1 year ago
Dogs and Gods: Sacred Canines in Hindu Mythology
In India, people have strong feelings about stray dogs, but these dogs also appear in Hindu stories.
Long ago, in the Rigveda, a dog named Sarama helped the gods.
This dog is like the mother of all dogs.
Another god, Shiva, has a scary form called Kaal Bhairava who rides a dog.
This dog is also seen as a protector of places.
In an old story, a hero named Yudhishthira refused to leave his dog, showing he cared for the animal.
This dog was actually a god in disguise, impressed by his loyalty.
Some people used to think dogs were bad luck, but a wise teacher named Dattatreya showed they were important.
Stray dogs are a divisive topic in India, but they also feature in Hindu mythology.
Sarama, a female canine, is mentioned in the Rigveda as belonging to Indra, the king of the gods, and the ancestor of all dogs.
Lord Shiva's fierce form, Kaal Bhairava, uses a dog as his mount and is considered a guardian of spaces.
Yudhishthira, in the Mahabharata, refused to abandon his dog on the journey to Heaven, demonstrating compassion.
Dattatreya, the first guru of Nath Jogis, challenged the traditional Vedic view that considered dogs inauspicious.
- Who
- Hindus, figures like Indra, Shiva, Yudhishthira, and Dattatreya.
- What
- Dogs and their significance in Hindu mythology.
- Where
- India.
- When
- Ancient times, referencing the Rigveda and Mahabharata.
- Why
- To highlight the often-overlooked connection between stray dogs and Hindu mythology, showcasing their historical and cultural significance.
Traditional View
Modern View
Perception of Dogs
Traditional View
Dogs were considered inauspicious.
Modern View
Dogs are guardians and have a strong instinct for loyalty.
Key facts
- Deity with a Dog Mount
- Kaal Bhairava
- Dog in Rigveda
- Sarama
- Sarama's Children
- Shama and Shabala
- Yudhishthira's Virtue
- Compassion and Loyalty
- Traditional Vedic View
- Dogs were considered inauspicious.
Quotes
Rajarshi Nandy
Spiritual upāsaka, mentor, and author
“Bhairava is the guardian of spaces. One of his names is Kshetrapal. Kshetra means an area, and he is its guardian. Dogs have a strong instinct for loyalty. Other animals have it too, but dogs have it more than most. In that sense, a dog is also a kind of guardian.”
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“From the time dogs first began living alongside humans, and perhaps no other creature has done so for longer, Bhairava is said to have decided that he would help this species.”
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Devdutt Pattanaik
Mythologist
“One can consider Sarama as a hunting dog or a watchdog of Indra. Sarama’s children came to be called the Sarameya, and all the dogs in the world are considered to have descended from her. Specifically, the Rigveda mentions Shama and Shabala, the two children of Sarama, who are four-eyed animals constantly associated with Yamaraj.”
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