Hinduism is a complex group of beliefs and myths that has dominated the sub-continent of India for over two thousand years. Beginning with the infiltration of Europeans from the northwest into the area, who brought creation myths with them, Hinduism arose from some of these invader's beliefs and symbols, but evolved within the indigenous cultures in a uniquely diverse manner. It is therefore essential for any student of this body of thought to first realize how broad the field is. Calling the many different modes of belief in the area “Hinduism” is almost the equivalent of labeling all the myths and beliefs of Africa as “Africanism”; it is perhaps an unfortunate Westernized collective term for a more Eastern way of seeing things.

            The earliest myths of India shared some of the basic symbolism seen in cultures surrounding it, such as the ancient Greeks and Romans. The idea of a primordial egg is prominent in “Rig-Veda X, cxxi: Prajapati (The Golden Embryo) (Sproul 181-183), in “Brahmanas: Creation from an Egg” (184-6) and in “”From the Chandogya Upanishad” (186-7). We find this too in the European myth “The Pelasgian Creation Myth” (156-7) from a similar time period. The egg (often “golden”), has shown up in every area of the world in creation stories, and in India it would transmute into another interesting symbol at a later era as yin and yang. The most striking development over time in the sub-continent of India was the evolution of a universe without deities, and without a beginning. It could hardly be stated more succinctly than the Jain myth “Jinasena: There Is No Creator” (192-4). The Jains use logic, similar to the Socratic method, to ask such questions as “ If God created the world, where was he before creation?” (192). I found the etymology of the word “Jainism” (from jina, “victor”) very interesting- it could indeed be deemed a victory in thinking about the universe. Jainism also helped spawn the concept of reincarnation.

            It was later than both Hinduism and Jainism (about the sixth century B.C.) that Siddhartha Gautama, or the “Buddha”, supposedly began teaching the doctrine that would become Buddhism. Like Jainism, there is no concern as to the world's origin, but instead a focus on methods for escaping an attachment to worldly things. Buddhism enjoyed some popularity in India, but eventually moved into large sections of Asia and left the land of its origin. Hinduism, in turn, and as has been its nature, assimilated much of the early Buddhist thought.

            There is too much diversity in the Indian creation stories (or lack thereof)- from Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and others; to be able to ascribe a common cosmic view geographically. Ironically, one could state that the huge diversity and adaptability of India's people becomes their commonality. This is where India differs from all the other areas covered so far. Although nearby European invaders were an early influence, Hinduism and its progeny developed a more humanistic and less “godly” philosophy of man's relation to the universe.

Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World. Comp. Barbara C. Sproul. New York:

            Harper One, Harper Collins. 1991. Print.