The Upa Puranas, also known as the Minor Puranas, are a group of 18 Hindu scriptures that are believed to have been written between the 4th and the 17th centuries. These texts are considered to be less important than the major Puranas, which consist of 18 texts that are considered more central to Hinduism.
The Upa Puranas are a diverse group of texts that cover a wide range of topics, including mythology, cosmology, rituals, and ethics. Many of these texts are devoted to specific deities or themes, such as the Brahma Purana, which is focused on the creator god Brahma, or the Kurma Purana, which is focused on the divine turtle Kurma.
One of the main themes of the Upa Puranas is the importance of devotion to God and the role of rituals in achieving salvation. Many of these texts contain stories and legends about the power of devotion and the rewards that come to those who are devoted to God.
In addition to their religious content, the Upa Puranas also contain a wealth of information on a wide range of topics, including science, mathematics, astronomy, and history. For example, the Vayu Purana contains detailed descriptions of the solar system, while the Agni Purana contains information on metallurgy and the art of building.
The Upa Puranas are an important part of Hinduism and are widely studied and revered by Hindus all over the world. They provide insight into the beliefs, values, and practices of the religion and offer guidance for those seeking to live a spiritual life.
List of UpaPuranas Puranas List Details
CURRENT MODERN PURANAS: In place of the lost old Puranas, what we have to-day are 18 large treatises Tri-Shat that are designated as Puranas. Daurvaasam,of Durvasa Rishi 6. He appeared in flesh and blood to help his devotees and relieve their sufferings. Our posts will reach you without fail. Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu are one. The Heart of Hinduism text book is produced by ISKCON Educational Services, UK. .
Solar and Lunar Dynasty details. CONCLUSION: The Puranas are supplementary explanation of Vedas in as much as they expand upon and modify the orthodox Brahminism of the Vedas to the popular Hinduism of today. Hence, the Puranas are of special value as they present philosophical truths and precious teachings in an easier manner. In some they are referred to, in others they are omitted entirely. Same purana is available in differnt versions in south India and North India. Next comes Vishnu Purana.
The content is highly inconsistent across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts which are themselves inconsistent. In the Pauranic faith, this Supreme Being manifests in the person of Siva or Vishnu, and consequently, each Purana is distinctly Vaishnavite or Saivite and extols everything associated with that deity Siva or Vishnu : rituals, ceremonies, fasts and feasts, pilgrimages, exploits of that deity as the only path to salvation Moksha. The object of Parasurama Avatara was to deliver the country from the oppression of the Kshatriya rulers. Conssidered as the reference material to know about Krishna. According to Vishnuand some other Puranas, there was originally only one Purana: the Purana Samhita by Vyasa, and from this ONE, the 18 Puranas have grown. The Garuda Purana is one of the 18 Puranas composed by Ved Vyasa in order to explain Vedic principles.
Rocher states that the distinction between Maha Purana and Upa Purana is ahistorical, there is little corroborating evidence that either were more or less known, and that "the term Maha Purana occurs rarely in Purana literature, and is probably of late origin. Though it has connotations with death and afterlife, that is mostly because of the subject matter itself and not due to any innate restrictions associated with its recital. Not more than that. Pranayama — the specialized yogic technique of deep breathing — is practiced to control the flow of these currents in the body, so as to enhance the vitality of both body and mind. Common Misunderstandings The stories in the Puranas are all allegorical The word myth is often used to refer to the stories found in the Puranas.
Some scholars and saivaites have classified this as Satva Guna Purana. Can I read Garuda Purana? Their accounts of secondary creation, and matter related to evolution and universe are derived from several other sources. The Narada Purana has twenty-five thousand verses, the Markandeya Purana nine thousand, the Agni purana fifteen thousand four hundred, the Bhavisya Purana fourteen thousand five hundred, the Brahma-vaivarta Purana eighteen thousand and the Linga Purana eleven thousand. So, these puranas should be used as a tool to develop our faith in a certain deity and to know the existence of devotional followings in those ages. In Jan Gonda ed. The main Puranas are: Vishnu Purana, Naradiya Purana, Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Garuda Suparna Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Markandeya Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Vamana Purana, Matsya Purana, Kurma Purana, Linga Purana, Siva Purana, Skanda Purana and Agni Purana. Thus the total number of verses in all the Puranas is four hundred thousand.
They contain the essence of the Vedas. Composed primarily in Sanskrit, but also in regional languages, several of these texts are named after major Hindu deities such as The Puranic literature is encyclopedic, and it includes diverse topics such as cosmogony, cosmology, genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, grammar, mineralogy, humor, love stories, as well as theology and philosophy. The 18 Upa-Puranas are: Sanatkumara, Narasimha, Brihannaradiya, Sivarahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi Bhagavatam, Ganesa and Hamsa. To understand them correctly, we need a different kind of imagination and interpretation. Naradiya Purana — Speaks about 4 vedas and 6 Vedangas.
What is the difference between Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas?
So, also considered as Saiva Purana. But there are some minor puranas whose antiquity is as same as the major puranas like Narasimha, Nandi, Samba and Aditya Puranas. Satvik Puranas contain the tales of Lord Vishnu while Rajas Puranas contain the tales of Brahma and Tamas Purans contain the tales of Agni and Rudra. The compositions of the Puranas are not homogeneous like the Mahabharata to which they are indebted much in matter and spirit. THE UPA-PURANAS The eighteen Upa-Puranas are: Sanatkumara, Narasimha, Brihannaradiya, Sivarahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesa and Hamsa.
In Upanishads, Puranas have been called the fifth Veda Panchama Veda. The extant Vishnudharma Purana comprises 105 chapters. There are 18 Maha Puranas Great Puranas and 18 Upa Puranas Minor Puranas , with over 400,000 verses. Worship of God as the Divine Mother is its theme. Many additions, omissions are there in puranas. The extant Parashara Upapurana consists 18 chapters. These Puranas borrow the scheme of primary creation from Samkhya philosophy.
The Darsanas are very stiff. Puranas were composed at considerable distance of time from the two epic poems; but, by the time, the Puranas first began to be composed, belief in individual and personal deities has become the principal mark of Hindu religious belief or faith, and it continues to be so more or less. He took human form to initiate Sambandhar, Manikkavasagar, Pattinathar. It is also believed that many Upapuranas have been lost and we have to infer their existence only from their mention in other scriptures. It specifically glorifies Lord Vishnu, twenty-two of His incarnations, and His devotees. And, the classification has many anomalies and many rate satva guna, rajo guna and thamo guna puranas differently.
Brahma Purana — Speaks about Lord Brahma. But, it can not be denied that many of these texts have been lost without leaving any trace. He dedicates all the glories and credits to his Guru and Krishna. Vedanga वेदाङ्ग , Upaveda उपवेद , Puranas पुराण , Ramayana and Mahabharata are major Smriti scriptures. Despite the apparent disparity depicted in these Puranas, Shiva and Vishnu are thought to be one, and part of the Trinity of Hindu theogony.
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