Sastric support for Ramayana?

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> Hare Krishna! I need a sastric quote to support the authority of the

> original Ramayana.

 

sa brhati disam anu vyacalat tam itihasas ca purana ca gathas ca

itihasasya ca sa vai puranasya ca gathana ca narasamsina ca priya

dhama bhavati ya eva veda.

 

"He approached the Brhati meter, and thus the Itihasas, Puranas,

Gathas, and Narasamsis became favorable to him. One who knows this

verily becomes the beloved abode of the Itihasas, Puranas, Gathas, and

Narasamsis" (Atharva Veda 15.6.10, 12).

 

evam ime sarve veda nirmitah sa-kalpah sa-rahasyah sa-brahmanah

sopanisatkah setihasah sanvakhyatah sa-puranah.

 

"In this way all the Vedas were manifested along with the kalpas,

rahasyas, Brahmanas, Upanisads, Itihasas, anvakhyatas, and Puranas"

(Gopatha Brahmana, Purva 2.10).

 

"The Itihasas and Puranas are Vedas." [Taittiriya Aranyaka 2.9]

 

"...in the same way, my dear, what is know as the Rg Veda, Yajur Veda,

Sama Veda, Atharva Veda, Itihasa, Purana... has been breathed forth

from that Supreme Lord." (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad)

 

Chandogya Upanisad 3.15.7 - 4 Vedas, Itihasas and Puranas are 5th

Veda.

 

Narada tells Sanatkumara in the Chandogya Upanisad:

 

rg-vedam bhagavo 'dhyemi yajur-vedam

sama-vedam atharvanam caturtham itihasa-puranam

pancamam vedanam vedam pitryam rasim daivam

nidhim vako-vakyam ekayanam

 

"Sir, I have learned the Rg Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, and

the fourth, or Atharva Veda, as well as Itihasa and Purana, the fifth

Veda among the Vedas" (Ch.U. 7.1.2)

 

ramayanam bhagavatam bharatam vyasa bhasitam

anyani ca puranani pathyani harivasare

 

(Padma Purana, Kriya Yogasara 22.137)

 

On the day of Lord Hari (Ekadasi, etc.), one should study Ramayana,

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, and other Puranas which are written by

Srila Vyasadeva.

 

pancamatve karana ca vayu-purane suta-vakyam

itihasa-puranana vaktara samyag eva hi

ma caiva pratijagraha bhagavan isvarah prabhuh

 

eka asid yajur-vedas ta caturdha vyakalpayat

caturhotram abhut tasmims tena yajnam akalpayat

 

adhvaryava yajurbhis tu rgbhir hotra tathaiva ca

audgatra samabhis caiva brahmatva capy atharvabhih

 

akhyanais capy upakhyanair gathabhir dvija-sattamah

purana-samhitas cakre puranartha-visaradah

yac chista tu yajur-veda iti sastrartha-nirnayah iti.

 

In the Vayu Purana [60.16-18, 21-22] Suta Gosvami explains why the

Itihasas and Puranas are considered the fifth Veda:

 

"Srila Vyasadeva, the almighty Supreme Lord, accepted me [suta

Gosvami] as the qualified speaker of the Itihasas and Puranas. In the

beginning there was only one Veda, the Yajur Veda, which Srila Vyasa

divided into four parts. These gave rise to the four activities called

catur-hotra, by means of which Srila Vyasa arranged for the

performance of sacrifice.

 

"The adhvaryu priests carry out their responsibilities with

yajur-mantras, the hota priests with rg-mantras, the udgata priests

with sama-mantras, and the brahma priests with atharva-mantras."

 

Suta Gosvami further states:

 

"O best of the twice-born, thereafter Srila Vyasa, who best knows the

meaning of the Puranas, compiled them and the Itihasas by combining

various akhyanas, upakhyanas, and gathas. Whatever remained after

Vyasa divided the Vedas into four parts was also Yajur Veda. This is

the conclusion of the scriptures."

 

Madhva, one of the principle teachers of Vedic philosophy, commenting

on the Vedanta-sutra (2.1.6), quotes the Bhavisya Purana as follows:

 

rg-yajuh-samartharvas ca

bharatam pancaratrakam

mula-ramayanam caiva

veda ity eva sabditah

 

puranani ca yaniha

vaisnavani vido viduh

 

"The Rg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Atharva Veda, Mahabharata [which

includes the Bhagavad-gita], Pancaratra, and the original Ramayana are

all considered Vedic literature. The Vaisnava supplements, the

Puranas, are also Vedic literature."

 

"O Best of the Twice-born, I consider the significance of the Puranas

to be unchanging, like that of the Vedas. The Vedas all find a firm

resting place in the Puranas - about this there is no doubt. The Veda

is afraid of those of little knowledge, thinking 'They will twist my

meaning'; and so the meaning of the Veda was fixed in ancient times by

means of Itihasa and Puranas. For what is not found in the Vedas, O

twice-born, is found in Smrti; and what is not found in either, is

related in the Puranas. He who knows the four Vedas, together with the

Vedangas and Upanisads, without knowing the Puranas, is not to be

thought of as wise." (Skanda Purana 2.90-93)

 

"One should supplement the Vedas with Itihasa and Puranas." (MBh,

Adiparva 1.267)

 

mimansate ca yo vedan sadbhir angaih sa-vistaraih

itihasa-puranani sa bhaved veda-para-gah

 

"One who thoroughly studies the Vedas along with their six limbs and

the Itihasas and Puranas becomes a true knower of the Vedas"

(Vyasa-smrti 4.45).

 

All these verses are found on our site.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Your servant, bh. Jan

 

www.vrindavan-dham.com

www.veda.harekrsna.cz

(Bhakti-yoga, Vedic Encyclopedia, Vedic Library, Links)