The Upa Puranas, also known as the Minor Puranas, are a group of 18 Hindu scriptures that are believed to have been written between the 4th and the 17th centuries. These texts are considered to be less important than the major Puranas, which consist of 18 texts that are considered more central to Hinduism.
The Upa Puranas are a diverse group of texts that cover a wide range of topics, including mythology, cosmology, rituals, and ethics. Many of these texts are devoted to specific deities or themes, such as the Brahma Purana, which is focused on the creator god Brahma, or the Kurma Purana, which is focused on the divine turtle Kurma.
One of the main themes of the Upa Puranas is the importance of devotion to God and the role of rituals in achieving salvation. Many of these texts contain stories and legends about the power of devotion and the rewards that come to those who are devoted to God.
In addition to their religious content, the Upa Puranas also contain a wealth of information on a wide range of topics, including science, mathematics, astronomy, and history. For example, the Vayu Purana contains detailed descriptions of the solar system, while the Agni Purana contains information on metallurgy and the art of building.
The Upa Puranas are an important part of Hinduism and are widely studied and revered by Hindus all over the world. They provide insight into the beliefs, values, and practices of the religion and offer guidance for those seeking to live a spiritual life.
Smriti: The Puranas
According to Thomas Coburn, Puranas and early extra-puranic texts attest to two traditions regarding their origin, one proclaiming a divine origin as the breath of the Great Being, the other as a human named Vyasa as the arranger of already existing material into eighteen Puranas. Daurvaasam,of Durvasa Rishi 6. This is evidenced from the fact that mere study and recitation of Puranas are considered as acts of piety by large sections of Hindu community even today. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. NOTE: The copies of Puranas available now has many controversies and there are different versions for the same puranas.
Shiva Purana — Speaks about Lord Shiva. Markandeya Purana — Classified as Saiva Purana also. We experience prana as breath, but it also exists in blood. Why and How Ganapati wrote Mahabharatha and Bhagavad Gita? 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 above internal evidences in conjunction with similar other evidences like frequent references to Buddhism and other religions, the style of writing and the highly artificial nature of stories have made scholars agree that these Puranas were written much later than Mahabharata: after 1 st century CE up to 10 th century CE, the more important of them composed before 7 thcentury CE. Padma Purana — Speaks about diversified topics including Cosmology from the persrspective of Lord Vishnu.
Gives the details of dynasties, laws, governance, etc. We never use it for spamming or marketing and we 100% respect your privacy. There are lists which omit one or more, and replace them by another such as, for instance, VayuPurana takes the place of Agni or ShivaPurana. Brahma Purana — Speaks about Lord Brahma. Kapilam, basis for Sankhya system 8. Of them all, the Bhagavat Purana Srimad Bhagavatam is most popular. He appeared in flesh and blood to help his devotees and relieve their sufferings.
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. Can I read Garuda Purana? Who wrote Garuda puranam? The Hindu Puranas are anonymous texts and likely the work of many authors over the centuries; in contrast, most Jaina Puranas can be dated and their authors assigned. The Puranas are meant for the masses with inferior intellect. The Varaha Purana contains twenty-four thousand verses, the Skanda Puranas eight-one thousand one hundred, the Vamana Purana fourteen thousand, the Garuda Purana nineteen thousand and the Brahmanda Purana twelve thousand. Parasurama destroyed the Kshatriya race twenty-one times. The object of Parasurama Avatara was to deliver the country from the oppression of the Kshatriya rulers. The Cultural Heritage of India, Vol.
The compositions of the Puranas are not homogeneous like the Mahabharata to which they are indebted much in matter and spirit. But, there is no one Purana whose form agrees entirely to the above definition of a Purana. These are the Vaisnava Puranas in which the god Vishnu is exalted to glory and they are termed the Sattvika. Sometimes Lord Siva is belittled. These form three sets of six books, with each set connected to one of the trimurti — Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva. So, the scholars do not consider the puranas as authoritative. The most distinguishing feature of Pauranik Hinduism is grafting of hero-worshipon its followers.
Some of the Puranas are discourses on cosmology, geography and Hindu philosophy … How many Purana are there? Neophytes or beginners in the spiritual Path are puzzled when they go through Siva Purana and Vishnu Purana. A portion of the Markandeya Purana is well known to all Hindus as Chandi, or Devimahatmya. A History of Indian Literature: Epics and Sanskrit religious literature, Fasc. It is most pleasing to the Lord. The earliest Puranas, composed perhaps between 350 and 750 ce, are the Brahmanda, Devi, Kurma, Markandeya, Matsya, Vamana, Varaha, Vayu, and Vishnu.
In fact, by examining all the Upapuranas are found to be near a hundred, including those mentioned in the different lists. The original Puranas, written prior to Mahabharata, dealt with non-sectarian matter: origin of the universe and tales derived from the common myths and legends that have been popular from the Vedic times. Upanishads says that world has no real purpose, as it is creation of Maya and is falsely believed as real by Brahman. These Up- Puranas are — Sanat kumar, Narsimha, Skand, Shiva Dharma, Durvasa, Narad, Kapil, Manu, Ushana, Brahmand, Varun, Kalika, Maheshwar, Saamb, Saura, Parashar, Maarich and Bhargava. The Upapuranas in S.
The concept plays a central role in Ayurveda and yoga and their holistic view of life. Naradiya Purana — Speaks about 4 vedas and 6 Vedangas. One characteristic that is common to all the Puranas is their pantheism. Brahmavaivarta Purana — Speaks about Surya deva also. During every period of time, new Vyasa came and preached the vedic messages. Worship of God as the Divine Mother is its theme. Other topics included are the geographical and political divisions of the country, stories of incarnations, the different schools of metaphysical thought and the various religious creeds, names of cities and places of pilgrimages.
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