Mythology, in most world religions, is a set of stories of ancient times with supernatural incidents explaining the Powers of God and the acts of the devil or the consequences of abnormal human behavior. Mythology is a simple way to keep the illiterate public in a mass ignorance within a complete hold of the priests and their teachings, to have them follow the religion with a blind faith without questioning. In Hinduism, however, mythological stories describe the religious philosophy in simple terms to the common man with simplicity so that he will follow those teachings. These Hindu mythologies give vivid descriptions of events often bordering factual historical and biographical data and fictional stories of fantasy and imagination to discuss and project a philosophical thought and truth. For those who believe in them as biography and fact as well as those who read them as a story of fantasy, it gives an easy explanation of the ultimate Truth and a moral teaching.

Rituals are a set of simple or complicated acts of prayer routines and recitations, with fire, water and other means, that helps to keep the faith in the teachings and to gain Divine blessings. Hinduism is unique in giving a very detailed and lengthy description of every ritual to several forms of Divine Incarnations, whom the Vedas ask us to pray to please them and improve ourselves. The 'Brahmana' portions of the Vedas give detailed accounts of these Yajña or rituals. These rituals are elaborate, used as a vehicle to carry the philosophy and the mythology is to explain the principles in the form of stories to the common man. The daily rituals sometimes appear different for different people and different community and areas as modified by several years of cultural separation, isolation as well as mixing of other cultures. Based on the customs and social habits of people belonging to various clans, many rituals grew from time to time. Often most Vedic rituals and Agamic practice remained very similar in most Hindu families, in most areas.