Dear friends and listeners,
Following the overwhelming success of my previous podcast series, Stories from the Upanishads, I, your host Arghya Goswami, am thrilled to bring you my next series: Stories from the Puranas. I aim to share timeless stories many may have heard while growing up in this new series.
Unlike the Vedas and Upanishads, the Puranas are a distinct set of ancient scriptures. If you were to search online, you’d find numerous interpretations of the Puranas. To me, however, they offer one of the simplest and most accessible ways to understand the concept of the Supreme Power. These stories introduce us to the idea of the Supreme Trinity: Prajapati Brahma—the creator, Vishnu—the protector, and Shiva—the destroyer. Through captivating tales, the Puranas personify the concept of Brahman and divinity, making profound spiritual ideas relatable to everyone.
There are 18 Puranas, each attributed to a specific author or central figure. Veda Vyasa, the renowned compiler of the Mahabharata, is traditionally credited with compiling the Puranas as well.
Etymologically, the word Purana means "ancient." According to tradition, there was originally a single scripture called the Purana Samhita. Vyasa entrusted this text to his disciple, Lomaharshana, who then passed it on to his own disciples. Many of the Puranas we know today, such as the Brahma Purana and the Brahmanda Purana, were narrated by Maharshi Lomaharshana, while others, like the Padma Purana, the Harivamsa Purana, and certain versions of the Mahabharata, were narrated by his son, Ugrasharva Muni.
Following are the main 18 puranas that are part of Sanatan.
1) Brahma Purana which has 10,000 verses
2) Padma Purana with 55,000 verses
3) Vishnu Purana with 23,000 verses
4) Shiva Purana with 24,000 verses
5) Bhagavata Purana with 18,000 verses
6) Narada Purana with 25,000 verses
7) Markandeya Purana with 9000 verses
8) Agni Purana with 15,400 verses
9) Bhavishya Purana with 14,500 verses
10) Brahmavaivarta Purana with 18,000 verses
11) Linga Purana with 11,000 verses
12) Varaha Purana with 24,000 verses
13) Skanda Purana with 81,100 verses
14) Vamana Purana with 10,000 verses
15) Kurma Purana with 17,000 verses
16) Matsya Purana with 14,000 verses
17) Garuda Purana with 19.000 verses
18) Brahmanda Purana with 12,000 verses
The Puranas are traditionally categorized into four groups: Shaiva Puranas, Vaishnava Puranas, Shakti Puranas, and Brahma Puranas. As the names suggest, each category centres around a primary deity.
Additionally, the Puranas are classified based on the three gunas or qualities inherent in existence:
· Sattva (goodness): The central deity is Vishnu, and the Puranas associated with this quality include the Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Garuda Purana, Narada Purana, Padma Purana, Vamana Purana, and Varaha Purana.
· Rajas (passion): The central deity is Brahma, and the Puranas linked to this quality are the Brahma Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Brahmavaivarta Purana, Markandeya Purana, and Bhavisya Purana.
· Tamas (ignorance): The central deity is Shiva, and the Puranas associated with this quality include the Shiva Purana, Linga Purana, Matsya Purana, Kurma Purana, Skanda Purana, and Agni Purana.
For those familiar with my previous podcast series, Stories from the Upanishads, I’d like to clarify an important distinction between Brahman and Prajapati Brahma. Brahman is the all-encompassing Supreme God, the ultimate reality, and divine consciousness as described in the Vedas and Upanishads. Prajapati Brahma, on the other hand, is one of the Trinity in Sanatan Dharma and is regarded as the creator of the universe and all life forms. The concept of Prajapati Brahma was first mentioned in the lesser Upanishads, such as the Maitrayaniya Upanishad, around the 1st millennium BCE. References to Brahma are found extensively throughout the Puranas.
In this new podcast series, Stories from the Puranas, I will narrate fascinating tales from these ancient texts to the best of my ability. Through these stories, I hope to provide insights into our rich heritage and culture.
This podcast will be available in audio format on major platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Prime Music, and many others. Additionally, it will also be available on YouTube via my new channel, Stories of the Puranas. I kindly request you to like, share, download, and subscribe to this channel. For those who haven’t yet, you can also explore my previous channel, Stories from the Upanishads. Your support through likes, shares, downloads, and subscriptions is greatly appreciated.
If you wish to connect with me, feel free to email me at [email protected].
Stories from Upanishads: https://hubhopper.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/406300
YouTube channel of Stories from Upanishads: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesfromUpanishads
YouTube Channel of Stories from the Puranas: https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesfromthePuranas
