#Purana #Epic
The Question is how do we read our Itihasa-Puranas? The two are not exactly the same. They are used together because they are a Twin. There are overlaps and parameters ought to be different.
For the purpose of this thread, we will talk about them together.
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The Question is how do we read our Itihasa-Puranas? The two are not exactly the same. They are used together because they are a Twin. There are overlaps and parameters ought to be different.
For the purpose of this thread, we will talk about them together.
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1. Are they Histories? Absolutely No. Reading them as History results in 2 problems.
A. Severely reduce the overall Scope of Itihasa-Puranas. We will cheat ourselves by losing the primary purpose they have served.
B. Will result in an endless loop iof Proof/Evidence search.
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A. Severely reduce the overall Scope of Itihasa-Puranas. We will cheat ourselves by losing the primary purpose they have served.
B. Will result in an endless loop iof Proof/Evidence search.
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2. In which case, dont have have anything to offer in the dimension of History?
They do. Just that it requires a different kind of discipline which we have not fully evolved. The Historical information in the Itihasa-Puranas have suffered 3 kinds of assault.
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They do. Just that it requires a different kind of discipline which we have not fully evolved. The Historical information in the Itihasa-Puranas have suffered 3 kinds of assault.
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The Three Assaults
A. The Western Indological selective assault.
B. The Modern/Secular Indian absolute apathy/contempt
C. The other extreme of reading it as absolute History
B and C makes A further thrive. This is a digression. Lets come back to the main thread.
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A. The Western Indological selective assault.
B. The Modern/Secular Indian absolute apathy/contempt
C. The other extreme of reading it as absolute History
B and C makes A further thrive. This is a digression. Lets come back to the main thread.
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At places historical information is directly present. At places they have been melted & reformed into Metaphors (not Symbol) of far reaching consequence for Knowledge. 3 Kinds of Historical Knowledge
A. Lineage
B. Critical Moments in History
C. Aspects of organization of life
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A. Lineage
B. Critical Moments in History
C. Aspects of organization of life
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2. If History is not the primary purpose of Itihasa-Purana, then what else is it? It has three dimensions
A. Knowledge in the Indic sense of it
B. Performance of the Knowledge, this is actually part of A
C. Pedagogy
Covering both the Individual and the Community.
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A. Knowledge in the Indic sense of it
B. Performance of the Knowledge, this is actually part of A
C. Pedagogy
Covering both the Individual and the Community.
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The Itihasa and the Puranas differ in two ways
- In the Form of A, B, C
- In the way in which they cater to the Individual and the Community
And even within different Puranas, there is a marked difference say between Agni Puranas and Brahmanda Puranas.
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- In the Form of A, B, C
- In the way in which they cater to the Individual and the Community
And even within different Puranas, there is a marked difference say between Agni Puranas and Brahmanda Puranas.
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3. Lets come to the Knowledge part of it. What is the kind of knowledge they cover? The simple answer is every aspect of life The difference is in the organization.
Four Dimensions
A. The Purushartha
B. The Cosmological (of Life)
C. The Civilizational
D. The Encyclopaedic
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Four Dimensions
A. The Purushartha
B. The Cosmological (of Life)
C. The Civilizational
D. The Encyclopaedic
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Each Itihasa Purana covers this in a different way with different emphasis. Brahmanda and Brahmavaivarta cover the cosmological more strongly. Agni Purana is more Civilizational and Encyclopaedic.
Ramayana appeals to the individual strongly than Mahabharata.
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Ramayana appeals to the individual strongly than Mahabharata.
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Two aspects
- The Purushartha & the Encyclopaedic dimensions - we can draw Knowledge from Literal readings.
- The Cosmological & the Civilizational narratives are going to be hard if we only do a Literal reading. .
Evidence: Treatises of great Acharyas of this millennium.
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- The Purushartha & the Encyclopaedic dimensions - we can draw Knowledge from Literal readings.
- The Cosmological & the Civilizational narratives are going to be hard if we only do a Literal reading. .
Evidence: Treatises of great Acharyas of this millennium.
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4. Lets come to the Performance part of it. There are 3 elements to this.
A. The Inspirational Dimension
B. The Action Dimension
C. The Transformational Dimension
Again differently for the individual and the community.
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A. The Inspirational Dimension
B. The Action Dimension
C. The Transformational Dimension
Again differently for the individual and the community.
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A. The Saahitya part of it is the Inspirational dimension. The journey of Srirama inspires us to lead the difficult path of Dharma. I have seen a huge number of heads of families who took care of their large families. Their inspiration was Rama.
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Nothing in the modern world will ever come close to what our Itihasa-Puranas have achieved. There are Hrudaya-Samskaari-s. People dont even talk about the inspiration they provide but they just demonstrate this in their daily lives.
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B. Lets come to the Action Dimension. This is where our Itihasa-Puranas have a stunning composition of elements.
They contain a lot of Ritualistic information. But when they appear, they are to be read ‘Literally’. The Society intuitively knows when to read them Literally.
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They contain a lot of Ritualistic information. But when they appear, they are to be read ‘Literally’. The Society intuitively knows when to read them Literally.
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Its akin to “Critical Section” in Modern Computer Science. In a Critical Section, only one thread has access to the Data.
While experiencing the overall narrative of an Itihasa-Purana, Society retains the discretion to seamlessly recognise a literal section.
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While experiencing the overall narrative of an Itihasa-Purana, Society retains the discretion to seamlessly recognise a literal section.
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Not just that. The Society also had developed the discretion to deal with them differently.
We are fast losing this ability due to various assaults by the Modern world. Partly because we have lost the integrated Community Reading and Community Practising.
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We are fast losing this ability due to various assaults by the Modern world. Partly because we have lost the integrated Community Reading and Community Practising.
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When you are exposed to the Scholarly and the Ground-Practice together, and when you do multiple iterations of it, possible only in a Community Life, this discretion develops.
Iterations and exposure to multiple views-dimensions within the Sampradaya is very important.
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Iterations and exposure to multiple views-dimensions within the Sampradaya is very important.
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Coming back - our Itihasa Puranas, especially the Puranas, are also a compendium of all Rituals, covering all dimensions of life.
Rituals are our instruments to align ourselves with the Rta. Repeated performance leads to experiences & knowledge.
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Rituals are our instruments to align ourselves with the Rta. Repeated performance leads to experiences & knowledge.
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Textual indulgence in Perspective cannot match the Ritualistic Experience. They are never symbols - which is less of a concern in our Textual Tradition
Our indulgence is in the Metaphor, an Intellectual dimension of an Experience., which can be realised in the Ritual alone.
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Our indulgence is in the Metaphor, an Intellectual dimension of an Experience., which can be realised in the Ritual alone.
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C. The Transformational Dimension is very important. This is where the Community Practices around Texts are very unique.
Every Text is integrated into an important occasion in life. The Sundarakanda is premium-ed for Parayana. Garuda Purana is read on some occasions only.
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Every Text is integrated into an important occasion in life. The Sundarakanda is premium-ed for Parayana. Garuda Purana is read on some occasions only.
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Every Vrata has a Katha - read only at that time. In the South, there is a tradition that every completing every Parva in Mahabharata, very special Pooja is to be performed. & so on.
Thus, the text itself becomes a Performance for Transformation, built around its Perspective.
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Thus, the text itself becomes a Performance for Transformation, built around its Perspective.
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3. Lets come to the last part of it, the Pedagogy. Its best we hear this straight from greater scholars like Shri. Nagaraj Paturi. I will articular from my limited abilities.
This is about the way knowledge is organised in these texts, and all practises built around them.
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This is about the way knowledge is organised in these texts, and all practises built around them.
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This organization itself is very unique and designed for Communities to pursue their Purushartha. New Puranas have emerged when new Communities have been formed.
The top ones have remained the same but a lot of Puranas have emerged for the very same purpose.
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The top ones have remained the same but a lot of Puranas have emerged for the very same purpose.
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The Composition of a Purana is a function of a critical need of a set of Communities in a Kaala, Desha, Vartamana. That is why they always contain the Universal and the Temporal.
The Ones that contain the Universal to a greater extent have lived through for a longer time.
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The Ones that contain the Universal to a greater extent have lived through for a longer time.
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Their longevity is a function of continued scholarly indulge and continued community practice, in iterations.
We should not ignore the ‘Sthala-Purana’. Its purpose was to hold the Village Community together around the deity, equally inspiring different Jati-s.
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We should not ignore the ‘Sthala-Purana’. Its purpose was to hold the Village Community together around the deity, equally inspiring different Jati-s.
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Let me come to the last part of this section.
Our Challenge now is
- On the one hand, we are losing the Community dimension and the Cosmological dimension
- We are reading lot more from the Individual dimension
- We want the Civilizational dimension certainly
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Our Challenge now is
- On the one hand, we are losing the Community dimension and the Cosmological dimension
- We are reading lot more from the Individual dimension
- We want the Civilizational dimension certainly
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Naturally, Modern ways of have crept in. With this kind of pressure, we are likely to succumb to Modern pressures and read them from the Modern scholarly tradition only.
Now, the Modern paradigm is too powerful and it would be foolish to avoid that.
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Now, the Modern paradigm is too powerful and it would be foolish to avoid that.
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However, every dimension of our Puranas needs to be brought out in the Modern scholarly tradition equally.
This is possible only when we explore them as Complete Knowledge Systems and Pedagogical Systems for both the Individual and the Community.
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This is possible only when we explore them as Complete Knowledge Systems and Pedagogical Systems for both the Individual and the Community.
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Looking at them as Knowledge Systems will release them from the tyranny of reading from singular views/purposes/methods only.
End of the Thread.
End of the Thread.
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