KidSpirit

Myths in Hindu Culture

Myth and MagicGlobal Beat

Myths are stories concerning the history of people or some phenomenon to which they attach an implicit indication of joy, auspiciousness, bad tidings, or unhappiness. Myths give fictional references to non-fictional events and give people something to believe in — something to hook onto, to make hidden meaning out of. My culture is also based on some really intriguing, crazy, and even funny myths.

For instance, out thousands of Hindu myths, one is that Hindus worship the cow, as they believe that all the Gods exist in it. According to this belief, 330 million gods are worshiped by Hindus and these all reside in the sacred cow. As a consequence, eating beef is a sin.

It is believed that Indian gods have always had the powers to grant boons and cast curses. Even today, people take up severe penances and practices to be blessed with by their favorite deity with a boon for health, happiness, prodigy, health, or business.

Another myth is that when you go out on some important errand, you should always have a spoonful of curd just before leaving. Interestingly, to have milk and immediately leave home is considered inauspicious.

According to my culture and community, myths do play an important role, but nowadays many educated people believe such myths are meaningless, so they neither believe nor follow such myths. So not all myths do play a meaningful role in my culture, but some myths that are passed on from generation to generation do remain embedded in the family psyche.

Akanksha Kudal is 14 and in the ninth grade. Her hobbies include cooking Indian food, listening to music, and writing for KidSpirit. She is interested in playing piano and loves to travel.

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Art by Jaden Flach, Brooklyn