SATVIKA PURANAS THAT GLORIFY THE LORD VISHNU

VishnuPuranam

This approaches most closely to the definition of a Purana dealing with essentially with the fivefold topic set forth in the definition. There is more of unity and less of exaggerated emphasis on sectarian sacrifices and ceremonies in this Purana than what we find in other Puranas. This fact makes it probable that it is the earliest of Puranas. This fact makes it probable that it is the earliest of Puranas. The epic is narrated by the sage Parasara to his disciple in six books called xxxxx. The VishnuPuranam speaks of the stories of ten Avataras of Vishnu besides the usual Puranic matter. Among the 18 Puranas this is second only to Bhagavadgita in its popularity and is quoted more profusely than any other Purana by the great religious teachers like Sri Shankaracharya and Sri Ramanajacharya. This Purana gives an account of the Maurya Dynasty and therefore might have been composed about the 2^nd century B.C.

 

Bhagavata Puranam

            This is the most popular of all the Puranas and has found its way into the literature of all spoken languages of our country. It seems to be based on the VishnuPuranam for its matter. It is divided into 12 books called Skandas and contains about 18000 verses. It deals at length with the stories of ten main incarnations and many minor ones of Vishnu. The tenth Skanda is the most popular section which deals with Lord Krishna’s exploits.

            Kapila and Buddha are spoken of here as incarnations of Vishnu and this denotes an age when the animosity towards Buddhism had completely died down. In style it approaches the Vedic texts in some places and the classical texts in others. This Purana has numerous commentaries and renderings into the Indian languages. Shankara and Ramanja did not mention this Purana nor do their works contain any quotation from this. Anandatirtha or Madhva was the earliest Vedantin to quote from this Purana.

 

Padma Puranam

         The Padma Puranam has six The Padma Puranam has six sections called Adikanda, Bhumikanda, Brahmakanda, Patalakanda, Srshtikanda and Uttarakanda. The Purana is named after the lotus (padmam) from which Brahma sprang.the second section makes a reference to Jainism and the third to Radha, the consort of Lord Krishna. Besides containing information on the observances sacred to the devotees of Vishnu, the Purana deals with the lives of Rama and Sakuntala showing close resemblance to the poem Raghuvamsa and the drama Abhij`nanasakuntalam of Kalidasa. Many scholars hold that these portions in the Purana should have been composed under the influence of Kalidasa’s works.

 

                                                    NARADA PURANAM

The Narada Purana (also Naradiya Purana) follows the style of the Brihannaradiya Purana in the first 41 chapters of Purvabhaga, but the rest of the first part and second part are encyclopedic covering a diverse range of topics. The encyclopedic sections discuss subjects such as the six Vedangas, Moksha, Dharma, Adhyatma-jnana (monastic life), Pashupata philosophy, a secular guide with methods of worship of Ganesha, Narasimha, Hayagriva, Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Shiva and goddess Lakshmi. The text also glorifies goddess Radha as the Mulaprakriti one whose soul and love manifests all other Hindu goddesses.

The text's secular description and verse of praises are not limited to different traditions of Hinduism, but also other traditions. For example, chapter 1.2 extols Buddha. This contrasts with Kurma Purana which is disdainful of Buddhism without mentioning Buddha, but similar to the praise of Buddha in other major Puranas such as chapter 49 of the Agni Purana, chapter 2.5.16 of the Shiva Purana, chapter 54 of the Matsya Purana and various minor Puranas.

Chapters 92 through 109 of Purvabhaga are notable for summarizing the 18 major Puranas, one entire chapter dedicated to each. This has been an important benchmark in comparison studies, and as evidence that the Puranas were revised after the composition of Naradiya Purana, since the summary in these 18 chapters is significantly different than the extant manuscripts of the major Puranas. Other topics covered in the verses of Uttarabhaga include flora and fauna, food, music, dance, dress, jewelry, weapons and theories on war.

The Naradiya Purana also contains Rukmangadacarita, a legend of king named Rukmangada, whose belief in Vishnu is repeatedly tested by a temptress Mohini (a female incarnation of Vishnu), one that became subject of plays and dance arts in Indian culture. After Rukmangadacarita, the text predominantly is a compilation of geographic Mahatmyas or travel guides for pilgrimage along river Ganges starting with Haridwar, through Banaras (Kashi) towards Bengal, and nearby regions such as Gaya in Bihar and Nepal.      

                                                    GARUDA PURANAM

An encyclopedia of diverse topics. Primarily about Vishnu, but praises all gods. Describes how Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma collaborate. Many chapters are a dialogue between Vishnu and the bird-vehicle Garuda. Cosmology, Describes cosmology, relationship between gods. Discusses ethics, what are crimes, good versus evil, various schools of Hindu philosophies, the theory of Yoga, the theory of "heaven and hell" with "karma and rebirth", includes Upanishadic discussion of self-knowledge as a means of moksha. Includes chapters on rivers, geography of Bharat (India) and other nations on earth, types of minerals and stones, testing methods for stones for their quality, various diseases and their symptoms, various medicines, aphrodisiacs, prophylactics, Hindu calendar and its basis, astronomy, moon, planets, astrology, architecture, building home, essential features of a temple, rites of passage, virtues such as compassion, charity and gift making, economy, thrift, duties of a king, politics, state officials and their roles and how to appointment them, genre of literature, rules of grammar, and other topics. The final chapters discuss how to practice Yoga (Samkhya and Advaita types), personal development and the benefits of self-knowledge.

                                                 

                                                    VARAHA PURANAM

The Varaha Purana (Sanskrit: वराह पुराण, Varāha Purāṇa) is a Sanskrit text from the Puranas genre of literature in Hinduism. It belongs to the Vaishnavism literature corpus praising Narayana (Vishnu), but includes chapters dedicated to praising and centered on Shiva and Shakti (goddesses it calls Brahmi, Vaishnavi and Raudri).

The text exists in many versions, with major sections lost to history. The text has been estimated to have been first completed between the 10th and 12th centuries, and continuously revised thereafter. The surviving manuscripts of this text are notable, like Linga Purana, because they do not cover the required Panchalakshana (five characteristics) expected in a Purana. Scholars have questioned whether it really qualifies as a Purana, and whether the extant manuscripts are merely a religious manual largely focussed on Vaishnava practices, with sections that also praise Shiva, Shakti and other gods in a secular way.

The Varaha Purana includes mythology, particularly of the Varaha incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu rescuing the earth (Prithvi) at the time of a great flood. The text also includes mythology of goddesses and Shiva, and a discussion of Karma and Dharma called Dharmasamhita. A large portion of the text is dedicated to medieval geographic Mahatmya (tourist guides) to temples and sites in Mathura and Nepal, but it curiously lacks adoring Krishna in Mathura-related section of the type found in other Puranas.

The printed editions of this work, depending on the version, has 217 or 218 adhyāyas (chapters). The critical edition (edited by Anand Swarup Gupta, and published by the All-India Kashiraj Trust, Varanasi) has 215 chapters The Hindu tradition and other Puranas claim that this text had 24,000 verses; however, surviving manuscripts have less than half that number.

According to the Narada Purana, this text has two parts: purvabhaga and uttarabhaga. While the contents of the purvabhaga summarized in the Narada text generally correspond to the extant manuscripts of the Varaha Purana, the uttarabhaga summarized in the Narada text is not found in surviving Varaha manuscripts, and presumed lost to history.

According to Rajendra Hazra, the extant text has four distinct sections, differing in interlocutors and general characteristics. These sections were likely composed in different time periods, by different authors.

In the first section (chapters 1 to 112), Suta is the narrator and Varaha and Prithvi are the interlocutors. In the second section (chapters 113 to 192), Suta narrates what was told by Prithvi to Sanatkumara about the dialogue between Varaha and herself. In the third section (chapters 193 to 212), Suta describes the conversation between the king Janamejaya and the sage Vaishampayana. This section is also known as the Dharma Samhita. In the final section (chapters 213 to end), Suta narrates the conversation between Brahma and Sanatkumara.

पुराणानि - PURANAs

   

    The Puranas like Mahabharatam are not homogeneous compositions but are made up of ancient tales and recent additions side by side. The Puranas derived their sources from the common myths and legends that have been popularly current from the vedic times. These myths and legends must have been originally sung by bards belonging to the class of people called ‘saUt’s. Hence most of the Puranas are narrated by ‘saUtpaOraiNak’s. The term Purana occurs in the Brahmanas and Upanishads in the sense of cosmogonic enquiries and ancient tables. In the Mahabharatam the word Purana is used to denote the ancient legendary lore in general dealing with the stories of Gods and the genealogy of sages. In the Upanishads and Puranas, Itihasas are called are called the fifth Veda. The Puranas are spoken as existed from very early times dating even before the Mahabharatam. But the Puranas as we have them now seem to be of recent origin. The ‘AmarkaoSa:’ – Amarakosa defines Puranas as works dealing with five different topics namely the main creation, the genealogy of gods and saints, the secondary creation, the epochs of several Manus and the various dynasties of kings.

‘saga-Sca p`itsaga-Sca vaMSaao manvantraiNa ca.

 vaMSaanaucairtM caOva puraNaM pHcalaxaNama\..’

But the Puranas as we have them now devote only a minor attention to these, whereas sectarian matter like the worship of one deity or the other occupies a predominant part. Each Purana is distinctly either Vaishnavite or Saivaite and recount legends about that particular deity who is considered as their supreme being and extols the fasts and feasts, ceremonies and pilgrimages done in honour of that particular deity as a means of salvation. This Satanism, frequent references to Buddhism and other religions, the style, the highly artificial nature of stories and the reference to the kings of the later Dynasties lead us to the conclusions that the earlier ones among the existing Puranas must have been written after the 1^st century A.D. Thus the ‘ivaYNaupuraNama\’ reliably refers to the Maurya Dynasty, the ‘ma%syapuraNama\’ refers to the Andhra Dynasty and ‘vaayaupuraNama\’ speaks of Gupta Dynasty. Since Bana refers to ‘vaayaupuraNama\’ and great rulers like Harsha are not mentioned in any of the Puranas, we can infer that the more important Purana including the ‘vaayaupuraNama\’ must have come into being before the 7^th century A.D. though some like the ‘BaagavatpuraNama\’ must have been composed from 10^th century A.D. onwards. ‘kumaairlaBa+:’ of 8^th century A.D. – a great name in the school of Philosophy takes the Puranas as one of the sources of law. Sri Sankaracharya of 9^th century A.D. and Sri Ramanujacharya of 12^th century A.D. and Sri Madvacharya recognised the authority of Puranas without any reservation. Alberuni in 1030 A.D. shows his familiarity with many of the Puranas like ma%sya vaayau and ivaYNaupuraNas and he also gives a list of 18 Puranas.

The Puranas usually enumerated are ba`*ma pad\ma ivaYNau iSava ila=\ga gaÉD naard Baagavat Aigna sknd BaivaYyat\ ba`*mavaOvat- maak-NDoya vaamana varah kUma- ma%sya ba`*maaND puRraNa s. Strangely this list with some variations appear in the Harivamsa, VishnuPurana, Bhagavata Purana and in almost every other Purana as well.

The Puranas are usually divided into three groups. The Vishnu, Bhagavata, Narada, Padma, Garuda, Varaha Puranas which glorify Vishnu are classified as saai<vakpuraNa s. The Brahma, Brahmavaivarta, Brahmaanda, Markandeya, Bhavishyat and Vamana which extol Brahma are classified as rajaisakpuraNa s. The remaining six Siva, Agni, Linga, Skanda, Matsya and Kurma Puranas which expound the glory of Siva are called tamaisakpuraNa s. All Puranas are ascribed to the common authorship of Vyasa and are introduced as having been narrated by ]ga`Eavasa\ the son of laaomahYa-Na the saUt to  the sages assembled in naOimaSaarNyama\.

Relative priority of Ramayanam over Mahabharatam

 

   The Ramayana, one of the greatest epics i.e. ‘[ithasa:’ is held in high esteem as the Adikavyam. Tradition is very firm with regard to the antiquity and priority of Ramayana over the other epic Mahabharatam. However some scholars are of the view that the Mahabharatam is an earlier work than the Ramayana. One such theory is put forward by Prof.Weber. He says that though the ‘ramaaopa#yaanama\’ the story dealing with Rama occurs in the ‘vanapva- ’ of Mahabharatam there is no mention of Valmiki as well as the epic Ramayana. Markandeya is made to narrate to Dharmaputra after the recovery of the Draupadi who had been carried by Jayadratha as Sita was by Ravana, in order to show that there were other examples in ancient times of virtuous people suffering at the hands of wicked people. Prof.Weber came to the conclusion that the Mahabharata version of ‘ramaaopa#yaanama\’ is more primitive than the Ramayana. According to him, the ‘ramaaopa#yaanama\’ could possibly be the original out of which the epic Ramayana was developed. He put forward another suggestion that the ‘ramaaopa#yaanama\’ of Ramayana and Mahabharata may probably be regarded as resting upon a common ground but each occupying an independent standpoint.

   This theory is not at all accepted by the traditional scholars. There are many internal and external evidences to corroborate the antiquity of Ramayana. As observed above the Mahabharata alludes to the story of Rama in the ‘vanapva- ’. It is even said that the story of Rama is too popular to need any detail. This itself proves the priority of the Ramayana. Further there is no mention in the Ramayana of any episodes found in Mahabharata. Many factors can be cited to strengthen the traditional view of the priority of Ramayana. Writing seems to have been unknown in the earlier epic which as we have been told was orally handed down to Lava and Kusa by Valmiki himself. On the other hand Lord Vigneshwara was requested to be the scribe to write down the Slokas of Mahabharata to the dictation of VedaVyasa. In the Ramayana we do not find any reference to the existence of any civilised kingdom in the South India which was mainly inhabited by monkeys. But in Mahabharata we come across references to kings from South India being received by Dharmaputra at his Rajasuya sacrifice. The art of fighting a war is seen in its most advanced stage in the Mahabharata. Many missiles were used and the art of forming vyuhas (arrays) were perfected. This can be compared to Rama’s army which consisted only of monkeys and bears who hurled only big stones and the like on the enemies and not tough weapons. The very test of archery at the Draupadi’s Swayamvara is an advancement over that of Sita’s Swayamvara. The complex nature of archery in the Mahabharata definitely shows a sign of later age.

    An analysis of character of heroine of Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively will also substantiate the priority of Ramayana. Sita is very simple and submissive to her husband whereas Draupadi questions Yudhishthira’s authority of to stake her in the dice play when he himself was enslaved. The standard of purity and morality was very high in Ramayana. Sita had to undergo fire ordeal to prove her chastity, but in Mahabharata Draupadi who was abducted by Jayadratha, was easily accepted by her husbands without any test of good conduct. This relaxation in such religious and ethical beliefs proves that the Mahabharata was of later age.

   The war between Rama and Ravana was only through fair means whereas in the Mahabharata the end justified the means howsoever questionable they might be, for the sake of victory. In the Mahabharata war every crime like false evidence and brutal murder is readily committed. This state of corruption and degeneration clearly points out to the later sceptic state of society.

   The poetic style of Ramayana is more simple and lucid befitting an Adikavyam as compared to that of Mahabharata that is more ornate and terse. We can thus say with certainty that Ramayana is ancient than Mahabharata.

HARIVAMSA PURANAM - A SUPPLEMENT OF MAHABHARATAM

 

Harivamsa, though a purana in itself considering its matter and length, is known as a supplement of Mahabharatam. It contains more than 16000 verses and does not appear like a single work, but like a loose jumble of several legends, myths and hymns. Its professed purpose is to glorify Vishnu. The only connection that this book has to the Mahabharatam consists in the fact that Vaisampayana the narrator of Mahabharatam, himself narrates this to the same Janamejaya when the latter requests him to give an account of the race to which he belongs.

   The book is divided into three parts. The first book is called ‘hirvaMSa pva- ’. It gives an account of the creation of the world, of the kings of the solar and lunar dynasty and several other legends like those of ‘Qa`uva:’ ‘vaona:’ ‘ivaSvaaima~:’ etc. It also gives an account of the ancestors and the birth of Krishna.

   The second book called ‘ivaYNau pva-’ deals at length with the sports of the childhood and the later adventures of Krishna.

   The third book is called ‘BaivaYya pva-’. The name is applicable only to the first canto of it wherein there are prophecies about the future ages. The rest of the third book gives us several unconnected details including two different accounts of creation and the stories of the incarnation of Vishnu as Narasimha. The book narrates some other stories of Krishna again for example the slaying of the demon ‘paOND,k:’ and concludes with long account of the fruits and merits accruing from the study of Harivamsa and Mahabharatam. Among the minor epics Harivamsa is one that maintains great popularity.

INSTILLING SOCIAL EQUALITY IN CHILDREN BY NANDHINI CHANDRASEKHARAN

 

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” - Mark Twain.

 ADDRESSING SOCIAL INEQUALITY emphasizes the readers to teach their wards about the present scenario of our social conditions with great attention. Because parents are the first teachers who can initiate their wards to know the basic ideas about the day-to-day life.

Krishna says to Arjuna, do you kill Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna and other brave warriors; who stand already killed by me. Gita: 34-XI.

Drona was the great teacher and Bhishma was the grand-sire of Pandavas and Kauravas, they are the ones who failed to teach the modesty and moral codes in proper way.

 Though the phrase from the book –“ rethink about introducing stereotyping books to your children” insists to avoid the same, but parents should choose the worthy anecdotes from fairy tales, Panchatantra stories, or mythologies by which the children can be away from the bad companies, bad habits.

 According to Dr. Vivek Mansingh, a mentor par excellence, the author of “Achieving Meaningful Success” says that the books are to be treated as one among the four gods. Even the Bhagavad Gita instructed the people to depend or read the books in the form of scripture which guide about the do’s and don’ts. 

The line “irrespective of what caste we belong to, we are responsible for dividing or not dividing people based on castes” warns the readers to educate their wards not to be complicate themselves by trapping into this and must understand the following idea that “the wise men who have Equanimeous sight, see the same Self in a learned and humble higher caste, a cow, an elephant, a dog and also in the one who eats the flesh of a dog who is treated as a low-caste.” Gita18/V

One should make his own ward to learn that no one should hurt anyone or break any laws. Neither one should underestimate others nor make others to feel inferior.  For e.g. rainbow is the combination of seven colours. If anyone of those taken out it won’t be nice to watch.  In this way we have to promote our children to understand the same and train to follow practically.

 Take the responsibility to correct improper addressing by children,

 Talk to them about the strength in standing for each other

What can be parents’ roles in shaping and dealing with children’s identities?

 Are the few of the best topics discussed in the e –book by the author Nandhini chandrasekharan. She is an erstwhile Biotechnologist, while staying at home and raising her children, stumbled upon several work-from-home roles one after the other, the last being an EdTech content specialist role. She is now curious about what lies ahead in life.

 This e-book provides the useful approach to parents to advise their children to lead a life with great courage, positive thoughts, maintain the relationships and in turn it helps to develop the feeling of rejoice.

Nothing exists in the world more purifying than knowledge- Gita 38/IV.  According to this wise-quote, by reading this E-Book, one can understand and follow to lead his/her parenting journey properly.

Moreover, the contents are well arranged and the title is being exemplified with suitable image in the wrapper.

 

 

 {This e book review is a part of Blogchatter's E Book carnival 2022}

 

BHAGAVAD GITA - THE DIVINE SONG OF LORD KRISHNA

 

      

   Bhagavadgita is a philosophical poem of 700 verses divided into 18 cantos. It is believed to be a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna in the battlefield when the armies of both the sides were standing ready for battle. Arjuna hesitates to fight being shocked at the thought of slaying his own kinsfolk and preceptors. Lord Krishna expounds to him the great truth of real duty and knowledge of the self so as to inspire into him the spirit of selfless service. The poem sets forth elaborately the eternal nature of the souls, the needs for proper performance of one’s own Dharma, the value of Karma or selfless action, ‘&anama\’ or spiritual knowledge and ‘Bai>’ or incessant devotion as the means of attaining liberation from the bondage of worldly existence. The doctrine of self surrender, the lesson of detachment from the fruits of one’s own action and numerous other similar great principles of Hindu Philosophy are all compressed in the Gita and it has therefore been all along the most popular and adored treatises on Hindu Philosophy.

   Numberless philosophers like Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhva have commented onit. All the vernacular and foreign languages have translations and commentaries on the Gita. In short it is the greatest and the most popular work in the Indian Philosophical Literature.

   Though tradition holds the Bhagavadgita to be a portion of Bhishma Parva of Mahabharataam, Scholars of research have refuted such a view. A long poem of 700 verses dealing with intricate and serious codes of philosophy could not have been spoken of on the field of battle. Originally there might have been a brief dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna and in the place of which the present long poem might have been later introduced.

            But Shankara recognises the Gita as a portion of the great epic and the great poet Bana also speaks of it in the same strain. So this Bhagavadgita must have been assimilated into the Mahabharatam much before Bana’s time i.e. 7^th century A.D.