|
|
Go to Hindu mythology
home page
Purana
In the sacred literature of Hinduism, any of numerous in style
encyclopedic
collections of delusion, legend, and genealogy, various enormously as to date
and origin.
Puranas have been written nearly completely in narrative couplets, in much the
identical easy, flowing fashion as the two nice Sanskrit epic poems, the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The early Puranas were in all probability compiled
by upper-caste authors who appropriated well-liked beliefs and ideas from folks
of various castes. Later Puranas reveal proof of vernacular influences and the
infusion of local religious traditions.
Traditionally, a Purana is said to deal with five subjects, or “five signs”: the
first creation of the universe, secondary creation after periodic annihilation,
the family tree of gods and patriarchs, the reigns of the Manus (the primary
humans), and the historical past of the solar and lunar dynasties. Creation and
dissolution (sarga, “emission,” and samhara, “gathering in”) are like utilizing
an icon on a pc: Prajapati, a creator figure of the Vedic age, emits the
universe and opens it, but the whole lot is always in it, simply alternately
revealed (manifest) or hid (latent); sarga lets it out, and samhara pulls it
again in.
The Puranas additionally treat varied topics concerning non secular developments
that occurred between four hundred and one thousand CE. These additional topics
embrace customs, ceremonies, sacrifices, festivals, caste duties, donations, the
construction of temples and images, and locations of pilgrimage. The genealogies
of gods, Manus, and kings kind an open-ended structure into which individual
authors place no matter they wish to speak about (though some Puranas ignore the
genealogies totally). The questions of main concern to those authors are easy
methods to reside a pious life and easy methods to worship the gods. Such
worship consists of the rituals (Puja) that ought to be carried out at house,
in the temple, and on particular pageant days; places to go on pilgrimage;
prayers to recite; and tales to tell and listen to. Considerably, most of these
rituals don't require the mediation of a Brahman priest.
|
|
