Vageesh Express
Vedic
Bytes
Puranas
Authorship, name and chronology
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'. 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 and the Satapatha Brahmana 11.5.6.8. and
13.4.3.13). And the term itihasa purana, "account of ancient times,"
occurs in the Chandogya Upanishad and Nirukta and the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad,
where the text thus referred to is considered the "fifth Veda."
The specific corpus of the Mahapuranas, as
opposed to generic purana "ancient tale", are generally estimated to
date to the Early Middle Ages, or to roughly between the 5th and 10th
centuries, but may contain older material; according to Pargiter, an
"original Purana" may date to the time of the final redaction of the
Vedas.
Puranic genealogies
The Puranas also lay emphasis on keeping a
record of genealogies, thus 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 Pargiter has argued that in the Puranas, the Puranic Krta
Yuga "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". The Puranas themselves state
that these lists are incomplete. 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." 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. The list of kings
in Kalhana's Rajatarangini goes back to the 19th century BCE.
The Puranic genealogies indicate that Manu
Vaivasvata lived 95 generations before the Bharata War.
Upapuranas
The corpus of Upapuranas is less clearly
defined. Some Upapuranas are: Sanat-kumara, Narasimha, Brihan-naradiya,
Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi,
Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesa, Mudgala, and Hamsa. The
Ganesa and Mudgala Puranas are sectarian Upapuranas devoted to Ganesha.
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.
Other Hindu Puranas
Sthala Puranas
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.[26]
Kula Puranas
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.
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.
Other
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.
Jain and Buddhist Puranas
There are many Jain Puranas, dealing with
Jain myths, history and legends. 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.
References
1. Vedic Samhitas and Brahmanas by
Vishal Agarwal
2. http://www.answers.com/topic/puranas
3. http://www.answers.com/topic/trimurti
4. The Puranas (bharatadesam.com)
NOTE: Few References links to external
links. Thanks for cooperation
Submit feedback to newsletter@mahaganapati.org with subject line as <Vedic Bytes> Disclaimer: Views of readers/column writers are that
of their own and not of the Temple
