Hinduism/The Puranas



The Puranas (Sanskrit: पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times") are Hindu religious texts. They contain narratives about the history of the Universe from creation to destruction and the genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and deities. Some of the Puranas are discourses on cosmology, geography and Hindu philosophy. They are usually written in the form of a dialogue. The Puranas, along with the Smritis, were composed to elucidate the principles of vedanta and in form of stories for easy understanding of common folks and also to inculcate to ethical values.

Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata, is traditionally considered the compiler of the Puranas. The earliest written versions were compiled during the time of the Gupta Empire (4 - 6 century CE) and much of the material may be dated, through historical references and comparative studies, to this period and the succeeding centuries. The texts were collected from all over India and because of the similarities that are found throughout the texts, it is not possible to trace the line of influence of one Purana upon another, so the corpus is best viewed as a synchronous whole.

The date of the earliest written texts does not define the date of origin of the Puranas. They were transmitted orally before being written down, while at the same time, they have been modified well into the 16th century and beyond.

Serious work on the Puranas began when the All India Kashiraj Trust was formed under the patronage and guidance of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh, the Maharaja of Kashi, which, in addition to producing critical editions of the Puranas, also published the journal Puranam.

Origins
An early reference is found in the Chandogya Upanishad (7.1.2). (c. 500 BCE.) The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad refers to purana as the "fifth Veda", itihāsapurāṇaṃ pañcamaṃ vedānāṃ, reflecting the early religious importance of these myths, presumably then in oral form. The term also appears in the Atharvaveda 11.7.24. According to Matysa Purana, they are said to narrate five subjects, called Pancha Lakshana pañcalakṣaṇa ("five distinguishing marks"):
 * 1) Sarga: the creation of the universe.
 * 2) Pratisarga: secondary creations, mostly re-creations after dissolution.
 * 3) Vamśa: genealogy of the gods and sages.
 * 4) Manvañtara: the creation of the human race and the first human beings. The epoch of the Manus' rule, 71 celestial Yugas or 308,448,000 years.
 * 5) Vamśānucaritam: the histories of the patriarchs of the lunar and solar dynasties.

Some scholars have suggested that these 'distinguishing marks' are shared by other traditional religious scriptures. The Puranas also lay emphasis on keeping a record of genealogies. The Vayu Purana states that in ancient times the Sūta (Sanskrit:सूत bards of Puranic stories) preserved the genealogies of gods, rishis, glorious kings and the traditions of great men.

According to Pargiter (1922), the "original Purana" may date to the time of the final redaction of the Vedas. and Pargiter (1979) Pargiter has argued that the Puranic Krta Yuga—in the Vayu Purana 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". In Arrian's Indica, Megasthenes (Greek Historian born c. 350 BC died c. 290) 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 list of kings in Kalhana's Rajatarangini goes back to the 19th century BCE.

Nevertheless Gavin Flood (Professor of Oxford University, Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion) connects the rise of the written Purana historically with the rise of devotional cults centring upon a particular deity in the Gupta era: 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.''

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).

The Mahapuranas
Of the many texts designated Puranas the most important are the Mahāpurāṇas. These are always said to be eighteen in number, divided into three groups of six.
 * 1) Agni Purana (15,400 verses)
 * 2) Bhagavata Purana (18,000 verses). One of the most celebrated and popular of the Puranas, telling of Vishnu's ten Avatars. Its tenth and longest canto narrates the deeds of Krishna, introducing his childhood exploits, a theme later elaborated by many Bhakti movements.
 * 3) Bhavishya Purana (14,500 verses)
 * 4) Brahma Purana (24,000 verses)
 * 5) Brahmanda Purana (12,000 verses; includes Lalita Sahasranamam, a text some Hindus recite as prayer)
 * 6) Brahma Vaivarta Purana (18,000 verses)
 * 7) Garuda Purana (19,000 verses)
 * 8) Kurma Purana (17,000 verses)
 * 9) Linga Purana (11,000 verses)
 * 10) Markandeya Purana (9,000 verses; includes Devi Mahatmyam, an important text for Shaktas)
 * 11) Matsya Purana (14,000 verses)
 * 12) Narada Purana (25,000 verses)
 * 13) Padma Purana (55,000 verses)
 * 14) Shiva Purana (24,000 verses)
 * 15) Skanda Purana (81,100 verses), the longest Purana, it is an extraordinarily meticulous pilgrimage guide, containing geographical locations of pilgrimage centers in India, with related legends, parables, hymns and stories. Many untraced quotes are attributed to this text.
 * 16) Vamana Purana (10,000 verses)
 * 17) Varaha Purana (10,000 verses)
 * 18) Vishnu Purana (23,000 verses)

The Mahapuranas are frequently classified according the three aspects of the divine Trimurti,
 * Brahma Puranas: Brahma Purana, Brahmānda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Mārkandeya Purana, Bhavishya Purana,
 * Vishnu Puranas: Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Nāradeya Purana, Garuda Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana, Vāmana Purana, Kūrma Purana, Matsya Purana
 * Shiva Puranas: Shiva Purana, Linga Purana, Skanda Purana, Agni Purana, Vāyu Purana

According to the Padma Purana, the texts may be classified in accordance with the three gunas or qualities; truth, passion, and ignorance:


 * Sattva ("truth; purity"): Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Naradeya Purana, Garuda Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana
 * Rajas ("dimness; passion"): Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Markandeya Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Vamana Purana, Brahma Purana
 * Tamas ("darkness; ignorance"): Matsya Purana, Kurma Purana, Linga Purana, Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, Agni Purana

The Upapuranas
The Upapurāṇas are lesser or ancillary texts: these are sometimes also said to be eighteen in number, with still less agreement as to the canonical titles. Few have been critically edited. They include: Sanat-kumara, Narasimha, Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesha, Mudgala, and Hamsa.

The Ganesha and Mudgala Puranas are devoted to Ganesha. The Devi-Bhagavata Purana, which extols the goddess Durga, has become (along with the Devi Mahatmya of the Mārkandeya Purana) a basic text for Devi worshipers.

There are many others all over the Indian subcontinent.

Sthala Puranas
This corpus of texts tells of the origins and traditions of particular temples or shrines—the word sthala means "spot" in Sanskrit. There are numerous Sthala Puranas, most written in vernaculars, some with Sanskrit versions as well. Some appear in Sanskrit versions in the Mahapuranas or Upapuranas. Some Tamil Sthala Puranas have been researched by David Dean Shulman.

Kula Puranas
These Puranas deal with a caste's origin myth, stories, and legends (the word kula means "family" or "tribe" in Sanskrit). They are important sources for caste identity though usually contested by rival castes. This subgenre is usually in the vernacular and may at times remain oral. These have been little researched, though they are documented in the caste section of the British Census of India Report and the various Gazetteers.

Jain Puranas
Jain Puranas deal with Jain myths, history and legends and form a major part of early Kannada literature. The best known is the Mahapurana of Acharya Jinasena.