UPANISHADS


 UPANISHADS

The word “Upanishad” consists of three words. “Upa” means “near”, “ni” means “down” and “shad” means “be seated”. So, “Upanishad” means, “be seated at the feet of the Guru to receive the teaching.”

The Upanishads constitute the Vedanta (Veda-Anta), the end of the Vedas. The most ancient Upanishads are, in fact part of the Vedas, and are therefore considered as part of the Sruti. The Upanishads constitute the fundamentals, the essence of the Sanatana Dharma philosophy. The main topic of the Upanishads is the Ultimate Knowledge: the identity of the Brahman and the Jivatman, the explanation of the origin of the Universe, the relation between the mind and matter, etc. 

The main theme of the Upanishads:       

“The main theme of the Upanishads is to surrender to God and receive liberation from the bondage of Maya (the cosmic power or the material power) and enter into the eternal state of the Divine Bliss. The Upanishads distinguish the celestial gods from the Divine forms of God.”

The Upanishads may have been composed around 800 BC. There have been several later additions during 563-483 BC, leading to 113 Upanishads being available today; however, only ten to thirteen are generally accepted as primary. The oldest and longest of the Upanishads are the Brihad-Aranyaka and the Chandogya from around seventh century BC.

Brief info on Major Upanishads:

Isha Upanishad

·        Isha means "Lord" and marks the trend toward monotheism in the Upanishads.
·        It emphasizes the identity of the human soul with the divine soul
·        It has 18 verses (mantras).
·        It starts with the very first word Ishwar which means the Divine Personality of God
·    It describes the philosophy of God and God realization which is the essence of the Upanishadic philosophy 

Katha Upanishad

·        It has six chapters in two sections, and is in the form of question and answer. 
·        Nachiketa is questioning and the god of justice, Yamraj is answering.
·        It discusses death and the permanence of the soul (Atman).
·        The Kathopnishad says:

“Human body is the only chance where a person could receive liberation from the eternal bondage and the inflictions of maya. If you do not realize God before death overtakes you, it would be the greatest disaster of your life and you will be suffering for uncountable lifetimes by taking birth in various species.”


Puranas

Puranas

Purana means "very old" or "ancient". The Puranas explain the creation and the dissolution aspect of the universe, rules for living, descriptions of various worlds, and many of the popular myths and stories.  Puranas contain the description of all the Manus and tell the history of the important families along with their family successions and the dynasties of kings etc.

The essence of Puranas is to introduce the feeling of bhakti and dedication towards a personal form of God. The Puranas clarify that the Grace of God is never at random and also it is not the consequence of any amount of good actions or yoga or austerity. It is automatically experienced when a soul lovingly and totally submits himself to God. This loving submission is bhakti.

The Puranas, in general, are for all kinds of people, from an ordinary family man who is deeply attached to his family and friends and up to a renounced person who is longing to meet his Divine beloved God in His personal Divine form. 

The Bhagavat Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam) is the most popular Purana. It consists of over 18,000 verses divided into twelve cantos (volumes). It specifically glorifies Lord Vishnu, His incarnations, and His devotees. The tenth-canto is the Essence of Srimad Bhagavatam which contains the attractive stories of Lord Shri Krishna, both as the cowherd boy of Vrindavan and later as the powerful king of Dwaraka.

The Puranas are a vast literature of stories and parables. There are many books of Puranas but eighteen are considered to be MahaPuranas, or Great Puranas, and thus authoritative references on the Gods and Goddesses, religious rites and holy places. Along with MahaPuranas, there are other eighteen additional texts knows as UpaPuranas available in scriptures. 

Major Classification of Puranas:
The Mahapuranas are frequently classified according the three aspects of the divine Trimurti


Vaishnava Puranas
Brahma Puranas
Shaiva Puranas
Vishnu Purana
Brahama Purana
Shiva Purana
Bhagavata Purana
Brahmanda Purana
Lina Purana
Naradeya Purana
Brahma Vaivarta Purana
Linga Purana
Garuda Purana
Markaddeya Purana
Skanda Purana
Padma Purana
Bhavishya Purana
Agni Purana
Varaha Purana

Vayu Puran
Vamana Purana


Matsya Purana


Kalki Purana














According to the Padma Purana the Puranas may be classified in accordance with the three gunas or qualities; Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.

Sattva
(Truth, Purity)
Rajas
(Dimness, Passion)
Tama
(Darkness, Ignorance)
Vishnu Purana
Brahmanda Purana
Matsya Purana
Bhagavata Purana
Brahma Vaivarta Purana
Kurma Purana
Naradeva Purana
Markandeya Purana
Linga Purana
Garuda Purana
Bhavishya Purana
Shiva Purana
Padma Purana
Vamana Purana
Skanda Purana
Varaha Purana
Brahma Purana
Agni Purana

Some of The Purans and their Content’s Summary: (Source: Various Websites)

Name
Summary of The Contents
Bhagvata
The most celebrated and popular of the Puranas, telling of Vishnu's ten Avatars. Statistically it comprises twelve skandas (cantos or books) and some 18,000 verses The tenth canto narrates the activities of Lord Krishna. The intense and personal bhakti described in the Bhagavata is directed toward Lord Krishna as God in human form. It includes the most comprehensive collection of stories (Lilas) about the life of Lord Krishna, showing Him in all the stages of human life. It also includes instruction in the practice of bhakti, an analysis of bhakti, and descriptions of the different types of bhakti.
Garuda
Most hallowed Purana regarding the death and its aftermaths. It contains a dialogue between Lord Vishnu and his Vahana Garuda, the King of Birds. This Purana deals with astronomy, medicine and gemstone structure along with its qualities. It also contains details of life after death, funeral rites and the background of reincarnation It is recited as a part Antim Sanskar, funeral rites.
Padma
It is divided into five parts: In the first part, Sage Pulastya explains to Bhishma (Famous for Mahabharta) about religion and the essence of the religion. The second part describes in detail Prithvi (earth). In the third part, a description of the cosmos is given. The fourth part describes the life and deeds of Lord Shri Rama. The fifth part is in form of a dialogue between Lord Shiva and his consort, Parvati, and it deals with the essential knowledge about religion.
Skanda
This Purana, devoted mainly to the lilas of Kartikeya, son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. It also contains a number of legends about Lord Shiva, and the holy places associated with him. This Purana was recited by Sage Vyas. Skanda Purana is treated as a pilgrimage guide, containing geographical locations of pilgrimage centers, with related legends, parables, hymns and stories.
Brahma
Shortest among Puranas, comprise 246 chapters divided into two parts: namely the Purvabhaga (former part) and the Uttarabhaga (later part). The first part narrates the story behind the creation of the cosmos, details the life and deeds of Lord Shri Rama and Lord Shri Krishna. Few chapters describe the Glorification of the Godavari River (Gautami Mahatmya). The second part contains the details about the Purushottama Tirtha, which is one of the holy places. Brahma Purana is a Mahapurana in which the Rajas Guna prevails.
Describes worshipping protocols of Devis, Lord Shri Krishna and Lord Ganesha. It is divided into four parts. First part describes the creation of the universe and all beings, the second part relates to description and histories of different goddesses. The third part is mostly devoted to life and deeds of Lord Ganesha, and the last part details the life and deeds of Shri Krishna.
Narada
It deals with the places of pilgrimages. It is in the style of dialogue between the Sage Narada Muni and Sanatkumar. During the course of the dialogue between the two, Narada explains the major places of pilgrimages, their location, and significance. It also contains the story of Markandeya, a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu grants a boon to Markandeya, that he will live eternally and will survive the Pralaya (End of cosmic cycle).
Agni
It contains descriptions and details of various incarnations of Lord Vishnu. It also has details account about Shri Rama, Shri Krishna and Prithvi. It has a number of verses mentioning about ritual worship, cosmology and astrology, history, warfare, sections on medicine and martial arts etc. Statistically this Purana divided into 383 chapters and was originally recited by Agni Dev to the Sage Vasishta (Lord Shri Rama’s Guru).
Brahmanda Purana

Brahmanda means the "Biggest Globe". It deals with the origin of the Universe as told by Brahma and it is believed to be uttama (best) to give this book as a dana (gift) to a brahmin. In the beginning, there was a golden egg, and the prapanca (Universe with its activities) was formed out of it. This Purana also contains references of  Shrimati Radha and Shri Krishna and the incarnation of ParashuRama.
Bhavishya Purana
The title Bhavishya Purana signifies a work that contains prophecies regarding the future and attributed to Sage Vyasa.
Vayu Purana
It is dedicated to the Vayu (the wind god), containing about 24,000 sholkas. The Vayu Purana deals with the following topics: creation and re-creation of the universe; measurement of the Kala (time); origin of Agni, Varuna and a number of gods; origin and descendants of Atri, Bhirgu and some other sages, daityas, rakshasas, gandharvas and pitrs; origin of animals, birds, trees and creepers; detailed geography of the earth divided into seven dvipas; names and descritption of the seven Patalas (netherworlds); description of the solar system and the movements of the celestial bodies; description of the four yugas; duties of the people belong to different castes and funeral rites
Markandeya Purana
It is written in the style of a dialogue between the ancient sage Markandeya and Jaimini, a disciple of Sage Vyasa. The text begins with the four questions put forth by Jaimini to Markandeya, after he approached the latter for the solution of some doubts raised in his mind after studying the Mahabharata. Markandeya refers him to the four wise birds living in the Vindhyas. The four birds were among the survival of Kurukshetra War (Mahabharta).
Shiva Purana
It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was recited by Sage Vyasa to his disciple Romaharshana. It contains the essence of Vedanta and the stories of this Purana are meant to inspire the spiritual aspirant to follow the path of yoga and attain the union with God. Its major stories contains: the story of Linga, the burning of Love God (Kaam Deva), story of Nandi, story of Daksha Yajna, story of Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya dispute etc. It also contains the thousands name of Lord Shiva.
Linga Purana
It contains the description regarding the origin of universe, origin of the Shiva Linga; and emergence of Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and all the Vedas from the Linga. In this Purana, Lord Shiva directly tells the importance of worship of Shiva Linga and the correct rituals to be followed during the worship (pooja) of the Linga.
Vishnu Purana
The most important Puranas and has been given the name Puranaratna (Gem of Puranas). It is presented as a dialogue between Parashara and his disciple Maitreya and divided into six parts. It contains the creation myths, stories of battles fought between asuras and devas, the Avatars of Lord Vishnu, along with stories of legendary kings. The first part contains the detailed stories of creation, the concept of four Yugas, the tale of Rudra, an elaborate story of the Samudra Manthana (the churning of the ocean), the story of Dhurva (Devotee of Lord Vishnu). The second part contains the famous story of Hiranyakashipu and Prahlada. The third part describes the details of many rituals, also describes the four stages of life. The fourth part gives the details of famous kings of Solar and Lunar dynasties; along with prediction of kings appear in the future, Kalyug. The fifth section is major portion containing the details of the different events in the life of Lord Sri Krishna, starting from His birth, through His childhood, until the moment He left the earth. The last sixth part discusses the impending age of Kali, the concepts of universal destruction.

Note: This post is based on reading of various articles related to Puranas on Internet and some books.  Still if it contains any mistake. Identify and contact at muneshkumarkella@gmail.com .

Sources: Wikipedia, Google.com etc. (Next: Upanishads)