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Added Content from Swami Sivananda's book
They have been influential in the [[Hindu culture]], inspiring major national and regional annual festivals of Hinduism.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 12-13, 134-156, 203-210</ref> 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]].<ref name=ludorochersect>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 21-24, 104-113, 115-126</ref> The religious practices included in them are considered ''Vaidika'' (congruent with Vedic literature), because they do not preach initiation into Tantra.<ref>Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xxxix</ref> The [[Bhagavata Purana]] has been among the most celebrated and popular text in the Puranic genre, and is of [[nondualism|non-dualistic]] tenor.<ref name=richardthompson/><ref>Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xli</ref> 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''.<ref>BN Krishnamurti Sharma (2008), A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120815759, pages 128-131</ref>
They have been influential in the [[Hindu culture]], inspiring major national and regional annual festivals of Hinduism.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 12-13, 134-156, 203-210</ref> 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]].<ref name=ludorochersect>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 21-24, 104-113, 115-126</ref> The religious practices included in them are considered ''Vaidika'' (congruent with Vedic literature), because they do not preach initiation into Tantra.<ref>Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xxxix</ref> The [[Bhagavata Purana]] has been among the most celebrated and popular text in the Puranic genre, and is of [[nondualism|non-dualistic]] tenor.<ref name=richardthompson/><ref>Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xli</ref> 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''.<ref>BN Krishnamurti Sharma (2008), A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120815759, pages 128-131</ref>
==Description==
The Puranas are of the same class as the Itihasas. They have
five characteristics (Pancha-Lakshanq viz., history, cosmology (with various
symbolical illustrations of philosophical principles), secondary creation,
genealogy of kings and of Manvantaras. All the Puranas belong to the class of
Suhrit-Samhitas. Vyasa is the compiler of the Puranas from age to age; and for
this age, he is Krishnadvaipayana, the son of Parasara. The Puranas were
written to popularise the religion of the Vedas. They contain the essence of
the Vedas. The aim of the Puranas is to impress on the minds of the masses the
teachings of the Vedas and to generate in them devotion to God, through
concrete examples, myths, stories, legends, lives of saints, kings and great
men, allegories and chronicles of great historical events. The sages made use
of these things to illustrate the eternal principles of religion. The Puranas
were meant, not for the scholars, but for the ordinary people who
could not understand high philosophy and who co not study
the Vedas. The Darsanas are very stiff. They are meant only the learned few.
The Puranas are meant for the mass<nowiki>'''</nowiki>. with inferior intellect. Religion is
taught in a very easy and interesting way through these Puranas. Even to thsiY
day, the Puranas are popular. The Puranas contain th8 history of remote times.
They also give a description of the regions of the universe not visible to the
ordinan, Kathas in temples, on banks of rivers and from their grandmothers.
Pundits and Purohits hold full of information of all kinds. Children hear the
stories physical eye. They are very interesting to read in and arje important
places. Agriculturists, labourers and bazaar people hear the stories. The
Eighteen Puranas There are eighteen main Puranas and an equal number of
subsidiary Puranas or Upa-Puranas. The main Puranas are: Vishnu Purana,
Naradiya Purana, Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Garuda (Suparna) Purana, Padma
Purana, Varaha Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana,
Markandeya Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Vamana Purana, Matsya Purana, Kurma
Purana, Linga Purana, Siva Purana, Skanda Purana and Agni Purana. Of these, six
are Sattvic Puranas and glorify Vishnu; six are Rajasic and glorify, Brahma;
six are Tamasic and they glorify Siva. Neophytes or beginners in the spiritual
path are puzzled when they go through Siva Purana and Vishnu • d Purana. In
Siva Purana, Lord Siva is highly eulogise and an inferior position is given to
Lord Vishnu. Sometimes Vishnu is belittled. In Vishnu Lord purarla, to Hari is
highly eulogised and an inferior status is given iv Lord Siva. Sometimes Lord
Siva is belittled. This is °11' to increase the faith of the devotees in their
particular•
Ishta-Devata. Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu are one.
The best among the Puranas are the Srimad Bhagavata and the
Vishnu Purana. The most popular is the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. Next comes
Vishnu Purana. A portion of the Markandeya Purana is well known to all Hindus
as Chand 4 or Devimahatmya. Worship of God as the Divine Mother is its theme.
Chandi is read widely by the Hindus on sacred days and Navaratri (Durga Puja)
days. The Srimad Bhagavata Purana and the Ten Avataras The Srimad Bhagavata
Purana is a chronicle of the various Avataras of Lord Vishnu. There are ten
Avataras of Vishnu. The aim of every Avatara is to save the world from some
great danger, to destroy the wicked and protect the virtuous. The ten Avataras
are: Matsya (The Fish), Kurma (The Tortoise), Varaha (The Boar), Narasimha (The
Man-Lion), Vamana (The Dwarf), Parasurama (Rama with the axe, the destroyer of
the Kshatriya race), Ramachandra (The hero of Ramayana—the son of Dasaratha),
who destroyed Ravana, Sri Krishna, The teacher of the Gita, Buddha (The
prince-ascetic, founder of Buddhism) and Kalki (The hero riding on a white
horse, who is to come at the end of the Kali-Yuga). The object of the Matsya
Avatara was to save Vaivasvata Manu from destruction by a deluge. The object of
Kurma Avatara was to enable the world to recover some precious things which
were lost in the deluge. The Kurma gave its back for keeping the churning rod
when the Gods and the Asuras churned the ocean of milk. The purpose of Varaha
Avatara was to rescue, from the waters, the earth which had been dragged down
by a demon named Hiranyaksha. The purpose of Narasimha Avatara, half-lion and
half-man, was to free the world from the oppression of Hiranyakasipu, a demon,
the father of Bhakta Prahlada. The object of Vamana Avatara was to restore the
power of the gods which had been eclipsed by the penance and devotion of King
Bali. The object of Parasurama Avatara
44
was to deliver the country from oppression of the the o Kshatriya rulers. Parasurama destroyed the
Kshatriya race twenty-one times. The object of Rama was to destroy the wicked
Ravana. The object of Sri Krishna Avatara to deliver His was to destroy Kamsa
and other demons, wonderful message of
the Gita in the Mahabharata war, and to become the centre of the Bhakti schools
of India. The object of Buddha Avatara was to prohibit animal sacrifices and
teach piety. The object of the Kalki Avatara is the destruction of the wicked
and the re-establishment of virtue.
The Tamil Puranas Lord Siva incarnated himself in the form
of Dakshinamurti to impart knowledge to the four Kumaras. He took human form to
initiate Sambandhar, Manikkavasagar, Pattinathar. He appeared in flesh and
blood to help his devotees and relieve their sufferings. The divine Lilas of
Lord Siva are recorded in the Tamil Puranas like Siva Purana, Periya Purana,
Siva Parakramam and Tiruvilayadal Purana.
The Upa-Puranas The eighteen Upa-Puranas are: Sanatkumara,
Narasimha, Brihannaradiya, Sivarahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava,
Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata,
Ganesa and Hamsa.
Utility of the Puranas Study of the Puranas, listening to
sacred recitals of scriptures, describing and expounding of the transcendent
Lilas of the Blessed Lord—these form all important part of Saclhana of the
Lord's devotees. it is, most pleasing to the Lord. . Srauana is a part °I
Navavidha-BhaktiKathas and Upanyasas open tile springs of devotion in the
hearts of hearers and devel°P Prema-Bhaktiwhich confers immortality on the Jiocl.
==Etymology==
==Etymology==