PURANA – THEIR ESSENCE

 

    Contents:
  1. What is a Purana?
  2. The 18 Purana
  3. The Greatness of Srimad Bhagavatam
  4. Krsna's three energies

 What is Purana?

 The Veda is called Sruti (because it is learnt by hearing). It has four interwoven parts.

 VEDA 
RIG
YAJUR
SAMA
ATHARVA
Hymns or prayers
Prayers in  Sacrifice  
Prayers in  Musical form
World Maintenance

To make these four sections more easily performable Vyasa Deva compiled these four parts into four separate books. Being sympathetic towards the fallen souls of Kali-Yuga, who are lazy, misdirected and have no inclination for spiritual life, Vyasa Deva compiled the Purana, from related historical facts, which explain the teachings of the four Vedas. In other words, the Purana teach the Vedic literature in story form, making spiritual life more simple, and therefore in this age, they are more important. (Ref.: S.B. Canto 1 Ch.4 text 19-23)

There are eighteen Purana that are divided into three groups along with three predominating Deities.

Guna Nature Action of the Deity Deity
Satwa Goodness  Preservation of Goodness Vishnu
Rajas  Passion Overcoming Passion Brahma
Tamas  Ignorance  Destruction of Ignorance or Beginning of Knowledge Siva

They are divided in this way to gradually raise the conditioned soul from ignorance to pure goodness. The three divisions of the Purana are compiled in this way to appeal to those people in these respective modes and to thus elevate them to the perfection of life.  

THE 18 PURANA

  1. Vishnu Purana - 23,000 verses. Stories of various devotees;     A description of varnasrama;     The six angas of the Veda; A description of the age of Kali; It describes the Sveta Varaha Kalpa, Vishnu dharmotara;
  2. Naradiya Purana - 25,000 verses. This Purana contains a synopsis of everything;   It describes Jagannatha Puri, Dwaraka, Badrinatha, etc.
  3. Padma Purana - 55,000 verses. Contains the glory of Srimad Bhagavatam;    The stories of Rama, Jagannatha, Matsya, Ekadasi, Bhrgu, etc.
  4. Garuda Purana - 19,000 verses. Subject of Bhagavad-gita; Reincarnation; Visnusahasranam; It describes the Tarsya Kalpa.
  5. Varaha Purana - 24,000 verses. Describes different Vrata;   Lord Vishnu's glories.
  6. Bhagavata Purana - 18,000 verses. (Included by some in the mode of goodness).
  1. Brahmanda Purana - 12,000 verses.   Describes the Vedangas;   Describes the Adi Kalpa.
  2. Brahmavaivarta Purana - 18,000 verses. Contains the glories and pastimes of Radha and Krsna.
  3. Markendeya Purana - 9,000 verses. Stories of Rama and Krsna.
  4. Bhavisya Purana - 14,500 verses. Contains the glories of devotional service; Prediction of Lord Caitanya.
  5. Vamana Purana - 10,000 verses. Contains the story of Lord Trivikrama.
  6. Brahma Purana - 10,000 verses.  
  1. Matsya Purana - 14,000 verses. Temple construction; Describes Vamana and Varaha Kalpas.
  2. Kurma Purana - 17,000 verses. Contains the conversation between Krsna and the Sun-god;     Danvantari; Describes the Laksmi Kalpa.
  3. Linga Purana - 10,000 verses. Contains the glory of Lord Nrsmhadeva; Janardhana; The story of Ambarisha; The glories of Gayatri.
  4. Siva Purana - 24,000 verses.
  5. Skanda Purana - 81,000 verses.
  6. Agni Purana - 15,400 verses. Contains the description of Salagrama; Describes the Isana kalpa. All these Puranas describe five subjects. The Amarkhasa describes the Puranas as follows: (Ref. Chapter 12, Puranic Literatures)
sargas ca pratisarga ca
vamsa manvantarani ca
vamsanu caritam capi
puranam panca laksanam
  A Purana describes;
1)  SARGA (Creation)
2)  PRATISARGA (Recreation)
3)  VAMSA (History of the sages)
4)  MANVANTARA (Periods of Manu)
5)  VAMSANUCARITA (Geneology of Kings)

THE GREATNESS OF SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM

After compiling the Vedic Literatures, Purana, etc., Vyasa Deva was still feeling unsatisfied. While thinking in this way Narada Muni reached the cottage of Vyasa Deva and was asked about the cause of dissatisfaction. Narada Muni explained that because he (Vyasa Deva) did not directly describe Krsna's pastimes, and instead gave a license to enjoy sense gratification under religious principles, he was remaining unsatisfied. Narada then instructed Vyasa Deva in the (Catur Sloka – Srimad Bhagavatam) the essence of the Veda. Vyasa Deva took these four verses and expanded them to compile the Srimad Bhagavatam, which is known as the ripened fruit of Vedic literature because it directly describes Krsna's transcendental pastimes. (Ref. S.B. 1, chapter 5)

 

       padau yadiyau prathama dvitiyau
   tritiyaturyau kathitau yaduru
     nabhistatha pancama eva sasto
   bhujantaram doryugalam yathanyau
     mukharavindam dasamam praphullam
   ekadasau yasya lalatha pathakam
     siro pi yad dvadasa eva bati
   tamadidevam karuna nidhanam
     tamala varnam suhitavataram
   aparasamsara samudra setum
     bhajamehe bhagavata svarupam

 Translation:

I meditate on the most merciful Sri Krsna. Whose bodily hue is like a tamala tree. He has appeared for everyone's benefit in the form of Srimad Bhagavatam. The srimad Bhagavatam is like a bridge for crossing over the unending ocean of birth and death.

The first and second cantos are His lotus feet.
The third and fourth cantos are His two thighs.
The fifth canto is His navel (waist).
The seventh and eighth are His mighty shoulders.
The ninth canto is His throat (neck).
The tenth canto is His face, which is like a fully bloomed lotus flower.
The eleventh canto is His forehead.
The twelfth canto is His head.
                               (Padma Purana).
 
     krsna sva-dhamopagate
   dharma-jnanadibhih saha  
     kalau nasta-drsam esa
   puranarko 'dhunoditah

This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krsna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have loost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purana. (S.B. 1:3:43)  

The Srimad Bhagavatam describes 10 subjects: (S.B. 2:10:1)

1)  Creation of the universe
2)  Subcreation
3)  The planetary systems
4)  Protection by Krsna
5)  The creative impetus
6)  The change of Manus
7)  The science of God
8)  Returning back to Godhead
9)  Liberation
10) Summum bonum

KRSNA'S THREE ENERGIES

 visnu saktih para prokta
   ksetre-jnakhya titha para
     avidya-karma samjnaya
   tritiya saktir isyate

The Supreme Lord has diverse and innumerable energies which are beyond our conception; however, great learned sages or liberated souls have studied these energies and have analyzed them into three parts. All of the energies are of Vishnu -Shakti, that is to say they are different potencies of Lord Vishnu. The first energy is Para, transcendental. Living entities also belong to the superior energy. The other energies, or material energies, are in the mode of ignorance. (Vishnu Purana 6.7.61).

1)    ANTARANGA SAKTI - Internal Potency (Yoga-maya)
sat         - samvit     - external potency
cit         - sandhini - knowledge potency
ananda  - hladini   - pleasure potency
2)    BAHIRANGA SAKTI - External Energy (Maha-maya) (Bg. 7.4)
    a) bhumih    - earth
    b) apah      - water
    c) analah    - fire
    d) vayuh     - air
    e) kham      - ether
    f) manah    - mind
    g) buddhih  - intelligence
    h) ahankara - false ego
3)    TATASTHA SAKTI - Marginal Potency (Living Entities) (Bg. 7.5; 15.7)

Krsna is the saktimana or the source of all energy. (Bg. 7.6)

a) The spiritual energy is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. It is transcendental and beyond all changes of material nature.

b) The external energy is the exact opposite and is therefore temporary, full of ignorance and misery. It is mundane and always changing.

c) The marginal energy (jiva) also belongs to the spiritual energy, but because he has the independence to be either in the spiritual world or the material world, he is called marginal.

The whole manifestation is the Lord himself by diffusion of His different energies only, namely the internal, external and marginal. Such energy is siultaneously one with and different from the Lord (acintya-bheda-abheda-tattva). (S.B. 2.9.27)

The material world is also called Durga or jail. Just as the jail is for those people who break the laws of the government, this material world is created for those souls who do not like to accept Krsna's supremacy. Just as the pupose of the jail is to reform criminals, in the same way the purpose of creation is to reform the conditioned soul or to get rid of his criminal desire to use Krsna's property without Krsna. (S.B. 2.10.46) (S.B. 2.9.19 purport)

OM TAT SAT