Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization
HR: these are notes from a book I read in my other religion class but was not for a grade
Chapter 1 Eternity and Time Part 1) A parade of Ants
Indra – the king of the Gods – slays the dragon to spill out the waters of Heaven. Starts to build a palace to commemorate his deed and rebuild it because it crumbled during the dragon’s reign and Vishvakarman (Vis) – Indra’s godly craftsman – is to build and design it.
W/in a year Vis had built an amazing palace, but Indra now wants something bigger; Vis would come back with the new plans built and Indra would want something bigger; this continued until Vis pleaded with Brahma for help
Next morning a boy came to the palace, he tells Indra that his palace is the most significant of the Indras he’s seen, Indra inquires about the other Indras, the boy tells him that he’s seen every person, every Indra, every universe. Life of Indra = 71 eons (approximately 1 billion years), when 28 Indras have passed its one day and night to Brahma, Brahmas live for 108 years In their time. (Later it says a single day for Brahma is 4,320,000,000 years in human terms. *Math doesn’t add up but half the text is referring to very specific Hindu terms*).
The Boy says that the ants marching off into the distance and from the horizon, four ants wide are an ant army of former Indras who were too proud and are now reincarnated as ants. Indra then realizes how insignificant he is and that his triumph over the dragon and castle building is useless; he’s just as cyclic as humans. A hermit arrives to reinforce the boy’s points. Both then vanish, leaving Indra alone. Before they leave the boy reveals that he’s Vishnu and the Hermit says he’s Shiva
Part 2) Wheel of Rebirth
1st world age: Krita -> the perfect age
2nd world age: Treta -> 3/4ths perfect; duties in humans are no longer innate but learned
3rd world age: Dvapara -> dangerous balance between light and dark
4th world age: Kali -> the worst of it all
Each successive cycle is twice the length of the previous and the total time is 4,320,000 years; one thousand of these cycles is one day to Brahma (4,320,000,000 human years). Long story short the ENTIRE cycle is 311,040,000,000,000 human years
Part 3) Wisdom of Life
Augustine first championed linear time
Indian tradition uses cyclic time