{"id":3210,"date":"2013-07-13T01:46:41","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:46:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=3210"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:46:41","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:46:41","slug":"12-the-puranas-vol-writings-in-bengali-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/02-other-editions\/writings-in-bengali-translation\/12-the-puranas-vol-writings-in-bengali-translation","title":{"rendered":"-12_The Puranas.htm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n\n
\n


\n THE PURANAS<\/font>
\n<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n
\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

\nThe Puranas <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

\nIn the previous article I have written about the Upanishads
\nand shown the method of seizing on their true and complete
\nmeaning. Like the Upanishads, the Puranas are authoritative
\nscriptures of the Hindu dharma. Like the ‘Sruti’ (the audible
\nword), the ‘Smriti’ (the diving word remembered) is an
\nauthoritative scripture though not of the same order. If there
\nis any conflict between the ‘Sruti’, the direct evidence, on the
\none hand, and the ‘Smriti’ on the other, then the authority of
\nthe latter is inadmissible. The revelations of the Rishis who
\nwere accomplished in Yoga and endowed with spiritual
\ninsight, and the Word which the Master of the Universe
\nspoke to their purified intelligence, constitute the ‘Sruti’.
\nAncient knowledge and learning, preserved through count-
\nless generations, is known as the ‘Smriti’. This kind of
\nknowledge in transmission might have suffered change, even
\ndeformation through different tongues, various minds and,
\nunder altered conditions, might have been modified by new
\nideas or assumed new forms suitable to the needs of the
\ntimes. Therefore, a ‘Smriti’ cannot be considered to be as
\ninfallible as a ‘Sruti’. The ‘Smriti’ is not a superhuman
\ncreation but the product of the limited and variable ideas and
\nintelligence of man. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe Puranas are the most important among the ‘Smritis’.
\nThe spiritual knowledge contained in the Upanishads has, in
\nthe Puranas, been transformed into fiction and metaphors; we find in them much useful information on Indian history,
\nthe gradual growth and expression of the Hindu dharma, the
\ncondition of the society in ancient times, social customs,
\nreligious ceremonies, Yogic methods of discipline and ways <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-71<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nof thinking. Apart from this, the composers of the Puranas
\nare either accomplished yogis or seekers of Truth. The
\nKnowledge and spiritual realisations obtained by their sadhana remain recorded in the respective Puranas. The Vedas
\nand the Upanishads are the fundamental scriptures of the
\nHindu religion "T" the Puranas are commentaries on these
\nscriptures. A commentary can never be equal to the original.
\nMy commentary may be different from yours but none of us
\nhave the right to alter or ignore the fundamental scripture.
\nThat which is at variance with the Vedas and the Upanishads
\ncannot be accepted as a limb of the Hindu dharma; but a new
\nidea even if it differs from the Puranas is welcome. The value
\nof a commentary depends on the intellectual capacity,
\nknowledge and erudition of the commentator. For example,
\nif the Purana written by Vyasa were still existing, then it
\nwould be honoured as a ‘Sruti’. In the absence of this Purana
\nand the one written by Lomaharshana, the eighteen Puranas
\nthat still exist cannot all be given the same place of honour; among them, the Vishnu and the Bhagwata Purana com-
\nposed by accomplished yogis are definitely more precious
\nand we must recognise that the Markandeya Purana written
\nby a sage devoted to spiritual pursuits is more profound in
\nKnowledge than either the Shiva or the Agni Purana. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nThe Purana of Vyasa being the source-book of the later
\nPuranas, there must be, even in the poorest of them, much
\ninformation unfolding the principles of the Hindu dharma
\nand since even the poorest of the Puranas is written by a
\nseeker of Knowledge or a devotee practising Yoga, the
\nthought and knowledge obtained by his personal effort is
\nworthy of respect. The division created by the English
\neducated scholars who separate the Vedas and the Upanishads from the Puranas and thus make a distinction between
\nthe Vedic dharma and the Puranic dharma is a mistake born
\nof ignorance. The Puranas are accepted as an authority on <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-72<\/font><\/p>\n

\n

\nthe Hindu dharma because they explain the knowledge
\ncontained in the Veda and the Upanishads to the average
\nman, comment upon it, discuss it at great length and
\nendeavour to apply it to the commonplace details of life.
\nThey too are mistaken who neglect the Vedas and the
\nUpanishads and consider the Puranas as a distinct and self-
\nsufficient authority in itself. By doing this, they commit the
\nerror of omitting the infallible and supernatural origin and of
\nencouraging false knowledge, with the result that the
\nmeaning of the Vedas disappears and the true significance of
\nthe Puranas is also lost. The Vedas must ever remain the
\nbasis for any true understanding of the Puranas. <\/font><\/p>\n

\nPage-73<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

 THE PURANAS The Puranas In the previous article I have written about the Upanishads and shown the method of seizing on their true and complete…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writings-in-bengali-translation","wpcat-64-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3210\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}