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 8, Part 1 (1966)
118 (of 340)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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110
啶啶班ぞ啶｀ぎ啷� - [pur膩峁嘺m - ] 笔鲍搁膧狈础
[Vol. VIII., No. 1
The general view point applied by Winternitz, that if a
Pur膩峁嘺 is to be given a later date then its accounts should be
inconceivable and phantastic. 38 This point of view cannot allocate
a high age to Garu岣峚 Pur膩峁嘺 which with its 84,00000 hells excells
to an extent such similar accounts of other Pur膩峁嘺s."
39 Even
the priestly greed, which is enveloped in verbose and pre-
tenteous enumeration of the gifts are to be given to Br膩hma峁嘺s
at every possible opportunity ought to point to a later age. This
characteristic is stamped on all the later Pur膩峁嘺s, (f. e. g. Saura
Pur膩峁嘺, Adhy膩ya 10).
The Uttarakhanda (Pretakalpa) printed by Vidyasagara at
the end of the Garuda Pur膩峁嘺, which has the title Pretakhanda
(rituals for the departed) treats in 35 Adhy膩yas about Pretas,
hells and the cult of the dead. Its connection with the main is
very loose. Therefore, many chapters of the latter treat the same
topics e. g. Adh. 57 deals with the nether world and hells, Adh.
85 offerings on Gay膩, Adhy. 99 艢r膩ddhavidhi, Adh. 104 coming
back of the sinner from the hells, Adh. 106 impurity on death,
Adh. 210-212 艢r膩ddha and Sapindikara峁嘺. In any case, such
repetitions in one and the same Pur膩峁嘺 are quite frequent and are
8. Hells are beneath the Earth and water. Vis峁噓 P. 2. 6. 1, V膩yu 2.
39. 176, Br. Vaiv. P. 2. 33, Bhag. P. 5. 26. 5, Garu岣峚. P. 57. 4, and Vama.
P. 2. 50. The number 84,000000 is highly liked in the Indian
systems. The Hindus as well as the Jains also believe in 84,00000
lives after which one gets a human birth. Cf. Caurasilakha me
bhatakyo etc. In Garuda P. 4. 62, 16. 13, this is the no. of beings.
Uttar. Kh. 6. 44 gives this no. of beings in the world of Yama. The
nmber of hells given in the oldest Brahma峁嘺 literature is 7. Cf.
Sankaracarya and R膩m膩nuja on Br. S奴tra 3. I. 15, Amarako艣a I. 9. I,
Mark. P. 12 and 14. Manu 4. 88-90, Y膩j. 3.222-224, Visnu. XLIII I-22,
Vamana P. II. 50ff., Kirfel Kosm. Vis峁噓 P. 2. 6. 2-4, Bh膩g. P. 5. 26. 7;
28 krores of hells are given according to Agni P. 370 18ff., Padma P.
6.227. 66. Thus the Brahmanic accounts give multiples of 7 as the
basis while the Buddhists give multiples of no. 4. Sporadic accounts
are given by Brahma P. viz. 10 hells to give 10 Pindas. Garuda. P.
105.4 gives 12 hells Br. Vaiav. P. gives 86 hells, Brahma P. 214.14
gives 22 hells cf. also Bh膩ga. P. 5.26.37, Padma P. 6. 229.37 Vi峁ａ箛u P.
2. 6. 27, The usual seven principal hells are Raurava, Mah膩raurava,
K膩las奴tra Apratistha, Avici, Lohap峁泂tha, and Tamas.
