Egypt, Greece, and the kingdom of the Hebrews are included in mythology. But, to recognize our deepest origins, we must turn to India.

India, which has known many millennia, divides its eras into two parts: the Vedic age and the Puranic age. Sacred manuscripts serve as the interpreters of these two successive ages, the Vedic age in the Vedas and the Puranic age in the Puranas. As we know, writing first appeared in the world about three thousand two hundred years ago. So the Vedas cannot hope to be much more than three millennia old. Nonetheless, history has shown that before the invention of writing, the message traveled by word of mouth. We can therefore trace our past back five to six thousand years and more.

In these ages, the divinities — Agni, Surya, Indra for the Vedic age, and Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Skanda for the Puranic age — disclosed learning and gave knowledge to humans. All of this unfolded in a round that stretched across thousands of years. Before presenting the divinities, we will take a closer look at the Vedas.

The word “Veda” translates as learning. The Vedas (theory) open the door to knowledge (practice). The Vedas are writings; they do not by themselves grant the inner state or knowledge — it is within this context that humankind crossed several millennia.

These writings were set down by hand by several divinities, each in a personal style. According to certain passages, it is stated that each Veda was born of the very breath of the gods. “Manu” is said to have been one of the first to gather the writings. Many accounts, many prayers, and many hymns remain the source of an inner radiance, whether ancestral or contemporary.

Note that it is possible to describe the following paragraphs as a beam of receptivity. Certain specialists may hold differing opinions, worthy and respectable ones.

The Vedic age comprises four Vedas.
The Rig-Veda : The Veda of the verses The Yajur-Veda : The Veda of the formulas The Sama-Veda : The Veda of the melodies The Atharva-Veda : The Veda of the revelations

The Rig-Veda, the oldest of the manuscripts, contains 1,070 hymns. The Atharva-Veda consists mainly of prayers, while the Sama-Veda, also a manuscript, lends itself well to chants. Sacrifices and prayers form the foundations of the Yajur-Veda.

Each Veda comprises two parts: a collection of mantras that we call “Sanhita,” as well as rituals and illustrations that we call “Brahmana.” To each Brahmana is attached an “Upanishad,” writings that we will translate as a setting-into-equivalence.

Each age comprises three divinities, a “Trinity,” who subsequently become incarnate.

“Indra” air, “Surya” sky, and “Agni” earth.

The divinities surely marked the earliest moments of existence on earth, for Agni invented fire by the friction of two pieces of wood.

The most popular, the god of the weather, “temperature,” who turns a desert into a garden. Krishna, one day, steals a tree from Indra and carries it off in a wonderful vehicle, a “bird,” the Garuda. But Indra hurls a thunderbolt and recovers the tree.

Perhaps the divinities made use of means of transport and weapons long before man thought to do so. Indra is said to be Agni's twin.

Through the invocation of mortals, Indra is said to have been born, descended from the sky.
This poem, and those that follow, carry a message whose true origin dates back at least five or six millennia.

Please note that the poems were all composed in Sanskrit. The translations have dulled their charm, but their meaning remains intact.

On one level, the poetry designates the element to which Indra, Surya, and Agni are bound. On another level, it points to their personalities.

Surya is honored as the Supreme Being. He illuminates the earth with his golden arm, which no one can wound. He infuses energy into every creature. Surya has a monkey wife.

Here is a poem dedicated to Surya:

Agni, the guardian of immortality and the protector of ceremonies, sets humankind upon the paths of devotion. He too took a monkey wife. We depict him mounted on a goat, with three legs, seven arms, and two heads. Agni bears several names:
Vitihitra : He who sanctifies the worker. Saptajihva : He who has seven tongues.

Here is a poem on the birth and life of Agni.
Great Agni! Though your essence is one, your forms are threefold, like lightning shining in the sky, like a ray of golden sun. It was in the sky that you had your first birth, through the art of sages skilled in their sacred science. Long ago you came down from the sky to humankind, and you remained a citizen of the earth.
Sprung from the mystic pair, in the hands of priests, in a joyous marriage; but oh! sky and earth, I say to you: the unlawful child who devoured his parents. But Agni is a god who should not be judged. He may go astray and defy our understanding through deeds our reason cannot fathom. The only judge of what a god must do.
And still, this orphan god survives: even though his hapless mother died too soon and could not nourish her child as he would have needed. Great Agni, wondrous child, grew and thrived.
God of the aura with the sparkling gaze, with hair of flame, when you pierce the sorrow of dawn and light up the world, the sky and the earth, gods and men rejoice. In every home you are welcome, possessor of the house of the Lord. Like a son, a father, a mother, a sister, all in one, a friend among us, through whom our faithful friends are blessed.
The swift messenger whom you summoned from the sky, who fills our hearts with divine lineage, to savor the food, to hear our hymns, and to crown our dearest hopes. You are the embryo of the sky, the bridge spanning the deep and vast rift that separates sky and earth, and over which, at last, the righteous must pass on their way to paradise.
But when, great god, in your rage, you show us your power of destruction, in a furious race, all creatures flee. You level everything you touch; the flames, fed by the wind, roar like the waves of the ocean, leaving behind a trail of darkness.
But You! Great god, you have not always worn this fearsome form, preferring instead to glow upon our hearths with a gentler flame, and to cherish the homes where your art is welcomed with care. Yes, You! Charming all blessed men, who through tireless labor have asked for your nourishment with love, like a pile of dried wood.

THE PURANIC AGE

The Puranic writings, more recent, are contained within two great volumes:

THE RAMAYANA AND THE MAHABHARATA

Four main themes are woven into them: the creation and destruction of the universe, and the genealogy and reigns of the gods.
The Puranic age has its own Trinity, which, as you will understand, carries on into the Vedic age. We can still find its foundations today.
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

BRAHMA

The Supreme One, Brahma, is inseparable from creation. Brahma comes from Brih, which translates as expanse. The creation of the world is described in hymns dedicated to Brahma. This universe, our own, was wrapped in an indiscernible darkness, without knowledge.

Within this darkness, which is an inseparable existence of God, five elements were incorporated, and afterward the seed was laid down within the waters.

From this seed emerged Brahma, the ancestor of all things. Then Brahma, out of his immaculate substance, conceived the woman whom he named the radiance of love. From her came forth four descendants. Brahma was glad to look upon them.

We also tell of a dispute with a demon, but Brahma said to him: I am the womb of the universe, without beginning or end, the one and only existence of God. He who does not work with me will never attain bliss.

Near Mount Meru, over a stretch one thousand two hundred and eighty kilometers long, one hundred and twenty-eight kilometers wide, and sixty-five kilometers high, lies the land of Brahma, near the Himalayas. Like the other divinities, Brahma bears several names; here is one that stands out among the others.

HIRANYAGARBHA

He who comes from the golden egg.
This name explains in itself the origin of the divinities.

VISHNU

The second of the triad, Vishnu translates as the protector. The world reproduces itself through him. The land of Vishnu is said to have a circumference of one hundred and twenty-eight kilometers, and to lie near the Ganges.

Vishnu is said to have had between ten and twenty-four incarnations. But two are very well known: Buddha and Krishna. Vishnu has four arms and four heads.
Varana : Dwarf-avatar Kurma : Tortoise-avatar Matsya : Fish-avatar Varaha : Man-lion-avatar Parasurama Balarama Rama Chandra

This theme is truly drawn from Indian culture, despite its resemblance to the episode in the Old Testament.

DWARF-AVATAR

Demons overrun the planet. Vishnu, then in the form of a dwarf, goes to find the demons and asks them for a piece of land. The demons grant him whatever portion his body will cover. Then the Varana — dwarf avatar — begins to grow until it covers the entire earth.
Vishnu, through his incarnations that we call avatars, marks the end of one Yuga, “cycle,” and the beginning of another. We studied these cycles in the chapter on the two creations.
Rama-Avatar : Treta-Yuga Man-lion-avatar : Krita-Yuga Kurma-Avatar : Dvapara-Yuga

SHIVA

Shiva : The destroyer of Demons. Shiva : The benevolent one.

Since Brahma is the creator and Vishnu is the preserver, Shiva had to be the destroyer — but let us understand this correctly, the destroyer of bad things. Many writings have been composed to celebrate the prayers of the joyous Shiva. We recognize him, for Shiva lived as an ascetic. He is always depicted with a third eye in the middle of his forehead.

One day, Brahma veiled this third eye, and ever since, the earth has entered an age of darkness, in which we still find ourselves. We attribute a thousand and eight names to Shiva, hence a possibility of a thousand and eight incarnations.

Mahesvara : The great god Tryambaraka : The third eye Nataraja : The king of the dance Diddharta : He who attains his goal Mritunjaya : He who conquers death Ardhanar : The God of the feminine half Trailokyavijaya : The tamer of the three worlds Bhairava : The fearsome one Vajra : The great god Ishvara : The Lord Dakshinamurti : The sage

SONS
GANESHA

Ganesha, the eldest of Shiva's sons, is recognized as the god of prudence and wisdom. Many books and many ceremonies begin with an invocation to Ganesha. A name made up of Isa, which translates as chief or Lord, and Ghana, which is defined as a disorderly, marginal, or original troop.

Ganesha is very popular in the Mumbai region. There we find temples built in his honor, temples still in use today. It was, moreover, in one of these temples that a teaching was passed on to Hindu priests, the way of self-realization or of truth, in 1987.

Ganesha is also known as the god of police officers, students, writers, and merchants. We depict him with an elephant's head, and he bears the emblem of shrewdness.

Many accounts tell of his birth. In one of them, Parvati, his mother, wants a son. God will grant it to her if she enters a life of sacrifice and devotion, and if she offers flowers at the feet of several divinities for a year. One day, she receives the reward for her devotion. On this occasion, all the divinities come to see the child.

But one of the guests cuts off the child's head, and everyone weeps, except Shiva, who leaves and returns with an elephant's head.

There is another account: Parvati, after several purifying baths, received a son in the hollow of her arms. She leaves him at the door to alert Shiva, her husband. Meanwhile, a demon cuts off the child's head. Shiva will give him back the head of the first living being he encounters, and, as it happened, this was an elephant. Six other accounts are likewise mythical.

Ganesha has only a single tusk, which we call Ekdanta. One day, Shiva's favorite disciple comes to visit him, but Shiva is asleep. At the door, he meets Ganesha, who falls into discussion with the disciple. Ganesha begins to whirl about and injures the visitor. Shiva, to punish him, takes away one of his tusks.

Here are other names: Ganapati : Chief of the troops Vinayaka : He who removes obstacles Vighneswara : Lord of obstacles Daikoku : Japan Fudo : Japan -> The Immovable One Vajrapani : Tibet -> Traces - Secrets Guhyapati : Tibet -> Lord of secrets, son of Mahesh and Uma

We attribute to Ganesha the “Mahabharata,” which he wrote at the age of six, dictated by “Vyasa.”

SKANDA

Let us include Skanda within the Trinity. Skanda, the youngest of Shiva's sons, also bears several names. His birth is a fairly mythical one. Skanda translates as chief of God's army. He is said to have been born to fight a demon who had dethroned the gods. We call him Kartikeya when he is born of Brahma, and Skanda when he is born of Shiva.

THESIS

Here are recognized incarnations of Ganesha and Skanda. Wei-To, China, and Gon-po Ben, Tibet.
King-Kang, Yu-Lei, and Li-Che come from China. They are all translated as the Lord of pleasure.
Ganesha and Skanda, by deduction, were probably “John the Baptist” and “Jesus Christ,” who most likely belonged to the same family...

Here is the link between Christianity and Hinduism.

Understand this last paragraph as a thesis on incarnations. Evolution rests upon the human being, but to unfold it must take shape across generations. For this, we hold to only one path, incarnation.

Since there is but one God, His representatives have no choice but incarnation in order to perfect the teaching. They therefore take on multiple faces.

SYMBOLISM

Naturally, the gods fit within symbolism; we cannot present them to you in any other way. Take the example of Ganesha: a symbol of immortality is granted through his elephant head. His large belly may signify abundance. We depict him with several arms, symbolizing his union with one or several wives. Buddhi, “wisdom,” and Siddhi, “success,” are the wives of Ganesha.

We must set aside our reservations about believing that a being could have existed with an elephant's head. That is why we must look at these images through the lens of symbolism.
Take the example of Shiva, who is always depicted with a third eye, which signals the point of concentration through the “Téjas.” Indra, Surya, and Agni surprise us even more.

GOOD OMEN, SALVATION, OR SVASTIKA

The symbol that Adolf Hitler inverted was drawn from this dynasty that we call Hinduism. The svastika signifies the Trinity, and stands as the ancestor of the sign of the cross, transforming into a gesture over the course of the centuries.

Today, we recognize the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is a mistaken variation, the cause of a great mystery. In Hinduism we admit no mystery.
That is the difference between Catholicism and Hinduism.

A fourth branch was added to the Trinity with the coming of the sons of Shiva, Ganesha, Skanda, and their incarnations.

Understanding or viewing the Trinity in this way may somewhat challenge the mindset of many. For us, part of beings in evolution, everything is permitted.

The fact remains certain that the Trinity holds a mystery for Christians, yet this in no way undermines the solidity of the Hindu Trinity, which thus allows itself to move beyond mysteries and become more real.

The Svastika is a symbol of union with the trinity, which we must understand as Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and his sons.

THE GODDESSES
PARVATI

The wife of Shiva, Parvati translates as present, past, and future. She possesses the third eye like Shiva. We also call her Uma, mother of Ganesha and Skanda.

LAKSHMI

We consider Lakshmi to be the goddess of love, beauty, and prosperity. She sits upon the lotus. Lakshmi translates as prosperity. Two incarnations of Lakshmi, Rukmini and Sita, were the wives of Krishna and of Rama Chandra.

SARASVATI

She is the wife of Brahma, goddess of science and wisdom, and mother of the Vedas. She is depicted as a gracious, kindly woman with four arms, offering a flower to her husband with one arm and holding a sacred book in the other. Sprung from Brahma, we translate Sarasvati as water or moisture, the goddess of speech and the patroness of sacred rites.

DURGA

Personified as the warrior woman, she receives her name by slaying the demon Durga. She is said to be Krishna's younger sister.

Here is a poem dedicated to a goddess:
Hail, golden goddess born in the polished chariot, you come like a young woman in love, adorned with her mother's finery. Timidly revealing all your grace. With our eyes, we admire you as a woman unveiled before the Lord, with a proud awareness, like a loving gaze. We see your freshness pleasantly return each morning. Through the years, you do not age, forever young. From you! Art of living, creatures learn day after day, in a myriad of prostrations even unto death.