HOME WEB NEWS IMAGES CLASSIFIEDS YELLOW PAGESPOLLS - SURVEYS WIKI COUNTRIES PHOTOS US UK INDIA
Cities Stocks Weather Movies Coupons Travel Blogs Health Horoscope Maps ASIA EUROPE Classifieds Yellow Pages
 1
|
|
Part of a series on |
|
|
Rigveda · Yajurveda · Samaveda · Atharvaveda |
|
Aitareya · Brihadaranyaka · Isha · Taittiriya · Chandogya · Kena · Mundaka · Mandukya · Katha · Prashna · Shvetashvatara |
|
Smriti · Śruti · Bhagavad Gita · Purana · Agama · Darshana · Pancharatra · Tantra · Sutra · Stotra · Dharmashastra · Divya Prabandha · Tevaram · Akhilathirattu · Ramacharitamanas · Shikshapatri · Vachanamrut · Ananda Sutram |
| |
Purana (Sanskrit: पुराण purāṇa), meaning "belonging to ancient or olden times", is the name of an ancient Indian genre (or a group of related genres) of Hindu or Jain literature (as distinct from oral tradition). They primarily are post-Vedic texts containing a narrative of the history of the Universe, from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy and geography.Puranas at Sacred Texts
Puranas are called the Friendly Treatises or Suhrit-Sammitas, and are usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another. Vyasa Rishi is considered to be the compiler of the Puranas.The Puranas by Swami Sivananda
An early reference to Purana in its present sense can be traced to the Chandogya Upanishad (7.1.2), in which the sage Narada refers to itihāsapurāṇaṃ pañcamaṃ vedānāṃ. Thus the Chandogya Upanishad ascribes to the Puranas, together with Itihas, the status of a fifth Veda, or Panchama Veda. The Rigveda mentions Purana many times, though some say that there the meaning is "belonging to ancient times."[citation needed]
There are many texts designated as \'Purana\'. The most important are:
The Mahāpurāṇas are dated philologically to between roughly the 3rd and the 12th centuries,Nagendra Kumar Singh (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Hinduism, (1997) ISBN 8174881689, p. 2324 the bulk of the texts likely originating in the Gupta period (320-500 CE), with incremental additions well into medieval times.
(1996). An Introduction to Hinduism (Book) (in English), Cambridge University Press, 359. ISBN 0521433045.
According to Hindu tradition, the Puranas were composed by Vyasa at the end of Dvapara Yuga.
In the opinion of Gavin Flood, the Puranic corpus is a complex body of materials that advance the views of various competing cults:
Although these texts are related to each other, and material in one is found in another, they nevertheless each present a view of ordering of the world from a particular perspective. They must not be seen as random collections of old tales, but as highly selective and crafted expositions and presentations of worldviews and soteriologies, compiled by particular groups of Brahmins to propagate a particular vision, whether it be focused on Viṣṇu, Śiva, or Devī, or, indeed, any number of deities.
Contents |
The Puranas are classified into a Mahā- ("great") and a Upa- ("lower, additional") corpus. According to Matysa Purana, Matsya Purana 53.65 they are said to narrate five subjects, called Pancha Lakshana pañcalakṣaṇa ("five distinguishing marks"):
Manvantras is the period of Manu\'s rule consisting of 71 celestial Yugas or 308,448,000 years. Swami Sivananda
Most Mahapuranas and Upapuranas deal with these subject matters, although the bulk of their text consists of historical and religious narratives. Some scholars have suggested that these \'distinguishing marks\' are shared by other traditional religious scriptures of the world (e.g. the Bible). Rao, Velcheru Narayana (1993). "Purana as Brahminic Ideology", in Doniger Wendy: Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Book) (in English), Albany: State University of New York Press, 85-100. ISBN 0-7914-1381-0. A Purana usually gives prominence to a certain deity (Shiva, Vishnu or Krishna, Durga) and depicts the other gods as subservient. Most use an abundance of religious and philosophical concepts in their narration, from Bhakti to Samkhya.
The Puranas are available in vernacular translations and are disseminated by Brahmin scholars, who read from them and tell their stories, usually in Katha sessions (in which a travelling brahmin settles for a few weeks in a temple and narrates parts of a Purana, usually with a Bhakti perspective).
Traditionally it is said that there are 18 Mahapuranas and 18 Upapuranas. Each Mahapurana lists eighteen canonical puranas, but the contents of each list vary reflecting differences in time and place. Combining the lists, Dimmitt and van Buitenen Dimmitt, Cornelia; J. A. B. van Buitenen (1978). Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskirt Puranas. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 373. ISBN 8170305969. have collated twenty names:
The Goddess Ambika or Durga Leading the Eight Matrikas in Battle Against the Demon Raktabija, Folio from Devi Mahatmya, Markandeya Purana.
(1993) "The Scrapbook of Undeserved Salvation: The Kedara Khanda of the Skanda Purana", in Doniger Wendy: Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Book) (in English), Albany: State University of New York Press, 59-83. ISBN 0-7914-1381-0.
The Mahapuranas are also classified by the three aspects of Trimurti,
A reference from the Puranas themselves classifies the various Puranic texts in accordance with the three gunas (qualities of material nature) -- goodness, passion and ignorance. Of the Mahapuranas it is said that six are more effective for readers in the guna of goodness, six for those in the guna of passion, and six to people in the guna of ignorance. According to the Padma Purana, Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda, 236.18-21 these are the Mahapuranas and their corresponding qualities:
An illustration of Varaha avatar based on the Bhagavata Purana
Traditionally, the Puranas are said to have been composed by the sage Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata epic. Vyasa in Sanskrit means \'Divider,\' and some scholars therefore take this simply as a term meaning \'Editor\'. (1993) in Doniger Wendy: Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Book) (in English), Albany: State University of New York Press, 59-83. ISBN 0-7914-1381-0. The texts, these scholars say, were probably written all over India and are being rewritten and reedited to the present day all over the world.
The term purana, which means "belonging to ancient times" or "an ancient tale or legend", appears in the Vedas (e.g. Atharvaveda 11.7.24 Pargiter, F E [1922] (1962). Ancient Indian historical tradition (Book), Original publisher Oxford University Press, London (in English), Delhi: Motilal Banarasidass, 30-54. OCLC 1068416. ; Moghe 1997:249 and the Satapatha Brahmana 11.5.6.8. and 13.4.3.13. SBE Vol. 44, pp. 98, 369). And the term itihasa purana, "account of ancient times", occurs in the Chandogya Upanishad.3.4.1-2, 7.1.2-4, 7.2.1, 7.7.1 Moghe 1997:160,249 and Nirukta.Nirukta 1.16, 12.10. See Moghe 1997:161 and the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, where the text thus referred to is considered the "fifth Veda."Brhadaranyaka Upanisad 2.4.10, 4.1.2, 4.5.11. Satapatha Brahmana (SBE, Vol. 44, pp. 98, 369). Moghe 1997:160,249
The specific corpus of the Mahapuranas, as opposed to generic purana "ancient tale", is sometimes estimated by Western scholars to date to the Early Middle Ages, or to roughly between the fifth and tenth centuries, but to contain older material; according to Pargiter, an "original Purana" may date to the time of the final redaction of the Vedas.
The Puranas also lay emphasis on keeping a record of genealogies. Thus the Vayu Purana says: "As seen by good people in the ancient times the suta\'s duty was to preserve the genealogies of gods, rsis and glorious kings and the traditions of great men." (Vayu P. 1. 31-2)
The Puranic genealogies add up to fantastic time depths see e.g. F.E. Pargiter (1922) and Pargiter (1979) Pargiter 1979 P.L. Bhargava 1971, India in the Vedic Age, Lucknow: Upper India Publishing; Talageri 1993, 2000; Subhash Kak, 1994, The astronomical code of the Rgveda Pargiter has argued that in the Puranas the Puranic Krta YugaIn Vayu Purana 32, the four Yugas are divided into 4800, 3600, 2400 and 1200 years. "ended with the destruction of the Haihayas [by Rama Jamadagnya]; the Treta began approximately with Sagara and ended with Rama Dasarathi\'s destruction of the Raksasas; and the Dvapara began with his reinstatement at Ayodhya and ended with the Bharata battle".Pargiter 1922:177 The Puranas themselves state that these lists are incomplete. Matsya Purana 49.72; Kak 1994 The astronomical code of the Rgveda, p.51 In Arrian\'s Indica, Megasthenes is quoted as stating that the Indians counted from Shiva (Dionysos) to Chandragupta Maurya (Sandracottus) "a hundred and fifty-three kings over six thousand and forty-three years."Pliny: Naturalis Historia 6:59; Arrian: Indica 9:9 The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (4.6.), ca. 8th century BCE, mentions 57 links in the Guru-Parampara ("succession of teachers"). This would mean that this Guru-Parampara would go back about 1400 years, although the accuracy of this list is disputed.(see Klaus Klostermaier 1989 and Arvind Sharma 1995) The list of kings in Kalhana\'s Rajatarangini goes back to the 19th century BCE.Elst 1999, with reference to Bernard Sergent
The Puranic genealogies indicate that Manu Vaivasvata lived 95 generations before the Bharata War.R. C. Majumdar and A. D. Pusalker (editors): The history and culture of the Indian people. Volume I, The Vedic age. Bombay : Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan 1951, p.273
Upapuranas are eighteen in number, namely: Sanat-kumara, Narasimha, Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesha, Mudgala, and Hamsa.These have been studied by the Bengali scholar R. C. Hazra. See his Studies in the Upapuranas, vol. I, Calcutta, Sanskrit College, 1958. Studies in the Upapuranas, vol. II, Calcutta, Sanskrit College, 1979. Studies in Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Delhi, Banarsidass, 1975. More recently they have been studied by Ludo Rocher in The Puranas - A History of Indian Literature. Vol. II, fasc. 3, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1986. The Ganesha and Mudgala Puranas are sectarian Upapuranas devoted to Ganesha. Thapan, Anita Raina (1997). Understanding Gaṇapati: Insights into the dynamics of a cult. Manohar Publishers, 304. ISBN 81-7304-195-4. Purana at Gurjari
Most of these have not been critically edited yet and are available mostly through devotional publications, in multiple versions and recensions.
The Devi-Bhagavata Purana extols the virtues of the goddess Durga as the supreme being. It has become (along with the Devi Mahatmya of the Mārkandeya Purana) a basic text for Devi worshipers.The Triumph of the Goddess - The Canonical Models and Theological Visions of the DevI-BhAgavata PuraNa, Brwon Mackenzie. ISBN 0-7914-0363-7
This corpus of texts narrates the virtues and stories connected with a certain temple or shrine (the word \'Sthala\' means \'Place\' in Sanskrit). There are numerous Sthala Puranas, most written in vernaculars, some with Sanskrit versions as well. Most claim to have a Sanskrit origin, and some of the Sanskrit versions also appear in a Mahapurana or an Upapurana. Some Tamil Sthala Puranas have been researched by David Dean Shulman. Tamil Temple Myths - Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South Indian Saiva Tradition - David Dean Shulman. ISBN 0-691-06415-6
These are mostly caste-focused Puranas (the word \'Kula\' means \'Family\' or \'Tribe\' in Sanskrit). They deal with a caste\'s origin myth, stories and legends. The caste purana is an important source for caste identity and is usually contested by other, rival, castes. This subgenre is usually in the vernacular and might at times be oral. \'Kulapuranas\' - Pulikonda Subbachary in Folklore in Modern India, edited by Jawaharlal Handoo, p. 125-142. ISBN 81-7342-055-6
This subgenre has been little researched. But it is rather well documented in the caste section of the British Census of India Report and the various Gazzeteers. See for example Castes and Tribes of Southern India Vols I-V, Thurston Edgar. Cosmo Publication, Delhi.
There are many other narratives that go by the name of Purana. Most are written in vernaculars and are usually concerned with mythical and historical narrations. These texts, such as the Padma Purana of Bengal and Assam (narrating the story of the goddess Manasā), are vast in number and scattered all over the Indian subcontinent. `Verbal Narratives: Performance and Gender of the Padma Purana\', by T.N. Sankaranarayana in Chanted Narratives - The Katha Vachana Tradition, Edited by Molly Kaushal, p. 225-234. ISBN 81-246-0182-8
There are many Jain Puranas, dealing with Jain myths, history and legends. Jaini, Padmanabh S. (1993). "Jaina Puranas: A Puranic Counter Tradition", in Doniger Wendy: Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Book) (in English), Albany: State University of New York Press, 207-249. ISBN 0-7914-1381-0. Cort, John E. (1993). "An Overview of the Jaina Puranas", in Doniger Wendy: Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Book) (in English), Albany: State University of New York Press, 185-206. ISBN 0-7914-1381-0. Studies and English translations of this particular genre are meagre. The best known of them is the Mahapurana of Acharya Jinasena. The Jain Puranas form a major part of the early Kannada literature.
Swayambhu Purana, a Buddhist Purana, is major source of the history of the Kathmandu valley. Arguably, some Buddhist Mahāyāna Sūtras seem to have some characteristics of Puranas.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia
