{"id":485,"date":"2018-02-01T12:39:26","date_gmt":"2018-02-01T12:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/?page_id=485"},"modified":"2018-11-01T07:59:26","modified_gmt":"2018-11-01T07:59:26","slug":"smriti-the-puranas","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/tradition\/doctrine-and-scripture\/smriti-the-puranas\/","title":{"rendered":"Smriti: The Puranas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-ak6bx-a2c46c961c85a9ebe84f919b3494ded7 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Smriti: The Puranas<\/h3>\n<p>The Puranas are an important source of popular Hinduism. Purana means &#8220;very old&#8221; or &#8220;ancient,&#8221; and the books themselves claim greater antiquity than the Vedas. Nevertheless. scholars consider them to be more recent scripture, dealing with what they term the &#8220;later deities&#8221; \u2013 Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.<\/p>\n<p>There are many books but eighteen main or <em>maha<\/em> (great) Puranas.These form three sets of six books, with each set connected to one of the trimurti \u2013 Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva. Some Hindus say that each set is suitable for readers influenced by the corresponding <em>gunas <\/em>(goodness, passion, and ignorance). There are also eighteen Upa (&#8220;following&#8221; or &#8220;subsidiary&#8217;) Puranas.<\/p>\n<p>The Puranas deal with creation, genealogies of deities and patriarchs, rules for living, descriptions of various worlds, and many of the popular myths and stories. Some of them, such as the <em>Vishnu<\/em>-, <em>Bhagavata<\/em>&#8211; and <em>Devibhagavata<\/em>&#8211;<em>Puranas <\/em>are often recited publicly.<\/p>\n<p>Of them all, the <em>Bhagavat Purana <\/em>(<em>Srimad Bhagavatam<\/em>) is most popular. It consists of over 18,000 verses divided into twelve cantos (volumes). It specifically glorifies Lord Vishnu, twenty-two of His incarnations, and His devotees. Especially popular is the tenth-canto that tells the much-loved stories of Lord Krishna, both as the cowherd boy of Vrindavan and later as the powerful king of Dvaraka.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-me7it-77a036fa876ec59ac66c0e0027984ab6\">\n.flex_column.av-me7it-77a036fa876ec59ac66c0e0027984ab6{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-me7it-77a036fa876ec59ac66c0e0027984ab6 av_one_third  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_one_third  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-jnvxxy5m-8b36169def0cca890eea69b412a6d767\">\n.avia-image-container.av-jnvxxy5m-8b36169def0cca890eea69b412a6d767 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-jnvxxy5m-8b36169def0cca890eea69b412a6d767 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-jnvxxy5m-8b36169def0cca890eea69b412a6d767 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-3  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-1833 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-1833 avia_image ' src='https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/purana1.jpg' alt='' title='purana1'  height=\"132\" width=\"250\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-jnvxykbs-d7c0a8b8ec4c06635d1d4b12a957a3ff '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Rameshbhai Oza delivering one of his popular recitations of the <em>Bhagavat Purana<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-eqdql-9bd927a5e5a6ae68c643295c91ccac2b\">\n.flex_column.av-eqdql-9bd927a5e5a6ae68c643295c91ccac2b{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-eqdql-9bd927a5e5a6ae68c643295c91ccac2b av_one_third  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_third  el_before_av_one_third  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-jnvxy3bm-d62e3242aff36a1910973b52cb2292de\">\n.avia-image-container.av-jnvxy3bm-d62e3242aff36a1910973b52cb2292de img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-jnvxy3bm-d62e3242aff36a1910973b52cb2292de .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-jnvxy3bm-d62e3242aff36a1910973b52cb2292de av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-6  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-1834 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-1834 avia_image ' src='https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/purana2.jpg' alt='' title='purana2'  height=\"165\" width=\"250\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-jnvxysje-f941089fd4c6974ab242b8a0e9fd7947 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Krishna performing one of his famous <em>lilas<\/em>(pastimes). Here he defeats Kaliya, the many-headed serpent, by dancing on his hoods.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-869ql-784383440996d133632d36265778349c\">\n.flex_column.av-869ql-784383440996d133632d36265778349c{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-869ql-784383440996d133632d36265778349c av_one_third  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_third  el_before_av_textblock  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  column-top-margin'     ><p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-jnvxy8o8-e342d4f2c4e8d3001da68a785879a219\">\n.avia-image-container.av-jnvxy8o8-e342d4f2c4e8d3001da68a785879a219 img.avia_image{\nbox-shadow:none;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-jnvxy8o8-e342d4f2c4e8d3001da68a785879a219 .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-jnvxy8o8-e342d4f2c4e8d3001da68a785879a219 av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-9  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first '   itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" class='wp-image-1835 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-1835 avia_image ' src='https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/purana3.jpg' alt='' title='purana3'  height=\"302\" width=\"250\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-jnvxz19c-a606aef76c836d5402cedb7ca2a4d699 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>This poster depicts the popular story of Durga slaying the buffalo demon.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-jnvxws7m-c570dfdd17e7620a591878a3cad72013 '   itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/CreativeWork\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><h2>Common Misunderstandings<\/h2>\n<h3>The stories in the Puranas are all allegorical<\/h3>\n<p>The word myth is often used to refer to the stories found in the Puranas. The word should be used with discretion, and we should be careful not to equate it with &#8220;fairy tale.&#8221; Some Hindus believe that the events described are allegorical, but others believe that they are factual, happening beyond our realm of direct perception and comprehension (i.e. they happen on higher dimensions).<\/p>\n<h3>Hindu stories can he interpreted however one likes<\/h3>\n<p>Stories are often presented to teach a specific lesson. Though there is room for flexibility, and deeper understanding, we should be careful not to exploit the stories, or trivialise them, simply to promote our own values, or in the name of making them more accessible.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":37,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[157,244,241],"class_list":["post-485","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-bhagavat-purana","tag-purana","tag-smriti"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845,"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/485\/revisions\/1845"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/37"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iskconeducationalservices.org\/HoH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}