Is there a single book of Religious authority in Hinduism ?
dear sir !PART II.
iii) Puraanam : Puraanam is considered as the magnifying glass of the Vedas. What is crisply stated in the Vedas as sutras is exaggerated and written in the form of an interesting story, so that the underlying philosophy could be grasped even by lay people. For example, ‘satyam vada’ , ‘tell the truth’ is veda. The story of Harischandra explains it in a full story. ‘Dharmam Chara’ is veda. The story of Dharmaputra explains this in the Mahabharata. ‘Matru devo bhava, Pitru devo bhava’ says the veda. Sri Rama in Ramayanam lives thus, and that is Puraanam. And, that is also History. Different Puranas point out the political environment, cultural life, the artistic and scientific knowledge, etc. of the relevant period, besides Dharma, which leads to the self elevation of the people. Miracles, in some form or other, stand as an important turning point in the life of many heroes of the historical literature or puranas.
The commonly recognized, ancient 18 puranas, again attributed to the first ever writer, Vyasa, are the following. Some of them, like ‘Skanda Puranam’ are very voluminous.
It is not intended to go any further into the details of the puranas, since the article will then become too long.
- Brahma Puranam
- Padma Puranam
- Vishnu Puranam
- Siva Puranam
- Bhaagavatam
- Naarada Puranam
- Maarkandeya Puranam
- Agni Puranam
- Bhavishya Puranam
- Brahma Vaivarta Puranam
- Linga Puranam
- Varaaha Puranam
- Skaanda Maha Puranam
- Vaamana Puranam
- Koorma Puranam
- Matsya Puranam
- Garuda Puranam
- Brahmanda Puranam
Besides these, are the two Itihaasas, Ramayanam and Mahaabhaaratam, which are not called Puranas (old) since they were written at the time they happened.
There are other innumerable Puranas, in various languages, Sthala Puranas about the places where famous temples are located, etc.
iv) Dharma Saastram : Puranas and Itihaasas have the Bhakti cult as the central theme. They all indicate our good, to reach finally. But the Dharma, on a daily basis, starting from the Karma, Anushtana, including every aspect of our life, though stated, is sporadically spread and crisp statements in different parts of the vedas. Dharma Sastram collects them, collates them, arranges them in a particular order and presents them with annotations and explanations, so that it is discernible and can be followed by the individual. The secular life and religious life are so intimately and inseparably mixed up in this brilliant exposition, where one individual prays for the general welfare of the whole world.
18 Maharishis : Manu, Parasara, Yaagnavalkar, Gautama, Haarita, Yaman, Vishnu, Sankar, Likitar, Bruhaspati, Dakshan, Angirasa, Prachetesa, Samavartar, Achanas, Atri, Aapastambar, Saataatepar have written ‘Smrutis’ (Notes on rules and regulations), like Manu Smriti, Yaagnavalkya smruti, etc, guiding the various rituals like daily rituals, Purvakarmas, Apara Karmas, Yagnas, etc.
As can be expected, some of these smrutis are mutually apparently contradicting each other, in some respects, or some rituals. Therefore, Pandits of a later period, have examined the different smrutis, reconciled the differences and written a compendium called ‘Nibandanam’ which are now considered as the final authorities on Dharma Sastram. These are :
It may thus be seen that the four upa-angas or sub-parts of the vedas carry and elevate an individual gradually, through an analysis of the Karmakanda and Gnanakanda of the vedas (Samhitam, Brahmanam, Aaranyakam and Upanishad) by explaining the importance of the rituals in Purvamimamsa and the knowledge part in the Uttara Mimamsa, the four Pramaanams or authorities, and discussion on them in the Nyaya Sastram, their explanation by interesting stories in Puranam, and finally, the daily and periodic duties of every individual to himself and to the society through Dharma Sastram. Thus, these 14 references are the ‘authority’ books of Hindu religion.
- Kasinatha Upadhyaya in North India
- Mithaakshari in Maharashtra. This is given equal status as Hindu code of law by different courts in India.
- Vaidyanatha Dikshathar’s Vaidya Naatha Dikshiteeyam in south India particularly Tamil Nadu. This is considered as the last word in Dharma Sastram in Tamil Nadu.
- Visveswara Samhita is followed by ascetics or sanyasis for do’s and don’ts.
Prasthaanatrayam:
Sometime during the post Mahabharat period, there seems to have been a review of the immensity of the scriptures and the influence of Samkhya and Meemamsa and other philosophies, based more on rituals,( irrespective of whether God exists or not), and the unity of Atma and Brahman as one ( and not two different entities), vis-à-vis, the importance of the teachings of the Upanishads, which are a result of deep thinking, questioning, philosophical research and revelations by God to the great Rishis.
The Upanishads have been piously guarded, both against extinction and mutilation, in the march of time.
A synopsis and classification of the contents of the Upanishads goes by the name BrahmaSutra, again authored by sage Vyasa. These sutras are aphorisms elucidating the Vedanta philosophy. These aphorisms are somewhat abstruse and not intelligible, difficult to follow without the help of a Bashya or commentary. But then, we have the advice of Lord Krishna to Arjuna in the battlefield, known as Bhagavad Gita. Gita is the essence of Upanishads, but made easy of understanding.
These three books, namely the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita are called the scriptural trinity – Prasthanatrayam. They constitute the final authority on scriptural matters.
It must, however, be remembered that ‘Prasthanatrayam’ is a scriptural authority on the knowledge base, and the 14 books mentioned earlier remain the authority on all aspects of Hinduism, whether it is karma or gnana.
Rituals are important and cannot be done away with. They are the first steps to lead one to understand the ultimate Truth, the relationship between Atman and Brahman and the meanings of the Mahavakyas of the Upanishads. For example, in our secondary school stage, we learn about molecules, atomic weight, valency, atomic number, periodic table, etc. At the higher secondary stage, we debrief ourselves and learn that atoms are indeed destructible, that they consist of electrons, protons and neutrons, about free floating electrons and the speed with which electrons move and their significance. In college and post-graduate levels, we learn about quantum physics and particle physics. We have today research going on to identify that particular particle, which travels faster than light and that particle, yet to be indisputably identified is already called the God particle. As if to recognize this truth, a statue of the cosmic dance of Lord Nataraja has been installed at the entrance of CERN laboratory, where this research is going on. We find the unison between science and religion. This achievement would not have been possible, if we did not learn about the basic physics, which goes on getting disproved, as we go higher and higher. Similarly, all the rituals prescribed in the karma kanda, Samkhya and Purva Mimamsa philosophies have to be understood and religiously carried out, if we have to understand the upanishadic philosophies correctly and finally attain moksha.
The Paramacharya of Kanchi had a grievance against the Brahmins and held them responsible for the current degeneration where the Brahmins have taken to the modern style of living and giving up Dharma and learning and teaching Vedas. Taking a leaf from his suggestion, the following suggestions of the great ascetic seem quite possible.
- While we may not be able to put our children in Patasalas to learn the Vedas, it should be quite possible to make them learn the Vedas from qualified teachers, with the attendant swaras, pronunciation, etc. for one hour a day, during their school days. After all, we send them for so many other special classes, fine arts, etc. In this context, looking back, I must salute my brother-in-law and his wife, for having put their son, Vijay Kumar for learning Vedas, during his school days. Today, as a senior IT executive, when he joins the Sastris in reciting the concerned part of the Vedas during various functions held in the house, they are not only surprised but take care that they, themselves, do not make mistakes !
- We may contribute to the neighbourhood genuine Patasala, or the Patasala in our village, or to reputed patasalas, a small amount, every month or once a year, etc, which may go to sustaining the expenses of at least one student in that institution, or we may contribute to the corpus of that institution. There are innumerable ways. ‘Dharmo Rakshati Rakshitah’. Dharma protects those who protect it, so says the Veda. Let us sincerely obey the law in whatever little way we can and help in spreading the Vedas.