Essay name: Studies in the Upapuranas
Author: R. C. Hazra
This book studies the Upapuranas: a vast category of (often Sanskrit) literature representing significant historical, religious, and cultural insights of the ancient Indian civilization. These texts provide rich information, especially on Hinduism covering theology, mythology, rituals, and dynastic genealogies.
Page 328 of: Studies in the Upapuranas
328 (of 417)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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THE MINOR VAIṢṆAVA UPAPŪRĀṆAS 311 also appearing in parts as BrahmÄ, Viṣṇu, MaheÅ›a and others for the
sake of creation. It then introduces its topics by narrating the story of
Saunaka as follows:
Åšaunaka and many other sages practised austerities and worshipped
Visnu with great devotion in the Naimiá¹£a forest, some of them trying
to please the god by austere practices, some by following the path of
knowledge (jñÄna), and some by cultivating the highest type of Bhakti.
Once these and innumerable other sages met in a conference to find
out the best means of attaining the four ends of life, viz., Dharma,
Artha, KÄma and Moká¹£a. Finding that the sages were about to put
to him questions as to what the sacred places and the TÄ«rthas were,
how people could attain final liberation and unswerving devotion to
Hari, and in what way the three kinds of actions bore fruit, Saunaka
referred them to SÅ«ta, the best PaurÄṇika, who was engaged in wor-
shipping Janardana by various sacrifices at SiddhÄÅ›rama. Åšaunaka said
that SÅ«ta, son of Lomahará¹£aṇa, was a pupil of VyÄsa and, being in-
structed by the latter in all the Sastras, used to speak out in the
PurÄṇas the essence of the Vedas, VedÄngas and other works and that
with the decrease of Dharma in the different Yugas Madhusudana
appeared as Vyasa and divided the Veda. Being thus informed of
SÅ«ta's learning and wisdom, the sages thanked Saunaka and went
to SiddhÄÅ›rama where Süta had undertaken to perform the Agnistoma
sacrifice for the pleasure of NÄrÄyaṇa. After SÅ«ta had taken his holy
bath at the conclusion of the sacrifice, the sages requested him to speak
to them on the source and nature of creation, preservation and destruc-
tion of the universe, the method of pleasing Visnu by worship, the
practice of VarṇÄÅ›rama-dharma, the right way of receiving guests, the
means of attaining final liberation, and the nature of Bhakti and its
attainments. Consequently, SÅ«ta proposed to speak out 'the extensive
(bá¹›hat) PurÄṇa named NÄradÄ«ya' (or, 'the Bá¹›hannÄrada PurÄṇa') 114 in
which NÄrada spoke to SanatkumÄra and which contained topics on
NÄrÄyaṇa and was imbued with the Vedic ideas. He praised this work
114 BnÄr. 1. 36 (purÄṇam nÄradiyÄkhyam bá¹›had vedÄrtha-sammitam), and
1. 66 (... bá¹›hannÄrada-nÄmadheyam param puraṇam ....). In the ASB ed, the
latter verse reads ‘idam nÄrada-nÄmadheyam' (for ‘bá¹›hannÄrada-namadheyam').
