Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook Translated from the Sanskrit (Penguin Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty (Translator, Introduction)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0140443061 | ISBN-13: 978-0140443066 | Publication Date: January 1, 1995

Recorded in sacred Sanskrit texts, including the Rig Veda and the Mahabharata, Hindu Myths are thought to date back as far as the tenth century BCE. Here in these seventy-five seminal myths are the many incarnations of Vishnu, who saves mankind from destruction, and the mischievous child Krishna, alongside stories of the minor gods, demons, rivers and animals including boars, buffalo, serpents and monkeys. Immensely varied and bursting with colour and life, they demonstrate the Hindu belief in the limitless possibilities of the world - from the teeming miracles of creation to the origins of the incarnation of Death who eventually touches them all.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

About the Author

Wendy Doniger holds doctoral degrees in Indian literature from Harvard and Oxford Universities and is the Mircea Eliade Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago. Her publications include The Rig Veda and The Laws of Manu for the Penguin Classics, and the acclaimed Kama Sutra for OUP.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140443061
• ISBN-13: 978-0140443066
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #927,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Sanskrit
  • #90 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Hinduism > Sanskrit

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't really matter !, April 27, 2010

By 

Zenman (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook Translated from the Sanskrit (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

I am a Hindu and am not one bit bothered by the author's translation or her perceived 'agenda', if there is one.

The fact is that the religion she writes about has far longer survived the likes of the Greeks, the Romans etc. who also had many religious and cosmolologial myths. Where are those civilizations now? Hinduism which has not only been around far longer and continues to influence people in positive ways, has its own vitality and needs no defense.

Perhaps it is because Hinduism teaches that all spiritual paths are equally valid. "One God, many paths".Ultimately everyone is pursuing happiness in their own way, however mistaken that path may seem to others. Hinduism is but one spark from the divine Mind. Only those people bother to find shortcomings with others' beliefs who sub-consciously doubt or fear their own, and want comfort and justification (validation) by influencing others to come over to their point of view.


Love to all.

18 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars General over view of Hindu Mythology - prose translation, November 26, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook Translated from the Sanskrit (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

The organization of the book makes it a great reference book, but if you desire to read the vedas from beginning to end, this book is not it. The prose translation captures the facts fairly accurately, though it does lack information on how these Myths manifest itself and how these myths came to be. As the title suggests, it is really meant to be a source book for research and quick reference. Gods and demons are broken into sections, so if you need to find the samsa veda text regarding visnu, this book will make critical writing a joy and allow you to focus on the essay instead of searching the library for a short paragraph.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good scholarly source on ancient Sanskrit (not modern Hinduism), November 8, 2010

By 

Anne Mahoney (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hindu Myths: A Sourcebook Translated from the Sanskrit (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is not a book on Hinduism, but on the traditional stories of the Vedic religion. Doniger O'Flaherty is a competent, respected scholar who knows this material inside out and, of course, knows Sanskrit extremely well. Her translations are readable and her notes are good. She gives readers a path through the luxuriant jungles of ancient Sanskrit literature and scholarship.

If you're looking for a devotional aid, this isn't it; if you're looking for modern Hinduism, it's not that either. But if you're interested in what stands behind the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Rig Veda, this is a good place to start. There are copious references to Sanskrit sources and there is a good bibliography (though as the book is now 35 years old, the bibliography is getting a bit dated).