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)
64 (of 340)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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56
पुराणम� - [purāṇam - ] ʱĀ
[Vol. VIII., No. 1
Bhisma and as having engaged with him, for twenty-three days in
a battle which ended in a stalemate.
Amongst the Purāṇas, the Bhāgavata (IX. 15, 16) the Padma,
(VI. 268) Brahma (10), Matsya (43, 44), Markandeya (16), Hari-
vomśa (1. 33), and Skanda (Nāgara, 66-69) recount the stories of
Parasurama and Kārtavirya but with no noteworthy addition or
digression. The Brahmaṇḍa Purāṇa alone deserves special notice,
not only for the detailed treatment of the story in 37 chapters
(21-58) of the Upodghāta pāda but also for connecting it with that
of Sagara and a reference to Gokarna in this connection. The
Brahmanda Purāṇa version, serves as it were, a connecting link
between the Parasurāma story in the Epics and that of the later
times, that grew into prominence in west India. A brief summary
of the Brahmaṇḍa version, therefore becomes necessary in this
context.
The story in chapters 21-44 is the fight between Paraśurāma
and Kārtavīrya, the extermination of all Ksatriyas and the perfor-
mance of penance at Mahendra mountain, the broad outline of
which is similar to that in the Mahabharata. But the story is
carried through 25 chapters in a long drawn-out manner with the
introduction of the Trinity, Brahma, Viṣṇu and Śiva, divinities
like Gaṇeśa and Skanda, as also sage Agastya, all of whom play
major roles in shaping Parasurama's destiny. Jamadagni and
Parasurāma are depicted as typical brahmins, averse to military
deeds and slaughter, and even when circumstances force Paraśu-
rāma to be a warrior of martial splendour, he does, not of his own
accord but due to divine grace. In fact Visṇu endows Paraśurāma
with His own puissant lustre and ordains that the tejas will be
taken back during His incarnation as Rāma Dāśarathi.
अद्यप्रभृत� लोकेऽस्मिन्नंशावेशेन मे भवान� �
चरिष्यति यथाकाल� कर्त� हर्त� स्वय� प्रभुः �
चतुर्वंश� युगे वत्स त्रेताया� रघुवंशनः �
रामो ना� भविष्याम� चतुर्व्यूहस्सनातनः �
[adyaprabhṛti loke'sminnaṃśāveśena me bhavān |
cariṣyati yathākāla� kartā hartā svaya� prabhu� ||
caturvaṃśe yuge vatsa tretāyā� raghuvaṃśana� |
rāmo nāma bhaviṣyāmi caturvyūhassanātana� ||
] X
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