Hindu scriptures-puranas, vedangas, devotional literature

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Dear Gauranga,

Here is what V jayaram has to say about the antiquity of Puranas. You have said

that Puranas were written at the same time as Vedas, Upanishads etc. I would

like to have your comments on the information below.

Regards,

Chandrashekhar.

 

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IV. Hinduism- the many influences (Part-II)

The other literature

Other important texts of the Vedic period include the six Vedangas and the four

Sutras. The six Vedangas, which means the limbs of the Vedas, are, shiksha

(study), vyakarna (grammar), nirukta (lexicon), jyotisha (astrology), and kalpa

(methodology of rituals). The four Sutras are Shrauta ( on how to perform

rituals), Sulba (on how to build altars), Grihya (on how to perform domestic

rites) and Dharma (on how to live life according to ones dharma).

The Puranas

The Puranas are a strange combination of mythology and history freely inter

mixed. They form the smriti tradition, that is those which are remembered. They

are essentially narrative accounts of various gods, sages and ancient kings of

immense repute. They also describe the process of creation and the struggle

between the good and evil forces of the universe. Though for a student of

history they may not present an accurate picture of the true events of the

ancient past, for a student of religion they offer profound information and

insight into the background of Hindu religion.

The total number of puranas are many, but prominent among them are 18. Matsya

Purana, Padma Purana, Naradiya Purana, Vishnu Purana, Varaha Purana, Vamana

Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Brahma Purana, Shiva Purana, Devi Purana, Skanda

Purana, Markandeya Purana etc., come under this particular category.

The Darshanas

The Darshanas which are six in number, namely, the Uttara mimansa, the Purva

mimansa, Samkhya, Yoga, Vaisheshika and Nyaya Darshanas. together they

constitute the six schools of ancient Hindu philosophical thought.

A study of them provide immense insight into ancient Indian thinking and its

evolution into a complex body of schools and philosophies. Of these the first

two are based on the Shrutis or the Vedic texts. The next two are based on

Smrits such as the Puranas and the epics. The last two are based on Shastras or

scholarly works.

The Jaimini Sutras form the basis for the Purva mimansa. The Sankhya karika of

Iswara Krishna formed the basis for the teachings of sage Kapila. The Yoga

darshana is based upon Patanjalis Yoga Sutras. The Vaisheshika school was based

upon the work of Kanada, while Nyaya school of thought was based on the works of

Gautama.

It is interesting to note that some of these darshanas do not place belief in

the existence God as the central ruler or controller or creator of the world.

Hence tradition divided these six darshanas into three categories: the asthika

(those who believe in god), the nasthika (those who do not believe in god) and

dwaishtika (or those who believe in fate or destiny).

The Devotional literature

The Bhagavad gita contains the teachings of Lord Krishna to Shri Arjuna in the

middle of battle field about the meaning of true self, renunciation of work,

the true nature of karma, the three qualities, the true nature of God, the

definition of a true devotee and so many other things. The book has profoundly

influenced many generations of Hindus and still plays a significant role in

moulding the lives of many modern day Hindus.

The two major epics are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. They are mythological

stories of a very ancient past about whose antiquity and real historical basis

no one is really sure. They are a part of the Smriti tradition.

As religious books they occupy a special place of their own in the minds of

Hindus. For centuries they have been rendering great service to the cause of

Hinduism by spreading religious awareness among the multitude of Hindu masses

in a language and medium which they can understand.

In a way one may even conclude that it was neither the Vedas nor the Upanishads

but these two epics which kept the religion alive and dynamic at the mass

level. It is no exaggeration to say that even today these two epics appeal to

Hindus of all ages more than any Veda or Upanishad combined. Any religious

study of Hinduism, without a study and understanding of these two great epics

is therefore incomplete and imperfect.

Other principle sacred texts of Hinduism include the Saiva Agamas which are

treatises on the greatness of Lord Shiva and His various aspects and Vaishnava

Samhitas which deal with the worship of Lord Vishnu and His various forms,

Bhagavata Purana which is considered to be very sacred by the followers of

Vishnu, and the tantras, which deal with the worship of Shakti or Mother

Goddess.

Hinduism was also greatly influenced by the works of later day scholars such as

Shri Shankaracharya who provided commentaries on many Upanishads, brought the

Vedic knowledge back to the forefront through his various works and tireless

efforts and breathed life into sagging traditions.

Other prominent personalities who deserve to be mentioned are the works of Shri

Ramanuja, the works of the Alvars, Shri Ramananda, Shri Vallabhacharya, Shri

Nimbarka, Shri Tulsidas etc. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the

works of Swami Dayananda Saraswathi, the teachings of Shri Ramakrishna

Paramahans, Swami Vivekanada, Shri Ramana Maharshi, Shri Aurobindo and many

such great Masters are worth mentioning. Through their teachings and actions

they provided inspiration and guidance to millions of Hindus all over the world

and helped them in finding the true greatness of their ancient traditions.

Next: Hinduism a Mass of Contradictions

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