The Vishnu Purana (IAST: Viu Pura) is one of Hinduism's eighteen Mahapuranas (ancient and mediaeval Hindu scriptures). In the Vaishnavism literary corpus, it is an important Pancharatra work.
Vishnu Purana's composition date is
uncertain and disputed, with estimates varying significantly. Various academics
have given the following dates for the oldest edition of the Vishnu Purana:
The "date of the Vishnu Purana is as
disputed as that of any other Purana," according to Rocher. According to
Rocher, references to Vishnu Purana in works like Brihadvishnu, whose dates are
more established, show that a version of Vishnu Purana existed by around 1000
CE, although it's uncertain how much the existing manuscripts represent the
modifications over the 2nd millennium. The Vishnu Purana, like all Puranas, has
a convoluted timeline. According to Dimmitt and van Buitenen, each Purana,
including the Vishnu Purana, is written in an encyclopaedic style, making it
impossible to determine when, when, why, and by whom they were written:
The Puranas are a layered literature in their current form. Each
named piece is made up of material that has accumulated through time as a
result of various accretions. As a result, there is no fixed date for the
writing of any Purana. (...) It's like if they're libraries with new books
being added on a regular basis, not necessarily at the end of the shelf, but at
random.
Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas, by
Cornelia Dimmitt and J.A.B. van Buitenen
During the British India
colonial era, many of the existing manuscripts were written on palm leaf or
copied, some in the 19th century.According to Ludo Rocher, forgeries have
plagued research on the Vishnu Purana and other Puranas, since liberties in the
transmission of Puranas were common, and those who copied earlier manuscripts
altered words or added new information to match the idea that colonial scholars
were eager to disseminate.
The Vishnu Purana (IAST: Viu Pura) is one of Hinduism's eighteen
Mahapuranas (ancient and mediaeval Hindu scriptures). In the Vaishnavism
literary corpus, it is an important Pancharatra work. Many variants of the
Vishnu Purana manuscripts have survived until the present age.
Structure
There are six aas (parts) and 126 adhyyas
in the existing text (chapters). There are 22 chapters in the first part, 16
chapters in the second part, 18 chapters in the third portion, and 24 chapters
in the fourth section. The fifth and sixth portions of the book, with 38 and 8
chapters respectively, are the longest and shortest parts of the text.
According to textual tradition, the
original Vishnu Purana contained 23,000 verses, however the surviving
manuscripts only had around 7,000 verses. The text is written in metric verses,
or slokas, with each stanza having exactly 32 syllables, with 16 of those
syllables being free style according to traditional literary rules.
The Vishnu Purana is an exception in that it presents its contents in Vishnu worship-related Pancalaksana format – Sarga (cosmogony), Pratisarga (cosmology), Vamśa (mythical genealogy of the gods, sages and kings), Manvantara (cosmic cycles), and Vamśānucaritam (legends during the times of various kings). This is rare, state Dimmitt and van Buitenen, because just 2% of the known Puranic literature corpus is about these five Pancalaksana items, and about 98% is about diverse range of encyclopedic topics.
With around 7,000 lines in existing forms, the Vishnu Purana is one of the shorter Purana writings. It largely focuses on the Hindu god Vishnu and his incarnations, such as Krishna, but it also glorifies Brahma and Shiva, claiming that they are dependent on Vishnu.
The Vishnu Purana begins with a dialogue
between the sage Maitreya and his guru, Parashara, in which the sage inquires,
"What is the nature of this universe and everything that is in it?"
The first Amsha (part) of the Vishnu
Purana deals with cosmology, which is concerned with the creation,
preservation, and annihilation of the cosmos. According to Rocher, the
mythology is intertwined with the evolutionary theories of the Samkhya school
of Hindu philosophy.
Unlike several other Puranas, this one
places the Hindu god Vishnu as the centre of its cosmology, rather than Shiva,
Brahma, or the goddess Shakti.The devotion and worship of Vishnu is presented
as a way of emancipation in 22 chapters of the first section, along with the
frequent usage of Vishnu's synonymous names such as Hari, Janardana, Madhava,
Achyuta, Hrishikesha, and others. The narrative of compassionate and Vishnu
devotee Prahlada and his persecution by his demon king father Hiranyakasipu is
told in chapters 1.16 through 1.20 of the Vishnu Purana, where Prahlada is
eventually saved by Vishnu. This tale appears in other Puranas as well.
In the first book of the Vishnu Purana,
Vishnu is described as all elements, all matter in the world, the entire
universe, all living beings, as well as Atman (Inner Self, essence) within
every living being, nature, intellect, ego, mind, senses, ignorance, wisdom,
the four Vedas, and all that is and is not.
The text's second section explains its
idea of the planet, including the seven continents and seven oceans. It
mentions Mount Meru, Mount Mandara, and other prominent peaks, as well as
Bharata-varsha (literally, Bharata's kingdom), with its many rivers and various
inhabitants. Jambu, Plaksha, Salmala, Kusha, Krauncha, Saka, and Pushkara are
the seven continents, each surrounded by various types of liquids (salt water,
fresh water, wine, sugarcane juice, clarified butter, liquid yoghurt, and
milk).The spheres above the earth, planets, the sun, and the moon are all
described in this section of the Vishnu Purana. The tales of King Bharata, who
abdicates his kingdom to lead the life of a sannyasi, are presented in four
chapters (2.13 to 2.16) of the second book of the text, which are identical to
the narratives contained in sections 5.7 to 5.14 of the Bhagavata Purana.
According to Stella Kramrisch, the topography of Mount Mandara east of Mount
Meru described in this book and other Puranas may be linked to the term Mandir
(Hindu temple) and the rationale for its construction, "image, objective,
and destination."
The notion of manvantaras, or Manus-ages,
is presented in the first chapters of the Vishnu Purana's third book (each
306.72 million years long) This is based on the Hindu idea that everything is
cyclic, and that even Yuga (eras, epochs) begin, develop, and eventually fade
away. According to the scripture, six manvantaras have already gone, and we are
now in the seventh. The Vedas are divided into four categories in each era,
according to the text, and they have been disputed twenty-eight times. Each
time, a Veda-Vyasa arises, and with the help of his pupils, he meticulously
arranges the everlasting knowledge.
Several chapters in Book 3 of the Vishnu
Purana deal with rites of passage from birth to death.The notion of
manvantaras, or Manus-ages, is presented in the first chapters of the Vishnu
Purana's third book (each 306.72 million years long) This is based on the Hindu
idea that everything is cyclic, and that even Yuga (eras, epochs) begin,
develop, and eventually fade away. According to the scripture, six manvantaras
have already gone, and we are now in the seventh. The Vedas are divided into four
categories in each era, according to the text, and they have been disputed
twenty-eight times. Each time, a Veda-Vyasa arises, and with the help of his
pupils, he meticulously arranges the everlasting knowledge.
Several chapters in Book 3 of the Vishnu Purana
deal with rites of passage from birth to death.
The book claims the ethical duty of all
varnas is to do good to others, never abuse anybody, never indulge in calumny
or falsehood, never desire another person's wife, never steal another's
property, never harbour ill-will towards anyone, never beat or murder any human
being or living thing. Be attentive in the service of the gods, sages and guru,
states the Purana, seek the wellbeing of all animals, one's own offspring and
of one's own soul. According to the Vishnu Purana, anybody who lives a life
according to the following obligations, regardless of their varna or stage of
life, is the finest worshipper of Vishnu. Similar remarks on man's ethical
responsibilities may be found throughout the Vishnu Purana.
The four phases of life are described in
Chapter 2.9 as brahmacharya (student), grihastha (householder), vanaprastha
(retirement), and sannyasa (sacrifice) (renunciation, mendicant). According to
Wilson, the text repeats the ethical obligations in this chapter. The chapters
on Shraddha (ancestor rites) explain the traditions connected with a family
funeral, including the preparation of the dead corpse, cremation, and
post-cremation rituals.
The third book concludes with a narrative of Vishnu, through Mayamoha, assisting the Devas in their victory over the Asuras by teaching the Asuras erroneous beliefs that reject the Vedas, as well as declaring their hatred for the Vedas, making them easier to recognise and destroy.
The longest part of the Vishnu
Purana is dedicated to the legend of Krishna (above).
The text's fourth book, divided into 24
parts, details royal dynasties, beginning with Brahma, then solar and lunar
dynasties, and finally those on Earth throughout the Yugas (epochs), with
Pariksit claimed as the "current ruler." Shaubhri, Mandhatri, Narmada,
sage Kapila, Rama, Nimi, Janaka, Buddha, Satyavati, Puru, Yadu, Krishna,
Devaka, Pandu, Kuru, Bharata, Bhisma, and others are among the characters whose
tales are included in the work.
With 38 chapters, the Vishnu Purana's
fifth book is the longest. It is devoted to the tale of Krishna as a Vishnu
incarnation. The book opens with Krishna's birth, his boyhood pranks and games,
his adventures, and his mission to remove the tyranny of Kansa, the
demon-tyrant ruler of Mathura.
Krishna's tale in the Vishnu Purana is
identical to that in the Bhagavata Purana, numerous other Puranas, including
the Mahabharata's Harivamsa. Scholars have long argued whether the Bhagavata
Purana extended the Krishna narrative found in the Vishnu Purana, or whether
the latter shortened the version found in the former, or whether both relied on
the Harivamsa, which is thought to have been written somewhere around the year
500.
Soul and Prakriti
This soul is of its own nature,
pure, composed of happiness and wisdom.
The properties of pain, ignorance and impurity,
are those of Prakriti, not of soul.
—Vishnu Purana, 6.7
With only eight chapters, the Vishnu Purana's final volume is the
shortest. The sixth book argues that the Kali Yuga is violent, harsh, and
replete with evilness that causes pain, but that "Kali Yuga is good"
because one may reject to join the bad, commit oneself to Vishnu, and so gain
redemption.
Yoga and meditation are discussed in the text's last chapters,
from 6.6 to 6.7, as a way of Vishnu devotion. According to the scripture,
contemplative devotion is connection with the Brahman (ultimate reality), which
can only be achieved by virtues like compassion, truth, honesty,
disinterestedness, self-restraint, and holy study.
Five Yamas, five Niyamas, Pranayama, and Pratyahara are mentioned in the scripture. According to the scripture, Vishnu is the pure and flawless soul, and absorption in Vishnu is freedom. The text declares itself to be a "imperishable Vaishnava Purana" in chapter 6.8.
Diamond Books (1 January 2006)
128 pages
Geeta Press Gorakhpur; 1st edition (1 January 2015)
250 pages
14 x 0.71 x 21.59 cm
Sanskrit
The sage Veda Vyasa is credited as the author of the Vishnu Purana, as is the case with all other Puranas. Its true author(s) and date of creation are uncertain and disputed.
Randhir prakashan 2014
Diamond Books (1 January 2006)
Geeta Press Gorakhpur; 1st edition (1 January 2015)
Randhir prakashan 2014
Diamond Books (1 January 2006)
Geeta Press Gorakhpur; 1st edition (1 January 2015)