RE: RE: Misunderstanding created by the Puranas

[Guest guest]

Hari Om! Hari Om Tat Sat!

 

 

 

Dear Shri Selvaji, please accept my respectful pranams and namaskarams!

 

 

 

Dhandavat! Dasomsi!

 

 

 

My self agrees with your viewpoint and I did express in one earlier email

thread viz a viz Christian aggression in tirupathi that the treatments that

went out to me when my family visited Tirupathi. I was wearing Rudraksha but

had Sri Krishna tilak. Some jivas end up having both the deeksha's (Hari

and Hara) from their gurunathas based on their past purva janma sukurtham.

 

 

 

Lord Shri Shiva is the biggest Vaishnava (many of my shaivaite friends do

observe nir jala ekadashi every month) and Lord Shri Hari is the biggest

Shaivaite worship where some of my vaishnavas friends do observe the Maha

Shiva Ratri with much respect and bhakthi than some regular shaivaites.

 

 

 

To see a difference in HARI-HREEM-HARA ends that jiva in HELL (14 levels

courtesy Gaurda Puranam) until pralaya as said by Lord Shri Maha Vishnu

himself. ThathaAstu!!!

 

 

 

I do adore all Puranas and respect them!!!

 

 

 

My self does bow to the Lord Shri Tatpursha in you!

 

 

 

Subham Dinam Astu!

 

Sarvam Sri Krishna Arpanamastu!

 

Om Nama Shivaya Shivaya Namah Om!

 

 

 

_____

 

 

[] On Behalf Of Selvaratnam

Selvakumar

Friday, July 07, 2006 8:13 AM

 

RE: Misunderstanding created by the

Puranas

 

 

 

Om Namah Sivaya

 

 

 

Dear Sri Lakshmi,

 

 

 

I did not say Puranas are useless, they can certainly create confusions.

There is a misconception even among many Hindus that Hinduism is

Polytheistic. Hindus were never polytheistic in the sense that there are

many equal Gods, the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra are based on

stories from Puranas. However you will find in the famous Vedic verse

(Maitri Upanishad 5.2) "That part of Him which is characterized by tama is

called Rudra. That part of Him which belongs to rajas is Brahma. That part

of Him which belongs to sattva is Vishnu." Is this a prayer to a trinity of

three Gods? (certainly not, it is a prayer of adoration to the One Supreme

Lord). Saiva Agamas say in clear terms that Siva Himself manifested into

every visible forms with His own power Sakti. Not only puranic stories

create misunderstanding they can also cause bloodshed, there was heavy

battles between Saivites and Vaishnavites regarding superiority of their

Gods in the middle ages in South India and thousands of people died. However

Great Saivites and Vaishnavites saints restored peace. Do you know

Chidambaram Nataraja Temple in South India?, one of the great Saivite

Temples, there was no Vishnu shrine inside the temple originally but by the

request of a great Rishi (to bring harmony between both communities) it was

later built. You will also find shrines dedicated to Vishnu in many Siva

temples in South India by the request of Saivite saints, but you could

hardly find shrines dedicated to Lord Siva inside Vaishnavite temples

because they heavily rely on puranic stories and majority of them are narrow

minded and often insult Lord Siva and His Devotees, not only that there are

many divisions within Vaishnavism mainly due different interpretations of

puranic stories.

 

 

 

Beginners in the spiritual path are puzzled when they go through Siva Purana

and Vishnu Purana. In Siva Purana, Lord Siva is highly eulogised and an

inferior position is given to Lord Vishnu. Sometimes Vishnu is belittled. In

Vishnu Purana, Lord Hari is highly eulogised and an inferior status is given

to Lord Siva. Sometimes Lord Siva is belittled. This is only to increase the

faith of the devotees in their particular Ishta-Devata. Lord Siva and Lord

Vishnu are one.

 

 

 

I do have a series of audio cassettes on Skanda Purana and the lectures were

given by a great Saivite saint. At the end of the lectures he said the

essence of Skanda Purana is to illustrate the truth that when Jiva attains

Jnana (Divine Wisdom) it becomes free from impurities, namely Anava (ego),

Karma and Maya and hence reunites with Sivam. There are many stories in this

Purana says exactly the same thing. I have also briefly read Siva Purana and

Srimad Bhagavata. One has to look for the hidden meaning of a puranic story

rather than blindly believe it, for example there is a story which says

three giants by the power of penance ruled over three cities with three

flying fortresses- one gold, one of silver and one of copper. Flying their

fortresses, they landed on the cities of the celestials and destroyed them.

Siva fought the three giants and reduced their three cities to ashes. People

who recount this legend do not realise that what Siva destroyed was the

triple impurities-Egoity, Karma and Maya.

 

 

 

Sivaya Namah

 

 

 

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

 

 

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