Puranas

This article is about the Hindu texts. For other uses, see Purana (disambiguation).

Purana manuscripts from 15th to 19th century CE
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Puranas (Ancients),[1] are a vast genre of Hindu literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends and other traditional lore.[2] The Puranas are known for the intricate layers of symbolism depicted within their stories. Composed originally in Sanskrit[3] and in other Indian languages,[4][5] several of these texts are named after major Hindu gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and Tridevi.[6][7] The Puranic genre of literature is found in both Hinduism and Jainism.[5]

The Puranic literature is encyclopedic,[1] and it includes diverse topics such as cosmogony, cosmology, genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings, queens, heroes, heroines, sages, other gods, other goddesses, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, grammar, mineralogy, humor, love stories, theology, philosophy, etc.[2][4][6] The content is highly inconsistent across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts which are themselves inconsistent.[5] The Hindu Maha Puranas are traditionally attributed to Vyasa, but many scholars considered them likely the work of many authors over the centuries; in contrast, most Jaina Puranas can be dated and their authors assigned.[5]

There are 18 Mukhya Puranas (Major Puranas) and 18 Upa Puranas (Minor Puranas),[8] with over 400,000 verses.[2] The first versions of various Puranas were likely to have been composed between 3rd and 10th century CE.[9] While the Puranas do not enjoy the authority of a scripture in Hinduism,[8] but are considered as Smritis,[10] they shaped Hinduism more than the Vedas, providing a "culture synthesis" in weaving and integrating the diverse beliefs of a great number of local traditions into the Vedic-Brahmanic fold.[11] While all Puranas praise many gods and goddesses and "their sectarianism is far less clear cut" than assumed,[12] the religious practices included in them are considered Vaidika (congruent with Vedic literature).[13] The Puranic literature wove with the Bhakti movement in India, and both Dvaita and Advaita scholars have commented on the underlying Vedantic themes in the Maha Puranas.[14]

  1. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, ISBN 0-877790426, page 915
  2. ^ a b c Bailey 2001, pp. 437–439.
  3. ^ Verma, Rajeev (2009). Faith & Philosophy of Hinduism. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7835-718-8. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b Bailey 2003, p. 139.
  5. ^ a b c d John Cort (1993), Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Editor: Wendy Doniger), State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791413821, pages 185-204
  6. ^ a b Rocher 1986, pp. 16, 12–21.
  7. ^ Nair, Shantha N. (2008). Echoes of Ancient Indian Wisdom: The Universal Hindu Vision and Its Edifice. Hindology Books. p. 266. ISBN 978-81-223-1020-7. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  8. ^ a b Dimmitt & van Buitenen 2012, pp. xii, 4.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference collins36 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Bailey 2001, p. 503.
  11. ^ Bailey 2003, pp. 162–167.
  12. ^ Rocher 1986, pp. 21–24, 104–113, 115–126.
  13. ^ Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xxxix
  14. ^ BN Krishnamurti Sharma (2008), A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120815759, pages 128-131