Yu the great

According to Chinese belief, Yu the great was the founder of the Xia Dynasty (ca 2000 – 1500 BC), who tirelessly worked to save the land of nine regions from catastrophic floods. Originally it was his father Gun, who was appointed for the task by Yao, during whose reign the floodwaters had forced the people to seek refuge in the hills. Gun built dams to restrain the flood waters, but these failed, and Shun, Yao’s successor, finally executed Gun, appointing Yu to replace him.

For thirteen years, Yu toiled, careful not to repeat the mistakes his father made. Rather than erecting damns to stop the flow of waters, Yu channeled through mountains, cleared debris from the river beds and created new watercourses, diverting the floodwaters into the sea. Shun also appointed Yu co-ruler, and after his death, Yu became emperor.

Yu worked through all kinds of extreme weather. His appearance was disheveled, and his skin was blackened from the sun. He also developed a limp. It is said that Yu’s devotion to his task outweighed the importance of his family life, and on three occasions, he avoided passing by his house, taking another route.

Yu was either born Parthenogenically of his mother, or from the dead body of his father. He had the ability to transform into a bear, a form he would assume to channel his way through the mountains. His wife would bring Yu his meals whenever he beat his drum, but one day he accidentally struck the drum with a rock, and his wife, who was pregnant with Yu’s son, discovered Yu in bear form, and fled in terror. Yu chased after her, but his wife stumbled and was transformed into a rock. Yu cried out for his unborn child, and the rock burst open, producing his son, Qi.

The floods were said to be caused by the demon Gong Gong, who sent the nine headed serpentine Xiang Liu, to frustrate the peoples efforts to bring the waters under control. Yu succeeded in slaying Xiang Liu, but was unable to prevent the creature’s blood from polluting the soil.

Through Yu’s continual labour and self sacrifice, the waters no longer flooded the land, and the people became prosperous, and lived peaceful and healthy lives.

Yu remained active in the affairs of his people, who could summon an audience with Yu through the use of five musical instruments, hung upon the palace gate. Yu remained emperor until his death, during a hunting expedition.

Murder of the innocents

Like Astyages, Herod the Great attempted to kill the Messiah king whom the Hebrew scriptures foretold would one day rule the people of Israel. Unlike Astyages, Herod was ignorant concerning the new born king’s identity and ordered the wholesale slaughter of all the boys up to two years of age in and around the vicinity of Bethlehem, from where, according to the prophet  Micah (5:2–5), the Messiah would come.

The reign of the demon-king Kamsa is similarly threatened after he learns that the eighth child (Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu) born to Devaki, will destroy him. Kamsa imprisons both Devaki and her husband, slaughtering all the children born to them, all except Balarama, Krishna’s brother who is transfered to another womb, and Krishna himself, who is smuggled to safety and hidden among the cow herders of Brindaban.

Also Kronos was warned by Ouranos and Gaia that he would be dethroned by one of his own children, and so he ate them. When Rhea, his wife, gave birth to her youngest child Zeus, she hid him in a cave, where he was attended to by the Nymphs Adrasteia and Ida, and suckled by a the she-goat Amalthea (indicating the Triple-goddess). Rhea substituted Zeus with a stone dressed in baby clothes, which Kronos unwittingly gobbled up instead. when Zeus reached manhood, Kronos was given a potion causing him to vomit up, first the stone, and then the rest of his children, who finally, after a ten year battle, defeated their tyrannical father.

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig)

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Tibet: Chenrezig) vowed that he would not enter Nirvana until all beings had achieved liberation from the wheel of Samsara. He visited the three lowest realms of temporal existence and liberated many beings.
From the top of Mount (Su)meru, (the Axis-Mundi in Buddhist cosmology), he surveyed the ever-revolving universe and discovered that the three realms were once again filled with unending suffering. Avalokiteshvara, reflecting upon his vow, perceived that the task was impossible, and shattered into a thousand pieces.

The Buddhas restored Avalokiteshvara, equipping him with a thousand arms (an eye in every palm), and a multitude of heads, including a head of wrath. It is also said that when the Bodhisattva shattered, his new bodily form sprang into existence, better equipping him for the task of liberation.

Again, we are told, that Avalokiteshvara wept for all beings trapped within the wheel of ever-becoming, and from his tears, the Bodhisattva Tara was born, who is also his consort.

Pan Gu

According to Chinese myth, in the beginning Pan Gu developed in the darkness of a giant cosmic egg. After 18,000 years the egg shattered and Pan Gu, who is depicted in Chinese art holding a hammer, emerged.

The lighter fragments (Yang: the active solar male principle) of the cosmic egg became heaven, while the dark and heavy fragments (Yin: the passive shady female principle associated with the moon) became earth.

For another 18,000 years Pan Gu continued to grow, pushing heaven and earth further apart until they solidified and became fixed into place. Exhausted Pan Gu laid down and died.

His skull was transformed into the sky, his left eye became the sun and his right eye became the moon. His flesh became the soil, while his bones and teeth were transformed into rocks. From his hair arose the stars and vegetation, and his blood, sweat and tears produced the rivers, ocean, rain, and dew. Pan Gu’s breath became the wind and clouds, and his voice turned into thunder. The parasites that lived on Pan Gu’s body became mankind.

Atman and Creation

According to Hindu mythology, in the beginning nothing existed apart from the Supreme Self (Atman) who was manifest in the form of a man and filled the entire universe.

Perceiving only himself he cried aloud, “I!” and the notion of the ‘self’ came into being. aware that he was alone, he immediately became fearful, but then reasoned, as there existed nothing apart from himself, he had nothing to be afraid of, and his fear departed.

However, the Supreme Self lacked joy and desired another. He became in appearance like two lovers holding one another in a tight embrace. They split apart like two halves of a single pea, and both male and female came into existence.

The Supreme self united with the woman, and the race of Mankind was created. The woman was horrified that he should desire to unite with her, afterall, she was his his own flesh and blood, and was therefore his daughter. She then attempted to disguise herself in the form of a cow. In response, the Supreme Self transformed into a bull and again joined with her and created cattle. One after the other, the woman disguised herself in the form of every animal, and each time, he would likewise transform himself and unite with her, and in this way all pairs of animals were created.

Afterwards, the Supreme Self reflected upon all he had done, and said “I am creation because all things came from my own body.”