Question

Describe the main features of Puranic Hinduism.

Answer 1

The word Puranas (Sanskrit: पुराण) literally means "ancient, old" and it is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics; particularly myths, legends and other traditional lore. It is composed primarily in Sanskrit, but also in regional languages. The Puranic literature is encyclopedic, and it includes diverse topics such as cosmogony, cosmology, genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, grammar, mineralogy, humor, love stories, as well as theology and philosophy.The content is highly inconsistent across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts which are themselves inconsistent.The Hindu Puranas are anonymous texts and likely the work of many authors over the centuries; in contrast, most Jaina Puranas can be dated and their authors assigned.... Please give the answer a Brainliest sign if its satisfactory...

Answer 2

Puranas(Sanskrit: पुराण purāṇa, "of ancient times") are ancientHindutexts eulogizing variousdeities, primarily thedivineTrimurtiGodinHinduismthrough divine stories.QuotesSri Swami Sivananda:Vyasais the compiler of the Puranas from age to age; and for this age, he is Krishna-Dvaipayana, the son ofParasara.*.The Puranas are post-Vedictexts which typically contain a complete narrative of the history of theUniversefrom creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology and geography. There are 18 canonical Puranas, divided into three categories, each named after a deity:Brahma,VishnuandShiva. There are also many other works termed Purana, known as 'Upapuranas.*.Sacred Texts, inHinduism*.Vyasais the compiler of the Puranasfrom age to age; and for this age, he is Krishna-Dvaipayana, the son ofParasara.*.Sri Swami Sivananda, inThe Puranas*.The Puranas are authoritative scriptures of the Hindu dharma. Likethe “Sruti” (the audible word), the “Smriti” (thedivineword remembered) is an authoritative scripture though not of the same order.*.Sri Aurobindo, inSri Aurobindo Writings in BengaliTranslated into English*.The Puranas are of the same class as theItihasas(theRamayana,Mahabharata, etc.). They have five characteristics (Pancha Lakshana), viz.,history,cosmology(with various symbolical illustrations ofphilosophical principles), secondarycreation,genealogyofkings, and ofManvantaras(the period ofManu’s rule consisting of 71celestialYugasor 308,448,000 years). All the Puranas belong to the class ofSuhrit-Sammitas, or the Friendly Treatises, while theVedasare calledthePrabhu-Sammitasor the Commanding Treatises with great authority.*.Sri Swami Sivananda, in "The Puranas"*.The Puranas, theTantras, and all the other books, even theVyasaSutras, are of secondary, or tertiary authority, but primary are theVedas. etc.