Puranas
Purana (
Sanskrit पुराण,
purāṇa, meaning "ancient" or "old") is the name of a
genre (or a group of related genres) of Indian written
literature (as distinct from
oral literature). Its general themes are
history,
tradition and
religion. It is usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another.
There are many texts designated as 'Purana.' The most important are:
*
Mahāpurāṇas and
Upapurāṇas - Written in Sanskrit, by
Brahmins. They usually adhere to the 'Panca-laksana' typology (see below). They tell of the creation of the universe and the human race, narrate the genealogies of kings and saints, and contain assorted narratives, stories, and philosophical and religious topics.
Included among the texts of distinctly lesser importance that also bear the name Puranas are
*
Sthala Purāṇas - Scriptures usually extolling the virtues of a certain
Hindu temple. They narrate stories of the temple's creation and spiritual history.
*
Kula Purāṇas - Scriptures that deal with the origin and legends of a particular
caste.
The designation 'Purana' implicitly confers on a text a kind of factual aura, somewhat similar to the designation 'History' in Western
discourse.
Structure and content
Mahā- (Sanskrit 'great', 'mighty') and Upa- (Sanskrit 'lower', 'additional') Puranas are written in Sanskrit by Brahmins. Traditionally
[ Matsya Purana 53.65] they are said to narrate five subjects, called Panca-laksana (Sanskrit 'five distinguishing marks'), which are:# Sarga - The creation of the universe.# Pratisarga - Secondary creations, mostly re-creations after dissolution. # Vamśa - Genealogy of gods and sages.# Manvañtara - The creation of the human race and the first human beings. # Vamśānucaritam - Dynastic histories.
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)
['Purana as Brahminic Ideology', Velcheru Narayana Rao in Purana Perennis - "Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts" - edited by Wendy Doniger,p. 85-100. ISBN 0-7914-1381-0].A Purana usually gives prominence to a certain deity and depicts the other gods as subservient. Most use an abundance of religious and philosophical concepts in their narration, from
Bhakti to
Samkhya.
Classification
Traditionally it is said that there are eighteen Mahapuranas and eighteen Upapuranas. Of the Mahapuranas it is said that six belong to the quality (
guna) of goodness, six to passion, and six to ignorance.
According to the
Padma Purana,[ Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda, 236.18-21] these are the Mahapuranas and their corresponding qualities:
*Goodness:
Vishnu Purana,
Bhagavata Purana,
Naradeya Purana,
Garuda Purana,
Padma Purana,
Varaha Purana*Passion:
Brahmanda Purana,
Brahma Vaivarta Purana,
Markandeya Purana,
Bhavishya Purana,
Vamana Purana,
Brahma Purana *Ignorance:
Matsya Purana,
Kurma purana,
Linga Purana,
Shiva Purana,
Skanda Purana,
Agni PuranaSome Upapuranas are: Sanat-kumara, Narasimha, Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna,
Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesa, 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.] Most of these have not been critically edited yet, and are available mostly through devotional publications, in multiple versions and recensions.
Apart from the system of classification above mentioned, the Puranas are enumerated and classified in multiple ways. The canonical lists of Puranas vary from place to place and from time to time.
Author and Disemmination
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 designating '
Editor'.
[ Purana Perennis - Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts - edited by Wendy Doniger. 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.
The Puranas, being in Sanskrit, are usually not directly accessible to the common man as read texts. They are, however, 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).
Chronology
The
Itihasa-Purana is mentioned in the
Chandogya Upanishad.
[3.4.1-2, 7.1.2-4, 7.2.1, 7.7.1 Moghe 1997] There are also references to the Puranas in the
Atharvaveda 11.7.24 and the
Satapatha Brahmana 11.5.6.8. and 13.4.3.13.
[Subhash Kak 1994, The astronomical of the Rgveda] There are probably also references to the Itihasa in the
Nirukta.
[Nirukta 1.16, 12.10. See Moghe 1997:161] The Itihasa-Purana was considered to be almost as sacred and ancient as the Vedas.
[Brhadaranyaka Upanisad 2.4.10, 4.1.2, 4.5.11. Satapatha Brahmana (SBE, Vol. 44, pp. 98, 369). Moghe 1997:160] However, the ancient Itihasa-Purana was probably different from the later Puranas. Scholars argue that some contents of the Puranas may date to an earlier period.
[e.g. Bryant 2001:139]Notable Puranas
*
The Bhagavata Purana - It is concerned with Vishnu Bhakti, telling of the exploits and deeds of Vishnu's
Avataras. Its tenth canto (its longest) narrates the deeds of Krishna and, probably for the first time in Sanskrit, tells of his exploits as a child, a theme later elaborated by many Bhakti movements.
[ Viraha-Bhakti - The Early History of Krsna Devotion in South India - Friedhelm Hardy. ISBN 0-19-564916-8 ] *
The Devi-bhagavata Purana - an Upapurana extolling 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 ]*
The Skanda Purana - probably the longest of all. A vast storehouse of parables, legends and stories, with multiple versions and recensions. Many untraced quotes from a Purana are conveniently attributed to this Purana.
[ The Scrapbook of Undeserved Salvation: The Kedara Khanda of the Skanda Purana In Purana Perennis, edited by Wendy Doniger,p. 59-83 ]*
The Bhavishya Purana - Apart from its other content, it is said to contain references to the
Judeo-Christian creation myth (
Adam and Eve are referred to as Adama and Havyavati), the Judeo-Christian
flood myth,
Moses,
Jesus (referred to as Iśa - 'God'),
Mohammad (referred to as Mahāmada - 'the great intoxicator'),
Queen Victoria (as Queen Vicyavati), etc. It also contains references to a certain Demon language (apparently
English) containing words such as 'February'.
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 0691064156 ]These are mostly Caste 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 usually are 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.
[ 'Jaina Puranas: A Puranic Counter Tradition' - Padmanabh S. Jaini in Purana Perennis, p. 207-49. And 'An Overview of the Jaina Puranas' - John E. Cort in Purana Perennis, p.185-206. ] Studies and translations of this particular genre are meagre.Arguably, some
Buddhist Mahāyāna Sūtras seem to have some characteristics of Puranas.
*S.G. Moghe (ed.), Professor Kane's contribution to Dharmasastra literature, 1997, New Delhi: D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd. ISBN 81-246-0075-9
Texts
* Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Full text of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, with the original Sanskrit, word-for-word meanings, translation, and commentary.
* The Vishnu Purana Full text of the H.H. Wilson translation at sacred-texts.comSynopses
* Contents of 18 Puranas and a list of Upapuranas (lesser Puranas) (a Java applet)
* Extensive synopsis of several Maha Puranas
* Synopsis of Puranas at Urday.com;Other
*
Agni Purana - A synopsis*
Bhagavat Purana in Gujarati with reference of characters*
Garuda Purana extensive extracts
