Lesson 5: The Hindu Creation Story
Read through 'Hindu Creation Story' with Class.
Use the Genesis Creation Story and the Hindu Creation Story to create a Venn Diagram showing the similarities and differences of the two stories.
A Venn Diagram template, as well as a link to an online Venn Diagram maker are included at the bottom of this page.
Hindu Creation Story
Hinduism, the ancient religion of India, has many myths and legends. Most of the gods of Hinduism are seen as forms of three central Gods, Vishnu, Shiva & Brahma. This story tells of the creation of the world by the God Brahma at the command of Vishnu.
Before the world, before the sky, before space, there was nothing but ocean: a flat, rolling lake that lapped the edges of emptiness and the void beyond. Floating on the water was a giant snake: Ananta, the Serpent King. In his coils, eyes closed, undisturbed, lay the Lord Vishnu. God, asleep. Water, snake, god: nothing moved. Stillness…perfection.
Then in the deepest recesses of the world, a sound began. A slow gathering, a humming, a throbbing. It grew and pulsed and filled the emptiness: a power, an urge, a throbbing itch of energy. It billowed and gathered into a single echoing syllable, folding in on itself endlessly, endlessly, like a beating heart: OM…..OM……OM……OM….
Lord Vishnu opened his eyes. It was time. The world was ready to be born. He looked out over the calm waters. In that moment, a lotus flower took shape before him. In it sat Brahma the Creator, the Lord Vishnu’s servant. He bowed his head, and waited to hear Lord Vishnu’s will.
‘It is time Brahma. Time for the world. Time to begin your work. In that single lotus flower is all that you need. Create a world that will live forever, till I declare the end of time itself. Begin.’
As he spoke, a huge wind gathered. The ocean cowered. The serpent-king and the Lord Vishnu with him, disappeared from sight. Alone, Brahma’s lotus-boat was swept about in the churning sea.
Brahma raised his arms, and the wind died. The sea fell back and was calm again. He stood up, and with a sweep of his arms divided the lotus into three parts. The first was heaven, the next earth and the next sky. In a single moment the world had begun.
Brahma clothed the new earth with plants: grass, trees, flowers, vegetables and fruit. To them he gave the sense of touch. Then he created animals and insects - large and small, in land, sea and air, some with fur, some with feathers, some with shells, some with scales; large and small, fierce and timid, fast and slow. To them, as well as the sense of touch, he gave sight, smell, hearing - and above all, the power of movement. At once the world was filled with flurry and bustle. With crashing of branches, clatter of hooves, swishing and swooping, flailing and flapping, the new creatures set off to find homes.
Trumpeting, braying, whistling, chattering, squealing, they ran and wriggled and hopped and flew into every corner of creation.
In the stillness that was left, Brahma had only one thing more to do. The world needed a master, someone to enjoy it and take care of it, so that it would last forever, as Lord Vishnu had commanded. Brahma sat quiet, and thought.
After a long time his thoughts took shape. First, a wisp of shadow in the white air….a glowing, shimmering cloud that grew thicker and denser, changing into a living, breathing shape. A new being, made from the thought of Brahma, in the form of god. Brahma looked at him in delight: surely this creature made in god’s image, would take charge of the world and keep it forever as the Lord Vishnu wished.
But the creature did not move. Its eyes were shut, unheeding the new world around it. Because it was made of the thoughts of Brahma, all it wanted to do was to sit thinking deeply about god.
Brahma saw that this creature was too simple, too flawless to look after the world. If he was to create a being to carry out Lord Vishnu’s will, he would need another power. Thought was not enough: he would need to use action too. Not only his mind, but his whole body, his whole self, would be required if the new creature was to open his eyes to the world, be happy and fulfilled by creation as well as the creator.
There was only one certain way. Filled with happiness that he was carrying out Lord Vishnu’s orders, Brahma divided his body in two.
One moment there was one, the next there were two: equal, umblemished, whole, the image of one another. Out of one, Brahma shaped man; out of the other, woman. The man was called Manu, wise; and the woman Shatarupa
mysterious. Manu and Shatarupa, created out of Brahma himself, looked into each other’s hearts. They smiled. Gently, they touched hands. Then they walked out together into the world Brahma had given them; their charge, their responsibility, the joy and duty laid on them by Lord Vishnu at the start of time.
Manu, Shatarupa…. The first people…. The ancestors of the whole human race.
Before the world, before the sky, before space, there was nothing but ocean: a flat, rolling lake that lapped the edges of emptiness and the void beyond. Floating on the water was a giant snake: Ananta, the Serpent King. In his coils, eyes closed, undisturbed, lay the Lord Vishnu. God, asleep. Water, snake, god: nothing moved. Stillness…perfection.
Then in the deepest recesses of the world, a sound began. A slow gathering, a humming, a throbbing. It grew and pulsed and filled the emptiness: a power, an urge, a throbbing itch of energy. It billowed and gathered into a single echoing syllable, folding in on itself endlessly, endlessly, like a beating heart: OM…..OM……OM……OM….
Lord Vishnu opened his eyes. It was time. The world was ready to be born. He looked out over the calm waters. In that moment, a lotus flower took shape before him. In it sat Brahma the Creator, the Lord Vishnu’s servant. He bowed his head, and waited to hear Lord Vishnu’s will.
‘It is time Brahma. Time for the world. Time to begin your work. In that single lotus flower is all that you need. Create a world that will live forever, till I declare the end of time itself. Begin.’
As he spoke, a huge wind gathered. The ocean cowered. The serpent-king and the Lord Vishnu with him, disappeared from sight. Alone, Brahma’s lotus-boat was swept about in the churning sea.
Brahma raised his arms, and the wind died. The sea fell back and was calm again. He stood up, and with a sweep of his arms divided the lotus into three parts. The first was heaven, the next earth and the next sky. In a single moment the world had begun.
Brahma clothed the new earth with plants: grass, trees, flowers, vegetables and fruit. To them he gave the sense of touch. Then he created animals and insects - large and small, in land, sea and air, some with fur, some with feathers, some with shells, some with scales; large and small, fierce and timid, fast and slow. To them, as well as the sense of touch, he gave sight, smell, hearing - and above all, the power of movement. At once the world was filled with flurry and bustle. With crashing of branches, clatter of hooves, swishing and swooping, flailing and flapping, the new creatures set off to find homes.
Trumpeting, braying, whistling, chattering, squealing, they ran and wriggled and hopped and flew into every corner of creation.
In the stillness that was left, Brahma had only one thing more to do. The world needed a master, someone to enjoy it and take care of it, so that it would last forever, as Lord Vishnu had commanded. Brahma sat quiet, and thought.
After a long time his thoughts took shape. First, a wisp of shadow in the white air….a glowing, shimmering cloud that grew thicker and denser, changing into a living, breathing shape. A new being, made from the thought of Brahma, in the form of god. Brahma looked at him in delight: surely this creature made in god’s image, would take charge of the world and keep it forever as the Lord Vishnu wished.
But the creature did not move. Its eyes were shut, unheeding the new world around it. Because it was made of the thoughts of Brahma, all it wanted to do was to sit thinking deeply about god.
Brahma saw that this creature was too simple, too flawless to look after the world. If he was to create a being to carry out Lord Vishnu’s will, he would need another power. Thought was not enough: he would need to use action too. Not only his mind, but his whole body, his whole self, would be required if the new creature was to open his eyes to the world, be happy and fulfilled by creation as well as the creator.
There was only one certain way. Filled with happiness that he was carrying out Lord Vishnu’s orders, Brahma divided his body in two.
One moment there was one, the next there were two: equal, umblemished, whole, the image of one another. Out of one, Brahma shaped man; out of the other, woman. The man was called Manu, wise; and the woman Shatarupa
mysterious. Manu and Shatarupa, created out of Brahma himself, looked into each other’s hearts. They smiled. Gently, they touched hands. Then they walked out together into the world Brahma had given them; their charge, their responsibility, the joy and duty laid on them by Lord Vishnu at the start of time.
Manu, Shatarupa…. The first people…. The ancestors of the whole human race.
hindu_creation_story.docx | |
File Size: | 164 kb |
File Type: | docx |
venn_diagram_-_2_circles.docx | |
File Size: | 36 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Venn Diagram Makers:
Smart Draw - free software download - www.smartdraw.com/
Lucidchart - www.lucidchart.com
Smart Draw - free software download - www.smartdraw.com/
Lucidchart - www.lucidchart.com