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Home , Brahma Purana, Chandi, Paramahamsa, Puranas, Shiva Purana

: Spirituality for the Masses Swami Samarpanananda

n his lecture ‘’, delivered in La­ of gods, sages, and heroes. Of course, most of the hore, offers an interest­ descriptions of events are grossly exaggerated, but Iing opinion about the Puranas: with the element of divinity or yogic power such stories do not sound incongruous, they rather Whether you believe in the scientific accuracy of the Puranas or not, there is not one among appeal to the listener or reader. In addition the you whose life has not been influenced by the Puranas also discuss legends, traditions, philoso­ story of , or that of , or of any phy, religious and social issues, different duties one of these great Pauranika saints. We have of people, customs and food, ceremonies and not only to acknowledge the power of the Pu­ purificatory rites, sins and penances, pilgrimage, ranas in our own day, but we ought to be grate­ descriptions of heavens and , and re­ ful to them as they gave us in the past a more birth, images and idols, and worship. Each Pu­ comprehensive and a better popular religion rana is complete in itself, and a person following than what the degraded later-day any one of them would have all his or her reli­ was leading us to.1 gious and spiritual needs fulfilled. The stories of He further said in his lecture in Calcutta: ‘Very Sri in the , of in the little of our life today is bound and regulated by , and of in the the orders of the Karma Kanda of the . In have influenced people for thousands of years. our ordinary lives we are mostly Pauranikas or Before they were standardized, the Puranas Tantrikas, and, even where some Vedic texts are had a long oral tradition. They now contain more used by the of India, the adjustment of than five lakh—half a million—verses! The chief the texts is mostly not according to the Vedas, but objective of this literature was to educate people according to the or the Puranas’ (3.324). about the greatness of religion and the pitfalls of worldly life as well as to teach sublime spirit­ Relevant Literature ual truths in simple form. That is why they exert The Puranas, of ancient times, are a class of sac­ a great authority in what they teach. The sages red works that today form the basis of Hindu­ who first wrote them found suitable historical ism. They are eighteen in number and are very or semi-historical persons and superimposed popular among all classes of peoples. Whenever upon them all the best, or worst, qualities, laying a Hindu speaks of religion and God, she or he down rules of for everyone. Though the is quoting the Puranas. This literature has been Puranas have history at their core, they are not a source of great inspiration for centuries. Most meant to be historical or geographical literature. of these Puranas are in the form of discourse by None of the sages saw the Puranas as inferior, a sage or a dialogue between sages, and in some and Shukadeva, one of the greatest sages, was not cases it is God or a god who teaches. They nar­ only a knower of Pauranic lore but also played an rate in human terms the divinity and the doings important role in teaching the Bhagavata.

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—No bleed here— Puranas: Spirituality for the Masses 21

Characteristics of the universe by God; pratisarga, destruction The tendency to create, understand, and live by and re-creation; vamsa, genealogy of gods, mythology is prevalent all over the world, for it sages, and dynasties; , the reigns is part of the human mind. If we do not create a of the fourteen Manus; and vamsanuchari- spiritual mythology, we create cartoons, movies, tam, history of the solar and lunar dynasties. fiction, and other fantasy stories. At the dawn However, most of these Puranas either omit of civilization, before the system of writing and some of these topics or deal with them super­ recording was developed, humans who watched ficially and instead incorporate extensive glori­ the world with curiosity and tried to understand fication of various deities. According to some it recorded what they saw and thought in an oral ancient scholars, these are for the tradition. Added to this were the narratives of di­ Upapuranas, secondary Puranas. The ­ vine beings and heroes, traditions, and customs vata gives ten conditions for a work to be Pu­ arranged in wonderful stories. As these stories rana, in which geography and genealogy have grew, there arose a class of people whose duty not been mentioned as essential conditions.2 was to memorize and relate them to the com­ Although the Puranas are ranked below the munity. All these stories were linked to the spir­ Vedas, they do command respect, for it is said itual or religious life of the community and were in the ’s ‘Adi Parva’: ‘By the aid of endorsed either by rulers or by priests. Once this history [] and the Puranas, the Vedas link to the spiritual or religious aspect of society may be expounded; but the Veda is afraid of is broken, these narratives lose their qualities and one of little information lest he should hurt it.’ 3 become mere folk or fairy tales. The Puranas are said to belong to the class of In the principles and philosophy literature that are called Suhrit-, friendly of religion were zealously preserved in the Vedas, treatises, as compared to the Vedas, which are which were the highest class of sacred literature. Prabhu-samhitas, commanding treatises with su­ They could not be distorted with mythology, preme authority. Many , however, firmly though they were the source of most mytho­ believe that a recital of the Puranas is the easiest logical stories. The principles and the philosophy way to attain peace, perfection, devotion, and of many other religions are so interwoven with liberation. The Puranas were mostly narrated by mythology that it is hard to distinguish them. In sutas, who were children of mixed marriages be­ many cases mythology stood supreme and swal­ tween and . lowed the philosophy. With the passage of time people forget the spiritual principles and fight Origin over the mythological descriptions; this process According to tradition, Veda is accepted makes these religions simply Puranic. as the compiler of all the eighteen Puranas. It is The Puranas are distinct from the Iti­ believed that this great sage was so upset after hasa, history—like the and Maha­ the war recorded in the Mahabharata that he fo­ —through two chief characteristics: cused all his creative energies in compiling these first, the Puranas focus on the mythological as­ devotional works for the common masses. Mod­ pect, whereas the Itihasa focuses on the histor­ ern scholars, however, believe that the bulk of ical aspect; secondly, the Puranas describe the the eighteen Puranas was more or less established pancha , five features:sarga , creation during the reign of the Guptas (320–550 ce),

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—No bleed here— made the Puranas popular as the . The texts and the form of the Puranas were not fixed as in the Shrutis, Vedas. Being a class of literature, the sage-poets could modify them. Society was not im­ mune from internal disturbances or external attacks and in order to counter such challenges rites, cus­ toms, and beliefs had to be mod­ ified constantly. This resulted in

Vishnu revealing his divinity to and (), c.1725 the fluid nature of this literature, although the additions and modi­ with minor additions to the texts continuing up fications were not always new, for quite often to later medieval times. Except the Bhavishya verses and even chapters were incorporated from Purana, which continued to grow in size—it other Puranas, , or other similar works. In even speaks of British rule in India—most of the the same manner people of different sects took Puranas are believed to have been given a final liberty in emphasizing their respective gods in form around 1000 ce. Shankara treats the Puranas. The contradictions that came up the Puranas as spiritually authentic and at times due to this fluidity naturally made them less au­ quotes their verses in his commentaries. thentic, but as far as the essence is concerned, Many scholars believe that Veda Vyasa had all Puranas contain the same truths expressed originally composed only one Purana, which in the Vedas. That is why Acharya Shankara felt he imparted to his disciple Suta Lomaharshana. no hesitation to begin his wonderful commen­ Later this work got divided and subdivided into tary on the Bhagavadgita with a verse from the

eighteen. This also agrees with the fact that ori­ Puranas. painting: artist unknown / ginally there was only one Veda that later was divided into four by Veda Vyasa. What Veda Growth and Popularity Vyasa did with the Vedas, his disciples might The of the Vedas is archaic and difficult have also done with the Puranas. to master; the subtle metaphysics of the Upani­ The anecdote portion of the Vedas, known shads is difficult for a common person to under­ as narasamsi, contains stories. These stories stand; the Puranas, hence, are of special value N

were later taken up by various sages and de­ as they present Vedic truths in a simple man­ ational Museu veloped into Puranas. Besides this, some Puranic ner. This literature gives a person easy access to stories were also current even during the later the mysteries of life and the way to bliss, which , as is evinced by its mention in the otherwise would remain elusive. Moreover, the m

Brihada­ranyaka Upanishad of the Yajur Veda Vedas belonged exclusively to the brahmanas be­ , N and also in the Atharva Veda. Both these works cause of the discipline involved, while the Pura­ ew Delhi proclaim the sacred origin of the Purana and nas, available to all, were far more interesting and give it a status almost equal to the Vedas. This had a dynamic nature. The aim of this literature is

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—No bleed here— Puranas: Spirituality for the Masses 23 to impress on the minds of the masses the teach­ concerning human nature, particularly those of ings of the Vedas as well as to generate in them women, who are the true keepers of religion. an undying devotion for God through concrete examples, stories and legends, lives of great sages, Puranas and Upapuranas allegories, and chronicles of great events. In the According to the Purana, the entire body Puranas emphasis is laid on the concrete aspects of the Puranas belong to three categories: sattvic, of religious and social life. This is how these rajasic, and tamasic. They are also classified as be­ books made religion possible for all. longing to , Vishnu, and Shiva. In the history of world religions every re­ The Brahma Puranas are: (i) TheBhavishya ligion faces conflicts between its prophets, Purana: It has 14,000 verses in the form of the priests, and people. Prophets show the path to sun god teaching , the first born. It mostly freedom, whereas priests are the keepers of the contains statements about future events and traditions that the prophets had created; and persons and also describes holy places and the people are able to follow the prophets through rights of pilgrims. (ii) The : In the rules laid down by the priests. The Upani­ 25,000 verses Brahma teaches shadic period is marked by the rise in supremacy about the beginning of the universe. It is called of the kshatriyas, warriors, over the brahmanas, the adi, first, Purana. (iii) TheBrahmanda Pu- priests, whereas the popularity of the Puranas is rana: It has 12,000 verses and deals with the Cos­ due to the rise of the masses against the brah­ mic Egg from which arose creation. It has the manas and the kshatriyas. Also, whenever a saint famous Lalita and the Adhyatma arose from the masses, people got the strength Ramayana and is considered to be the last of to throw away the religious yoke imposed by the Puranas. Its contents are similar to those of the priests. A saint invariably owed allegiance the Purana. (iv) TheBrahmavaivarta Pu- to some Purana; in consequence, a particular rana: Having 18,000 verses it describes creation, Purana became popular among the saint’s fol­ the purpose of life, and the deeds of gods like lowers, and with time many Puranas had a large , Krishna, and so on. It also describes the following. That is how the Puranas become the universe as vivarta, not an actual transformation connecting element of society. but an appearance, of . It is one of the The Puranas are easy to be read aloud, sung, latest works and is in the form of teach­ and enacted in dramas during festivals. All these ing Savarnika. (v) TheMarkandeya Purana: This resulted in their overwhelming popularity. Today early work has 9,000 verses and contains the dia­ even an illiterate Hindu or Hindus living abroad logue between sages and . are not ignorant of the principles and philosophy It is also famous for containing the . (vi) of Hinduism because of the Puranic stories that The Purana: Its 10,000 verses speak of they had heard at some point in their lives. The the vamana, dwarf, avatara of Vishnu. This work Puranas not only educated the masses and in­ originally belonged to the ancient school of phil­ fused them with noble ideals, they also tactfully osophy called and is similar to the solved social and economic problems that arose Purana. The episode of Shiva’s marriage due to social upheavals and foreign invasions. with is also described in it. Similarly, a look at the , observance of vows The Vishnu Puranas are: (i) The B­ hagavata and penances, shows the insight of the sages Purana: It is a superb literary creation with

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excellent language, style, and metre in 18,000 Here the fire god teaches Vashishtha in 12,000 verses that contain the records of Vishnu’s de­ verses about the various of Vishnu votees. In the tenth section appears the story of as well as the Shiva-linga, , art, science, as­ Krishna. In its original form the work must have tronomy, and so on. It has taken its material from been­ pre-Buddhistic. (ii) TheGaruda Purana: In a large number of books including the ­ it Vishnu instructs , his devotee and ve­ yana, the Mahabharata, the Smriti, hicle, in 19,000 verses—though there is a smaller and the Harivamsha Purana. (iv) TheMatsya version of 8,000 verses. This work describes what Purana: It contains 13,000 verses describing the happens after a person dies and various kinds of first avatara of Vishnu, who taught Manu. It deals punishments. It is encyclopaedic and discusses with pilgrimages, penances, gifts, politics, omens, astronomy, medicine, grammar, and many other portents, images, and so on. Some of its verses things. (iii) TheNaradiya Purana: It contains are taken straight from the Vayu Purana. (v) The 25,000 verses and has a description on dharma Skanda Purana: It is the largest Purana, contain­ and major pilgrimages. This is also a typical ing 84,000 verses, and is dedicated to Skanda or Vaishnava work and is a discourse by Narada to , offspring of Shiva and Parvati. It is a Sanatkumara. (iv) ThePadma Purana: It con­ relatively late work and is narrated by Taraka­ tains 55,000 verses and deals with the essence of sura to Skanda. (vi) TheVayu Purana: It contains religion and the cosmos. It comes in two recen­ 14,000 verses dedicated to the wind god. An an­ sions: North and South. A careful examination cient work that went through a lot of modifica­ shows that it has borrowed extensively from the tions and deals with the creation and re-creation Matsya Purana and the Vishnu Purana. (v) The of the universe, the measurement of time, the Vishnu Purana: It is considered the oldest work origin of gods, sages, , and . It also and a puranaratna, the gem among the Puranas. describes the divisions of earth, heaven, and . Having a unified structure of 23,000 verses it In addition we have the Shiva , was narrated by sage to Maitreya and with 24,000 verses, and the Harivamsha Pu- is dedicated to Vishnu. (vi) TheVaraha Purana: rana, with 14,000 verses, dedicated to Shiva and With 14,000 verses it is in the form of narra­ Krishna respectively. TheBhagavata Purana ac­ tion by the varaha, boar, avatara. It discusses holy cepts the Shiva Mahapurana in the original list, places and different . but more ancient traditions do not accept them The Shiva Puranas are: (i) TheKurma Pu- as correct. rana: It contains 8,000 verses and has informa­ There are an equal number of Upapuranas, tion on the , tortoise, avatara of Vishnu. and the Matsya Purana describes them as sub­ Some scholars believe that this book originally divisions of the original Puranas. Some of these belonged to the Pancharatra school but was ­ works can be as old as the principal ones. The propriated by the Pashupatas, Shiva’s devotees. list of them varies widely, though the essential It is in the form of discourse by Kurma to ­ are: Sanatkumara, , Brihannaradiya, dyumna in . (ii) TheLinga Purana: In Shivarahasya, , , Vamana, Bhar- 12,000 verses it describes the importance of the gava, , Kalika, Samba, , , holy symbol of Shiva and also the origin of the Para­shara, Vashishtha, Bhagavata, Ganesha, universe. In it Shiva teaches about his twenty- and . There are also other religious books eight different forms. (iii) TheAgni Purana: recently discovered that claim to be Puranic

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literature, the latest being the Svayambhu Purana. this phase. The concept oftrimurti as , Vayu, and Surya was present in Vedic times as well, but Rise of a New Religion the new trinity replaced the older one. It resulted The important contribution of the Puranas is in the emergence of the powerful movements of the introduction of the concept of avatara. The and . Synthesis rather than Vedas preach both an impersonal and a personal dogmatism was the watchword of the Puranas. By God, but the Puranas put forward a new ideal: accepting Vishnu as a presiding deity the pastoral God coming down. God incarnates again and and agricultural people were brought to the main­ again in one form or the other for the protec­ stream; the same occurred with the tribes living tion of religion and devotees. The concepts of in the forests and hills, which considered Shiva as and prakriti-laya —perfected their presiding deity. souls merged in nature to come out in a new The Puranic period is especially famous for cycle of creation as lords of that cycle—were rec­ the worship of . Each god had his female onciled in the Puranas. counterpart. Female divinities like Shri, Saras­ The principal gods of the Vedic pantheon, like vati, , Durga, Parvati were Vedic god­ Indra and Varuna, were slowly superseded by new desses, but they rose to prominence and glory in popular gods. It was during this time that there this period. This male-female conception of the was a great assimilation of peoples into the main chief divinities was also in reply to the popular body of society, and what better way to as­ Sankhya philosophical principles of and similate them than by accepting their gods. In the Prakriti, along with the rise of women’s promin­ early Vedic period Vishnu was one of the twelve ent role. In the Puranas the gods and goddesses Adityas, but in the later Vedic period he was of responded to their devotees, were comforting, secondary importance. With the rise of the Pu­ compassionate, and solicitous, which made ranic period Vishnu became much stronger and people easily relate to them. popular than he was ori­ ginally. Later on Rama and Durga slaying the and lapping up Krishna were also portrayed the demon’s blood (Markandeya Purana), c.1800-25 as his incarnations. Simi­ larly, was a Vedic god m and in this period he was given the personality that combined the of the Indus valley civiliza­ tion and the Shiva of South India. The stories that we usually hear about Shiva are a mixture of all these per­ sonalities. The rise of the , trinity, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva was an painting: artist unknown / Brooklyn Museu artist unknown / Brooklyn painting: important development of

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The doctrine of bhakti, which had its origins karma. During the Puranic period a life of ac­ in the Vedas, now became fully developed and tivity was specifically recommended as against powerful. Devotion to any of the popular gods useless renunciation; this gave a great impetus replaced the complicated and complex Vedic rit­ to the concept of karma . samgraha, uals. Bhakti has been discussed in all its richness doing good to the world, was also emphasized in the Puranas. The lives of sages and saints were as a spiritual discipline. illustrated with devotion to God and this acted The Puranas made a successful attempt at rec­ as a great impeller for the masses. Hence, the onciling virtues and actions that were practised study of the Puranas and listening to its sacred by brahmanas, kshatriyas, , and . recitals that narrated God’s different lilas became By bringing them together and by giving them an important part of for devotees. a universal status through the concept of sva­ In the Shiva Mahapurana Shiva is highly dharma, one’s own dharma, the Puranas created praised, while an inferior position is given to a powerful and silent social revolution that made other gods. On the other hand, in the Vishnu society cohesive and progressive. Purana Vishnu is highly praised, while an infer­ ior position is given to other gods. However, this Conclusion was only meant to increase the faith of the de­ Everything that is conducive to the attainment votees in their particular Ishta , Chosen of spirituality in the world must be brought to Deity. But the principle that these gods are in es­ the aid of humanity, and the Puranas fulfil this sence one and the same keeps running through condition. Swami Vivekananda says: the literature. The rise of bhakti also brought out the popu­ So long as there shall be such a thing as per­ larity of image worship. Slowly the Vedic sacrifi­ sonal and material love, one cannot go behind cial altars were replaced by images. This was also the teachings of the Puranas. So long as there shall be the human weakness of leaning upon the time when Buddhism, along with their places somebody for support, these Puranas, in some and modes of worship, was assimilated into the form or other, must always exist. … This is a Hindu fold. Temples and gorgeous rituals arose, necessity of the nature of man; for them only but now with Vedic mantras and traditions. The are there no Puranas who have gone beyond construction of images and temples and the con­ all human weakness and have become what nected rituals were discussed elaborately in some is really wanted of a , brave and of the Puranas. bold souls, who have gone beyond the bond­ In this period a greater emphasis was laid ages of .’ 4 P on ethical teachings rather than metaphysical speculations. The concepts ofritam , divine law, References karma, rebirth, heaven, and hell became crystal­ 1. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, lized. The Puranas describe many heavens and 9 vols (Calcutta: Advaita , 1–8, 1989; hells, where persons either enjoyed or suffered 9, 1997), 3.386–7. according to their karma—once their karma is 2. Bhagavata, 2.10.1. 3. Mahabharata, trans. Kisari Mohan Ganguli, exhausted, they are reborn. Therefore, the Pu­ 4 vols (New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal, ranas state that these heavens and hells are not 1997), 1.15. permanent and that this world is the place for 4. Complete Works, 3 .387.

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