Manu and Ancient Hindu Flood Stories
by Owen Borville
November 9, 2018
Archaeology, History, Bible
Ancient Hindu mythology describes the gods creating a man named Manu, who was the first man and who "gave life to all humans." The ancient legends also describe Manu as the Earth's first king and the ancestor to all the future kings of India. One of the most popular ancient stories recorded in ancient Hindu mythology is a flood story recorded in the ancient Hindu texts where the main character, Manu, was notified of the upcoming disastrous flood by the Matsya (fish) Avatar of Lord Vishnu, who was the Hindu deity who wanted to cleanse the world of evil and wickedness while protecting the righteous people and animals. The fish appeared in a jar as Manu was washing himself and as the fish grew, Manu placed the fish in a larger container until the fish was so large that Manu had to place the fish in the sea.
The fish warned of a flood that would destroy all living things but the fish promised to save Manu from the destruction. Manu also had three sons like Noah. Manu built a boat, as the fish advised, that carried the Vedas (Hindu texts), Manu’s family, and the “seven sages” during the flood and spared them of destruction. Seeds from every plant and a pair of each animal were also included on the boat, as the fish advised. The fish guided the boat as a rope was tied to the horn of the fish and eventually the passengers landed safely on a mountaintop. The fish told Manu to tie the boat to the mountaintop until the waters receded. After the flood receded, Manu performed a sacrifice and poured it into the waters. After a year, a woman was born out of the water and this woman along with Manu produced future generations of humans. Several versions of the flood story are told in the Hindu texts with some differences, but with many similarities. Scholars recognize the similarities of the Hindu flood stories to the Biblical Genesis text and the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. Are the similarities of the Hindu and Biblical account a coincidence or do the stories originate from an actual flood that occurred several thousand years ago? Creationists believe the latter.
Sources: ancient-origins.net, mythencyclopedia.com
by Owen Borville
November 9, 2018
Archaeology, History, Bible
Ancient Hindu mythology describes the gods creating a man named Manu, who was the first man and who "gave life to all humans." The ancient legends also describe Manu as the Earth's first king and the ancestor to all the future kings of India. One of the most popular ancient stories recorded in ancient Hindu mythology is a flood story recorded in the ancient Hindu texts where the main character, Manu, was notified of the upcoming disastrous flood by the Matsya (fish) Avatar of Lord Vishnu, who was the Hindu deity who wanted to cleanse the world of evil and wickedness while protecting the righteous people and animals. The fish appeared in a jar as Manu was washing himself and as the fish grew, Manu placed the fish in a larger container until the fish was so large that Manu had to place the fish in the sea.
The fish warned of a flood that would destroy all living things but the fish promised to save Manu from the destruction. Manu also had three sons like Noah. Manu built a boat, as the fish advised, that carried the Vedas (Hindu texts), Manu’s family, and the “seven sages” during the flood and spared them of destruction. Seeds from every plant and a pair of each animal were also included on the boat, as the fish advised. The fish guided the boat as a rope was tied to the horn of the fish and eventually the passengers landed safely on a mountaintop. The fish told Manu to tie the boat to the mountaintop until the waters receded. After the flood receded, Manu performed a sacrifice and poured it into the waters. After a year, a woman was born out of the water and this woman along with Manu produced future generations of humans. Several versions of the flood story are told in the Hindu texts with some differences, but with many similarities. Scholars recognize the similarities of the Hindu flood stories to the Biblical Genesis text and the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. Are the similarities of the Hindu and Biblical account a coincidence or do the stories originate from an actual flood that occurred several thousand years ago? Creationists believe the latter.
Sources: ancient-origins.net, mythencyclopedia.com
