In this part we are providing information about Puranas, which is considered upanga (limb) of Veda.
Maharshi Vyasa is the author of Puranas. He had a divine power to see through past, present and future. With the help of this power he could perform gigantic works such as collating Vedas, writing 18 maha-puranas etc.
Puranas are considered as magnifying glasses of Vedas. They elaborate on principles from Vedas through stories. It is much easier for a person to grasp the principle through an example and which is what Puranas do. They contain numerous stories that exemplify principles from Vedas. They are in the form of prose, poetry and dialog. This helps all people to understand the principles of Vedas even when they are not well versed with it. People of all faiths can gain knowledge from Puranas necessary for leading contented life and attaining ultimate goal of achieving eternal bliss.
Pura means "from the past". Purana are the books that describe what happened in the past. At the same time they main contain predictions about the future as well.
Every purana has five characteristic features (lakshanas) - 1. sarga (creation of cosmos), 2. prati-sarga (expansion of cosmos through each eon), 3. vamsa (lineage of living creatures starting with Brahma and his children), 4. manvantara (describing ages of 14 Manus, forefathers of mankind through 1000 chaturyugas) and 5. vamsanucharita (genealogy of the rulers of the nation including the solar and lunar dynasties).
The main puranas are 18 in number. Each purana eulogizes a particular deity. The 18 puranas are - Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Narada Purana, Markandeya Purana, Visnu Purana, Shiva Purana, Bhagwata Purana, Agni Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Brahma-Vaivarta Purana, Linga Purana, Varaha Purana, Skanda Mahapurana, Vamana Purana, Kurma Purana, Matsya Purana, Garuda Purana and Brahmanda Purana. Besides these, there are also upa-puranas and sthala puranas (stories pertaining to particular place i.e. sthala)
As mentioned above, Puranas elaborate on principles from Vedas. Overall, through the stories, Puranas give answers/explanations to questions/topics such as
As mentioned above, there are also sthala puranas also known as kshetra puranas. These were written by Maharshis and Sages who performed penance at particular place. Due to their Tapascharya (penance) and grace of Lord, the places became Tirtha kshetra, Poonya kshetra and Poonya nadi etc.
In upcoming parts we will provide information about upangas such as Dharmashastra, Mimamsa etc.
Through our limited knowledge, we have attempted to provide a summary of Puranas as far as we can. References were taken from the lectures of His Highness Shri Shankaracharya of Kanchi published in a Tamil Spiritual magazine. Apologies for any mistakes or omissions in conveying the information.
Maharshi Vyasa is the author of Puranas. He had a divine power to see through past, present and future. With the help of this power he could perform gigantic works such as collating Vedas, writing 18 maha-puranas etc.
Puranas are considered as magnifying glasses of Vedas. They elaborate on principles from Vedas through stories. It is much easier for a person to grasp the principle through an example and which is what Puranas do. They contain numerous stories that exemplify principles from Vedas. They are in the form of prose, poetry and dialog. This helps all people to understand the principles of Vedas even when they are not well versed with it. People of all faiths can gain knowledge from Puranas necessary for leading contented life and attaining ultimate goal of achieving eternal bliss.
Pura means "from the past". Purana are the books that describe what happened in the past. At the same time they main contain predictions about the future as well.
Every purana has five characteristic features (lakshanas) - 1. sarga (creation of cosmos), 2. prati-sarga (expansion of cosmos through each eon), 3. vamsa (lineage of living creatures starting with Brahma and his children), 4. manvantara (describing ages of 14 Manus, forefathers of mankind through 1000 chaturyugas) and 5. vamsanucharita (genealogy of the rulers of the nation including the solar and lunar dynasties).
The main puranas are 18 in number. Each purana eulogizes a particular deity. The 18 puranas are - Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Narada Purana, Markandeya Purana, Visnu Purana, Shiva Purana, Bhagwata Purana, Agni Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Brahma-Vaivarta Purana, Linga Purana, Varaha Purana, Skanda Mahapurana, Vamana Purana, Kurma Purana, Matsya Purana, Garuda Purana and Brahmanda Purana. Besides these, there are also upa-puranas and sthala puranas (stories pertaining to particular place i.e. sthala)
As mentioned above, Puranas elaborate on principles from Vedas. Overall, through the stories, Puranas give answers/explanations to questions/topics such as
- What are the methods to be followed so that every individual can achieve all four goals of life namely - dharma (virtue), artha (wealth), kama (fulfillment of desires) and moksha (liberation from sorrow and attainment of eternal bliss). Accounts of individuals who were able to achieve all four goals.
- How the universe was formed?
- What are the different worlds (lokas) and the descriptions of people living there?
- Individual jiva's journey through different worlds and how the jiva attains mukti.
- The names of rivers, seas, hills, oceans, mountains during different times and their names
- When the Pralaya will happen (dooms day)?
- How the world will be destroyed during Pralaya? and how it will be recreated again.
- How during some Pralaya, a part of the world will be destroyed
- The names of species that lived in each yuga.
- and so on....
As mentioned above, there are also sthala puranas also known as kshetra puranas. These were written by Maharshis and Sages who performed penance at particular place. Due to their Tapascharya (penance) and grace of Lord, the places became Tirtha kshetra, Poonya kshetra and Poonya nadi etc.
In upcoming parts we will provide information about upangas such as Dharmashastra, Mimamsa etc.
Through our limited knowledge, we have attempted to provide a summary of Puranas as far as we can. References were taken from the lectures of His Highness Shri Shankaracharya of Kanchi published in a Tamil Spiritual magazine. Apologies for any mistakes or omissions in conveying the information.
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