The Brahma Purana (critical study)

by Surabhi H. Trivedi | 1960 | 254,628 words

This is an English study of the Brahmapurana—one of the eighteen major Puranas. This text occupies an important place in the Pauranic literature. This study researches the rich an encyclopaedic material for social, religious, philosophical, mythological, political, geographical and literary study found in the Brahma-Purana. It also includes a lingu...

15. The Krishna-caritra section of the Brahma Purana

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The Brahma Purana refers to krsna's birth in the genealogical chapters and the syamantaka-jewel story is also referred to but the regular krsna-caritra describing his life from birth to death is given in the adhs. 180-212. From the position which the krsna-caritra occupies in the Brahma Purana, it seems that it is somewhat superfluous. But it seems that the krsna-caritra was introduced in the Purana, when krsna worship was widely prevalent. are very The story of krsna is given in details in Harivansa, Brahma-Purana, Visnu Purana, Bhagavata and Brahmavaivarta and in others it is given in short. Some of the portions of krsna-caritra are also narrated in the Mahabharata. The Harivansa, Brahma-Purana and Visnu-Purana. similar and it is difficult to opine as to which version is earlier in the absence of a complete collation of all the adhyayas of krsna-caritra in all the three Puranas. The story of Syamantaka jewel is given in details in the Vayu P. (A.96) and Matsya (A.46), Moreover, the stories of Kamsa killing the sons of Devaki and krsna killing Kamsa, Salva, Dvivida, Arista, Vrsabha, Putana, Kesi, Kuvalayapida, Narka and 1

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} 95 135 Kalayavana and cutting the hands of Bana (A.98) are given in the Vayu P, It should be noted that all these stories are dealt with at length in the Brahma Purana also. The Bhagavata seems mainly to follow the Visnu P. but many new things are introduced in it, viz. killing of Trnavarta, krsna's showing the whole world to Yasoda in his mouth, krsna carrying away the clothes of Gopis, Sankhacuda capturing the women of Vraja, etc. In the Brahmavaivarta great emphasis is placed on Radha-worship. Regarding the adhyayas 179,180 it seems that after the Gautami-mahatmya, the author wanted to start the krsnastory. Before that he connects the Purusottama with this portion. But after joining this link he seems to find it difficult to introduce the krsna-caritra without any occasion and therefore tries to bring forth the subject of lord Visnu in some way as to form an introduction to the krsna-caritra. The style of krsna-caritra in the Brahma Purana remains uniform and the account is narrated by Vyasa. The colophons of this unit are consistent except the colophons of the adhyayas 195, 199 and 204 which do not mention the contents.

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