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Re: FLOODS IN HINDU MYTHOLOGY
In article <4fpd7m$g8f@babbage.ece.uc.edu>,
: jane smith <jsmith@skidmore.EDU> wrote:
: >Lots of different religions and cultures have flood stories in their
: >mytholgy (ie Christianity, Egyptian, Sumerian, etc). Does anyone know
Jane,
I know of two of God's pastimes described in the Vedas which involve
floods. The timing of each however does not match the Biblical flood.
The incarnation of God, named Matsya, is described in the BBT translation
of the Srimad Bhagavatam (Canto 2:7:12):
At the end of the millenium, the would-be Vaivasvata Manu, of the name
Satyavrata, would see that the Lord in the fish incarnation (Matsya)
is the shelter of all kinds of living entities, up to those in the
earthly planets. Because of my fear of the vast water at the end of
the millenium, the Vedas come out of my [Brahma's] mouth, and the Lord
enjoys those vast waters and protects the Vedas.
This foretelling is by the past experience of Brahmaji,
who knew that in that fearful devastating scene, the Vedas
would come out of his mouth, but the Lord in His fish
incarnation not only would save all living entities, namely
the demigods, animals, men and great sages, but would also
save the Vedas (religious scriptures).
The other incarnation was described nicely in the previous post, but I
will add a bit to the story as it appears in the BBT Srimad Bhagavatam
(Canto 2:7:1), the Varaha (Boar) incarnation:
Lord Brahma said: When the unlimitedly powerful Lord assumed the form
of a boar as a pastime, just to lift the planet earth, which was drowned
in the great ocean of the universe called the Garbhodaka, the first
demon [Hiranyaksa] appeared, and the Lord pierced him with His tusk.
Early after the creation of the universe, all the demons, headed
by Hiranyaksa, created a disturbance in the floating condition
of the earth. The earth then became detached from its orbit and
fell down in to the Garbhodaka Ocean. At that time the Supreme
Lord, as the maintainer of the whole creation of the material
world, assumed the gigantic form of a boar with a proportionate
snout and picked up the earthly planet from withing the water.
And of course, there are the floods of tears of love that pour down the
cheeks of the sincere lovers of Sri Krsna as they chant His glories. :-)
--
THE RADMAN . . . . . . . . . Gary Stevason .... www.bhi90210.com/Athens/2108
Caitanya@torfree.net
"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall
deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." -- God, Bhagavad-gita
