Source
Texts:
The
Purânic Literatures
Text
1
S'rî
Sûta said: "Sumantu
Rishi, the expert on the Atharva Veda as you know [see
6.52-53],
instructed his collection to his disciple [named
Kabandha], who [dividing it in two] was pleased to
speak it to Pathya and Vedadars'a.
Sûta
Gosvâmî said: Sumantu Rishi, the authority on
the Atharva Veda, taught his samhitâ to his disciple
Kabandha, who in turn spoke it to Pathya and
Vedadars'a.
Text
2
Please
listen: S'auklâyani, Brahmabali, Modosha and
Pippalâyani, the disciples of Vedadars'a and the
disciples of Pathya, my dear brahmin, Kumuda, S'unaka and
Jâjali, were all authorities on the Atharva Veda as
well.
S'auklâyani,
Brahmabali, Modosha and Pippalâyani were disciples of
Vedadars'a. Hear from me also the names of the disciples of
Pathya. My dear brâhmana, they are Kumuda, S'unaka and
Jâjali, all of whom knew the Atharva Veda very
well.
Text
3
Babhru
and Saindhavâyana, disciples of S'unaka ['he from the
line of Angirâ'], then the same manner learned two
samhitâs and so did other disciples headed by
Sâvarna [learn from them].
Babhru
and Saindhavâyana, disciples of S'unaka, studied the
two divisions of their spiritual master's compilation of the
Atharva Veda. Saindhavâyana's disciple Sâvarna
and disciples of other great sages also studied this edition
of the Atharva Veda.
Text
4
With
Nakshatrakalpa, S'ântikalpa as also Kas'yapa and
Ângirasa belonging to these âcâryas of the
Atharva Veda, now hear, o sage, about the authorities of the
purânas.
Nakshatrakalpa,
S'ântikalpa, Kas'yapa, Ângirasa and others were
also among the âcâryas of the Atharva Veda. Now,
O sage, listen as I name the authorities on Purânic
literature.
Text
5
Trayyâruni,
Kas'yapa, Sâvarni, Akritavrana, Vais'ampâyana and
Hârîta - these are factually the six masters of the
purânas.
Trayyâruni,
Kas'yapa, Sâvarni, Akritavrana, Vais'ampâyana
and Hârîta are the six masters of the
purânas.
Text
6
They
learned the collection from the mouth of Vyâsa's pupil,
my father [Romaharshana],
and I, as a disciple from each of them learning one portion,
became well versed in them all.
Each
of them studied one of the six anthologies of the
purânas from my father, Romaharshana, who was a
disciple of S'rîla Vyâsadeva. I became the
disciple of these six authorities and thoroughly learned all
their presentations of Puranic wisdom.
Text
7
Kas'yapa,
I, Sâvarni and Akritavrana, who is a disciple of
Râma [of the Bhârgavas or
Pâras'urâma, see also 10.74:
7-9],
have assimilated from the disciple of Vyâsa four basic
collections.
Romaharshana,
a disciple of Vedavyâsa, divided the purânas
into four basic compilations. The sage Kas'yapa and I, along
with Sâvarni and Akritavrana, a disciple of
Râma, learned these four divisions.
Text
8
O
brahmin, please hear with attention about the characteristics
of a purâna, which in accordance with the vedic
scriptures by the brahmin seers in their resorting to the
intelligence have been ascertained.
O
S'aunaka, please hear with attention the characteristics of
a purâna, which have been defined by the most eminent
learned brâhmanas in accordance with Vedic
literature.
Text
9-10
The
creation [of this universe, sarga],
the subsequent creation [of different worlds and beings,
visarga],
the maintenance [the sustenance, the vritti
or sthâna] and protection [the rakshâ or
poshana of the living beings], the reigns [of the
various Manus], the dynasties [vams'as],
the narrations about them [vams'a-anucaritam], the
annihilation [of different kinds, pralaya
or samsthâ], the motivation [of individuality or
hetu] and the supreme shelter [of the Fortunate One or
apâs'raya], o brahmin, are the ten characteristic
topics of a purâna as understood by the authorities on
the matter; some state that relative to the greater ones, the
lesser purânas deal with five [see also S'uka on this
2.10.1-7
and *].
O
brâhmana, authorities on the matter understand a
purâna to contain ten characteristic topics: the
creation of this universe, the subsequent creation of worlds
and beings, the maintenance of all living beings, their
sustenance, the rule of various Manus, the dynasties of
great kings, the activities of such kings, annihilation,
motivation and the supreme shelter. Other scholars state
that the great purânas deal with these ten topics,
while lesser purânas may deal with five.
Text
11
Creation
[sarga]
is what the generation is called from the primordial state from
which by the agitation of the modes the cosmic intelligence
raised from which the identification with the matter rose as
divided in three aspects [or types of beings to the
modes], which further manifested as the subtle forms of
perception, the senses and the objects of perception
[formation by the conditioning of and identification with
Time, compare 2.10:
3].
From
the agitation of the original modes within the unmanifest
material nature, the mahat-tattva arises. From the
mahat-tattva comes the element false ego, which divides into
three aspects. This threefold false ego further manifests as
the subtle forms of perception, as the senses and as the
gross sense objects. The generation of all these is called
creation.
Text
12
The
secondary creation [visarga]
is the assemblage consisting of the inherent properties
[the vâsanas]
of
the moving and nonmoving living beings, the propensities that,
to the grace of the Original Person [purusha],
are produced the same way as seed produces more
seeds.
The
secondary creation, which exists by the mercy of the Lord,
is the manifest amalgamation of the desires of the living
entities. Just as a seed produces additional seeds,
activities that promote material desires in the performer
produce moving and nonmoving life forms.
Text
13
The
sustenance [vritti]
is the subsisting of the moving beings on the nonmoving ones,
or, more specifically humane, the acting for one's livelihood
in accord with one's personal nature in which one indeed either
lives to one's lust or to the rules.
Vritti
means the process of sustenance, by which the moving beings
live upon the nonmoving. For a human, vritti specifically
means acting for one's livelihood in a manner suited to his
personal nature. Such action may be carried out either in
pursuit of selfish desire or in accordance with the law of
God.
Text
14
Rakshâ
[or protection] is there with the Incarnations of the
Infallible One, age after age present among the animals, the
mortals, the seers and the demigods; by them are the enemies of
the threefold Veda killed
[see also B.G. 4:
7].
In
each age, the infallible Lord appears in this world among
the animals, human beings, sages and demigods. By His
activities in these incarnations He protects the universe
and kills the enemies of Vedic culture.
Text
15
To
each reign of a Manu
there is the sixfold of the Lord: the Manu, the demigods, the
sons of the Manu, the different controllers of the enlightened
[the Indras],
the seers [or rishis],
and the partial incarnations [the Lord His
ams'a-avatâras].
In
each reign of Manu, six types of personalities appear as
manifestations of Lord Hari: the ruling Manu, the chief
demigods, the sons of Manu, Indra, the great sages and the
partial incarnations of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Text
16
Dynasties
[vams'as]
originating from Brahmâ extend into the threefold of time
[trikâlika]
as series of kings and their histories
[vams'a-anucaritam]
describe
the activities of the prominent members in
succession.
Dynasties
are lines of kings originating with Lord Brahmâ and
extending continuously through past, present and future. The
accounts of such dynasties, especially of their most
prominent members, constitute the subject of dynastic
history.
Text
17
The
occasional, elemental, continuous and ultimate annihilation
from His potency concerns the dissolution in four aspects of
this universe thus by the scholars described [as
samsthâ or pralaya,
see also 12.4].
There
are four types of cosmic annihilation-occasional, elemental,
continuous and ultimate-all of which are effected by the
inherent potency of the Supreme Lord. Learned scholars have
designated this topic dissolution.
Text
18
The
motive [hetu] of the creation [sarga] and so on
of this all, is the individual living soul
[jîva], who out of ignorance is the performer of
fruitive activities [karma]; or differently do others
speak of the unmanifest underlying personality.
Out
of ignorance the living being performs material activities
and thereby becomes in one sense the cause of the creation,
maintenance and destruction of the universe. Some
authorities call the living being the personality underlying
the material creation, while others say he is the unmanifest
self.
Text
19
God
as the supreme shelter [apâs'raya] is there,
separately and conjoint, within the waking, the sleeping and
the dreamless state, within the things presented by the
illusory energy and within the functions of
individuality.
The
Supreme Absolute Truth is present throughout all the stages
of awareness-waking consciousness, sleep and deep
sleep-throughout all the phenomena manifested by the
illusory energy, and within the functions of all living
entities, and He also exists separate from all these. Thus
situated in His own transcendence, He is the ultimate and
unique shelter.
Text
20
Just
as the basic substance of material objects is connected to, as
well as apart from, their sheer existence as things having
names and form, is it [with God] so, throughout the
various phases of a bodily existence, from the seed in the
beginning to the five elements [one returns to] in the
end [compare 8.6:
10].
Although
a material object may assume various forms and names, its
essential ingredient is always present as the basis of its
existence. Similarly, both conjointly and separately, the
Supreme Absolute Truth is always present with the created
material body throughout its phases of existence, beginning
with conception and ending with death.
Text
21
Of
its own or through yoga, may thought stop to the threefold
state [vritti-traya];
one, ceasing from the material endeavor, then knows the Supreme
Soul [see also 3.25:
32-33].
Either
automatically or because of one's regulated spiritual
practice, one's mind may stop functioning on the material
platform of waking consciousness, sleep and deep sleep. Then
one understands the Supreme Soul and withdraws from material
endeavor.
Text
22
This
way distinguished by their characteristics are there, so say
the sages expert in the ancient stories, eighteen big and
[eighteen] small purânas [from 9000 up tot
81.000 verses, see
also upa-purâna].
Sages
expert in ancient histories have declared that the
purânas, according to their various characteristics,
can be divided into eighteen major purânas and
eighteen secondary purânas.
Text
23-24
They
are known as the three times six purânas [to each
guna-avatâra]
called Brahmâ, Padma, Vishnu, S'iva, Linga, Garuda,
Nârada, Bhâgavata, Agni, Skanda, Bhavishya,
Brahma-vaivarta, Mârkandeya, Vâmana, Varâha,
Matsya, Kûrma and Brahmânda [see
purânas].
The
eighteen major purânas are the Brahmâ, Padma,
Vishnu, S'iva, Linga, Garuda, Nârada, Bhâgavata,
Agni, Skanda, Bhavishya, Brahma-vaivarta, Mârkandeya,
Vâmana, Varâha, Matsya, Kûrma and
Brahmânda purânas.
Text
25
In
full I described to you, o brahmin, this devotion in branches
of the sage [Vyâsadeva], his disciples and the
disciples of his disciples, which increases the spiritual
potency [of the hearer]."
I
have thoroughly described to you, O brâhmana, the
expansion of the branches of the Vedas by the great sage
Vyâsadeva, his disciples and the disciples of his
disciples. One who listens to this narration will increase
in spiritual strength.
*
The vedic verse (Amarkhasa) to this secondary status of
a purâna says: sargas' ca pratisargas'
ca
vams'o
manvantarâni
ca
vams'ânucaritam
ceti
purânam
pañca-lakshanam; "Creation, secondary
creation, the dynasties of kings, the reigns of Manus and the
activities of various dynasties are the five characteristics of
a purâna."
S'rîla
Jîva Gosvâmî has explained to this that the
ten principal topics of S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam are
found within each of the twelve cantos. One should not try to
assign each of the ten topics to a particular canto. Nor should
the S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam be artificially interpreted
to show that it deals with the topics successively. The simple
fact is that all aspects of knowledge important to human
beings, summarized in the ten categories mentioned above, are
described with various degrees of emphasis and analysis
throughout the S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam [pp.
12.7:
9-10].
