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)

“Ma Nishad---etc”- e-ponderings of a novice

maa nishhaada pratiShThaamtva | magamaH shaashvatiiH samaaH |
yat krau~Ncha mithunaat eka | mavadhiiH kaama mohitam || 1-2-15

You will find no rest for the long years of Eternity

For you killed a bird in love and unsuspecting

Sage Valmiki was going to the river Ganga for his bath and prayers. His disciple Bhardvaja, was following him. On the way, they came across river Tamasa with pure flowing water. They saw a Kraunch (Crane) couple mating on the tree and felt pleased to see happy birds. Suddenly, struck by an arrow; the male bird fell down and died on the spot. Filled by sorrow its mate screamed in agony and died of shock. Valmiki’s was pained at this pitiable sight. He became very angry at the hunter, who killed the bird. Curse emerged spontaneously from his rage, compassion and grief, which was the First Verse (?) of Sanskrit Literature. All of us heard this episode in our childhood.

This celebrated First Verse of Sanskrit literature is 15^th shloka of second sarga (chapter) of first kanda (canto)-Bala kanda of Ramayana. It is preceded by events which later triggered writing up of the epic by Adikavi Valmiki. Ramayana has 24,000 shlokas and 7 kandas*. Valmiki first taught the Ramayana to Kusha and Lava, the sons of Shri Rama. Incidentally The First Verse of Ramayana is

tapaH svaadhyaaya nirataam tapasvii vaagvidaam varam |
naaradam paripapracCha vaalmiikiH muni puMgavam || 1-1-1

To a thoughtful-meditator, an eternally occupied with self-study, a sagacious thinker, and the most sublime enunciator Narada, the Sage-Poet Valmiki is enquiring about a man with outstanding qualities.

Surely vedas precede Ramayana (which is referred as Itihas & Kavya) and large portions of vedas are metrical. The verses (richas) of the vedas have a variety of different meters. They are divided by number of padas (feet=lines) in a verse, and by the number of syllables in a pada. Chandas^# the study of vedic meters, is one of the six Vedanga disciplines (organs of the vedas). Seven of main Chhandas are Gayatri, Ushnuk, Anushtubha, Brihati, Pankti, Trishtubh, Jagati.

Thus The First Sanskrit Verse should be first richa of first ashtaka of first mandala of Rig veda sanhita. It is in Gayatri Chhanda ‘seen’ by Madhuchchhanda Rishi descendant of Rishi Vishwamitra

a̱gnimī̍ḻe pu̱rohi̍taṁ ya̱jñasya̍ de̱vamṛ̱tvija̍m | hotā̍raṁ ratna̱dhāta̍mam || 1.001.01

a̱gniḥ pūrve̍bhi̱rṛṣi̍bhi̱rīḍyo̱ nūta̍nairu̱ta | sa de̱vā eha va̍kṣati || 1.001.02

Lot of research has been carried by vedic scholars on chronology of ‘composition’ of rigvedic mandalas. Recently Shrikant G. Talageri has analyzed the interrelationships among the ‘composers’, the references to composers within the hymns, the references to kings and risis, the family structure of the mandalas and the system of ascription of hymns in the mandalas and concluded the chronological order of the mandalas as: VI, III, VII, IV, II, V, VIII, IX, X (The upa-mandalas of mandala I covering the periods of mandalas IV, II, V, VIII). Thus the First Sanskrit Verse may be from sixth mandala of Rig veda in Trishtupa Chhanda assigned to Rishi Bhardwaja descendent of Brihaspati

tvaṁ hya̍gne pratha̱mo ma̱notā̱syā dhi̱yo abha̍vo dasma̱ hotā̍ |

tvaṁ sī̍ṁ vṛṣannakṛṇordu̱ṣṭarī̍tu̱ saho̱ viśva̍smai̱ saha̍se̱ saha̍dhyai || 6.001.01

Then what is the purport of Kraunch episode? We can’t say that Valkimi discovered the Anushtubha-Chhanda (Shloka metre), as this is one of the known vedic meters.

All the vedic literature is accepted as divine- richas seen by rishis in deep state of meditation, may be Valmiki’s verse was first coming from a human. Most vedic literature was associated to ‘yadnya’ and rituals, which required ‘shabda pramanya’ and hence has to be divine to be accepted universally without questions or doubts. Latter literature shifted the stress to bhakti, which accepted devotees composing poetry in praise of Gods and ‘bhava’ became more important than authority. The importance of vedic Gods seem to have waned during this transition. “Ma nishad—etc” was the first ever verse, without veda mantras & without vedic swara (tonal variations) composed by a human.

Clasical shloka meter evolving from Anushtubha Chhanda which dominated latter sanskrit literature including Kavya/Itihas-Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, classical epics, etc in contrast to Gayatri Chhanda dominating vedic⁺ literature.

Gayatri chhanda has 3 padas of 8 syllables totaling to 24 syllables in each stanza, whereas Anushtubha has 4 padas of 8 syllables totaling to 32 syllables in each stanza/verse. Vedic anushtubha had early free form, with very few restrictions, next, a mildly trochaic (periodic variation of stress) development in the opening of each pada and finally the development of the "epic anushtubha" prefiguring the classical shloka form. The epic anushtubha/shloka is treated as a couplet had more restrictions regarding syllables and matras. Each half of 16 syllables can take either a normal form or one of several extended forms. May be Valmiki spontaneously uttered a shloka rich in grammar and modified metre and metrical rules and grammar defined much later. 

Memorizing and reciting vedic metrical richas, sama songs and rhythmical yajus mantras needed  meticulous training, long practice and intricate pathas (Samhita, Pada, Krama, Jata, Maalaa, Sikha, Rekha, Dhwaja, Danda, Rathaa, Ghana), which could be afforded only by professional priests or yogis.  Simplicity for memorizing and singing (Ramayana was sung by Kusha and Lava) for common householder was necessity, which appeared in Valmiki’s spontaneous utterance. Prose is liable to be forgotten, difficult to commit to memory. Poetry is easy to remember as it is bound by metre and can be endowed with brevity. That is why in early days, most literary creations were expressed in verse. When printing was invented, it became unnecessary to retain everything in one's memory, as they could well be recorded in books and so the prose form developed. But poetry remains vehicle of expression: more picturesque, vigorous, touching and beautiful.

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* Kaanda, is usually meant to depict the internode point of sugarcane, and in ancient Sanskrit, was used to depict an interlude within a story.

Some experts feel that Ramayana has 6 kandas (last Uttara kanda as later addition) or 5 kandas (First Bala kanda also as later addition).

Writing up of Ramayana sometimes between 500 to 100 BC.

Location of Valmiki Ashram: Present day Sitamarhi about 50 km from Allahabad. Sitamarhi is a historical place of immense significance and is being visited by large number of pilgrims with great faith and devotion. It is one of the five ‘Teerths’ (holy places) in Poorvanchal which are Prayagraj, Sitamarhi, Sarnath, Vindhyavasini & Kashiraj.

River Tamasa is now called the River Madhar (some confuse with Tons which starts flowing from the Garwhal Himalayas?).  River Tamasa is located before three rivers - Vedasruti, Gomati, Syandika when travelling South from Ayodhya. This is the river on which Rama spent his first night during the 14 years of forest exile. Rama left people sleeping and continued the journey further.  Also Sita was exiled here. The Ashrama of sage Valmiki was situated at the bank’s of Tamasa river. When Sita was exiled by Rama, on the bank of Tamasa river some 15 km away from the city, where she met Valmiki. Sita lived in his ashrama and here her twin sons Lava and Kusha were born and educated by Valmiki. Also on the banks of river Tamsa was the ashram of Bharadwaj, mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana; it is here that on seeing the plight a bird couple, Valmiki created his first verse- shloka. (OR Bithoor near Kanpur OR Kanpur OR Valmiki Nagar on bank of river Gandaki on Indo-Nepal Border)

#Chhandas often becomes synonymous with Rig veda and at times with vedic Sanskrit

+Gayatri Chhanda was revered so much in vedic literature that lord Krishna in Shrimad Bhagavadgita composed in Anushtubha chhanda says “ I am Gayatri amongst chhandas”

bR^ihatsAma tathA sAmnA.n gAyatrI ChandasAmaham.h .

mAsAnAM mArgashIrSho.ahamR^itUnA.n kusumAkaraH .. 10\-35..

But primordial pranava (omkar) remains first single syllable mantra and chhanda most sacred and revered and lord emphasizes

pitAhamasya jagato mAtA dhAtA pitAmahaH .

vedyaM pavitramo.nkAra R^iksAma yajureva cha .. 9\-17..

and again

maharShINAM bhR^igurahaM girAmasmyekamakSharam.h .

yaGYAnA.n japayaGYo.asmi sthAvarANA.n himAlayaH .. 10\-25..