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Re: Animal-Killing, and Soul-Merging Condemned
susarla.krishna@studentserver1.swmed.edu (Hari Krishna Susarla) wrote:
[*chomp*]
>Don't quote me on this, but I once heard that the 18 Puranas were originally
>one. I can't confirm that, though. I do know that the Puranas are considered
>as supplemental Vedic literatures by the Vaishnava acharyas. Madhva, in his
>commentary on Vedanta-sutra 2.1.6 quotes the Bhavishya Puraana as follows:
[*chomp*]
I'm not sure what the context of that quote is, but if you mean to hold
that by that quote you show Madhva's acceptance of your views, you're
quite wrong. Here are a few other quotes by Madhva, and his own words,
where he disagrees:
"na cha kenachitkrtvaa veda ityuktam vedasamam paramparaabhaavaat"
It is not the case that any statement can be called a Veda, and regarded
as equivalent to the Vedas, if it lacks the continuous tradition (of
Shruti-recitation).
"na chaanityatve shrutirveda ityaadi visheshashabda upapadyate"
The words 'Shruti', 'Veda', etc., cannot be used to describe non-
beginningless works. (Therefore, it is wrong to describe the PuraaNas as
"Vedic literatures.")
Now, a quote from the BrahmaNDa PuraaNa:
nityaa vedaaH samastaashcha shaashvataaH vishhNu-buddhigaaH |
sarge sarge amunaivaita udgiiryante tathaiva cha |
{...}
puraaNaani tadarthaani sarge sarge anyathaiva tu |
kriyante'tastvanityaani tadarthaaH puurvasargavat |
(There is more in the quote in between, but I've taken it out because it
is not germane to the discussion.)
"All the Vedas are eternal and in their eternal form exist in the mind
of Vishnu; they are brought out in each creation in exactly the same
form (as before) only.
[*chomp*]
"The PuraaNas are created in different forms in each creation; because
they are created, they are considered non-eternal, but their purports
are as those [PuraaNas] of previous creations."
It is quite obvious, then, that the Vedas and the PuraaNas are of
different natures, and that this fact is documented in scripture.
Regards,
Shrisha Rao
>regards,
>
>-- H. Krishna Susarla
