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The Puranas

© Harsh Nevatia

Hinduism is both a mythology and a philosophy. By and large there are different spiritual texts for the two streams but not surprisingly they do intertwine on the odd occasion. The classic example is that of the Bhagavad Gita. It is a purely philosophical work, but forms a part of the mythological epic, the Mahabharata.

The philosophical texts are known as the Vedas and Upanishads. The term Veda comes from the root Vid, meaning to know. The Vedas are the foundational scriptures of the Hindus. Lord Brahma, the Creator, imparted the divine knowledge to the Sages who then disseminated the knowledge. The Veda is divided into four great books: the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda and the Atharva-Veda. The Upanishads are the most important portion of the Vedas. They summarise the essence of the Vedas. The teaching based on them is called Vedanta.

The mythological texts are known as the Itihasas and Puranas. There are four books under Itihasas, which means histories: The Ramayana, the Yogavasishtha, the Mahabharata and the Harivamsa. These works explain the great universal truths in the form of historical narratives, stories, parables and dialogues. They are for the benefit of common people who would find the arguments and the concepts of the Vedas difficult to comprehend.

The better known Itihasas are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. They are also known as Mahakavyas or Epics. The Ramayana narrates the life of Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is written by Valmiki. The Mahabharata is about the Great War between the cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, in which the eighth incarnation of Vishnu played a major role. It is written by Vyasa.

The wealth of the mythological knowledge however is found in the Puranas. All Puranas contain information on incarnations, cosmology, creation, genealogy of kings and of time cycles. Krishnadvaipayana, the son of Sage Parasara, more popularly known as Vyasa is the compiler of the Puranas. He is the same person who wrote the Mahabharata and divided the Vedas into the four books.

The purpose of the Puranas is the same as that of the Itihasas. They explain the Vedic principles and the ethics and rituals of religion with examples and parables for the consumption of the common man. Another purpose is to instill in the populace a feeling of devotion and worship. Study of the Puranas, listening to sacred recitals of scriptures, describing and expounding of the transcendent miracles of the Lord form an important part of discipline of the devotees.

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