The Brahmavaivarta Purana (Sanskrit:,Brahmavaivarta Purana) is a large Sanskrit book and Hinduism's most important Purana (Maha-purana). It is a Vaishnavism book that focuses on Krishna and Radha and is regarded one of the contemporary period Puranas.
Through Radha and Krishna, as well as the concept of Ardhanari-Krishna (also known as Ardha-radha-venudhara-murti), a concept similar to Ardhanarishvara in Shaivism, the Brahmavaivarta Purana emphasises the unity, interdependence, and inseparability of the feminine and masculine across its various chapters. This Purana concept may be traced back to a Maharashtra art piece in which Krishna murti is carved as half man and half woman. The first portion of the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Brahma-khanda, was translated into Assamese, and this manuscript dates from the early nineteenth century.
This work deviates from the encyclopaedic approach seen in virtually all
other major Puranas, and as a result, the majority of this Purana is estimated
to date around the 15th or 16th centuries. The text was most likely written
considerably earlier, and the older form was most likely completed during the
eighth and tenth centuries.
Through Radha and Krishna, as well as the concept of Ardhanari-Krishna
(also known as Ardha-radha-venudhara-murti), a concept similar to
Ardhanarishvara in Shaivism, the Brahmavaivarta Purana emphasises the unity,
interdependence, and inseparability of the feminine and masculine across its
various chapters.
According to tradition and other Puranas, this Purana has 18,000
verses. Unlike other Puranas, which generally fall short of 18,000 verses, the
genuine manuscripts include over 18,000 verses.
Brahma Vaivarta Purana is classified as a Rajas Purana by the Padma Purana. Scholars believe the Sattva-Rajas-Tamas categorization to be "completely fictitious," and nothing in the text really supports this classification.
There are up to 274 or 276 chapters in various versions of this Purana, all claiming to be part of or manuscripts of the Brahmavaivarta Purana or the Brahmakaivarta Purana.
The Brahmavaivarta Purana (Sanskrit:,Brahmavaivarta Purana) is a large Sanskrit book and Hinduism's most important Purana (Maha-purana). It is a Vaishnavism book that focuses on Krishna and Radha and is regarded one of the contemporary period Puranas.
Although a version may have existed as early as the late first millennium CE, the current form was most likely written in the 15th or 16th centuries in the Bengal area of India. Another work, Brahmakaivarta Purana, has a similar-sounding title and is connected, although it was likely altered someplace in South India.There are up to 274 or 276 chapters in various versions of this Purana, all claiming to be part of or manuscripts of the Brahmavaivarta Purana or the Brahmakaivarta Purana.
The book is significant for recognising Krishna as the highest
Reality and stating that all gods, including Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and
Ganesha, are one and the same, and that they are all incarnations of Krishna.
The Brahmavaivarta Purana asserts that all goddesses, including Radha, Durga,
Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Savitri, are equal and all manifestations of Prakriti
(nature), with tales similar to those found in the Mahabharata and the Devi
Mahatmya.
The book is also famous for its egalitarian ideas that all women are embodiments of the divine female, co-creators of the cosmos, and that any insult to a woman is an affront to goddess Radha, and for celebrating the feminine via Radha.
Brahmavaivarta Purana's mythology and tales, as well as Bhagavata
Purana's, have influenced Krishna-related Hindu traditions, as well as dance
and performance arts like the Rasa Lila.
Because goddess Radha is not featured in most other major Puranas, the existing copies of the Brahmavaivarta Purana text are rare. In addition, this literature is mostly made up of tales, worship, mythology, and drama set during the lives of Radha and Krishna, with discussions on ethics, dharma, the four phases of life, and festivals woven into the storey. The particular details in this Purana demonstrate the impact or knowledge of events that may be traced back to mid-second-millennium CE developments linked with Tantra, Bhakti saints like Caitanya, and others. This work deviates from the encyclopaedic approach seen in virtually all other major Puranas, and as a result, the majority of this Purana is considered to date from the 15th or 16th centuries.
The text was most likely written considerably earlier, and the
older form was most likely completed during the eighth and tenth centuries.
According to Hazra, a version existed by 700 CE. This Hindu scripture, however,
has undergone considerable changes throughout its history. This text was most
likely altered in South Asia's Bengal area. Another similar work, the
Brahmakaivarta Purana, is likewise relatively recent yet may be traced back to
South India. A few manuscripts labelled Adi brahmavaivarta purana, with an
unknown production date, have been offered as the earlier perhaps original
Purana, however these are substantially different from the Brahmavaivarta
Purana text, which is usually regarded to be one of the 18 Puranas.
Because Nibandha writers of the 15th and 16th centuries referenced
over 1,500 lines from works such as the Smriti Candrika, which they believed
was in this Purana, the earlier version of the Brahmavaivarta Purana was once
prominent in its own right. However, just 30 of these lines are recorded in the
existing manuscripts of the Brahmavaivarta Purana, implying that the original
Purana was massively rewritten at some point during its history, possibly in
the 15th or 16th century.
According to Hazra, Smriti chapters were most likely added into the text after the 16th century. "Mixed castes, obligations of women, duties of varna, duties of people during their Ashrama (stages of life), adoration and glorification of Brahmins, notion of hell in the afterlife, and religious gift giving for merit" are among the topics covered in this updated edition. The only Smriti chapters that can be found in previous editions of this work are 4.8 and 4.26, which are the only ones in currently extant manuscripts. These have anything to do with Vrata.
The book is divided into four Khandas (sections):
Brahma Khanda has 30 chapters, mostly about Brahma Prakriti
Khanda, which has 67 chapters and is mostly about Devi Ganesha Khanda, which
has 46 chapters and is mostly about Ganesha Krishna Khanda, which has 133
chapters and is mostly about Radha and Krishna.
According to tradition and other Puranas, this Purana has 18,000 verses. Unlike other Puranas, which generally fall short of 18,000 verses, the genuine manuscripts include over 18,000 verses.
Brahma Vaivarta Purana is classified as a Rajas Purana by the
Padma Purana. Scholars believe the Sattva-Rajas-Tamas categorization to be
"completely fictitious," and nothing in the text really supports this
classification.
The title of the book, Brahmavaivarta, refers to the "metamorphosis of Brahman," who is associated with Krishna. This Purana presents an approach to creation in which the Brahman, as Krishna, both produces and is the cosmos. In this Purana, the narrative of Radha and Krishna depicts the evolution and nature of the cosmos. Many scholarly analyses have been conducted on the text's seduction stories and legends.
Krishna is the primordial creator, universal soul, and highest
reality idea known as Brahman, according to the first khanda (part). The second
section introduces Prakriti, or substance, which is associated with five
goddesses in Hindu mythology: Radha, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Savitri.
Many additional goddesses are mentioned, but the core of Radha Prakriti is
stated to be the same for all goddesses and feminine beings. The third section
tells the narrative of Ganesha, the famed elephant-headed god, as well as his
family and brother, and claims that he is an incarnation of Krishna.The
Purana's last section is dedicated to Radha and Krishna, and it is filled with
sexual themes, hymns, tales, and myths. Radha is depicted as Krishna's vitality
and force, an integral component.
In chapter 4.13, the Purana says that "all female creatures
have sprung forth out of the divine female," and that "any insult to
a woman is an accusation against heavenly Rädhä" in Prakrti-khanda. The
passage, in addition to associating all women with the goddess Radha, also
equates all males with Krishna. These portions may have been influenced by
Hinduism's ancient Shaktism tradition. The Brahmavaivarta Purana, on the other
hand, is not a feminist work, according to Joris, since Radha is not always
treated with respect, and she is not "consistently depicted as superior or
equal to Krishna" in this Purana.
The Brahmavaivarta Purana, like the Bhagavata Purana, concentrates on Vishnu and, in particular, Krishna, although its stories and legends are considerably less well-known than the Bhagavata book. Wilson wrote, "the Brahmavaivarta Purana has not the slightest title to be regarded as a Purana." Its style has been described as "insipid, puerile," and its content and layout of a form so different from the other Puranas that "the Brahmavaivarta Purana has not the slightest title to be regarded as a Purana."In contrast to Wilson's ideas, Parmeshwaranand claims that this is a bhakti text geared toward mystical experience, and that the text, in its own way, attempts to explore religious and philosophical problems as in other religious works, namely, the duality and non-duality of God and the universe.
Through Radha and Krishna, as well as the concept of Ardhanari-Krishna (also known as Ardha-radha-venudhara-murti), a concept similar to Ardhanarishvara in Shaivism, the Brahmavaivarta Purana emphasises the unity, interdependence, and inseparability of the feminine and masculine across its various chapters.This Purana concept may be traced back to a Maharashtra art piece in which Krishna murti is carved as half man and half woman. The first portion of the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Brahma-khanda, was translated into Assamese, and this manuscript dates from the early nineteenth century.
Divine Books (1 August 2011)
415 pages
Parimal Publications (15 October 2005)
650 pages
The tradition and other Puranas assert that this Purana had
18,000 verses. The actual manuscripts have more than 18,000 verses, unlike
other Puranas where they usually fall short. The Padma Purana categorizes Brahma
Vaivarta Purana as a Rajas Purana.
23 x 21 x 2 cm
Sanskrit, Sanskrit
ts style has been called "insipid, puerile", and its content and layout of a form so different from the other Puranas that Wilson wrote, "the Brahmavaivarta Purana has not the slightest title to be regarded as a Purana"
Gita Press (1 January 2017)
It has been suggested that an original Brahmavaivarta Purana was composed before 700 AD, but it has since been lost. It's possible that the original Purana was a Laghu-Brahmavaivarta Purana. The current enormous Brahmavaivarta Purana, on the other hand, has been dated to the 8th century AD.
1 August 2011
15 October 2005