Purana, Volume 6, Part 1 (1964)

198
पुराणम्- [purāṇam- ] PURĀNA
[Vol. VI., No. 1
of the churning of the primeval Waters or the Mother-principle
or the First Cause of creativity from some unknown and unmani-
fest source. The Bhāgavata goes into great detail to explain the
cosmology as elaborated on the basis of the Purusha Sukta in
terms of Viraj and Anda (2. 6. 7).
The cosmic Nārāyaṇa Purusha is called Yajna Purusha,
Hiranmaya Purusha (tapaniya-varna), Chhandomaya Purusha, Sarva-
devamaya Purusha, Yajñamıya Purusha, Hayasirsha Purusha in
which the Horse is the dynamic principle of Time (kālośvo
vahati saptarasmiḥ, AV. 19. 43. 1).
Time is also symbolised as Rishi Märkandeya, having the
life of a thousand years (sahasrayurjajne) which is also said to be
the life-span of the Golden Egg floating in the Waters,
(Bhāgavata, 2.6.54: SB. 11. 1.6 1-2). It is the story of Rishi
Märkandeya and of Bala-Nārāyaṇa floating on the surface of the
billowy ocean on a leaf of the Banyan tree. It is verily the
Cosmic Tree called both Asvattha and Vata, each leaf of which is
a universe in which the centre of Prana or the life-principle is
symbolised as Bala-Nārāyaṇa. He is the same as the Kumāra,
the Miraculous Babe (Chitra Sisu, RV. 10.8.2, or Adbhuta Putra,
Aranyaka Parva, 212.2; Märkandeya 94.7). It is the recurrent
principle of new life is becoming visible as the Babe (navo navo
bhavati jayamānaḥ, RV. 10.85.90). The Vedic Kumāra-Vidyā
propounded in the Satapatha Br. (6.1.3. 18-20) was taken up by
the Purana wirters and elaborated in the legend of Skanda, or
Swāmi Kārttikeya (for its fuller meaning see Introduction to my
Hindi book: Meghduta; also my English book; Matsya-
Purana A Study, pp. 247-258; Matsya Purana, chs. 159-163).
Trivikrama-Vidyā
There are many other Vedic Vidyās elaborated in the
Purānas according to the dictum: Itihasa purāṇābhyāṃ vedam
samupabrimhayet. For example, the legend of Vamana and Virāt
which was essentially Vedic where Vamana signifies the unmanifest
cause and Virät its manifested extension, (cf. Vamano vā
vishnurāsa, SB. 1.2.5.5). This is the law of Life implying the
growth of the Dwarf into the Giant. The tiniest fertilised ovum
PURĀṆA-VIDYĀ
199 Jan., 1964]
produces the complete foetus. Everywhere there is an oscillation
of forces between the cause and its final effect. These
are also
known as Vama and Palita, viz. the beautiful youth and the
grey-haired eld (RV. 1. 164. 1), and again as Yuva kumāra and
Brihat karira (RV. 1.155.6):-
चतुर्भिः साकं नवतिं च नामभिश्चक्रं न वृत्तं व्यतीर वीविपत् । [caturbhiḥ sākaṃ navatiṃ ca nāmabhiścakraṃ na vṛttaṃ vyatīra vīvipat |]
बृहच्छरीरो विमिमान ऋक्कभिर्युवाकुमारः प्रत्येत्याहवम् [bṛhaccharīro vimimāna ṛkkabhiryuvākumāraḥ pratyetyāhavam ] ||
The transformation of the Dwarf as the Giant takes place.
by virtue of Vishnu's taking Three Steps. The young boy at one
end measures out himself into the vast form of cosmic
dimensions
by the power of his three strides as stated in the Tri-Vikrama
conception of Vishnu in the Rig Veda (cf. Vishṇu-Suktas,
RV. 1.154-155; also 1.22.16).
इदं विष्णुर्विचक्रमे त्रेधा निदधे पदम् । [idaṃ viṣṇurvicakrame tredhā nidadhe padam |]
We have explained at length the idea of the Three Steps
of Vishnu in the article "The Symbolism Of The Three Brothers'
(Sparks From The Vedic Fire, pp. 29-39).