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The 'Bhavishya Purana' (Bhaviṣya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major works in the Purana genre of Hinduism, written in Sanskrit.[1][2] The title Bhavishya means "future" and implies it is a work that contains prophecies regarding the future.[3][4]
The Bhavishya Purana exists in many inconsistent versions, wherein the content as well as their subdivisions vary, and five major versions are known.[4] Some manuscripts have four Parvam (parts), some two, others don't have any parts.[1][3] The text as it exists today is a composite of material ranging from medieval era to the modern era. Those sections of the surviving manuscripts that are dated to be older, are partly borrowed from other Indian texts such as Brihat Samhita and Shamba Purana.[3][5] The veracity and authenticity of much of the Bhavishya Purana has been questioned by modern scholars and historians, and the text is considered an example of "constant revisions and living nature" of Puranic genre of Hindu literature.[6][7]
The first 16 chapters of the first part of the Bhavisya Purana is called Brahmaparvam. It shows similarities to, and likely borrowed verses from some version of the Manusmriti.[3][8] However, some of the caste-related and women's rights related discussion in the Bhavishya Purana is egalitarian and challenge those found in the 19th century published manuscripts of the Manusmriti.[9][10][11] The second part of the text, called Madhyamaparvan, is a Tantra-related work.[6] The "prophecy"-related third part Pratisargaparvan includes sections on Christianity, Islam, Bhakti movement, Sikhism, Sultanate history, Mughal history, British rule, and others. [12][5][13] The fourth part of the text called Uttaraparvam, is also known as Bhavishyottara Purana. This last part describes festivals related to various Hindu gods and goddesses and their Tithis (dates on lunar calendar), as well as mythology and a discussion of Dharma particularly vrata (vow) and dana (charity).[12][5] The text also has many Mahatmya chapters on geography, travel guide and pilgrimage to holy sites such as Uthiramerur,[14][15] and is one of the Tirtha-focussed Puranas.[16]
- ^ a b Dalal 2014, p. 71.
- ^ Winternitz 1922, p. 541.
- ^ a b c d Rocher 1986, pp. 151–154.
- ^ a b K P Gietz 1992, p. 215 with note 1180.
- ^ a b c Dalal 2014, p. 72.
- ^ a b Rocher 1986, p. 153.
- ^ K P Gietz 1992, p. 48-49 with note 246.
- ^ Sarma, KV (1977). "Review of The Manava Dharmasastra I-III and the Bhavisya Purana by Ludwik Sternbach". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 109 (2). Cambridge University Press: 217. doi:10.1017/s0035869x00133957. S2CID 163650785.
- ^ Rocher 1986, p. 152 with footnotes.
- ^ Raj Arora (1972), Historical and cultural data from the Bhavisya Purana, Sterling Publishers, OCLC 844555576, pages viii-ix, 92-119, Chapter 4
- ^ L Gopal (1986), Bhavisya Purana Brahma Parvan Chapters 40-44, Journal: Purana, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2 (July), pages 174-196
- ^ a b Rocher 1986, pp. 153–154.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Hiltebeitel1999p217was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Rocher 1986, p. 154 with footnotes.
- ^ Ariel Glucklich 2008, p. 146, Quote: The earliest promotional works aimed at tourists from that era were called mahatmyas.
- ^ Rocher 1986, p. 78.