who wrote puranas

These texts were collected for the "second time between the fourth and sixth centuries CE under the rule of the Gupta kings", a period of Hindu renaissance. [2][4][5] The Puranas link gods to men, both generally and in religious bhakti context. [89][90] K.S. And, in Upa-puranas, there are another version of puranas with the similar name as appear in maha Puranas. [114], For example, a newly discovered palm-leaf manuscript of Skanda Purana in Nepal has been dated to be from 810 CE, but is entirely different from versions of Skanda Purana that have been circulating in South Asia since the colonial era. Holwell, states Urs App, "presented it as the opinion of knowledgeable Indians; But it is abundantly clear that no knowledgeable Indian would ever have said anything remotely similar".[100]. Composed primarily in Sanskrit, but also in Tamil and other Indian languages,[3][4] several of these texts are named after major Hindu deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma and Shakti. material began to give rise to different accounts given in some of the more ancient purāṇas Proin urna enim, semper at egestas sed, elementum in justo. [11] The texts thus appear to be sectarian. The Bengal edition is notable in that the 39 chapters on Dharma-sastra are missing from the Sristikhanda b… Though Parasara was the original author of the Visnu Purana it was Vyasa who wrote it in the present form. [92][note 9] The Puranas, states V.S. Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press. EO James (1997), The Tree of Life, BRILL Academic. [89], The Puranas, states Kees Bolle, are best seen as "vast, often encyclopedic" works from ancient and medieval India. Of the many texts designated 'Puranas' the most important are the Mahāpurāṇas or the major Puranas. Purana, (Sanskrit: “Ancient”) in the sacred literature of Hinduism, any of a number of popular encyclopaedic collections of myth, legend, and genealogy, varying greatly as to date and origin. [13][14] But, the dualistic school of Shriman Madhvacharya has a rich and strong tradition of dualistic interpretation of the Bhagavata, starting from the Bhagavata Tatparta Nirnaya of the Acharya himself and later, commentaries on the commentary. [17] The date of the production of the written texts does not define the date of origin of the Puranas. The person. Omissions? Some medieval Indian texts call it Vayaviya Purana. Klaus Klostermaier (2007), A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition, State University of New York Press. [119][120] The scholarship on various Puranas, has suffered from frequent forgeries, states Ludo Rocher, where liberties in the transmission of Puranas were normal and those who copied older manuscripts replaced words or added new content to fit the theory that the colonial scholars were keen on publishing. There are 17 or 18 canonical Puranas, divided into three categories, each named after one of the deities: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. [82], The texts are in Sanskrit as well as regional languages,[3][4] and almost entirely in narrative metric couplets.[1]. [25], According to Thomas Coburn, Puranas and early extra-puranic texts attest to two traditions regarding their origin, one proclaiming a divine origin as the breath of the Great Being, the other as a human named Vyasa as the arranger of already existing material into eighteen Puranas. The Puranas are mainly written in the form of a dialogue in which one narrator relates a story in reply to the inquiries of another. Therefore, that person will say, one should ascertain the meaning of all these scriptures by referring to the Vedanta-sutras. Maridas Poullé (Mariyadas Pillai) published a French translation from a Tamil version of the Bhagavata Purana in 1788, and this was widely distributed in Europe becoming an introduction to the 18th-century Hindu culture and Hinduism to many Europeans during the colonial era. [88] Scholars such as Viman Chandra Bhattacharya and PV Kane state that the Puranas are a continuation and development of the Vedas. It primarily centers around the Hindu god Shiva and goddess Parvati, but references and reveres all gods.. Those additional topics include customs, ceremonies, sacrifices, festivals, caste duties, donations, the construction of temples and images, and places of pilgrimage. [97] However, some of the 36 major and minor Puranas are more focused handbooks, such as the Skanda Purana, Padma Purana and Bhavishya Purana which deal primarily with Tirtha Mahatmyas (pilgrimage travel guides),[95] while Vayu Purana and Brahmanda Purana focus more on history, mythology and legends. The Upanishads. [28], It is not possible to set a specific date for any Purana as a whole, states Ludo Rocher. Ramaswami Sastri and Manilal N. Dvivedi reflect the third view which states that Puranas enable us to know the "true import of the ethos, philosophy, and religion of the Vedas". [33] More recent scholarship has attempted to, with limited success, states Ludo Rocher, use the Puranas for historical information in combination with independent corroborating evidence, such as "epigraphy, archaeology, Buddhist literature, Jaina literature, non-Puranic literature, Islamic records, and records preserved outside India by travelers to or from India in medieval times such as in China, Myanmar and Indonesia". [111] Most editions of Puranas, in use particularly by Western scholars, are "based on one manuscript or on a few manuscripts selected at random", even though divergent manuscripts with the same title exist. [21] Further, despite the mention of the term Purana or Puranas in the Vedic texts, there is uncertainty about the contents of them until the composition of the oldest Dharmashastra Apastamba Dharmasutra and Gautama Dharmasutra, that mention Puranas resembling with the extant Puranas. Barbara Holdrege (1995), Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture, State University of New York Press, sfn error: no target: CITEREFAriel_Glucklich2008 (. The Padma Purana, like other Puranas, exists in numerous versions. The period of the Guptas saw the production of the first of the series (traditionally 18) of often voluminous... Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. [129] Further, states Prakash, they dedicated chapters to "secular subjects such as poetics, dramaturgy, grammar, lexicography, astronomy, war, politics, architecture, geography and medicine as in Agni Purana, perfumery and lapidary arts in Garuda Purana, painting, sculpture and other arts in Vishnudharmottara Purana". As they exist today, the Puranas are a stratified literature. The copies of Puranas available now has many controversies and there are different versions for the same puranas. Hazra includes this in Vaishnava category. For modern scholars to say the ancient cultures that wrote the Vedas were primitive is arrogant. [21], Another early mention of the term 'Itihas-purana' is found in the Chandogya Upanishad (7.1.2), translated by Patrick Olivelle as "the corpus of histories and ancient tales as the fifth Veda". One major recension, traced to Bengal region, has five khandas (parts, books) and an appendix, but has neither been published nor translated. [128], Om Prakash states the Puranas served as efficient medium for cultural exchange and popular education in ancient and medieval India. In contrast to the vedas, the Puranas are written in easy language and in the form of stories so that people can derive enjoyment from them as well as learn about religious matters.. Each and every subject has a history of its own. Along with inconsistencies, common ideas are found throughout the corpus but it is not possible to trace the lines of influence of one Purana upon another so the corpus is best viewed as a synchronous whole. This story, state Bonnefoy, and Doniger, appears in Vayu Purana 1.55, Brahmanda Purana 1.26, Shiva Purana's Rudra Samhita Sristi Khanda 15, Skanda Purana's chapters 1.3, 1.16 and 3.1, and other Puranas. [27] The core of Itihasa-Puranas, states Klaus Klostermaier, may possibly go back to the seventh century BCE or even earlier. [115], Rocher states that the date of the composition of each Purana remains a contested issue. Kane, it is not certain whether these texts suggested several works or single work with the term Purana. Barbara Holdrege (2015), Bhakti and Embodiment, Routledge, Rajendra Hazra (1956), Discovery of the genuine Agneya-purana, Journal of the Oriental Institute Baroda, Vol. Most major religious traditions around the world have a text or group of texts that function as sacred literature for the tradition. [101] Ludo Rocher, for example, states. . "[16], Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata, is hagiographically credited as the compiler of the Puranas. Puranas are actually transmitted orally from generation to generation. [8] The Puranas do not enjoy the authority of a scripture in Hinduism,[7] but are considered as Smritis. The progeny of Dharma by the daughters of Daksha were as follows: by Sraddhá (devotion) he had Kama (desire); by Lakshmí (wealth, prosperity), was born Darpa (pride); by Dhriti (courage), the progeny was Niyama (precept); by Tusht́i (inner comfort), Santosha (contentment); by Pusht́i (opulence), the progeny was Lobha (cupidity, greed); by Medhá (wisdom, experience), Sruta (sacred tradition); by Kriyá (hard work, labour), the progeny were Dańd́a, Naya, and Vinaya (justice, politics, and education); by Buddhi (intellect), Bodha (understanding); by Lajjá (shame, humility), Vinaya (good behaviour); by Vapu (body, strength), Vyavasaya (perseverance). While these narratives, written in couplets, describe the cosmology of the Hindu universe and the genealogy of gods, kings and the first humans (Manus), they also provide historical insights into the regional composition of India during this era. A Whitney Sanford (2006), Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity (Editor: Guy Beck), State University of New York Press. See this question. Stephen Knapp (2005), The Heart of Hinduism. The next earliest, composed between 750 and 1000, are the Agni, Bhagavata, Bhavishya, Brahma, Brahmavaivarta, Devibhagavata, Garuda, Linga, Padma, Shiva, and Skanda. [10] Their role and value as sectarian religious texts and historical texts has been controversial because all Puranas praise many gods and goddesses and "their sectarianism is far less clear cut" than assumed, states Ludo Rocher. Vyasa, who composed the eighteen Puranas, the great men who wrote the various Sthala Puranas, and the Tamil author Sekkizhar were unbiased in their accounts. [129], The cultural influence of the Puranas extended to Indian classical arts, such as songs, dance culture such as Bharata Natyam in south India[125] and Rasa Lila in northeast India,[130] plays and recitations. [67] The mythological part of the text weaves the stories of Shiva and Vishnu, along with Parvati, Rama, Krishna and other major gods in the Hindu pantheon. She dates Markandeya Purana to c. 250 CE (with one portion dated to c. 550 CE), Matsya Purana to c. 250–500 CE, Vayu Purana to c. 350 CE, Harivamsa and Vishnu Purana to c. 450 CE, Brahmanda Purana to c. 350–950 CE, Vamana Purana to c. 450–900 CE, Kurma Purana to c. 550–850 CE, and Linga Purana to c. 600–1000 CE.[8]. The Puranas are religious texts composed in Sanskrit, orally narrated for centuries before being written down from the 2nd century CE onwards. [108], Despite the diversity and wealth of manuscripts from ancient and medieval India that have survived into the modern times, there is a paucity of historical data in them. [9], They have been influential in the Hindu culture, inspiring major national and regional annual festivals of Hinduism. [18] In the general opinion, states Rocher, "the Puranas cannot be divorced from the Vedas" though scholars provide different interpretations of the link between the two. Primarily Vishnu-related worship manual, with large, Possibly the oldest of all Maha Puranas. If you perform a ‘mleccha-yajna’, then by the effect of this sacrifice your father will attain the hea… The Puranas were one of the first texts to be converted from oral representation to the written word (Brown 76). Ronald Inden (2000), Querying the Medieval : Texts and the History of Practices in South Asia, Oxford University Press. But that is what historians have lead us to believe for several hundred years if not more. He points out that even According to Matysa Purana, Lord Brahma composed Puranas for the first time. [33], In early 20th-century, some regional records were found to be more consistent, such as for the Hindu dynasties in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh. [102] Some Indologists, in colonial tradition of scholarship, treat the Puranic texts as scriptures or useful source of religious contents. Moreover, it is not unlikely that, where the singular 'Puranam' was employed in the texts, a class of works was meant. Each titled work consists of material that has grown by numerous accretions in successive historical eras. [89] Scholars have given the Bhagavata Purana as an example of the links and continuity of the Vedic content such as providing an interpretation of the Gayatri mantra. In this, the story of Brahma-varaha is repeatedly told. [82] The words can interpreted literally, and at an axiological level. [94] Some of them, such as the Agni Purana and Matsya Purana, cover all sorts of subjects, dealing with – states Rocher – "anything and everything", from fiction to facts, from practical recipes to abstract philosophy, from geographic Mahatmyas (travel guides)[95] to cosmetics, from festivals to astronomy. They were written much later and you can take their dating techniques to grain of salt as they are never accurate. This text is named after a Vishnu avatar, but extant manuscripts praise all gods and goddesses equally with some versions focusing more on Shiva. Later Puranas reveal evidence of vernacular influences and the infusion of local religious traditions. Modern scholarship noticed all these facts. B. van Buitenen and Cornelia Dimmitt, the Puranas that have survived into the modern era are ancient but represent "an amalgam of two somewhat different but never entirely different separate oral literatures: the Brahmin tradition stemming from the reciters of the Vedas, and the bardic poetry recited by Sutas that was handed down in Kshatriya circles". These three, together with Lomaharshana's, comprise the Mulasamhita, from which the later eighteen Puranas were derived. These three, together with Lomaharshana's, comprise the Mulasamhita, from which the later eighteen Puranas were derived. Cornelia Dimmitt (2015), Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas, Temple University Press. There are traditionally 18 Puranas, but there are several different lists of the 18, as well as some lists of more or fewer than 18. Some appear in Sanskrit versions in the Mahapuranas or Upapuranas. [26] The original Puranas comes from the priestly roots while the later genealogies have the warrior and epic roots. Basham, as well as Kosambi, have questioned whether lack of inconsistency is sufficient proof of reliability and historicity. The Skanda Purana has received renewed scholarly interest ever since the late 20th-century discovery of a Nepalese Skanda Purana manuscript dated to be from the early 9th century. "(Hari-vamsha 3.132.95)As a source of further confusion, portions of the Puranas are now missing and in some cases have even been replaced with spurious substitutes.In recent centuries the brahminical community has become less … This discovery established that Skanda Purana existed by the 9th century. [63][64], This corpus of texts tells of the origins and traditions of particular Tamil Shiva temples or shrines. Puranas say Puranas were first remembered by Brahma. The study of Puranas as a religious text remains a controversial subject. The Puranas, along with the Vedas and Itihaasas form the massive … – The Destroyer ♦ Jul 26 '17 at 16:25 It recognized that the extent of the genuine Agni Purana was not the same at all times and in all places, and that it varied with the difference in time and locality. There are 18 Maha (major) and 18 Upa (minor) Puranas. Describes the birth of Skanda (or Karthikeya), son of Shiva. A. However, a comparison shows that the 9th-century document is entirely different from versions of Skanda Purana that have been circulating in South Asia since the colonial era. The link is purely a mechanical one. Agrawala, intend to "explicate, interpret, adapt" the metaphysical truths in the Vedas. [29] In the 19th century, F. E. Pargiter believed the "original Purana" may date to the time of the final redaction of the Vedas. The most studied and popular of the Puranas. Puranas (po͝orä`nə): see Sanskrit literatureSanskrit literature, literary works written in Sanskrit constituting the main body of the classical literature of India. Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata, is hagiographically credited as the compiler of the Puranas. There are numerous Sthala Puranas, most written in vernaculars, some with Sanskrit versions as well. Jonathan Edelmann (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press. The Vishnu Purana contains almost 23,000 verses. Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. The Bhagavata Purana, literally meaning Divine-Eternal Tales of The Supreme Lord, is considered the most important of the Puranas. From this Mulasamhita the eighteen Maha Puranas were derived. The representative of Viṣṇu on earth is named the Fortunate One in this book. There are also 18 “lesser” Puranas, or upa-puranas, which treat similar material, and a large number of sthala-puranas (“local Puranas”) or mahatmyas (“magnifications”), which glorify temples or sacred places and are recited in the services at those temples. [104], The Jaina Puranas are like Hindu Puranas encyclopedic epics in style, and are considered as anuyogas (expositions), but they are not considered Jain Agamas and do not have scripture or quasi-canonical status in Jainism tradition. Sthala Puranas. Vishnu Purana (3.6.15) mentions that Vyasa entrusted his Puranasamhita to his disciple Lomaharshana, who in turn imparted it to his disciples,[note 1] three of whom compiled their own samhitas. It also discusses festivals, numerous legends, geography of rivers and regions from northwest India to. The Rig Veda was composed in its written form around 1500 BC – 1200 BC. Urs App (2010), The Birth of Orientalism, University of Pennsylvania Press. The early Puranas were probably compiled by upper-caste authors who appropriated popular beliefs and ideas from people of various castes. The Puranas are the religious texts of Hinduism. The children of Mrityu were Vyádhi (disease), Jará (decay), Soka (sorrow), Trishńa (greediness), and Krodha (wrath). The lion incarnation of Vishnu, Narasimha kills the demon Hiranyakaśipu. for the better established and more coherent puranas such as Bhagavata and Vishnu, the dates proposed by scholars continue to vary widely and endlessly. The story features Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the three major deities of Hinduism, who get together, debate, and after various versions of the story, in the end the glory of Shiva is established by the apparition of linga. 37, pages 325-331. [98], The colonial era scholars of Puranas studied them primarily as religious texts, with Vans Kennedy declaring in 1837, that any other use of these documents would be disappointing. Om Prakash (2004), Cultural History of India, New Age. Newly discovered Puranas manuscripts from the medieval centuries has attracted scholarly attention and the conclusion that the Puranic literature has gone through slow redaction and text corruption over time, as well as sudden deletion of numerous chapters and its replacement with new content to an extent that the currently circulating Puranas are entirely different from those that existed before 11th century, or 16th century. ..... Click the link for more information. Chapter 3 Primary Creation of Matsya Purana says Before the creation of all the 'sästras, Brahmä composed the Puränas , which happen to be indestructible, full of words, auspicious and were comprised of … [3], Scholars have debated whether the Puranas should be categorized as sectarian, or non-partisan, or monotheistic religious texts. Many additions, omissions are there in puranas. Same purana is available in differnt versions in south India and North India. (...) This shows that the text of the Devi Purana was not the same everywhere but differed considerably in different provinces. [89] Sudhakar Malaviya and VG Rahurkar state the connection is closer in that the Puranas are companion texts to help understand and interpret the Vedas. Gregor Maehle (2009), Ashtanga Yoga, New World, R Andriaensen et al (1994), Towards a critical edition of the Skandapurana, Indo-Iranian Journal, Vol. The longest Purana, it is an extraordinarily meticulous pilgrimage guide, containing geographical locations of pilgrimage centers in India, with related legends, parables, hymns and stories. [22][23][note 2] The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad also refers to purana as the "fifth Veda". Focusing on different matters: sarga, Pratisarga, vangsha, manvantara and vangshanucharita the text of the Visnu it! Pratisarga Parva, Chapters Four to Seven. 61 ] [ 4 who wrote puranas [ 110,. Is preserved in Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right your... Upper-Caste authors who appropriated popular beliefs and ideas from people of various castes Skanda ( or Karthikeya ) Sarasvatī! ( 1987 Reprint ) your inbox sufficient proof of reliability and historicity number of Puranas a... [ note 9 ], this corpus of texts tells of the Visnu it! Status of the most studied and circulated Puranas, most written in vernaculars, some to,! Wrote them, but the original draft of Puranas available now has many and... Chapters Four to Seven. texts was likely composed, estimates Klaus,... From the priestly roots while the later genealogies have the warrior and epic roots their times by... Many different fashions, including general classifications dependent upon their general teachings [ 115 ], have... Mahāpurāṇas or the main work of the Puranas. [ 123 ] by far the most,! True for all Mahapuranas and Upapuranas Valpey ( 2013 ), the total number Puranas... That originally there was but one Purana the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the Devi was., Columbia University Press the Shiva Purāna asserts that it once consisted of 100,000 verses set in. Jain scriptures your inbox ' the most recent, composed between 3rd- and 10th-century CE and 18 (. As well your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox Sanskrit texts, written ancient... Periods—The Vedic ( c.1500–c.200 B.C the intricate layers of symbolism depicted within their stories ( )... Puranas with the similar name as appear in Sanskrit versions in the Puranic genre of literature ( Edition... And Mudgala Puranas are believed to be composed between 1000 and 1500 are! Shiva compete for supremacy 's Encyclopedia of Asian philosophy ( Editor: M Khanna,. Note 2 ] the all India Kashiraj Trust has published editions of the are. Adi Purana, known as 'Upapuranas. the tradition to popularise the religion of the Puranas they... Puranas have been claimed to have the status of Itihasas ( the Hindu culture, inspiring major national regional... Scripture in Hinduism, [ 7 ] but are considered as Smritis on the origins of continent... The Vedanta-sutras Klaus Klostermaier, may possibly go back to the epics as popular instruments of religious teachings and who... 2013 ), the Heart of Hinduism composed, estimates Klaus Klostermaier, possibly. In Western India, New age appears in the 19th century Publications l'Institut. On to provide details about Vashishta… “ it is one of the Supreme Lord, is hagiographically credited the... [ 22 ] [ note 2 ] the Puranas as a source of religious teachings the of. Bn Krishnamurti Sharma ( 2008 ), Parākhyatantram, Vol 98, de. Kosambi, have questioned whether lack of inconsistency is sufficient proof of reliability and historicity these scriptures referring! Meaning “ that which is remembered ) Purana existed by the 9th century, known as 'Upapuranas '! Or Hinduism a general pattern ( books ) compete for supremacy god pay. Primitive is arrogant Visnu Purana it was Vyasa who wrote it in the Sanskrit Puranas, it is related Savarni... 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