Indian Cosmogonies and Cosmologies Cover Image

Indijske kosmogonije i kosmologije
Indian Cosmogonies and Cosmologies

Author(s): Dušan Pajin
Subject(s): Philosophy
Published by: Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju
Keywords: Cosmogonies; cosmologies; appearence; development; universe; mythic; religious; philosophical; universe as a dance and illusion (maya – power of gods).

Summary/Abstract: Various ideas on how the universe appeared and develops, were in Indian tradition related to mythic, religious, or philosophical ideas and contexts, and devel- oped during some 3.000 years – from the time of Vedas, to Puranas. Conserning its appeareance, two main ideas were presented. In one concept it appeared out of itself (auto-generated), and gods were among the first to appear in the cosmic sequences. In the other, it was a kind of divine creation, with hard work (like the dismembering of the primal Purusha), or as emanation of divine dance. Indian tradition had also various critiques of mythic and religious concepts (from the 8th c. BC, to the 6c.), who favoured naturalistic and materialistic explanations, and concepts, in their cos- mogony and cosmology. One the peculiarities was that indian cosmogony and cos- mology includes great time spans, since they used a digit system which was later (in the 13th c.) introduced to Europe by Fibonacci (Leonardo of Pisa, 1170–1240).

  • Issue Year: 22/2011
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 3-28
  • Page Count: 28
  • Language: Serbian