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Purana (Sanskrit: पुराण purāṇa, meaning "tales of ancient times") is the name of an ancient Indian genre (or a group of related genres) of Hindu or Jain literature (as distinct from oral tradition). Its general themes are history, tradition and religion. While the major puranas are in Sanskrit, puranas exist in other Indian languages also[citation needed]. It is usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another. There are many texts designated as 'Purana.' The most important are:
Classification and scopeThe Puranas are classified into a Mahā- ("great") and a Upa- ("lower, additional") corpus. Traditionally[1] they are said to narrate five subjects, called pañcalakṣaṇa ("five distinguishing marks"), which are:
Most Mahapuranas and Upapuranas deal with these subject matters, although the bulk of their text consists of historical and religious narratives. Some scholars have suggested that these 'distinguishing marks' are shared by other traditional religious scriptures of the world (e.g. the Bible).[2] A Purana usually gives prominence to a certain deity (Shiva, Vishnu or Krishna, Durga) and depicts the other gods as subservient. Most use an abundance of religious and philosophical concepts in their narration, from Bhakti to Samkhya. Their composition marks the emergence of Vaishnavism and Shaivism, the division that is still prevalent in contemporary Hinduism. The Puranas are available in vernacular translations and are disseminated by Brahmin scholars, who read from them and tell their stories, usually in Katha sessions (in which a travelling brahmin settles for a few weeks in a temple and narrates parts of a Purana, usually with a Bhakti perspective). Mahapuranas
ClassificationThe Mahapuranas are also classified by the three aspects of Trimurti,
Vaishnava classification by gunaOf the Mahapuranas it is said that six belong to the quality (guna) of goodness, six to passion, and six to ignorance. According to the Padma Purana,[7] these are the Mahapuranas and their corresponding qualities:
Image:Bhagavatapurana.jpg A page from the Bhagavatapurana. Image:Varahapurana.jpg Varahapurana. Authorship, name and chronologyTraditionally, the Puranas are said to have been composed by the sage Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata epic. Vyasa in Sanskrit means 'Divider,' and some scholars therefore take this simply as a term meaning 'Editor'.[8] The texts, these scholars say, were probably written all over India and are being rewritten and reedited to the present day all over the world. The term purana, which means "belonging to ancient times" or "an ancient tale or legend," appears in the Vedas (e.g. Atharvaveda 11.7.24[9] and the Satapatha Brahmana 11.5.6.8. and 13.4.3.13.[10]). And the term itihasa purana, "account of ancient times," occurs in the Chandogya Upanishad.[11] and Nirukta.[12] and the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, where the text thus referred to is considered the "fifth Veda."[13] The specific corpus of the Mahapuranas, as opposed to generic purana "ancient tale", are generally estimated to date to the Early Middle Ages, or to roughly between the 5th and 10th centuries, but may contain older material; according to Pargiter, an "original Purana" may date to the time of the final redaction of the Vedas.[14] Puranic genealogiesThe Puranas also lay emphasis on keeping a record of genealogies, thus Vayu Purana says: "As seen by good people in the ancient times the suta's duty was to preserve the genealogies of gods, rsis and glorious kings and the traditions of great men." (Vayu P. 1. 31-2) The Puranic genealogies add up to fantastic time depths[15] Pargiter has argued that in the Puranas, the Puranic Krta Yuga[16] "ended with the destruction of the Haihayas [by Rama Jamadagnya]; the Treta began approximately with Sagara and ended with Rama Dasarathi's destruction of the Raksasas; and the Dvapara began with his reinstatement at Ayodhya and ended with the Bharata battle".[17] The Puranas themselves state that these lists are incomplete.[18] In Arrian's Indica, Megasthenes is quoted as stating that the Indians counted from Shiva (Dionysos) to Chandragupta Maurya (Sandracottus) "a hundred and fifty-three kings over six thousand and forty-three years."[19] The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (4.6.), ca. 8th century BCE, mentions 57 links in the Guru-Parampara ("succession of teachers"). This would mean that this Guru-Parampara would go back about 1400 years, although the accuracy of this list is disputed.[20] The list of kings in Kalhana's Rajatarangini goes back to the 19th century BCE.[21] The Puranic genealogies indicate that Manu Vaivasvata lived 95 generations before the Bharata War.[22] UpapuranasThe corpus of Upapuranas is less clearly defined. Some Upapuranas are: Sanat-kumara, Narasimha, Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesa, Mudgala, and Hamsa.[23] The Ganesa and Mudgala Puranas are sectarian Upapuranas devoted to Ganesha..[24] Most of these have not been critically edited yet, and are available mostly through devotional publications, in multiple versions and recensions. The Devi-Bhagavata Purana extols the virtues of the goddess Durga as the supreme being. It has become (along with the Devi Mahatmya of the Mārkandeya Purana) a basic text for Devi worshipers.[25] Other Hindu PuranasSthala PuranasThis corpus of texts narrates the virtues and stories connected with a certain temple or shrine (the word 'Sthala' means 'Place' in Sanskrit). There are numerous Sthala Puranas, most written in vernaculars, some with Sanskrit versions as well. Most claim to have a Sanskrit origin, and some of the Sanskrit versions also appear in a Mahapurana or an Upapurana. Some Tamil Sthala Puranas have been researched by David Dean Shulman.[26] Kula PuranasThese are mostly caste focused Puranas (the word 'Kula' means 'Family' or 'Tribe' in Sanskrit). They deal with a caste's origin myth, stories and legends. The caste purana is an important source for caste identity and is usually contested by other, rival, castes. This subgenre is usually in the vernacular and might at times be oral.[27] This subgenre has been little researched. But it is rather well documented in the caste section of the British Census of India Report and the various Gazzeteers.[28] OtherThere are many other narratives that go by the name of Purana. Most are written in vernaculars and are usually concerned with mythical and historical narrations. These texts, such as the Padma Purana of Bengal and Assam (narrating the story of the goddess Manasā), are vast in number and scattered all over the Indian subcontinent.[29] Jain and Buddhist PuranasThere are many Jain Puranas, dealing with Jain myths, history and legends.[30] Studies and English translations of this particular genre are meagre. The best known of them is the Mahapurana of Acharya Jinasena. The Jain Puranas form a major part of the early Kannada literature. Swayambhu Purana, a Buddhist Purana is major source of the history of the Kathmandu valley. Arguably, some Buddhist Mahāyāna Sūtras seem to have some characteristics of Puranas. References
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