Thread by @DefiledGod

--- Thread on Meditation of 18 purANAs ---

padma purANa visualizes 18 purANAs as various body parts of Hari. It is clear that each part corresponds to the starting inquiry of the purANa. I will not post sanskrit here, rough translation of each query+

wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/…

brahma purANa is mUrdha (head). It begins with Q “You know deeds of devAs & dAnavAs, tell us how Universe with devas etc arises & into whom will it dissolve”. So, purANa asks how Brahman is the source of glory of devAs etc. It is the head of viShNu as he is at the crest of all.
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Padma purANa is the heart. It begins with Q, “How was the lotus along with brahmA produced”. In rAmAyaNa, brahmA tells rAma, “ahaM te hR^idayaM”. In vedic parlance, “heart” stands for “putra” & shows brahmA is an effect of bhagavAn. This purANa is the heart, due to this Q.+

viShNu purANa is right arm (dakShiNa bAhu). “bAhu” = strength (knowledge). The Q it asks is - “By what is the world filled? Where did sat & asat come from? Into whom will it dissolve? These Qs mean it is asking “What is Brahman?” & answers it by saying “it is viShNu”. +

So this purANa is knowledge (bAhu) that is compliant to the Vedas (dakShiNa). Or, “dakShayati vardhati” that which augments correct knowledge (bAhu). Of all the purANAs, this one alone has the most neutral Q, as we shall see.+

shiva purANa is “vAma bAhu” or left arm. It starts with biased Q, “What practice purifies mind & how does purified mind attain Shiva?”. One who worships Shiva worships Hari, the innerself of Shiva. So Hari is the intent of this purANa, but in a contrary way (avidhi pUrvakaM)+

So, this purANa describes Brahman (Hari) via contrary or reverse (vAma) knowledge (bAhu), as higher & lower entities are reversed in this purANa. VidyeShvara samhita of shiva purANa affirms - laghUpAyena yenaiSAM bhavetsadyoghanASanam – +

Which means, “As people in kali yuga are crooked (with karmas & ineligible for truth), they need an easy means (easy in the sense that they are eligible for it, being ineligible for truth) to destroy sins” so this purANa restricts its’ scope to a specific class of people.+

bhAgavataM is thighs (urU). As thighs support upper body, SB is aimed at bhagavad kalyANa guNAnubhavam & kriShNa leela & supports brahma-jnAna from other purANAs above it. It supports shiva purANa too as it leads to Hari. Thighs are broad, likewise guNAs/leelAs are inexhaustible+

nAradIya purANa is navel (nAbhi). Navel supports Universe. purANa asks, “How to know Hari, creator of the Universe? How to propitiate him by rites etc.” Purpose is to understand means to attain Hari. Hari supports means & means supports the sAdhaka, so purANa is navel or support+

mArkandeya purANa is right foot (dakShiNAGghri). It asks, “How does viShNu, who is beyond samsAra, take kriShNAvatAra like a human”? “AGghri” = “foot” = “branch”. “dakShiNa” = “compassionate”. It talks of avatArAs that are branches (amShAs) arising from compassion of Brahman.+

Agni purANa is left foot (vAmAGghri). purANa asks, “Explain “sArAtsAram –essence of best part of the Veda (upanishads) by which one knows all?” & is answered by saying “it is viShNu”. “vAma” - agreeable to, “AGghri” means “branch” or “division” –part of the veda, ie, upaniShad+

bhaviShya purANa is dakShiNa jAnu (right knee). purANa seeks to know all means, karmas & describes “AchAra” - code of conduct. “jAnu” or knee is that which enables motion (jan) – ie, conduct supports sAdhaka who “goes” to bhagavAn in devotion. “dakShiNa” – “agreeable to Lord”+

brahmavaivarta purANa is vAma jAnu (left knee). purANa asks, “How to meditate on Brahman, kriShNa, to ward off kali yuga, etc”? “jAnu” or knee enables motion (jan) - refers to knowledge supporting movement to Brahman in devotion, that is pleasing (vAma) as it protects from Kali.+

Linga purANa is “dakShiNa kulpha” – right ankle. It asks biased Q, “What is glory of Linga?” “kulpha” - “gal” - movement. “dakShiNa”- “dakShayati vardhati” - to grow. purANa augments movement (inclination) for ones inclined to Linga, so has arthavAdAs. Hari is again the object+

varAha purANa is “vAma kulpha” – left ankle. bhUmi devi, fearing no-one will attain the Lord, asked him for protection & easy means to attain him. Charama shloka given by Lord is essence of purANa. So, “kulpha” – movement or means to attain him, “vAma” –pleasing as it is easy+

Skanda purANa is hair (loman). It asks biased Q, “What benefit comes from devotional services to Shiva?” “loman” – lU - to cut - That which is cut off. gIta says benefits from worship of other gods are perishable, like hair that is cut off. But even they are granted by Hari only+

vAmana purANa is skin (tvag) of viShNu. It starts with Q, “How did viShNu, despite being powerful, assume a dwarf body (vAmana)”. Function of skin is to cover, or protect the body. vAmana trasnformed into trivikrama & with his strides covered or protected all the worlds+

kUrma purANa is “pRSHTha” –back. This purANa was a request to narrate discourse of Hari as kUrma, when he explained how to attain him by karma & jnAna yogAs. As the legs of a tortoise go into the shell (back), the senses are protected from fruitive actions by karma & jnAna yogAs+

Matsya purANa is fat (meda). Q - “How viShNu created aNDa, became fish? How rudra destroyed 3 cities, became kapAli?” viShNu is sAdhyarUpa, rudra is sAdhakarUpa. Fat lubricates (sneha), heats (sveda), firms bones - love for Lord (sneha), tapas (sveda) & firmness in dhyAna+

Garuda purANa is “majja” (marrow). It asks, “Who, ie, what nature is Ishvara, nArAyaNa, how does he create, destroy Universe etc, maintain dharma & take avatArAs?” As Lord descends in samsAra as vyUhAs, AveShAs, etc for these activities, it is “majja” – “Seated within (samsAra)"+

BrahmANDa purANa is “asthi” (bone). It asks, “Tell us about source (antaryAmin) of the worlds.” purANa describes prakrti & jIvAtma etc having viShNu as innerself. As bone is invisible support of body, antaryAmin is invisible support, denoted by “brahmANDa” by sAmAnAdhikaraNya+

So, if you study Qs of each purANa, we see none equal viShNu purANa, which like nArAyaNa anuvAka of Veda, is devoted to determining “what is Brahman”, with no other motive. So, it is “purANa ratnam” as per Alavandar. All other purANAs are valid only as much as they agree with VP+

A pUrvapakSha now. Both brahma and viShNu purANAs seem to have similar Qs asking about nature of viShNu. Both ask, “who is the creator, preserver and destroyer?”. So can we say that brahma purANa has same status as viShNu purANa? No. Here is the difference between the two+

In brahma purANa, Q is preceded by praise of the narrator - jAnAsi devadaityAnAM caritaM janma karma ca – You know origin & deeds of devAs & asurAs. So, purANa asks “who is jagatkAraNa” with underlying interest in exploits of devAs & dAnavAs, understood as vibhUtIs of viShNu+

But in viShNu purANa, Q is asked with sole motive of knowing nature of Brahman. Maitreya does not use such qualification for parAShara. So, VP is concerned with nature of Brahman, but BP talks of greatness of Brahman as source of glory of his vibhUtIs. VP alone is paramount//