What are the puranas? How many are there? Is it alot of reading?
What are the puranas? How many are there? Is it alot of reading?
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
Namasté
Please look at this HDF Post:
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/sho...47&postcount=3
यतसà¥à¤¤à¥à¤µà¤‚ शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṠśivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
Hi Tirisilex
I cannot add more to Yajvan Ji's answer, but wished to add that this questions and answer was useful to me. I have ordered a copy of the Bhagavata Purana, it is 4 volumes. I hope I can learn from it, reading time permitting. I have seen it commented that Scholars describe this philosophy as "Advaitic Theism" on wikipedia, and feel curiousity arising from this point.
Assuming your take the plunge and look into this work also at some point, I would be interested to reflect on these works along with you.
I have started reading the Srimad Bhagavata for the first time. It is quite wonderful.
if you want to read all of them , then better start from now , hopefully you will finish in this lifetime !!!
in any case puranas are all contradictory with each other and will leave you confused . its better to read the upanishads etc which will help you spiritually .
http://www.godandguru.com/ has a translation of the Shiva Puran that you can read on their site, along with other books, but they don't seem to be professional quality in terms of translation. I forget which puran it is at the moment, but I want to read the one that best details Krishna's younger years at Vrindavan, as well as the Shiv Puran (good translations, of course).
I have bought Daniel P. Sheridan's book: "The advaitic theism of the bhagavat purana." I didn't have the time to read it yet.
Vallabhacharya has added the Bhagavata Purana as an authority on vedanta next to the upanishads, bhagavad gita and brahma sutra. I have not much knowledge of Vallabha's work, but I read that he never talked bad about Shiva or Shaivas and that he believed brahma, vishnu and shiva were all forms of parabrahma. He said that vaishnavas should not feel bad when they can't worship Shiva, nor do Shaivas have to feel bad when they can't worship Vishnu, because they are the same brahma that has taken different functions. He said that Shiva and Vishnu are equally able to give bhukti and mukti. Vallabha put all his devotion towards Krishna, because that was his Ishtadeva, not because of some superiority complex.
That's very different from what you hear from fundamentalist vaishnavas these days.
Thank you for this insight Sahasranamaji
I hadn't seen it before now. I am finding it almost imposible to find any material on Vallabha's philosophy in English (it appears it may have been his son who elaborated it) I continue to read the Srimad Bhagavata and find it inspiring.
I started to read the Devi Bhagavatam and was intreagued to find that the Vishnu, Brahma and S'iva are seen as the Devi's creation and at Her will:
"O Mother ! When Thou dost will to create this visible Universe, Thou createst first Brahmâ, Visnu and Mahes'vara and makest them create, preserve and destroy this universe; but Thou remainest quite unattached to the world." V - 58-61 source.
"Thus, arguing again and again in one's mind, everyone should come to know that the Highest Âdya S’aktî by Her mere will creates and preserves this Universe and She it is who destroys again in time the whole Brahmânda, moving and non-moving; no one is capable to do his respective work be he Brahmâ, Visnu, Mahes'var, Indra, Fire, Sun, Varuna or any other person whatsoever; verily all the Devas perform the respective actions by the use of this Âdya S’aktî. That She alone is present in cause and effect and is doing every action, an be witnessed vividly." ChVII - 31-51.
I have the impression that the Puranas give empahsis to their specific deity in particular, almost re-iterating the key Sanatana Dharma philosophical concepts placing the God or Goddess as the heightest of all gods. One who already devoted to one's Ishta-devi may do well in sticking only to that pacticular Purana or find they move into scholarship (and duality), rather than devotion alone. I wonder if there are others way to see these puranas?
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