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Bharatiya Samskrtika Parampara (भारतीयसांस्कृतिकपरम्परा) (view source)
Revision as of 17:43, 23 January 2018
, 17:43, 23 January 2018→The Puranas: Added Content from Swami Sivananda
=== The Puranas ===
=== The Puranas ===
{{Main|Puranas}}
{{Main|Puranas}}
The Puranas have five characteristics (Pancha-Lakshana) 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.<ref name=":0">Swami Sivananda, All About Hinduism, Page 41-45</ref> Vyasa is the compiler of the Puranas from age to age; and for this age, he is Krishnadvaipayana, the son of Parasara.<ref name=":0" />
The Puranas were written to popularise the teachings 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, stories, legends, lives of saints, kings and great men, allegories and chronicles of great historical events. The sages made use of these to illustrate the eternal principles of religion. The Puranas were meant, not for the scholars, but for the ordinary people who could not understand deep philosophy and who could not study the Vedas.<ref name=":0" />
The Darsanas are not easy to understand. They are meant only for the learned few. Through Puranas, essential teachings are taught in a very easy and interesting way. Even to this day, the Puranas are popular. The Puranas contain the history of remote times. They also give a description of the regions of the universe not visible to the ordinary physical eye. They are very interesting to read and are full of information of all kinds.
=== The Eighteen Puranas<ref name=":0" /> ===
There are eighteen main Puranas and an equal number of subsidiary Puranas or Upa-Puranas. The main Puranas are:
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|style=width: 600px; font-style: italic;|
* [[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]]
* [[Agni Purana]]
}}
Of these, six are Sattvic Puranas and glorify Vishnu. Six are Rajasic and glorify Brahma. Six are Tamasic and they glorify Siva.
The most renowned among the Puranas are the Srimad Bhagavata and the Vishnu Purana. The most popular is the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. Next comes Vishnu Purana.
== The Tevaram Saivite hymns ==
== The Tevaram Saivite hymns ==