Indian Myth and Legend

This work surveys Indian myths and legends preserved in Sanskrit literature, tracing sacred texts from Vedic hymns and forest treatises to epic poems such as the Rámáyana and the Máhábharata. It outlines religious developments including the rise of Brahmanism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and explains cosmological ideas, the pantheistic turn, doctrines of transmigration, and the evolving roles of gods and goddesses. The book situates myths alongside social and ethnic evidence, discusses controversies over Aryan migrations and chronology, and draws comparative parallels with Near Eastern and Egyptian motifs. An introductory essay addresses methods for studying these traditions and summarizes the internal literary and archaeological evidence.