The misunderstanding created by the Puranas

[Guest guest]

Om Namah Sivaya

 

Sri Arumuga Navalar (1822-1879)

The misunderstanding created by the Puranas is not a new problem. Arumuga Navalar (1822-1879) was a devout and brilliant Saivite working to reeducate the Saiva community of Jaffna, Sri Lanka, following the departure of the Portuguese and two centuries of foreign domination and anti-Hindu preaching. The Christians were criticizing Hinduism as superstitious, childish and polytheistic, quoting from the Puranas to prove their point. Navalar boldly defended his faith, even translating the Bible into Tamil to show its own failings and immaturities. The missionaries loved the Puranic tales which speak ("absurdly," Navalar declared) about the marriages of the Gods and promote a multiplicity of Supreme Gods.

Navalar believed in the Gods, the Mahadevas, and worshiped Lord Murugan (Skanda) devoutly. But he knew his faith spoke of a single Supreme Being and wanted his fellow Saivites, who were languishing under missionary assaults, to understand the traditional view. He spoke against the storybook aspects of the Puranas, making it clear to Saivites that the Agamas are spiritually superior and should be the source of their faith and practice. Still, he defended the greatness of the Skanda Purana, which he saw as high-minded and inspiring. He succeeded in bringing Saivism back to life by showing his people the true, mystical purity of Hinduism.

The point that Sri Arumuga Navalar was making is: don't take the Puranic stories literally. They are a major source of misconceptions about Hinduism. When the Puranas are taken as the authority on Hinduism, the high philosophy of the revealed scriptures is obscured and confusions arise.

 

Sivaya Namah

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

namaste Selvaratnamji,

 

I dont agree with the statement that "puranic stories create misunderstanding"

 

We can call them mythology in english.

 

It is these puranic stories which satisfy the fantasy of the children in the age group of 7 to 10 before the reason begins to dawn on them. Fantasy is a process of growing up.`

 

these stories nurture them psychologically. We have all undergone these phases ourselves withjout knowing much about them. Please read child psychology to understand the part the puranas play in a childs life.

 

 

even today if some people can narrate stories we will sit and listen.

 

Thanks to all the pattis and thatahs who narrated them to the children which is missing in the modern days.

 

 

have you read Srimad Bhagavatam. The story of Prtaha is a story through which the importance of environmental protection and its importance can be taught to the children.

 

For the elders when read with the back ground of Vedanta it talks about jNanam.

 

The varaha Purana has description of building a temple.

 

All puranas have panca lakshanam. Five main caharcteristics.

creation, the secondary creation, Mnavantara, the dynasties, and past times of the lord.

Every purana focus on a particular diety. There are 18 puranas. 6 for brhama and 6 for Vishnu and 6 for Shiva.

 

Skanda purana has three chapters called teh Guru Gita which gives us all about guru and sishya qualities.

 

garuda Purana has conversations with Dhavantari and gives us various remedies for disease and yajnavalkyas treatise on Dharam conduct of life. Then passgae of the soul afyter death a very beautiful description.

 

Puranas talk about rituals, vratas, mantras, stutis, geography, yoga bhakti Jnana and finally Ashraya support of the creator and what not.

 

I can go on and on and on.

 

Please make sure at least you read the Linga purana, or shiva purana or vayu purana or Skanda puarana, at least the synopsis of a few chapters before passing a generalised comment like this.

 

pura api navam =puaranam though ancinet yet its is new

 

there are very many inteersting web sites on puranas. Visit the web site on puranas for gathering more info please.

 

No offences meant please.

 

with prayers

 

Lakshmi Muthuswamy

 

 

 

 

Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail Beta.

[Guest guest]

Adhyatmitka Ratna, Sri Yaaga Vidya Praveena, Vedanta Visarada

Dr P V Sesha Sai Aswamedhayaaji

(www.ashwamedhayaagam.org E Mails: shodasisai (AT) hotmail (DOT) com, shodasisai , shodasisai (AT) rediffmail (DOT) com

3724, Spencer’s Street, # 221, Torrance, 90503 California, USA

Phones Mobile: 310 293 9066 Land Line 310 921 6138

7th July 2006

 

Dear Chiranjeevis

God bless you all. May your sadhana be fruitful and the search end in the totality of experiencing the divine presence of SAA -AMBA -SIVA. The word SAMBASIVA is nothing but a conjunction of Shiva and Shakti. I would not written this but for the topic raised in this letter Shiva Devotee Lakshmi Muthuswamy has something to do with my reseach work. The stories in the puraanaas and great epics are built up in such a fashion they present many angles for study. It is understood with the concept with which a reader starts listening or reading to it.

As is seen in the birth process - STOOLA DEHA - SOOKSHMA DEHA - KAARANA DEHA - AND MAHAA KAARAN DEHA- all puranaas and great epics carry the four stages invariably. The first Stoola Deha is nothing but what is available for a reading - to the level of a common ordinary person or a child; the next stage is sookshma tatva - in other words, a relevance to the path of the duty - you may be aware THAT THE PATH OF THE DUTY IS THE WAY TO GLORY; the third one is Kaarana tatva - the inner meaning - the gupta sastra of the epic which can be understood only when we look at it with the skill needed; and lastly the mahaakaarana tatva is the extreme meaning which is kept intentionally quite a secret - for the reason - it remains available for only those who actually search for it and who passes all the stages required to realise what it is. You may not believe - even Shri Satyanarayana Vrata which is easily available to the public now a days - too .............carry very important

messages. The more the refinement process we adopt, the more we enjoy the state of bliss. It is not just my experience alone, it is what I am seeing from many audiance whenever I am invited to the programs and opportunity is given. Ofcourse the stage and the wave length depends on the maturity of audiance and accordinlgy the tatva is narrated.

I appreciate your way of expression, any way.

Yours affly HARA HARA MAHADEVA DR P V SESHA SAI ASWAMEDHAYAAJI

Lakshmi Muthuswamy <lakmuthu > wrote:

namaste Selvaratnamji,

 

I dont agree with the statement that "puranic stories create misunderstanding"

 

We can call them mythology in english.

 

It is these puranic stories which satisfy the fantasy of the children in the age group of 7 to 10 before the reason begins to dawn on them. Fantasy is a process of growing up.`

 

these stories nurture them psychologically. We have all undergone these phases ourselves withjout knowing much about them. Please read child psychology to understand the part the puranas play in a childs life.

 

 

even today if some people can narrate stories we will sit and listen.

 

Thanks to all the pattis and thatahs who narrated them to the children which is missing in the modern days.

 

 

have you read Srimad Bhagavatam. The story of Prtaha is a story through which the importance of environmental protection and its importance can be taught to the children.

 

For the elders when read with the back ground of Vedanta it talks about jNanam.

 

The varaha Purana has description of building a temple.

 

All puranas have panca lakshanam. Five main caharcteristics.

creation, the secondary creation, Mnavantara, the dynasties, and past times of the lord.

Every purana focus on a particular diety. There are 18 puranas. 6 for brhama and 6 for Vishnu and 6 for Shiva.

 

Skanda purana has three chapters called teh Guru Gita which gives us all about guru and sishya qualities.

 

garuda Purana has conversations with Dhavantari and gives us various remedies for disease and yajnavalkyas treatise on Dharam conduct of life. Then passgae of the soul afyter death a very beautiful description.

 

Puranas talk about rituals, vratas, mantras, stutis, geography, yoga bhakti Jnana and finally Ashraya support of the creator and what not.

 

I can go on and on and on.

 

Please make sure at least you read the Linga purana, or shiva purana or vayu purana or Skanda puarana, at least the synopsis of a few chapters before passing a generalised comment like this.

 

pura api navam =puaranam though ancinet yet its is new

 

there are very many inteersting web sites on puranas. Visit the web site on puranas for gathering more info please.

 

No offences meant please.

 

with prayers

 

Lakshmi Muthuswamy

 

 

Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail Beta.

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Hari Om.

Very well stated Mataji. Respectfully, i will take it a step further: I believe to deny Puranas is to deny God, in whatever form you worship. The belief of Purana being mere mythology could never hold water especially with the Bhaktas of Maha Vishnu; it negates the very core of Vaishnavism.

JANARDANA DASA

 

Lakshmi Muthuswamy <lakmuthu > wrote:

namaste Selvaratnamji,

 

I dont agree with the statement that "puranic stories create misunderstanding"

 

We can call them mythology in english.

 

It is these puranic stories which satisfy the fantasy of the children in the age group of 7 to 10 before the reason begins to dawn on them. Fantasy is a process of growing up.`

 

these stories nurture them psychologically. We have all undergone these phases ourselves withjout knowing much about them. Please read child psychology to understand the part the puranas play in a childs life.

 

 

even today if some people can narrate stories we will sit and listen.

 

Thanks to all the pattis and thatahs who narrated them to the children which is missing in the modern days.

 

 

have you read Srimad Bhagavatam. The story of Prtaha is a story through which the importance of environmental protection and its importance can be taught to the children.

 

For the elders when read with the back ground of Vedanta it talks about jNanam.

 

The varaha Purana has description of building a temple.

 

All puranas have panca lakshanam. Five main caharcteristics.

creation, the secondary creation, Mnavantara, the dynasties, and past times of the lord.

Every purana focus on a particular diety. There are 18 puranas. 6 for brhama and 6 for Vishnu and 6 for Shiva.

 

Skanda purana has three chapters called teh Guru Gita which gives us all about guru and sishya qualities.

 

garuda Purana has conversations with Dhavantari and gives us various remedies for disease and yajnavalkyas treatise on Dharam conduct of life. Then passgae of the soul afyter death a very beautiful description.

 

Puranas talk about rituals, vratas, mantras, stutis, geography, yoga bhakti Jnana and finally Ashraya support of the creator and what not.

 

I can go on and on and on.

 

Please make sure at least you read the Linga purana, or shiva purana or vayu purana or Skanda puarana, at least the synopsis of a few chapters before passing a generalised comment like this.

 

pura api navam =puaranam though ancinet yet its is new

 

there are very many inteersting web sites on puranas. Visit the web site on puranas for gathering more info please.

 

No offences meant please.

 

with prayers

 

Lakshmi Muthuswamy

 

 

Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail Beta.

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaskaram

when the tom and jerry cartoons were seen for the first time, may be at the age of 30 or so, i used to enjoy it - and for sure, more than a child would have enjoyed it, because, i knew at that time laws of reflection, laws of gravitation, laws of motion,...etc..etc.. I thought then, that when a child sees this in his/her subconscious mind, these things will remain and later when they are taught these laws in school, they will find it more interesting and educative.

So also, the Puranas are meant for teaching, rather to initiate people - from the childhood itself- to bring to the notice- attention certain points - so that as one grows to maturity, by the process of learning, by uncovering the ignoracne, one is able to understand it better, which will help and guide one towards assimilation.

But there is also problem from " kutarka" specialists...

they say ...what is the moral of EKALAVYA story ? never ask a guru what dakshina i can give u. offer what u want to offer so that he cannot demand anything and u that way cannot get trapped.

the missing point is - as i understand ( or misunderstand) - the story is meant to illustrate a students devotion to the Guru. Our Pujay Swamiji has been telling us that examples are meant only to reveal ceratin point....and point or point of view is not total ...one need to have a full view to understand a point of view.

Dr Sir, can u kindly spare a few minutes to write to this SATSANG the important messages contained there in after writing the story please? to begin with Satyanarayan Vrata itself will be a good thing.

This will also help a good number of youngesters who are members of this group to know more on the PURANA which otherwise is not much known except what one would or could have seen on TV or so.

namaskaram

 

Dr Perisepalli Venkata Sesha Sai <aswamedhayaagam (AT) (DOT) co.in> wrote:

Adhyatmitka Ratna, Sri Yaaga Vidya Praveena, Vedanta Visarada

Dr P V Sesha Sai Aswamedhayaaji

(www.ashwamedhayaagam.org E Mails: shodasisai (AT) hotmail (DOT) com, shodasisai , shodasisai (AT) rediffmail (DOT) com

3724, Spencer’s Street, # 221, Torrance, 90503 California, USA

Phones Mobile: 310 293 9066 Land Line 310 921 6138

7th July 2006

 

Dear Chiranjeevis

God bless you all. May your sadhana be fruitful and the search end in the totality of experiencing the divine presence of SAA -AMBA -SIVA. The word SAMBASIVA is nothing but a conjunction of Shiva and Shakti. I would not written this but for the topic raised in this letter Shiva Devotee Lakshmi Muthuswamy has something to do with my reseach work. The stories in the puraanaas and great epics are built up in such a fashion they present many angles for study. It is understood with the concept with which a reader starts listening or reading to it.

As is seen in the birth process - STOOLA DEHA - SOOKSHMA DEHA - KAARANA DEHA - AND MAHAA KAARAN DEHA- all puranaas and great epics carry the four stages invariably. The first Stoola Deha is nothing but what is available for a reading - to the level of a common ordinary person or a child; the next stage is sookshma tatva - in other words, a relevance to the path of the duty - you may be aware THAT THE PATH OF THE DUTY IS THE WAY TO GLORY; the third one is Kaarana tatva - the inner meaning - the gupta sastra of the epic which can be understood only when we look at it with the skill needed; and lastly the mahaakaarana tatva is the extreme meaning which is kept intentionally quite a secret - for the reason - it remains available for only those who actually search for it and who passes all the stages required to realise what it is. You may not believe - even Shri Satyanarayana Vrata which is easily available to the public now a days - too .............carry very important

messages. The more the refinement process we adopt, the more we enjoy the state of bliss. It is not just my experience alone, it is what I am seeing from many audiance whenever I am invited to the programs and opportunity is given. Ofcourse the stage and the wave length depends on the maturity of audiance and accordinlgy the tatva is narrated.

I appreciate your way of expression, any way.

Yours affly HARA HARA MAHADEVA DR P V SESHA SAI ASWAMEDHAYAAJI

Lakshmi Muthuswamy <lakmuthu > wrote:

namaste Selvaratnamji,

 

I dont agree with the statement that "puranic stories create misunderstanding"

 

We can call them mythology in english.

 

It is these puranic stories which satisfy the fantasy of the children in the age group of 7 to 10 before the reason begins to dawn on them. Fantasy is a process of growing up.`

 

these stories nurture them psychologically. We have all undergone these phases ourselves withjout knowing much about them. Please read child psychology to understand the part the puranas play in a childs life.

 

 

even today if some people can narrate stories we will sit and listen.

 

Thanks to all the pattis and thatahs who narrated them to the children which is missing in the modern days.

 

 

have you read Srimad Bhagavatam. The story of Prtaha is a story through which the importance of environmental protection and its importance can be taught to the children.

 

For the elders when read with the back ground of Vedanta it talks about jNanam.

 

The varaha Purana has description of building a temple.

 

All puranas have panca lakshanam. Five main caharcteristics.

creation, the secondary creation, Mnavantara, the dynasties, and past times of the lord.

Every purana focus on a particular diety. There are 18 puranas. 6 for brhama and 6 for Vishnu and 6 for Shiva.

 

Skanda purana has three chapters called teh Guru Gita which gives us all about guru and sishya qualities.

 

garuda Purana has conversations with Dhavantari and gives us various remedies for disease and yajnavalkyas treatise on Dharam conduct of life. Then passgae of the soul afyter death a very beautiful description.

 

Puranas talk about rituals, vratas, mantras, stutis, geography, yoga bhakti Jnana and finally Ashraya support of the creator and what not.

 

I can go on and on and on.

 

Please make sure at least you read the Linga purana, or shiva purana or vayu purana or Skanda puarana, at least the synopsis of a few chapters before passing a generalised comment like this.

 

pura api navam =puaranam though ancinet yet its is new

 

there are very many inteersting web sites on puranas. Visit the web site on puranas for gathering more info please.

 

No offences meant please.

 

with prayers

 

Lakshmi Muthuswamy

 

 

Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail Beta.

 

 

India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new Click here

Catch all the FIFA World Cup 2006 action on India Click here

 

 

 

India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new Click here

Catch all the FIFA World Cup 2006 action on India Click here

[Guest guest]

Namashkar! Gurujan,

 

What is that higher philosophy which is missed in Puranas?

 

Shivaya namah!

 

 

 

, Selvaratnam Selvakumar

<selvauk wrote:

>

> Om Namah Sivaya

>

>

>

> Sri Arumuga Navalar (1822-1879)

>

> The misunderstanding created by the Puranas is not a new

problem. Arumuga Navalar (1822-1879) was a devout and brilliant

Saivite working to reeducate the Saiva community of Jaffna, Sri Lanka,

following the departure of the Portuguese and two centuries of foreign

domination and anti-Hindu preaching. The Christians were criticizing

Hinduism as superstitious, childish and polytheistic, quoting from the

Puranas to prove their point. Navalar boldly defended his faith, even

translating the Bible into Tamil to show its own failings and

immaturities. The missionaries loved the Puranic tales which speak

("absurdly," Navalar declared) about the marriages of the Gods and

promote a multiplicity of Supreme Gods.

> Navalar believed in the Gods, the Mahadevas, and worshiped Lord

Murugan (Skanda) devoutly. But he knew his faith spoke of a single

Supreme Being and wanted his fellow Saivites, who were languishing

under missionary assaults, to understand the traditional view. He

spoke against the storybook aspects of the Puranas, making it clear to

Saivites that the Agamas are spiritually superior and should be the

source of their faith and practice. Still, he defended the greatness

of the Skanda Purana, which he saw as high-minded and inspiring. He

succeeded in bringing Saivism back to life by showing his people the

true, mystical purity of Hinduism.

> The point that Sri Arumuga Navalar was making is: don't take the

Puranic stories literally. They are a major source of misconceptions

about Hinduism. When the Puranas are taken as the authority on

Hinduism, the high philosophy of the revealed scriptures is obscured

and confusions arise.

>

>

> Sivaya Namah

>

>

>

>

> All new Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its

simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine

>