Essay name: Purana Bulletin
Author:
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
The "Purana Bulletin" is an academic journal published in India. The journal focuses on the study of Puranas, which are a genre of ancient Indian literature encompassing mythological stories, traditions, and philosophical teachings. They represent Hindu scriptures in Sanskrit and cover a wide range of subjects.
Purana, Volume 6, Part 1 (1964)
98 (of 135)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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188
पुराणम� - [purāṇam - ] ʱĀ
[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, Brahmā, 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 Yajña is symbolised by Three Fires corresponds to the symbo-
lism 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:
एत एव त्रय� लोका एत एव त्रय� गुणा� �
एत एव त्रय� वेदा एत एव त्रयोऽग्नय� �
परस्परान्वया ह्येते परस्परमनुव्रता� �
परस्परेण वर्त्तन्ते प्रेरयन्ति परस्परम् �
अन्योऽन्यं मिथुना होते अन्योन्यमुपजीविनः �
क्षण� वियोगो � ह्येषा� � त्यजन्ति परस्परम् �
( [eta eva trayo lokā eta eva trayo guṇāḥ |
eta eva trayo vedā eta eva trayo'gnaya� |
parasparānvayā hyete parasparamanuvratā� |
paraspareṇa varttante prerayanti parasparam ||
anyo'nya� mithunā hote anyonyamupajīvina� |
kṣaṇa� viyogo na hyeṣāṃ na tyajanti parasparam ||
(] Bmd.-P., Prakriyāpāda, 4.9-11;
Mārk., 46.18ff.)
The Linga Purāṇa also has explained this doctrine with
reference to Śiva :-
महेश्वरात् त्रय� देवा नज्ञिर� जगदीश्वरात� �
शाश्वताः परमा गुह्या� सर्वात्मान� शरीरिणः �
एत एव त्रय� देवा एत एव त्रय� गणाः �
एत एव त्रय� लोका एत एव त्रयोऽग्नय� �
( [maheśvarāt trayo devā najñire jagadīśvarāt |
śāśvatā� paramā guhyā� sarvātmāna� śarīriṇa� ||
eta eva trayo devā eta eva trayo gaṇāḥ |
eta eva trayo lokā eta eva trayo'gnaya� ||
(] Linga-P., 1. 70. 77-78)
Jan., 1964]
*ʱĀṆA-ձٳ۴
189 The author of the Devi Bhagavata has to his credit a
statement of this doctrine even in more emphatic terms :---
ब्रह्म� विष्णुश्� रुद्रश्च त्रय� देवा� सनातना� �
नातः परतर� किंचिद� ब्रह्माण्डेऽस्मिन् महामते �
ब्रह्म� सृजत� लोकान् वै विष्णु� पात्यखिल� जगत् �
रुद्रः संहरते काले त्रय एतेऽत्� कारणम् ||
एक� मूर्त्तिस्त्रय� देवा ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वरा� �
रजःसत्त्वतमोभिश्� संयुता� कार्यकारका� ||
( [brahmā viṣṇuśca rudraśca trayo devā� sanātanā� |
nāta� paratara� kiṃcid brahmāṇḍe'smin mahāmate |
brahmā sṛjati lokān vai viṣṇu� pātyakhila� jagat |
rudra� saṃharate kāle traya ete'tra kāraṇam ||
ekā mūrttistrayo devā brahmaviṣṇumaheśvarā� |
rajaḥsattvatamobhiśca saṃyutā� kāryakārakā� ||
(] Devi-Bhāg., 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 Devī 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 Purāṇas as this
trinit-
arian 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
vā vidya
These three
Vedas
richo yajumshi sāmāni, SB. 4. 6. 7. 1).
symbolically correspond to three lokas, Prithivi, Antariksha and
Dyauh (imameva lokam richa jayati antariksham yajushā divameva
sāmnā, ŚB. 4. 6. 7. 1). In its esoteric meaning the
symbolism
of the Trayi Vidyā relates to the triple constitution of the
Self
as based on Mind, Life and Matter (etanmayo va ayam ātmā
vānmayo manomaya� prāṇamaya�, 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 Yajña. In the Rigveda Yajña
is described as Trivrit :-(imam no agna upa yajnamehi pañcha-
