THE PURANAS

[Ms Tercy Lonan]

THE PURANAS
The Puranas are of the same class as the Itihasas. They have five characteristics
(Pancha-Lakshana) viz., history, cosmology (with various symbolical illustrations of
philosophical principles), secondary creation, genealogy of kings and of Manvantaras. All the
Puranas belong to the class of Suhrit-Samhitas.
Vyasa is the compiler of the Puranas from age to age; and for this age, he is
Krishnadvaipayana, the son of Parasara.

The Puranas were written to popularise the religion of the Vedas. They contain the essence
of the Vedas. The aim of the Puranas is to impress on the minds of the masses the teachings of the
Vedas and to generate in them devotion to God, through concrete examples, myths, stories, legends,
lives of saints, kings and great men, allegories and chronicles of great historical events. The sages
made use of these things to illustrate the eternal principles of religion. The Puranas were meant, not
for the scholars, but for the ordinary people who could not understand high philosophy and who
could not study the Vedas.
The Darsanas are very stiff. They are meant only for the learned few. The Puranas are meant
for the masses with inferior intellect. Religion is taught in a very easy and interesting way through
these Puranas. Even to this day, the Puranas are popular. The Puranas contain the history of remote
times. They also give a description of the regions of the universe not visible to the ordinary physical
eye. They are very interesting to read and are full of information of all kinds. Children hear the
stories from their grandmothers. Pundits and Purohits hold Kathas in temples, on banks of rivers
and in other important places. Agriculturists, labourers and bazaar people hear the stories.