Influence of Greek Mythology on India

Alexander and his Ionian Greek forces invaded India around 326 BC and left some Greek presence in the subcontinent that in many ways influenced India. These Ionians were referred to as Yavanas, a word later becoming synonymous with any foreign invaders. As Vyasa’s Jaya evolved into Bharata, and later Mahabharata, stories and characters were added to them as they evolved. Greek influence definitely must have played a part in it. For starters, the Greeks or Yavanas were mentioned in the final version of the epic long with other foreign invaders like Sakas, Pahalavas and Hunas, which itself proves that the story was altered in later times.

(Disclaimer: These influences are very speculative and could be just coincidences.)

Achilles heel: It has now become a term to denote ‘weak spot’. In the epic of the Iliad, it is said that Achilles’ mother Thetis dipped his body in a magical river of Styx when he was a baby. This made his body strong but as she held him by his heel, the heel was undipped and remained weak. This weak spot led to his death in the end.

A similar story is that of Duryodhana when his mother asks him to come naked so that through her magical vision, she makes his whole body strong like a rock. But on the advice of Krishna, Duryodhana covers himself with banana leaf and so the area around his thighs remain unchanged. Therefore, Bhima later kills him by attacking his thighs.

At the end of the Mahabharata, Krishna’s death happens when a hunter named Jara (possibly a personification for old age) shoots him right in the heel, thinking of it as a deer.

Bheeshma – powerful son of a river goddess and a mortal father: 

Bheeshma or Devavrata as he was originally known was the son of a mortal father Shantanu, and a river goddess Ganga. He went on to become the greatest, strongest and terrifying warrior. This also bears similarities with Achilles, whose mother Thetis was a water goddess/nymph, and whose father was Peleus, a mortal human king of Phthia. He too went on to become the greatest, the strongest and terrifying warrior.

Killing off-springs to eliminate threat: 

Fathers killing off their offspring fearing threat and competition is a common theme in Greek mythology. Uranus was defeated by his son Cronus, and Cronus feared his sons would do the same thing to him. Therefore, he began swallowing all of his offspring right after their birth. Only the last son Zeus, escaped this and grew up to fulfil his destiny of destroying Cronus.

Krishna’s backstory is missing in the original Mahabharata. The story of his birth and adventures in Gokul and Mathura is part of a later appendage called the Harivamsa. In Indian culture, killing off a parent is a sinful thought and so, this act was modified into killing off a maternal uncle. Kamsa had imprisoned his father when he took over the realm, just like Cronus. Kamsa was worried about the prophecy that his nephew will eventually kill him off. Therefore, he imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva and one by one killed off their child. Only Krishna escaped and grew up to fulfil the destiny.

Krishna’s childhood: 

Like mentioned earlier, Krishna’s backstory was added later. Therefore, his childhood stories that bear close resemblance with that of Hercules/Heracles seems to be a Greek influence. Probably Greeks introduced Heracles/Hercules to India and in time these two separate characters fused into one. Megasthenes, the Greek diplomat to Chandragupta Maurya’s court had mentioned Heracles being worshipped by the people of Mathura, and a giant Greek-style sculpture of Heracles fighting Nemean lion has been found in Mathura.

Draupadi’s disrobing: 

Many researchers are of the opinion that the event of disrobing of Draupadi is a later interpolation, as it contradicts many specifications mentioned in the text, go against the natures of characters, and is never again talked about later in texts. So, it could be possible that this later interpolation was a result of influence from the Greek tale of a courtesan named Phryne. Phryne was believed to be disrobed in a Greek court. The context of this story is very different from that of Draupadi, but it bears some resemblance. The details of Draupadi’s disrobing question is provided in the bibliography below.

Overall, the similarities between Indian and Greek myths could be a result of a proto-Indo-European, or a result of cultural interaction.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

https://www.boloji.com/articles/1769/was-draupadi-ever-disrobed

https://www.boloji.com/articles/1766/was-draupadi-disrobed-in-the-dice-hall-of-hastinapurahttps://www.boloji.com/articles/14497/mahabharata-draupadis-single-garment