Essay name: Vaishnava Myths in the Puranas
Author:
Kum. Geeta P. Kurandwad
Affiliation: Karnatak University / Department of Sanskrit
The essay studies the Vaishnava Myths in the Puranas by exploring the significance of the ten principal incarnations of Lord Vishnu as depicted in various ancient Indian texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas. The research also investigates the social, political, philosophical, and religious impact.
Chapter 4 - Significance of Vaishnava Myths
214 (of 234)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Avatara, gives a reason for not worshipping him as such, which
could only have suggested itself to an acute, but unscrupulous
theological brain. Because the lower castes, the Rakshasas and
others who had no right to Vedic sacrifices, were beginning to take
to them, and were thus enabled to occupy the seats specially
reserved for the orthodox Hindu in Heaven, instead of going to
Hell, their proper place therefore god, taking compassion on his
elect, come down to devise some method which would effectually
prevent these low born people from getting the seats of the
favoured. He did so by denouncing the Vedic ritual and add that it
stood for, and they turned the attention of these (aspiratioins)
aspirants for heavenly joys into the ignoble channals of
sacrificelessness, castelessness and freedom from ritual restraints
of every mind. Modern India is steadily learning to supress this
blashphemous ornament, but with its suppression, the theory of
Buddha being an incarnation of God tends also to be quit quietly
thrust into the background.
Theological prejudice should not blind us to this fact of far
reaching importance in the future life of Hinduism. This
disinherited child must receive back its heritage and the dishonest
trustees must be compelled to make full amends for their past
conduct.
When the Mahabharata was smashed up the Kshatriya-power,
it also paralysed their restraining hand on Brahamanic
