Brahma Vaivarta Purana, (
IASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a popular transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts.-Popularity:IAST is the most popular transliteration scheme for romanization of Sanskrit and Pali...
) one of the major eighteen
PuranasThe Puranas are a group of important Hindu religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography...
, a
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
religious text, is divided into four parts. First part describes the creation of the universe and all beings, the second part relates to description and histories of different goddesses. The third part is mostly devoted to life and deeds of
GaneshaGanesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
, and the last part details the life and deeds of
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
.
Brahma Vaivarta Purana was written in Banga (ancient name for the region of Bengal).
Brahma Vaivarta Purana, (
IASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a popular transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts.-Popularity:IAST is the most popular transliteration scheme for romanization of Sanskrit and Pali...
) one of the major eighteen
PuranasThe Puranas are a group of important Hindu religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography...
, a
HinduA Hindu is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti and Smriti , lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs which primarily include dhárma, kárma, ahimsa and saṃsāra...
religious text, is divided into four parts. First part describes the creation of the universe and all beings, the second part relates to description and histories of different goddesses. The third part is mostly devoted to life and deeds of
GaneshaGanesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
, and the last part details the life and deeds of
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
.
Structure and content
Brahma Vaivarta Purana was written in Banga (ancient name for the region of Bengal). Recited by
SutaUgrashravas was the narrator of several Puranas, including Mahābhārata, Bhagavata Purana, Harivamsa, and Padma Purana, with the narrations typically taking place before the sages gathered in Naimisha Forest. He was the son of Lomaharshana , and a disciple of Vyasa, the author of Mahābhārata...
to the sages at the forest of Naimisharanya. First part is called
Brahma Khanda and describes
BrahmaBrahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedanta philosophy known as Brahman. Brahmā's consort is Saraswati, the goddess of learning...
and his sons, especially
NaradaNarada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Hindu tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana. Narada is portrayed as a travelling monk with the ability to visit distant worlds or planets, lokas in Sanskrit...
. Second part called
Prakriti Khanda deals with the goddesses or
saktisSakti is a town and a nagar palika in Janjgir-Champa district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.-History:Sakti was one of the princely states of the Eastern States Agency of India. Today it is located in the state of Chhattisgarh. It had an area of 357 km² and, in 1982, a population of...
who are manifestations of Prakriti. The third part,
Ganesha Khanda, is about
GaneshaGanesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
, the elephant-headed son of
ShivaShiva , also known as Rudra is a major Hindu god and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God...
and
ParvatiParvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is also regarded as a representation of Shakti, albeit the gentle aspect of that goddess because she is a mother goddess. Parvati is considered by some schools of Hinduism as the supreme Divine Mother or Lordess and all other goddesses are referred to as her...
. In this canto Ganesha's mother Parvati told
ShaniShani is one of the Navagraha which are the nine primary celestial beings in Hindu astrology, or Jyotiṣa. Shani is embodied in the planet Saturn...
to ignore the curse and look at Ganesha. The fourth and last part is called
Krsna Janma Khanda - a canto about birth and life of
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
,
Svayam bhagavanSvayam Bhagavan , "The Lord" or Lord Himself, is a Sanskrit theological term. The term refers to the concept of absolute representation of the monotheistic God as Bhagavan within Hinduism....
.
Krishna and creation of the universe
Brahma Vaivarta Purana declares Krishna to be the supreme
GodGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
,(para-
BrahmanIn the Hindu religion, Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe. The nature of Brahman is described as transpersonal, personal and impersonal by different...
) who lives in
GolokaGoloka is the eternal abode of Krishna, Svayam bhagavan according to some Vaishnava schools, including Gaudiya Vaishnavism and the Swaminarayan Sampraday. The scriptural basis for this comes from texts like Bhagavata Purana, Padma Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Brahma Purana, Brahmanda Purana,...
and who with Rasesvari (
RadhaRadha is the principal devotee of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Hindu religion. Radha is almost always depicted alongside Krishna and features prominently within the theology of today's Gaudiya Vaishnava religion, which regards Radha as the original Goddess or Shakti...
) has created this universe. They are married by Brahma. All
VedasThe Vedas are a large body of texts originating in Ancient India. The texts are composed in Vedic Sanskrit and form the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature, and the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism....
and related scriptures mention the para-Brahman to be the supreme God but this Purana specifies that this supreme God is Krishna. He created the trinity of
BrahmaBrahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedanta philosophy known as Brahman. Brahmā's consort is Saraswati, the goddess of learning...
,
VishnuVishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God...
and
ShivaShiva , also known as Rudra is a major Hindu god and one aspect of Trimurti. In the Shaiva tradition of Hinduism, Shiva is seen as the Supreme God...
whose responsibility is the creation, preservation and destruction of universe respectively. This Purana takes a view on the creation that is slightly different to other Puranas. The fully developed legend of
RadhaRadha is the principal devotee of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Hindu religion. Radha is almost always depicted alongside Krishna and features prominently within the theology of today's Gaudiya Vaishnava religion, which regards Radha as the original Goddess or Shakti...
and Krishna appears in both the Narada-pancaratra and this Purana.
Further reading
- Mani, Vettam. Puranic Encyclopedia. 1st English ed. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975.
External links