J. L. Shastri - Shiva Purana

The purest gems lie hidden in the bottom of the ocean or in the depths of rocks. One has to dive into the ocean or delve into the rocks to find them out. Similarly truth lies concealed in the language that with the lapse of time has become obsolete. Man has to learn that language before he discovers that truth.

But he has neither the means nor the leisure to embark for that venture. We have therefore planned to help him acquire knowledge by the easier course. We have started the series of Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology in English Translation. Our goal is to universalise knowledge through the most popular, international medium of expression. The publication of the in English translation is the step towards that goal.

The definition that suited the contemporary text. Still the dynamic forces were at work and the process of insertion, modification and abridgement went on and it was soon discovered that the Daalakaa definition too fell short of an actual fact. It was found that the puras contained certain aspects that were not covered by any of the five or ten characteristics. Besides some of the characteristics covered by the Pacalakaa or Daalakaa definition were not found in certain Puras.

In fact the Pura as a class represents the different phases and aspects of life of diverse ages. It is impossible to adopt a standard definition for the class of literary composition that contains heterogeneous phases and aspects. Moreover, a definition framed on the numerical basis of points is bound to be imperfect.

The Puras are divided into two classesthe is a sacred treatise of ivas legends and ritual.

The extant text of ivapura is arranged into seven

According to the records of the Vyavya, the original ivapura consisted of twelve

As previously stated, the Mahpuras are eighteen.

Now let us examine if any solution could at all be possible. We know that ivapura is divided into seven Sahits, one of which is the Vyavya. We have the testimony of ivapura itself that the original ivapura consisting of one hundred thousand lokas was abridged into twenty-four thousand lokas. On the strength of this evidence it cannot be unreasonable to suppose that there was a proto-ivapura and a proto-Vyavya. It is not unlikely that there was a close affinity between the extant and the proto-Vyavya or that the extant Vyupura is a recension of the proto-Vyavya and thus a part of ivapura itself. Solution lies in assuming identically of the two on the basis of this suggestion, not in accepting the one and rejecting the other.

ivapura has all the characteristics of a Mahpura. According to the ancients, a Mahpura contained five main characteristics

According to this account, the work of creation is entrusted to Brahm who creates the cosmic egg consisting of twenty-four principles. The cosmic egg is insentient at first but when Viu pervades it, it goes in motion. Then different kinds of creation are evolved out of it.

ivapura classifies creation in three categories: Primary, Secondary and Primary-Secondary. The three categories are arranged in the following table:

Creation:

Primary
Intellect and Ego;
Subtle elements;
Five organs of action and five organs of knowledge, .

Secondary
Insentient objects;
Animals;
Divine beings;
Human beings;
Sentient feelings.

Primary-Secondary
Mind-born sons of

According to ivapura, the ninefold creation was unable to proceed on the work of creation. The mind-born sons of Brahm refused to obey the creator and remained celibate. Then out of his body Brahm produced eleven sons: and Satarp who complied with the wishes of the creator and began the work of creation.

After all, the creation of the universe is not a permanent feature, for all creations end in dissolutions which in turn give place to re-creation. The description of this process constitutes one of the five main features of a Mahpura. ivapuraa takes up this topic but withholds details.

The process of dissolution is complicated, for several dissolutions occur before the universe is completely dissolved. As the puras relate, a creation lasts for a day of Brahm equal to the age of fourteen

The description of the ages of Manus (Manvantaras) is another characteristic of a Mahpura. ivapura mentions fourteen Manus by name. They are to another and is described in all the Mahpuras. ivapura is no exception to the rule.

In the Pacalakaa character of the Mahpura, genealogies and deeds of glorious kings play an important part. The were the custodians of genealogical records which they learnt by rote and which they recited at sessional sacrifices in exchange for the gifts they obtained from their patrons. But in the course of oral transmission from one generation to another some interpolations entered in these records. There were traditional variations too, for different versions existed in different families of the Stas. When the records were incorporated in the Puras, the interpolations and the traditional variations also settled therein. This explains the difference that exists in the genealogical records of the Puras.

Pargiter after Sarvakarman or arvaarman while these are omitted in Pargiter. Instead Pargiter mentions a series of eleven kings who are not found in ivapura at all.

With these variations, ivapura proceeds with the statement of genealogies and deeds of glorious monarchs. But the statements are meagre, for ivapura is not interested in furnishing details., is called the present time when this pura is said to have been written. The reigning period of the kings from Agnivara to Sumitra is called the future time that presupposes the existence of this work.

The genealogical lists are interspersed with the deeds of some illustrious monarchs. For it is a characteristic of the Mahpura to record the deeds of some famous kings. Usually the deeds comprise the personal history of the ruler but are sometimes related to the conditions of his reigning period. ivapura is interested in the records of the solar dynasty of Ayodhy and as such it recounts the deeds of some monarchs of that house. Of these and others occupy a secondary place.

The above analysis clearly demonstrates that ivapura possesses the conventional characteristics of a Mahpura in common with its other colleagues. These entitle it to the status of a great pura. But its real greatness lies in expounding the philosophical background of iva ritual. The Pura conceives iva as the eternal principle, the supreme god, the cosmic soul, the support of all existence. But the ignorant aspirant bound in the meshes of illusion goes in quest for knowledge and imagines that his lord has a personal form possessed of attributes distinct from his self, who in moments of distress responds to his prayers and bestows grace. The devotee, then aspires for spiritual enlightenment and takes to ritual for selfpurification. ivapura enjoins several rites of worship and acts of homage, comprising a series of physical and spiritual practices in accompaniment with the . The aspirant has to pass through this series of activities before he reaches another state of experience wherein he finds a perfect accord between his own self and his personal deity, yet there is an awareness of separateness from his deity till he reaches the last state of experience wherein all distinctions are obliterated and his self unites with his godhead.