Hindu Mythology Vedic and Puranic (Paperback - 2017)

The book gives a full and trustworthy account of the mythology of the Hindus. The materials collected over a number of years have been arranged in such a way that anyone without much labour might gain a good general idea of the names, character, and relationship of the principal deities of Hinduism.

A fair and impartial account of the deities has been given, as far as possible, in the words of the sacred books which speak for themselves. The author has honestly striven to keep his account free from prejudice and theological bias, and has refrained from commenting on the passages quoted, except where some explanation seemed necessary.

The texts which describe only the darker side of the Hindu gods have not been included, though they have not been altogether suppressed. An honest effort has been made to give a reliable account of the things commonly believed by millions of Hindus. In order to make the book more interesting and instructive, a number of illustrations of the principal deities have been introduced. Most of them have been copied from pictures drawn by the Hindus themselves, and which may be seen in people's houses. No attempt has been made to idealize them, and they are what they profess to be--faithful representations of the designs of Hindu artists.

The classification of the gods will enable the readers to obtain a general view of Hindu mythology, and of the relation in which one deity stands to others. The book will appeal to the general readers who may not have time or opportunity to refer to the sacred writings from which they are taken.

William J. Wilkins (1843-1902) was a well-known historian of the colonial period. His other important works include Modern Hinduism; Daily Life and Work in India, and Hindu Gods and Goddesses.