What are Puranas?

What are Puranas?

The Puranas are ancient texts- Smritis, ‘that which is remembered or understood from what has been heard-(Shrutis, Vedas)’. Puranas are rooted in Vedas and are illustrated commentaries on Vedas. Purana means ‘of ancient times’ alternatively pura-nava (old-new) ‘things that have existed since ancient times but are as good and relevant as new’ also interpreted as ‘new in the city’.  Puranas belong to the class of Suhrit-Samhitas, or the Friendly Treatises (while the Vedas are called the Prabhu-Samhitas or the Commanding Treatises with great authority and Kanta Samhita, like Raghuvansha, etc has least authority).

The aim of the Puranas is to explain, illustrate and impress on the minds of the masses the religion, teachings, principals, philosophy and knowledge of the Vedas, Upanishadas, Shastras and Darshanas, to generate in them devotion to God, to lead them on the path of spiritual evolution, through concrete examples. For the purpose they use myths, stories, legends, lives of saints, kings and great men, allegories and chronicles of great historical events, traditions, prayers, hymns, philosophical dialogues, etc.  Knowledge about rites, rituals and customs were added to them later. They underscore Vedic foundations of Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Saura, Ganapatya, Kaumara, etc, praising various deities, religious texts, sacred places and festivals. They are very interesting to read and are full of information of ancient culture. They also give narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies (of kings, heroes, sages, and devatas), philosophy, geography, description of the unknown regions of the universe, history of different eons and locations, chronology, etc.

The Puranas were meant for the ordinary people who could not understand high philosophy and who could not study the Vedas. The Darshanas (philosophy) are very difficult, understood by a learned few. The Puranas are meant for the masses. Religion and Spirituality are taught in a very easy and interesting way through the Puranas. They ascertain the Absolute Truth, which is greater than everything else. The spiritual knowledge contained in the Upanishads, is transformed into fiction and metaphors in Puranas. Most of them are in the form of conversations between deities or sages and disciples.

A Puran should have 5 characteristics; “panchalakshana” (Matsya Purana).

“Sargascha pratisargascha I Vamso Manvantarani cha

vamsaanucharitam chaiva I puranam panchalakshanam”

A puran should have

Sarga:  creation of the universe (and properly structured in chapters)

Pratisarga:  secondary creations- recreations after dissolution (sub-chapters)

Vamsa :  the great Vamshas (Genealogy) of the Rishis, andDevatas.

Manvatara: the Manvantara’s (celestial yuga’s).

Vamasanucharita : the dynasties of Kings (SuryaVamsh and Chandra Vamsh)

They are usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another

18 Maha Puranas are

“Madwayam Badwayam chaiva I Bratrayam Vachatustayam

ANAPALINGA KUSkani I puranani prudhak prudhak”||

Ma dwayam -Matsya, Markandeya

Ba dwayam- Bhagavat, Bhavishya 

Bratrayam- Brahmanda, Brahma Vaivrata, Brahma

Va Chatustayam- Vamana, Varaha, Vishnu, Vayu

ANAPALINGA KUSkani- Agni, Narada, Padma, Linga, Garuda, Skanda, Kurma

There is variation in the list, Kurma Purana omits Agni for Vayu, Agni and Matsya omits Shiva for Vayu, Varaha omits Brahmanda and Garuda for Vayu and Nrisinha, Markandeya, Bhagavat and Vishnu omits Vayu. Some scholars opines that Bhagavat means Devi Bhagavata and Bhagavata (Vaishnava) was written by Bopadeva much later.

Upapuranas are ancillary texts: these are also eighteen in number. They include among many: Sanat-kumara, Narasimha, Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Shiva Dharma, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Manava, Ausanasa, Maheshwara, Aditya, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesha, Mudgala, and Hamsa.  Some lists count Mahapuranas Narada, Shiva, Bhavishya, Brahmanda, Kurma etc as Upapuranas. There are several Sthala Puranas, Kula Puranas as well.

Because upbringing, surrounding, life and work of individuals differ, the instructions they receive should be different. There are satvik people (in the mode of goodness), rajasic people (in the mode of passion) and tamasic people (ignorant and lazy). The Puranas can be classified on whom they address for their gradual spiritual development. Puranas usually give prominence to a particular deity from Bhakti perspective. Hence they are frequently classified as Vaishnava, Shaiva and Brahma.

	Satvik	Rajasika	Tamasik
Vasihnva	Vishnu, Naradiya, Bhagavata, Garuda, Padma, Varaha	Vamana	Matsya, Kurma
Brahma		Brahma,  Brahmavaivarta,  Brahmanda, Bhavishya, Markandeya
Shiva-Agni			Shiva, Linga,  Skanda, Agni

Veda-Vyasa (Badarayana, Krishna-Dvaipayana, Parasharya) compiled Purana Samhita (Single Mula Purana). It must be as old as Vedas. If the Purana written by Vyasa were still existing, it would be honoured as a “Shruti”.  It contained Akhyanas (seen by narrator), Upakhyana (heard by narrator), Gatha (songs about ancestors) and Kalpashuddhi (shraddha ceremonies)- He taught it to R(L)omaharshana Suta-who in turn passed it on to his disciples Sumati, Agnivarchas, Savarni (Bhagavat gives first three names as Aruni, Kashyapa, Harita) San(vai)sapayana, Akritavrata & Maitreya- Last three and Romaharshana composed further Samhitas (collection or compilation).  That is how Eighteen Puranas evolved. Puranas seems to have been known in the times of Atharva Veda, Shatapath Brahmana, Taittiriya Aranyaka, Chhandogya Upanishada, Brihadaranya Upanishada, Manu sanhita, etc. and Itihas-Puranas have been revered as ‘Panchama Veda’. According to scholars the oldest of the Puranas are Markandeya, Vayu, Brahmanda, Matsya and Vishnu Purana. Puranas were incrementally modified well into the 16th century.  It is opined that some of the Puranas had been lost and some other texts replaced them in the list. The All India Kashiraj Trust, formed under Vibhuti Narayan Singh, the Maharaja of Kashi, dedicated itself to publishing editions of the Puranas.

Arrival of printing technology in nineteenth century and interest shown by western scholars increased popularity of Puranas. Since Christians firmly believed that world was created by God around 4000 BC, they couldn’t digest histories of distant past depicted in Puranas. Also intellectual and spiritual excellence of Vedic people hurt their egos and with the help of western educated Indians of slavish mentality they tried to denigrate Puranas.  This was aided by exaggerations and self-serving additions made to Puranas in later versions and inability to understand their real meaning. Misinterpretations of the Puranas have done a lot of damage to our society leading to wars between casts and cults. It is essential to focus on the basic notion, “Ekam sat Viprah bahudah vadanti” God is one; people call him in different names while studying various Puranas. It is very difficult to speak about expanse, period and interlocutors of Puranas because of ambiguities and contradictions in various sources. Following table can only be a starting point.

No	Name & Period	No of Verses	Interlocutors	Special contents
1	Agni 6th  to 11th	15,400	Agni to Vasistha to Vyasa to Suta Suta Lomaharshana to Shounaka (Naimisha)	Bhagavadgitasara Yama Gita Parashurams sahasranam
2	Bhagavat 6th to 8th	18,000 Maitreya Vidura	Vyasa composed on Narada’s advice to Shuka (Badarinarayana-Saraswati?) Shukamuni to Parikshita (Shukatala on bank of Ganga) Lomaharshana started but killed, Ugrashrava to Shaunaka (Naimisha)	Rishabaha gita, Kapila gita, Uddhava gita, Hansa gita Narayana Kavacha
3	Brahma/Adi 10th	10,000	Brahma to Daksha (or Marichi, Kashyapa?) Veda Vyasa to L(R)omaharshana to Shounaka (Naimisha)	Vyasa gita
4	Brahmanda/ Uttama Oldest 4th	12,200	Brahma to Sages then long line  to Vyasa Lomaharshana Sutaji to Shaunakadi (on the bank of Drishadvati /Naimisha?)	Adhyatma Ramayana Lalitaupakhyana and sahasranam
5	Brahmavaivarata 10th-16th	17,000	Brahma to Daksha (or Savarni Manu to Narada) Romaharshana (Ugrashrava?) to Shaunaka  (Naimisha)	Vishnu kavacha, Baneshvara kavacha, Radha kavacha
6	Garuda Suparna 4th	19,000	Lord Vishnu/Krishna to Garuda to Kashyapa to Vyasa Suta Romaharshana (Ugrashrava?) to Shaunaka (Naimisha)	Vishnu sahasra nam
7	Kurma 6th to 8th	17,000	Kurma to Gods & Narada & sages to Veda Vyasa Sutaji Lomaharshana to Shaunaka (Naimisha)	Vyasa gita Ishwara Gita by Veda vyasa to shaunaka Devi sahasranama
8	Linga 6th to 10th	11,000	Brahma first to recite Lomaharshana to Narada & Shaunaka (Naimisha)	Shiva sahasranam
9	Markandeya 3rd to 6th	9,000	Markandeya to Jaimini thru birds Drona-Pingaksha, Vibodha, Suputra Sumuka (Vindhyachala) Sumati(Jada) & father Rishi Medhas to Suratha and Samadhi Markandeya repeats Markandeya to Kraustuki	Devi Mahatmyam
10	Matsya Oldest 3rd to 5th	14,000	Vishnu-Matsya to Manu Lomaharshana to Shaunaka (Naimisha)
11	Narada Naradiya 9th to 10th	25,000	Four Kumaras to Narada Suta Lomaharshana (OR Ugrashrava?) to Shaunaka (Siddhashrama Naimisha)
12	Padma Gita Mahatmya 8th to 16th	55,000	Brahma to Pulatsya to Bhishma Vasistha to Dilipa, Vyasa to Jaimini, Shiva to Parvati, Sesha to Vatsayana (part of it) Lomaharshana to Ugrashrava to Shaunaka (Naimisha)	Avadhutagita, Shiva Gita-Shiva to Parvati, Vishnu & Rama sahasranama, Ramaraksha Bhagavata Mahatmya
13	Shiva 9th-10th	24,000	Vayu Purana is a part of or complete Shiva Purana Shiva/Brahma first to recite? Brahma to Narada Romaharshana to Shaunaka(Naimisha)
14	Skanda 7th	81,100	Skanda first to recite Sage Lomesh to Shaunaka (Naimisharanya)	Brahnagita, Suta gita, Rudra kavacha
15	Vamana 5th to 10th	10,000	Brahma was the first to recite Pulastya to Narada Lomaharshana to Shaunaka (Naimisha)
16	Varaha 12th	24,000	Narayana/Varaha to Prithvi to Sanatkumar Brahma to Sanatkumar Janamejaya to Vaishampayana (part of it) Lomaharshana Sutaji to Shaunaka (Naimisha)	Rudragita, Agastya gita
17	Vayu Oldest 4th	24,000	Is it same as Shiva Purana or Brahmanda Purana?? Brahma to Vayu to Jatukarna to Vyasa to Lomaharshana Vayu to Sages(Naimisha during rule of Pururava) Lomaharshana to Sages (during rule of Adhisima Krisna-Janmejaya’s great grandson, in Kurukshetra on the bank of Drishadvati)	Shivasahasra nama
18	Vishnu Oldest 1st BC to 3rd AD	23,000	Parashara to Maitreya	Garbhagita
19	Harivansha 0 to 3rd AD	16,000	HParva older VParva, BParva later It is itihas/kavya,  Annexure/Khila to Mahabharata Vaishampayana to Janamejaya (SarpaSatra) Ugrashrava to Shaunaka & sages (Naimisha Gomati)
20	Bhavishya 3rd-4th continued	14,500 Brahma to manu Sun	Veda Vyasa to Suta Goswami to Shaunaka (Naimisha), All left Naimisha for Badrikashrama-Vishala in Himalaya
20	Devi Bhagavata 11th	18,000	Vedavyasa to Ugrashrava Suta to Shaunaka & sages (Vivaswan kshetra/Naimisharanya)	Devigita-Parvati to Himavat
21	Nrisinha 5th	11,000	Lomaharshana to Bhardwaja & sages (Prayag)	Yamagita
22	Ganesha 11th -13th	8,000	Suta Goswami to Shaunaka & sages (Naimisha)