Brahma Purana Pt. 2 (AITM Vol. 34): Ancient Indian Tradition & Mythology (Vol. 34)

Politics & Social Sciences

J. L. Shastri

G.P. Bhatt

Social Sciences

Motilal Banarsidass

Agni Purana, Part 3

N. Gangadharan

Brahma-Purana, Part 3

Vayu-Purana, Part 1

G. V. Tagare

The Brahmanda Purana: v. 22, Pt. 1: Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology

The Brahmanda Purana: v. 24, Pt. 3: Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology

The Puranas are classified as Vaisnava, Brahma, or Saiva according to the degree of quality, sattva, rajas or tamas which they possess in prominence. Judged by this standard the present Purana belongs to the Visnuite class. Majority of the verses relate to Visnuite rituals, stotras or anecdotes. The Purana eulogizes the ten incarnations of Visnu and proclaims that a devotee attains identity with the lord by reciting and listening to his praise. A number of chapters describe the initiation of devotees to Visnuite order. The Purana prescribes initiation not only for the Brahmanas but also for the Ksatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras. The Purana records a number of religious vows which a devotee should observe at certain holy places for attaining his desire. Men-tion may be made in this context of Dvadasi Vrata observed on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of each month of the year, the ritual being related to the ten incarnations of Visnu, Padmanabha being the eleventh and Dharani (Earth) the twelfth. The Purana contains a number of hymns in praise of Visnu, addressed to his specific forms, under particular names such as Matsya, Varaha and Kurma. There is hymn in prose called Brahmaparamaya stotra which was uttered by the Asvins in praise of Visnu. Though predominantly Visnuite in character, the Purana talks highly of lord Siva, describing his origin, exploits, the destruction of Daksa s sacrifice in particular. The Purana is emphatic about the identity of Trinity, a single entity assuming manifold forms such as Visnu, Brahma, Siva and others. Besides the worship of Trinity we find the cult of Mother God-desses as the distinct feature of this work. These Mothers are allied to Siva and their origin is traced to the fury of Siva, the purpose being the destruction of asuras. In the miscellany of topic we can include the glory and greatness of holy centres, gifts of cows, enumeration of sins and their expiation, causes of sufferings in hell and of enjoyment in heaven. Finally this Part describes Sraddhakalpa (the institution of obsequial rites and rituals).

The Varaha Purana Part 1: Ancient Indian Tradition And Mythology Volume 31

S. Venkitasubramonia Iyer

Varaha Purana Pt. 2 (AITM Vol. 32): Ancient Indian Tradition And Mythology (Vol. 32)

S. Venkatasubramania Iyer

This is part of a ten volume work, vols 39-48 of the series on Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology. Named after the lotus in which God Brahman appeared at the beginning of creation, this Purana starts with the narration of Cosmological and Cosmogonic myths. Then comes the description of royal dynasties both Solar and Lunar down to the time of Krsna. This is followed by the description of war between Devas and Asuras and the defeat of Asuras by God Visnu. After the story of Prahlada comes the narrative of Rama preceded by the account of his predecessors beginning with Manu, son of Sun-God. Among other important episodes, may be counted the episode of Ramas horse-sacrifice and of Patala and the legends connected therewith. The last section deals with Visnu cult and kriyayoga, with emphasis that Visnu should be worshipped not by meditation but by doing pious acts, by undertaking pilgrimages to sacred places and by celebrating festivals dedicated to Visnu.

Vayu Purana Pt. 2 (AITM Vol. 38) (Padma-Purana)

Religion & Spirituality

Hinduism

Motilal Banarsidass Pub

<p>This is first part of the Padma Purana in English translation and the thirty-ninth volume in the series on Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology. It comprises the first thirty-three chapters of the first section called Srstikhanda or the Section on Creation of the Purana which is very huge in size. This Purana, as it appears in the Venkatesvara edition which this translation follows, consists of seven big sections or Khandas, namely, Srsti, Bhµumi, Svarga, Brahma, Patala, Uttara and Kriyayogasara and is said to contain 55000 verses, though the actual number is much less. The Padma Purana takes its name after the Primordial Lotus from which god Brahma, the Creator, was born. It is a great holy text and gives the fruit of all the Vedas. Every Purana is a part of the body of Visnu, and Padma is his heart, since it is a great Purana. The reader will find herein and enjoy some very interesting accounts and stories, such as that of the churning of the ocean by the gods and demons, the destruction of Daksa s sacrifice by god Siva, the chopping-off of Brahma s fifth head by the same god, the drinking-up of the ocean by the sage Agastya and so on. A very amusing story appears in Chapter 13, how Brhaspati, the preceptor of gods, impersonates Sukra, the preceptor of demons, and how he corrupts and demoralizes the latter by preaching heretical doctrines to them with a view to make the gods who were very often defeated by the demons in war, victorious over them. A good portion of this Part is also devoted to the glorification of Puskara as a sacred place of pilgrimage. A number of fasts and vows are recommended and the merits of observing the same are described in detail.</p>

Padma Purana Part 1: Ancient Indian Tradition And Mythology Volume 39

N.A. Deshpande

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