SNIPPETS OF INFORMATION
SACRED TEXTS
Epics
* 13 Oct 2021
Mutkala Puranam
This is a puranam compiled by sage Mutakala on Lord Ganesha and hence is called Mutkala puranam.
* 13 Oct 2021
Bhargava Purana
This upapuraana is on Lord Ganesha and hence is also known as Ganesha
purana or Vinayaka Purana. Lord Siva preached this purana to Lord
Brahma who in turn preached it to Sage Vyasa who in turn preached it to
Brighu muni who set it down in two main chapters (kaandam) - Upaasana
kaandam and Leelaa kaandam. He further divided these into 250 chapters
and gave the purana in 12,000 slokas.
Since this was compiled by Maharishi Bhrigu, it came to be known as Bhargava puranam.
* 13 Oct 2021
Upapuranams
Lord Siva told the 18 Puranas initially to Nandi Deva who in turn
preached to Sanathkumarar. Sage Vyasa who absorbed it from Sanat Kumara
rishi presented them in sloka form.
Other rishis who had gathered information from various sources gave us
the upa puranams. The list of upapuranams from various sources
differ.
1. Sanathkumara puranam, 2. Sivadharma puranam, 3. Dhurvasa puranam, 4.
Narada puranam, 5. Kabila puranam, 5. Avusana puranam, 6. Soumiya
puranam, 7. Varuna puranam, 8. Kaali puranam, 9. Vaasittamilinga
puranam, 10. Maanava puranam, 11. Soura puranam, 12. Saambesa puranam,
13. Bhaargava puranam
Source: Vinayakar Puranam (Tamil) edited by Aru. Ramanathan, Prema Publications
A different list of Upapuraanaas
Ādi Upapurāṇa, Bhavisyottara Upapuraṇa, Brahmottara Upapurāṇa, Brhad-dharma Upapurāṇa, Devībhāgavata Upapurāṇa, Kālikā Upapurāṇa, Kalki Upapurāṇa, Nāradīya Upapurāṇa, Narasimha Upapurāṇa, Purusottama Upapurāṇa, Sāmba Upapurāṇa, Saura Upapurāṇa, Śiva Upapurāṇa, Viṣṇudharma Upapurāṇa, Viṣṇudharmottara Upapuraṇa, Ekāmrapurāṇa, Yugapurāṇa, Ganeśapurāṇa, Candikāpurāṇa
Source: hindupedia.com
Yet another list of upapuranas:
Sanat kumara purana, Narasimha purana, Brihannaradiya purana,
Sivarahasya purana, Durvasa purana, Kapila purana, Vamana purana,
Bhargava purana, Varuna purana, Kaalika purana, Saamba purana, Nandi
purana, Surya purana, Paraasara purana, Vasishta purana, Devi Bhagvatam,
Ganesa Puranam, Hamsa purana.
Source: hindupad.com
* Jul 2021
Puranas
Purana literally means "ancient, old". They are a collection of
mythology, history - generally information to serve as a guide to life.
The eighteen Puranas are
1. Brahma Purana, 2. Padma Purana, 3. Vishnu Purana, 4. Skanda Purana,
5. Shiv Mahapurana, 6. Vamana Purana, 7. Markandeya Purana, 8. Varaha
Purana, 9. Brahma Vaivat Purana , 10. Agni Purana, 11. Bhavishya Purana,
12. Kurma Purana, 13. Matsya Purana, 14. Garuda Purana, 15. Brahmaand
Purana, 16. Shrimad Bhagwat Purana, 17. Linga Purana, 18. Narada Purana.
These are dedicated to Siva, Vishnu & Brahma (six each).
* Jul 2021
Vedas
Vedas are the ancient Hindu Books of Knowledge, the basis of Hindu
Dharma. They have not been authored by a single person, but are a
compilation of various mantras as revealed by different rishis and for
this reason Vedas are also called Shruti, meaning revealed. The mantras
were passed on from generation to generation. There are two sections :
Samhita and Brahmana. The Samhitas consist of prayers in metrical hymns
called Mantras, and is also referred to as Mantra section. The Brahmanas
are more of a commentary on these hymns, and are in prose form.
The mantras of Vedas were revealed to different Rishis at different
points of time which were collected & compiled into four parts (Rig,
Yajur, Sama & Atharva) by one of the greatest sages of all times -
Sri Veda Vyasa. Later he gave each of these Vedas to one of his
disciples to carry them forward. Rig Veda was given to Paeil, Yajur Veda
to Vaishampayan, Sama Veda to Jaimini, and the Atharva Veda to Sumantu.
References: Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda, vmission.org.in
* Jul 2021
Upanishads
The Upanishads are in fact an integral part of the Vedic texts.
The Upanishads were the products of the spiritual and philosophical
inquisitiveness of the ancient Indian seers. They were born out of inner
dissatisfaction and quest for fundamental truths of human existence.
Not satisfied with mere ritualistic invocation and supplication of gods
and other observances, these elevated souls dwelt deep into the
fundamental and hidden aspects of human life and existence to find out
the deeper purpose of human life and its relationship with the immense
universe that surrounded and enveloped them from all sides.
The Vedas and the Upanishads are believed to be divine revelations and
hence infallible. The Brahma sutras of Veda Vyasa provided the
background for the correct interpretation of these texts by subsequent
scholars who never questioned the authority and infallibility of either
these texts or the Brahma sutras.
The exact number of the Upanishads is not clearly known. Scholars differ
on the total number of Upanishads as well as on what constitutes an
Upanishad. Some of the Upanishads are very ancient, but some are of
recent origin. The original Upanishads are the end portions of the four
Vedas, and there by came to be identified with "Vedanta", which
literally means the end of the Vedas. They dealt with the philosophical
aspects of the Vedas and were taught in ancient India to highly
qualified and selected individuals.
Rigveda (10)
Aitareya, Atmabodha, Kaushitaki, Mudgala, Nirvana, Nadabindu, Akshamaya, Tripura, Bahvruka, Saubhagyalakshmi.
Yajurveda (50)
Katha, Taittiriya, Isavasya , Brihadaranyaka, Akshi, Ekakshara, Garbha,
Prnagnihotra, Svetasvatara, Sariraka, Sukarahasya, Skanda, Sarvasara,
Adhyatma, Niralamba, Paingala, Mantrika, Muktika, Subala, Avadhuta,
Katharudra, Brahma, Jabala, Turiyatita, Paramahamsa, Bhikshuka,
Yajnavalkya, Satyayani, Amrtanada, Amrtabindu, Kshurika, Tejobindu,
Dhyanabindu, Brahmavidya, YogakundalinI, Yogatattva, Yogasikha, Varaha,
Advayataraka, Trisikhibrahmana, mandalabrahmana, Hamsa, Kalisantaraaa,
Narayana, Tarasara, Kalagnirudra, Dakshinamurti, Pancabrahma,
Rudrahrdaya, SarasvatIrahasya.
SamaVeda (16)
Kena, Chandogya, Mahat, Maitrayani, Vajrasuci, Savitri, Aruneya,
Kundika, Maitreyi, Samnyasa, Jabaladarsana, Yogacudaman, Avyakta,
Vasudevai, Jabali, Rudrakshajabala.
Atharvaveda (32)
Prasna , Mandukya, Mundaka, Atma, Surya, Narada-Parivrajakas,
Parabrahma, Paramahamsa-Parivrajakas, Pasupatha-Brahma, Mahavakya,
Sandilya, Krishna, Garuda, Gopalatapani, Tripadavibhuti-mahnarayana,
Dattatreya, Kaivalya, NrsimhatapanI, Ramatapani, Ramarahasya, HayagrIva,
Atharvasikha, Atharvasira, Ganapati, Brhajjabala, Bhasmajabala,
Sarabha, Annapurna, TripuratapanI, Devi, Bhavana, SIta.
Reference: hinduwebsite.com
* Jul 2021
Itihaasas
Itihaasa literally means history in Sanskrit.
The Friendly Treatises and the Commanding Treatises: There are four
books under this heading: The Valmiki-Ramayana, the Yogavasishtha, The
Mahabharata and the Harivamsa. These embody all that is in the Vedas,
but only in a simpler manner. These are called the Suhrit-Samhitas or
the Friendly Treatises, while the Vedas are called the Prabhu-Samhitas
or the Commanding Treatises with great authority. These works explain
the great universal truths in the form of historical narratives, stories
and dialogues
Source: Excerpt from "All About Hinduism" by Sri Swami Sivananda, experiencefestival.com
A proper interpretation of the Itihasas and the Puranas would be to
regard them as the works of gifted seers, who availed themselves of
certain ancient or recent historical and religious traditions and wove
those traditions into narratives, anecdotes, episodes and homilies,
these works reflecting and reproducing certain attitudes towards life.
In truth, there are a body of writings which are popular expositions of
inherited truths and messages, their avowed purpose being to diffuse
their purport amongst the people at large. Thus, the Ramayana furnishes
pictures of kings who led a spiritual life and of ascetics who played a
great part in the affairs of nations. Difficult situations are pictured,
whose impact on several human souls is brilliantly analysed. Dharma, as
the chief factor for the shaping of human life, is the underlying
motive of the Ramayana and its many episodes. The Mahabharata is not
only a picture of a great internecine struggle illustrating the conflict
of human motives and human attributes but a repertoire of comprehensive
secular and religious learning. It is not simply a great poem but also a
manual of ethics, politics and morality. It can well be asserted that
the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have throughout been the foundations of
Hindu ethics and beliefs.
Source: Excerpt from the article "Religious and Literature articles" - sriramadesikan.com
* Jul 2021
Vyasa Bhaaratham
Maha rishi Veda Vyaasar saw the entire Mahaa Bhaaratham through his
inner vision. He wanted to preserve it for the welfare of the future
generations. Lord Brahma advised him to ask Lord Ganesha to write it
down as he composed the verses. Lord Ganesha is said to have used his
tusk to write the Maha Bharatham on the Himalayas. It comprises of 18
parvas (parvam) - Adi parvam, Sabha parvam, Vana parvam, Virata parvam,
Udyoga parvam, Bhishma parvam, Drona parvam, Karna parvam, Shalya
parvam, Sauptika parvam, Stri parvam, Shanti parvam, Anushasana parvam,
Asvamedhika parvam, Ashramavasika parvam, Mausala parvam,
Mahaprasthanika parvam, Swargarohana parvam.
Harivamsa parvam dealing with the life of Lord Krishna is not covered in
the 18 parvams of Mahabharatham. These 18 parvams contain 98 sub
parvams of 2,382 chapters. There are a total of 96,635 slokas that are
available now. Vyasar is said to have composed 60 lakh shlokams.
Read the story - Vinayagar wrote the Bharatham
* Jul 2021
Sri Rama-Gita, also known as sruti-sara-sangraha is
considered a brief summary of the very essence of all the Vedas. It is
the collection of sixty-two verses spoken by Lord Rama to his devoted
brother Lakshman found in Veda Vyasa's Adhyatma Ramayana, in the
Uttarakanda as its fifth chapter.
Source: mantraonnet.com ; sivanandaonline.org
* Jul 2021
Sri Devi Gita is an excerpt from the Srimad Devî Bhagavatam.
Source: sacred-texts.com (The text translated by Swami Vijnanananda (Hari Prasanna Chatterji))
* Jul 2021
Sri Ganesha Gita is part of Ganesha Purana dedicated to Sri Ganesh. The
Purana contains the teachings and exploits of the various manifestations
of Ganapati.
Source: docs.google.com
* Jul 2021
Sri Guru Gita is a Hindu scripture of 216 verses, authored by the sage,
Vyasa. It describes a conversation between Lord Shiva and his wife, the
Goddess Parvati, in which she asks him to teach her about the Guru.
Shiva answers her by describing the Guru principle, the proper ways of
worshiping the Guru and the methods and benefits of repeating Sri Guru
Gita. Lord Shiva praises the greatness of this hymn by referring to it
as “mantraraja,” literally, “king of mantras,” a supreme mantra.
Source: siddhayoga.org ; shri-guru-gita
|
