365bet娱乐

Purana-vidya [puranavidya] By Dr. V. S. Agrawala; Professor, B. H. U., Varanasi / 187-199

[ asmin nibamdhe puranavidyaya vaidikadharamasritya vyakhyanam kriyate | puranani khalu vedarthopabrmhanarupani santi | puranesu vaidikakhyananam vaidikasrstividyayasca kathamupabrmhanam krtamityatra samyak pradarsitam | atra vedesu tadasritya puranesu ca pratipadita tridevavidya- ekarnavavidya hiranyagarbhavidyadinam vivecanam prastutam | ] The existing text of the 18 Mahapuranas and of a similar number of Upa-Puranas are like an Encyclopedia of Indian religion, cults, philosophy, sociology, arts, geography, law, domestic observances and many other topics of which a complete concordance is a task which remains to be accomplished. All that material should be classified and interpreted as an essential part of the Purana-vidya. However, we regard that as secondary material which was taken into the Puranas during the course of their subsequent redaction. We are here more concerned with that aspect of Purana-vidya in which by deliberate choice the Vedic doctrines were incorporated in the Puranas by several literary techniques," the most important of which was the creating of legends and sometimes offering direct commentary on Vedic Suktas and Mantras. This technique was named as Vedartha-Upabrimhana, i. e. an exposition of the Vedic meanings specially relating to cosmology. We have the well-known dictum of giving the fullest approval to this method: Itihasa-Puranabhyam Vedam samupabrimhayet. The literary style followed in the Puranas concerns itself mainly with the formulation of new legends or elaboration of old ones, where the Puranas partly cover the same ground as the Vedic literature. We propose to examine here some of the Puranic motifs with a view to understand their Vedic background. For the sake of convenience we may designate them as so many Vidyas. Each Vidya is a doctrine explaining some religious or

188 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 1 metaphysical truth. The number of such Vidyas is large and it would not be possible to do justice to the available material without venturing upon a comprehensive volume. In this paper we propose only to take some of them. 1. Trideva-Vidya The doctrine of three Devas, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva is the quintessence of Puranic cosmogonical thought and the writers emphasise in a thousand places the trinitarian aspect of cosmic creation. The three Devas represent a triadic pattern of the widest significance for which abundant material is offered by the Puranic texts. In short they evolve a dictum stating that what in Yajna is symbolised by Three Fires corresponds to the symbolism of the Three Devas for the sake of cult worship, the Three Gunas in the sphere of philosophy and the Three Vedas in the realm of Word or Knowledge: eta eva trayo loka eta eva trayo gunah | eta eva trayo veda eta eva trayo'gnayah | parasparanvaya hyete parasparamanuvratah | parasparena varttante prerayanti parasparam || anyo'nyam mithuna hote anyonyamupajivinah | ksanam viyogo na hyesam na tyajanti parasparam || (Bmd.-P., Prakriyapada, 4.9-11; Mark., 46.18ff.) The Linga Purana also has explained this doctrine with reference to Siva :- mahesvarat trayo deva najnire jagadisvarat | sasvatah parama guhyah sarvatmanah saririnah || eta eva trayo deva eta eva trayo ganah | eta eva trayo loka eta eva trayo'gnayah || (Linga-P., 1. 70. 77-78) Jan., 1964] *PURANA-VIDYA 189 The author of the Devi Bhagavata has to his credit a statement of this doctrine even in more emphatic terms :--- brahma visnusca rudrasca trayo devah sanatanah | natah parataram kimcid brahmande'smin mahamate | brahma srjati lokan vai visnuh patyakhilam jagat | rudrah samharate kale traya ete'tra karanam || eka murttistrayo deva brahmavisnumahesvarah | rajahsattvatamobhisca samyutah karyakarakah || (Devi-Bhag., 1. 8. 2-4) The bed-rock of Puranic thought in the realm of philosophy and religious worship is found in the above triadic conception. If all the relevant material were brought together and examined, one would feel how deeply the Purana-writers were influenced by this basic approach. In fact each Deva or Devi typifies the unfoldment of a single reality into a trinitarian pattern of creativity. This formula was basically Vedic and there is hardly any other channel in which the flood of Vedic thought was transmitted with such a tidal flow into the Puranas as this trinitarian doctrine or Trayi-Vidya of the Vedas. According to the Satapatha, Surya is the exemplar of the Trayi-Vidya (Saisha trayyeva vidya tapati, SB. 10. 5. 2, 2). The Trayi doctrine of Vedas was constituted of Rik, Yajuh and Sama (trayz va vidya These three Vedas richo yajumshi samani, SB. 4. 6. 7. 1). symbolically correspond to three lokas, Prithivi, Antariksha and Dyauh (imameva lokam richa jayati antariksham yajusha divameva samna, SB. 4. 6. 7. 1). In its esoteric meaning the symbolism of the Trayi Vidya relates to the triple constitution of the Self as based on Mind, Life and Matter (etanmayo va ayam atma vanmayo manomayah pranamayah, SB. 14. 4. 3. 10; BU. 1. 5. 3). Vedic metaphysics was a comprehensive doctrine explaining the working of the cosmos from many points of view, all of which are represented in the doctrine of Yajna. In the Rigveda Yajna is described as Trivrit :-(imam no agna upa yajnamehi pancha-

7 $190 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 1 yamam trivrtam sapta-tantum, RV. 10. 124. 1). When Yajua is said or Surya is said, the entire Trivrit principle becomes invoked. One of the most perfect enunciations of the Trayi doctrine is found in Manu :- agnivayuravibhyastu tryam brahma sanatanam | dudoha yajnasiddhyartham rgyajuhsamalaksanam || (Manu, 1.23) The Brihad-devata explains in clear terms that the principle of one Agni is stated by the Rishis to be three-fold in nature:- etad bhutesu lokesu agnibhutam sthitam tridha | rsayo girbhirarcanti vyanjitam samabhistribhih || (Br. D. 1.64) It is possible to amplify this Trika doctrine by many more examples from the Vedas and the Puranas, e.g. "Three are the truths of your three-fold birth, OAgui" (trirasya ta parama ti satya sparha devasya janimanyagneh, RV. 4. 1. 7). These verc also known as the Three Lights of Creation (tri rochana, RV. 5. 29. 1). Three-fold Movements (tri rajamsi, RV. 4. 53. 5), Triple Ordinances (tribhih vrataih, RV. 4. 53. 5), and further elaborated as the Three Antarikshas, three Prithivis and three dyaus (RV. 4. 53. 5). The whole doctrine was boiled down to that of Pranava-Vidya or Omkara with three matras, corresponding to Tripad Brahma. Its tamasa aspect was identified as Rudra, rajasa as Brahma and sattvika as Vishnu (tamaomso yoyam rudrah, rajasomo yoyam brahma, sattvikomio yoyam vishnuh, sa va esha ekastridhabhutah, Mait. Up. 5.2). The Maittrayani-Upanishad offers an eloquent commentary on Omkara in the light of its triple constituents as valid on the following twelve planes:- (1) Form of uttered syllables (svanavati tanuh, A-U-M) ; (2) Form of the triple sexes (lingavati-Stri, Pum, Napumsaka) (3) Bhasvati Agni, Vayu, Aditya; (4) Three sovereign deities (adhipativati-Brahma, Rudra, Vishnu); (5) Form with three faces of Fire (mukhavati-garhapatya, dakshinagni, ahavaniya); Jan., 1964] PURANA VIDYA (6) Three-fold knowledge (vijanavati-Rig, Yajus Sama); (7) Three worlds (lokavati-bhur, bhuvah, svah); 191 (8) Three aspects of time (kalavati-bhutam, bhavyam, bhavishyat); (9) Three kinds of heated temperatures (prata pavatiprana, ayni and surya); (10) Three replenishing entities (apyayanavati-anna, apahchandramas); (11) Triple consciousness ahamkara); (chetanavati-buddhi, manas, (12) Three-fold pranas (prana-apana-vyana) (Mait. Up. 6.5). The Piana-writers accept the validity of these statements and elaborate them in many places either retaining the ancient terminology or introducing new terms. Ekarnava-Vidya In several Puranas the comogonical doctrine, Srishti-vidya, is introduced with the description of the Ekarnava or primeval ocean which engulfed the created cosmos at the time of dissolution. This is known by several terms as salila, maharnava, ekarnava, agadha stabdha salila (Harivamsa, 3. 10. 34), yuganta toya (Bhagavata, 3.8.23). The Harivamsa goes a step further and describes the primeval watery flood as enveloped by a nebulous frost :- yacaikarnave jale niharena vrtantare | avyaktabhipane loke sarvabhutavivarjite || (Harivamsa, 3 10.31) In the unmanifested stage of creation when all sentient beings are non-existent and everything is covered by darkness, the Single Ocean looks formidable as covered by darkness and nebulous masses. The manifest units of creation being disrupted, all are drawn together and submerged under the primeval ocean :- bhutva narayano yogi saptamurttivibhavasuh | gabhastibhih pradiptabhih samsosayati sagaran || pitva'rnavamsca sarvan sanadikupamsca sarvasah | aan: (Harivamsa, 3.9)

192 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 1 In fact the ekarnava doctrine of the Puranas was with all its implications borrowed from the Rig-Veda where the primeval cause of the universe is conceived of as Apah, Salilam, Samudra, Arnavah, Krishnam niyanam and by many other similar terms. Warers are said to be the divine mothers who carry within their wombs the cosmos :- apo ha yadvrhatirvisvamayan garbham dadhana janayantiragnim | tato devanam samavarttatasurekah kasmai devaya havisa vidhema || yascidapo mahina paryapasyad daksam dadhana jayantiryajnam | yo devesvadhi deva eka asit kasmai devaya havisa vidhema || ma no himsijjanita yah prthivya yo va divam satyadharma najana | yascapascandra brhatirjanana kasmai devaya havisa vidhema || (RV. X. 121, 7-9) paro diva para ena prthivya paro devebhirasurairyadasti | kam svid garbham prathamam dadha apo yatra devah samapasyanta visve || tamidgarbham prathamam dadha apo yatra devah samagacchanta visve | ajasya nabhavadhyekamarpitam yasmin visvani bhuvanani tasthuh || (RV. X. 82. 5-6) Here the primeval waters of Motherhood are termed as Brihatih apah and it was in their womb that the cosmos was concealed, of which the first germ became manifest in the form of agni, prara or yajna. Many more off-shoots of this idea can be traced in the Vedas and in the Puranas. In the Nasadiya Sukta, the doctrine is known as Ambho-Vada (ambhah kimasit gaganain gabhiram, RV. 10. 129.1; aprakeetam salilam sarvama idam, RV. 10. 129.3). The Vishnu Purana states that the ekarava doctrine was very ancient and the Brahmavadin philosophers who were well versed in the Vedas had elaborated it to explain the process of creation and dissolution :- vedavadavido vidvanniyata brahmavadinah | pathanti caitamevartham pradhanapratipadakam || (Vishnu, 1.2.22). Jan., 1964] PURANA-VIDYA 193 In this state there was no distinction of day and night, nor of sky and earth, nor of light and darkness : --- naho na ratrirna nabho na bhumirnasittamo jyotirabhucca nanyat | srotradibuddhaya'nupalabhyamekam pradhanikam brahma pumamstadasit || (Vishpu, 1.2.23). It is literally borrowing the terminology of the Nasadiya Sukta and with it introducing the conception of Pradhanika Brahma Purusha, where Pradhana is explained as the Unmanifest, First Cause :--- avyaktam karanam yattatpradhanamrsisattamaih | procyate prakrtih suksma nityam sadasadatmakam || Hiranyagarbha-Vidya (Vishnu, 1.2.19) As complementary to the Ekarnava doctrine we have both in the Vedas and in the Puranas the conception of Hiranyagarbha Purusha, the Golden Germ of Prana or the Life-principle which makes itself manifest in the cosmic Egg as a speck of Fire: This was known as Agni, Apan Napat (Son of Waters) in the Vedas and Narayana-Brahma in the Puranas: 25 ekarnave tu trailokye brahma narayanatmakah | bhogisayyagatah sete trailokyagrasavrmhitah || ( Vishnu, 1.3.24) narayanakhyo bhagavan brahma lokapitamahah | utpannah procyate vidvan nityamevopacaratah | (1.3.4) prajah sasarja bhagavan brahma narayanatmakah | prajapatipatirdevo yatha tanme nisamaya | (1.4.2) atitakalpavasane nisasuptotthitah prabhuh | sattvodriktastatha brahma sunyam lokamavaiksata || (1.4.3) narayanah paro'cintyah paresamapi sa prabhuh | brahmasvarupi bhagavananadih sarvasambhavah || imam codaharantyatra slokam narayanam prati | brahmasvarupinam devam jagatah prabhavapyayam || (Vishnu I. 4. 4,5)

194 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 1 The twofold process of creation and dissolution is symbolised as the sleep and awakening of Narayana. Narayana denotes the transcendental divine power as the substratum of infinite creation. The Maitrayani Up. explains Narayana in a grand equation as follows Esha hi khalvatmeshanah sambhur bhavo rudrah prajapatirvisvasrig Hiranyagarbhah satyam prano hamsal santo vishnur narayano arkah savita dhata vidhata samrad indra induriti (Mait. U, 5. 8). The cosmos is conceived of as the outcome of the twofold process of contraction and expansion (sa sankochavikasabhyam pradhanatvepi cha stithah, Vishnu, 1. 2. 31). Nidra or sleep is the Puranic term for the principle of rest or stasis and jagarana or awakening for that of movement. These correspond to the rhythmic process of samanchana and prasarana, the twin rhythm of the cosmic prana (prano vai samanchanaprasaranam, SB, 8. 1. 4. 10). This was the primeval principle of Prana manifesting itself as the cosmic pulsation in the form of the rhythm, described as jagarana and nidra in the Puranas. The first quickening Impulse, Kshobhya, and its Impeller, Kshobhaka, both are the two aspects of Narayana himself. The principle of Kshobha, agitation or movement is an essential step in the act of creation. It is variously described as paris plurana, vis pandana, jagarana, keshobhana, sanrambha, yuna-vaishamya or samindhana, i.e. lightening of the Cosmic Fire. The Linga Purana explains it as follows (Linga P. I. 70. 72, 73, 75 and 76): sadharmyenavatisthete pradhanapurusavubhau | tamah sattvarajopetau samatvena vyavasthitau ||72|| anuprktavabhutam tavotapotau parasparam | gunasamye layo jneyo vaisamye srstirucyate || 73 || upasya rajanim krtsnam param mahesvari tatha | aharmukhe pravrttasca parah prakrtisambhavah ||75|| ksobhayamasa yogena parena paramesvarah | pradhanam purusancaiva pravisya sa mahesvarah || 76 || [ lingapurana, purvardha, 70172,73,75,76 ] Jan., 1964] PURANA-VIDYA 495 According to the Devi Bhagavata when Yoganidra enters the body of Vishnu, he was rendered unconscious, achetana, and motionless (Spandavarjita), Devi Bhagavata 1. 7. 18). Brahma symbolising the principle of growth waited upon Vishnu with a Stotra or the principle of Vak which is the same as the Veda, and by the miraculous power of Vak, sleeping Vishnu, as if touched by a spark, was roused to activity and the inertia of sleep. tamasi nidra, was ejected out of his body :- evam sthita tada devi tamasi tatra vedhasa | nihsrtya haridehata samsthita parsvatastada || vispanditasariro'sau yada jato janardanah | dhata paramikam prapto mudam drstva harim tatah || (Devi-Bh., 1. 7. 48, 50) The Puianas are very particular in invoking the dootrine of Narayana Purusha who is the same as the transcendent Creator or the Thousand-fold Person (Sahasragirsha Purusha) of the Purusha-Sukta. Also in the Satapatha Brahmana we find a full-fledged conception of the cosmic creation being the YajnaKratu or Sacrifice of Narayana Purusha-Purusho ha Narayano' kamayata at itishtheyam sarvan bhutanyahamevedam sarvam syamiti, saitam purushamedham pancharatram yajna-kratum apasyat tam aharat tena ayajata, teneshtva atyatishthat sarvani bhutanidam abhavat-SB. 13. 5. 1. 1. It is also stated that Prajapati persuaded Narayana-Purusha to perform a sacrifice and so the latter conceived of a plan to perform his Yajna by means of the Vasus in the morning libation, by the Rudras in the midday libation and by the Adityas in the evening libation, and this completed the scheme of his Yajna (Xajna-Vastu SB. 12. 3. 4. 1-11). The Puranic writers translated the Vedic doctrine of Hiranyagarbha into that of Narayana Purusha and the following verse is quoted almost in all the Puranas as the main Sutra of their consmogonical thesis:-

190 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 1 "apo nara iti prokta apo vai narasunavah | ta yadasyayanam purvam tena narayanah smrtah || " Manu, 1.10; Brahma P., 56. 12, 60. 25; Vayu, 5. 38, Santi Parva, 328.35, Udyoga Parva, 68. 10). The Bhagavatas adopted this as their basic creed. Here we have three terms, viz. (1) Nara, (2) Nara and (3) Narayana. The meaning of these three should be clearly grasped in order to understand the nature of Narayana Purusha. According to the Vedic cosmologists, in the beginning was the self-existent Svayambhu Purusha who is described as Sahasra, the Thousand-fold or Infinite. He is beyond the categories of time and space and may be compared to the absolute mathematical point which is non-dimensional. That Purusha is called Nara, the Person or the Male Principle. All his Ojas or Energy was introvert, that is turned upon Himself (vrttaujah) or withdrawn into his own centre until for the sake of creation he produced his female counterpart which became His Majesty (mahima). The second stage in creation is known by many names e.g. as the female principle it is known as Mahad Yoni, the Great Womb in the Gita which is the same as Universal Motherhood or Infinite Nature or the Great Goddess (Mahi Mata). These are known as Narah, i.e. the female counterpart of Nara (narasunavah). What was the nature of Narah? This question is answered in the above verse that the primeval waters (apah) as the creation of the primeval Person were named after him as Nara (His female energy). They are also known as salilam, samudrah, as pointed out above. In the Rig-Veda they are also known as Rita-Samudra, Rita-Sadana or Soma-Samudra of Parameshtha, that is, the Universal. This is also known as Virat as stated in the Rig Veda (tasmat viradajayata, RV. 10. 90. 5) The Atharva identifies Virat with Parameshthi, as both denote the Universal (asmin virat parameshthi prajapatih, AV. 13. 3. 5). The Viraj is also known as Anda. What has been referred to above as ekarnava is the same as Apah, Salilam, Rita, Samudra, etc., as stated in the Satapatha: 197 PURANA-VIDYA Jan., 1964] adbhir va idam sarvam aptam (SB. 1. 1. 1. 14); since as primordial Matter it was all-pervasive or Universal it was called Apah (yadapnot tasmadapah, SB. 6. 1. 1.9%. We also find reference to the creation of apal, that is narah, in the Manu Smriti : Apa eva sasarjadau tasu bijamavasrijat. The creation of the waters as the Mother-principle was essentially a Vedic doctrine under the name of Viraj, Parameshthi, Rita, Salila, SomaSamudra, etc., and the Puranic writers accepted it in toto The third category to be produced by the union of Nara and Nara is Narayana. To repeat, Svayambhu Prajapati is Nara, Parameshthi Prajapati is Nara, and Hiranyagarbha Prajapati is Narayana. Narayana was etymologically explained as subsisting in Nara or the womb of the Mother-principle or the primeval waters of creation which was the Cosmic Egg. Somewhere within the Egg was preserved the Germ of Life (Hiranya or Prana) from the preceding aeon and that is termed in the Rig Veda as Vairaja Adhipurusha (virajo adhipurushah, RV. 10. 90. 5; also Bhagavata, 3. 6. 4), also as Vairaja Manu in the Puranas. In fact he is given many names; e.g. Indra, Surya, Prana, Martanda, Markandeya, It is the Vivasvan, Manu, Agni or Narayanatmaka Brahma energised centre of Prana or the Life-principle named Pranagni which is present in the Cosmic Egg, Brahmanda, and gives a meaning to it, and the same is also incarnating in each individual egg or cell: koti-koti-yutan yatra chandani kathitani tu (Linga P. 1. 3. 33), i. e. there are millions and billions of eggs both in the cosmos and in the individual organism and in each egg there is the Pranic spark with its three fold potentialities of Mind, Life and Matter, which are also known as the Three Infinities (trisahasri). The pranic centre is called Brahma, literally the principle of Growth or Creativity, and his three-fold powers are symbolised as Trayi Vidya, which has reference to the basic triads of creation. Each cell (anda) is constituted of seven sheaths, viz. Mind, Life and five gross elements of Matter, and in the centre of each is a Brahma on his Lotus (saptandavarananyahustasyatma kamalasanah). The Brahmanas explain the Lotus as Agni and Surya which have been thrown up as the symbols of growth out

198 puranam- PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 1 of the churning of the primeval Waters or the Mother-principle or the First Cause of creativity from some unknown and unmanifest source. The Bhagavata goes into great detail to explain the cosmology as elaborated on the basis of the Purusha Sukta in terms of Viraj and Anda (2. 6. 7). The cosmic Narayana Purusha is called Yajna Purusha, Hiranmaya Purusha (tapaniya-varna), Chhandomaya Purusha, Sarvadevamaya Purusha, Yajnamiya Purusha, Hayasirsha Purusha in which the Horse is the dynamic principle of Time (kalosvo vahati saptarasmih, AV. 19. 43. 1). Time is also symbolised as Rishi Markandeya, having the life of a thousand years (sahasrayurjajne) which is also said to be the life-span of the Golden Egg floating in the Waters, (Bhagavata, 2.6.54: SB. 11. 1.6 1-2). It is the story of Rishi Markandeya and of Bala-Narayana floating on the surface of the billowy ocean on a leaf of the Banyan tree. It is verily the Cosmic Tree called both Asvattha and Vata, each leaf of which is a universe in which the centre of Prana or the life-principle is symbolised as Bala-Narayana. He is the same as the Kumara, the Miraculous Babe (Chitra Sisu, RV. 10.8.2, or Adbhuta Putra, Aranyaka Parva, 212.2; Markandeya 94.7). It is the recurrent principle of new life is becoming visible as the Babe (navo navo bhavati jayamanah, RV. 10.85.90). The Vedic Kumara-Vidya propounded in the Satapatha Br. (6.1.3. 18-20) was taken up by the Purana wirters and elaborated in the legend of Skanda, or Swami Karttikeya (for its fuller meaning see Introduction to my Hindi book: Meghduta; also my English book; MatsyaPurana A Study, pp. 247-258; Matsya Purana, chs. 159-163). Trivikrama-Vidya There are many other Vedic Vidyas elaborated in the Puranas according to the dictum: Itihasa puranabhyam vedam samupabrimhayet. For example, the legend of Vamana and Virat which was essentially Vedic where Vamana signifies the unmanifest cause and Virat its manifested extension, (cf. Vamano va vishnurasa, SB. 1.2.5.5). This is the law of Life implying the growth of the Dwarf into the Giant. The tiniest fertilised ovum PURANA-VIDYA 199 Jan., 1964] produces the complete foetus. Everywhere there is an oscillation of forces between the cause and its final effect. These are also known as Vama and Palita, viz. the beautiful youth and the grey-haired eld (RV. 1. 164. 1), and again as Yuva kumara and Brihat karira (RV. 1.155.6):- caturbhih sakam navatim ca namabhiscakram na vrttam vyatira vivipat | brhacchariro vimimana rkkabhiryuvakumarah pratyetyahavam || The transformation of the Dwarf as the Giant takes place. by virtue of Vishnu's taking Three Steps. The young boy at one end measures out himself into the vast form of cosmic dimensions by the power of his three strides as stated in the Tri-Vikrama conception of Vishnu in the Rig Veda (cf. Vishnu-Suktas, RV. 1.154-155; also 1.22.16). idam visnurvicakrame tredha nidadhe padam | We have explained at length the idea of the Three Steps of Vishnu in the article "The Symbolism Of The Three Brothers' (Sparks From The Vedic Fire, pp. 29-39).