda were a bit confusing to me. the rest, beginning with shiva's mythology, I understood better and also enjoyed more. I guess the older themyth the more distanced from our culture and harder to grasp.
January 31, 2008
Very good translation - easy to read and understand
August 25, 2015
Good as a reference to the general evolution of certain popular myths. Certainly not an in-depth exploration.
Read
February 22, 2018These tales of Hindu gods and demons express in vivid symbols the metaphysical insights of ancient Indian priests and poets.
This selection and translation of seventy-five seminal myths spans the wide range of classical Indian sources, from the serpent-slaying Indra of the Vegas (c. 1200 BC) to the medieval pantheon—the phallic and ascetic Śiva, the maternal and bloodthirsty Goddess, the mischievous child Krishna, the other avatars of Vishnu, and the many minor gods, demons, rivers and animals sacred to Hinduism. The traditional themes of life and death are set forth and interwoven with many complex variations which give a kaleidoscope picture of the development of almost three thousand years of Indian mythology
This selection and translation of seventy-five seminal myths spans the wide range of classical Indian sources, from the serpent-slaying Indra of the Vegas (c. 1200 BC) to the medieval pantheon—the phallic and ascetic Śiva, the maternal and bloodthirsty Goddess, the mischievous child Krishna, the other avatars of Vishnu, and the many minor gods, demons, rivers and animals sacred to Hinduism. The traditional themes of life and death are set forth and interwoven with many complex variations which give a kaleidoscope picture of the development of almost three thousand years of Indian mythology
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews