Srimad Devi Bhagavatham - First Book

Chapter III

On praising the Purânas and on each Vyâsa of every Dvâpara Yuga

1-11. Sûta said :-- “O best of the Munis! I am now telling you the names of the Purânas, etc., exactly as 1 have heard from Veda Vyâsa, the son of Satyavati; listen.

The Purâna beginning with "ma" are two in number; those beginning with “bha” are two; those beginning with “bra" are three; those beginning with "va” are four; those beginning respectively with “A”, “na”, “pa”, “Ling”, “ga”, “kû” and “Ska” are one each and “ma” means Matsya Purâna, Mârkandeya Purâna; “Bha” signifies Bhavisya, Bhâgavat Purânas; “Bra” signifies Brahmâ, Brahmânda and Brahmâvaivarta Purânas; “va” signifies Vâman, Vayu, Visnu and Varaha Purânas; “A” signifies Agni Purâna; “Na” signifies Narada Purâna; “Pa” signifies Padma Purâna; “Ling” signifies Linga Purânam; “Ga” signifies Govinda Purânam; Kû signifies Kurma Purâna and “Ska” signifies Skanda Purânam. These are the eighteen Purânas. O Saunaka! In the Matsya Purâna there are fourteen thousand slokas; in the wonderfully varied Markandeya Purânam there are nine thousand slokas. In the Bhavisya Purâna fourteen thousand and five hundred slokas are counted by the Munis, the seers of truth. In the holy Bhâgavata there are eighteen thousand S’lokas; in the Brahmâ Purâna there are Ajuta (ten thousand) S’lokas. In the Brahmânda Purâna there are twelve thousand one hundred S’lokas; in the Brahmâ Vaivarta Purânam there are eighteen thousand S’lokas. In the Vaman Purâna there are Ajuta (ten thousand) S’lokas; in the Vayu Purânam there are twenty-four thousand and six hundred S’lokas; in the greatly wonderful Visnu Purâna there are twenty-three thousand S’lokas; in the Agni Purânam there are sixteen thousand S’lokas; in the Brihat Narada Purânam, there are twenty-five thousand S’lokas, in the big Padma Purâna there are fifty-five thousand s'lokas; in the voluminous Linga Purâna eleven thousand s’lokas exist; in the Garuda Purânam spoken by Hari nineteen thousand s'lokas exist; iu the Kurma Purâna, seventeen thousand s'lokas exist and in the greatly wonderful Skanda Purâna there are eighty-one thousand s'lokas, O sinless Risis! Thus I have described to you the names of all the Purânas and the number of verses contained in them. Now hear about the Upa Purânas.

12-17. The first is the Upapurâna narrated by Sanat Kumâra; next comes Narasimha Purâna; then Naradiya Purâna, S’iva Purâna, Purâna narrated by Durvasa, Kapila Purâna, Manava Purâna, Aus’anasa Purâna, Varuna Purâna. Kalika Purâna, Samva Purâna, Nandi Kes’wara Purâna, Saura Purâna, Purâna spoken by Parâs’ara, Âditya Purâna, Mahesvara Purâna, Bhâgavata and Vasistha Purâna. These Upa Purânas are described by the Mahatmas.

After compiling the eighteen Purânas, Veda Vyâsa, the son of Satyavati composed Mahabharata, that has no rival, out of these Purânas.

18-24. At every Manvantara, in each Dvâpara Yuga, Veda Vyâsa expounds the Purânas duly to preserve the religion. Veda Vyâsa is no other person than Visnu Himself; He, in the form of Veda Vyâsa, divides the (one) Veda into four parts, in every Dvâpara Yuga, for the good of the world. The Brahmânas of the Kali age are shortlived and their intellect (Buddhi) is not sharp; they cannot realise the meaning after studying the Vedas; knowing this in every Dvâpara Yuga Bhagavân expounds the holy Purâna Samhitas. The present auspicious Manvantara is Vaivasvata; it is the seventh in due order; and the son of Satyavati, the best of the knowers of Dharma, is the Veda Vyâsa of the 28th Dvâpara Yuga of this seventh Manvantara. He is my Guru; in the next Dvâpara, Yuga Asvatthama, the son of Drona will be the Veda Vyâsa. Twenty-seven Veda Vyâsas had expired and they duly compiled each their own Purâna Samhitas in their own Dvâpara Yugas.

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT, JANATHA PARTY

16.02.2008
PRESS RELEASE

The Union Government must enter into an urgent consultation with the apex Hindu body of sadhus, namely the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha (HDAS) convened by Swami Dayananda Sarasvati, to substantially amend the Hindu Religious Endowments and Charitable Trust Act (1951) to bring it in conformity with Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution. At present the Act provides for total and suffocating control of Hindu temples in the country by the Government at the Centre and States, while exempting Mosques and Churches completely even from Government oversight supervision. This is highly discriminatory against the Hindus who are 83% of India’s population, and thus violates Article 14, 25 and 26 of the Constitution.

At recent conclave viz. the Third Conference of the HDAS held in the Adi Chunchanagiri Ashram in Mandya District of Karnataka (February 9-11, 2008), my invited paper on “Temple Governance” was discussed, and the HDAS adopted a unanimous Resolution on the subject. Armed with this Resolution, I met the AP Chief Minister Mr.Rajshekhar Reddy yesterday in Hyderabad with a delegation of the AP Hindu Devalaya Parirakshana Samiti, and urged the CM to further amend the AP Hindu Religious Endowment and Charitable Trusts Act (1987) thereby totally divest the governance of AP temples from the State Government control. The CM had last year got amended Section 152 (1) of the Act to vest the governance of temples with a Dharmika Parishad, but retained the power to nominate Parishad members entirely from and by the Government.

I therefore demanded of the CM that the power to nominate the Parishad be instead handed over to the HDAS since this body consists of the senior most sadhus, such as all the Shankaracharyas, Mahamandelswars and Peedapathis of institutions older than 200 years (hence qualified to be called Acharyas).

The Karnataka High Court has already struck down that State’s Act and an appeal is pending in the Supreme Court. Following the observations of the Supreme Court, the Karnataka Government had appointed Dr.Rama Jois Committee to advise on the necessary amendments to obviate the scrapping of the Act as a whole. This committee in its Report to Government too has recommended that the temple governance responsibility be transferred to a committee of Hindu acharyas.

I hope therefore the AP CM will not force me to litigate on the matter and will voluntarily accept this reasonable demand of the Hindus.

(SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY)

Rama Setu: Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha resolutions, Feb. 2008

Resolutions passed in the third Conference of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, held in Sri Adichunchanagiri( near Bangalore) on February 9-11, 2008

This third Conference of the Acharya Sabha was held in the ancient Sri Adi Chunchanagiri Matha during February 9 to 11, 2008. The Acharya members present heard the Secretary’s report and the Convener’s observations. With that background, the Acharya Sabha deliberated on a variety of topics of concern and interest to Hindus world-wide and in India in particular. The substance of the deliberations and conclusions appears in the brief Statement below. It is followed by the Resolutions passed on individual topics in the Agenda considered by the Acharya Sabha.

Statement.

1. There is an increasing awareness among the Acharya leadership, of the seriousness of Hindu concerns and causes which are not addressed or insufficiently addressed by authorities and within Indian Society; some of the Acharyas have taken the initiative to project the grievances of Hinduism and Hindus in specific cases; many have lent their hand and support to collective action to highlight Hindu sensitivities and grievances;
2. Awareness of unjust treatment of Hindus in the country under the flawed concept of secularism, has increased considerably overseas; such awareness is providing support to Hindu awareness among the masses in India;
3. The State Government of Tamil Nadu has in callous disregard of Hindu sentiments pursued the ill-considered Sethusamudram project despite repeated representations from numerous experts and members of the public and also from the Acharya Sabha; the Government of India has also not been sensitive to the sacred resonance of ‘Rama Setu’ in the hearts of millions of Hindus all over the world, in persisting with the dredging of the narrow sea between Sri Lanka and India along an alignment that will damage the ‘Rama Setu’ irretrievably. The Acharya Sabha therefore fully supports the country-wide agitation in the matter, appreciates the scholarly documentation that was put together and the legal action mounted.
4. Several Hindu organizations in the country are becoming active and proactive in the field to counter adverse propaganda against Hindu society and Dharma, to oppose conversion and violence and to highlight Hindu sensitivities;
5. More and more subtle attempts are underway outside the country to ‘appropriate’ Hindu philosophy and practices( such as Yoga, meditation, Sanskrit language and even sacred scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita), detaching them from their Hindu identity;
6. Global warming resulting in the rapid receding of glaciers that feed the great Indian rivers, is a major threat to the world and particularly to India; sustained efforts are needed by several authorities to stem this adverse tide; the Hindu religious leadership must explain to the devotee masses how Hindu heritage strongly opposes reckless consumption and supports conservation of and respect to all forms of life;
7. Many ancient Mathas and temples in the country are in need of rejuvenation; these institutions have a major role in sustaining, teaching and strengthening Hindu Dharma; Mathatipatis must nominate their successors before it becomes too late to do so; otherwise another pretext becomes available for government to interfere in these Hindu institutions;
8. The Acharya Sabha re-pledges itself, in the aforementioned context to speak in a single united voice, act in a concerted manner to implement specific action plans drawn up from time to time, to strengthen Hindu Dharma and Society, and counter the problems and threats they face. In this context, a lot more needs to be done by individual Acharyas in their tours, Pravachans and among their vast devotee populations in: raising Hindu self esteem; resisting and preventing conversion by protagonists of other religions; refusing to be cowed down by threats of violence from any quarter; taking recourse to legal action in specific cases aimed at protecting Hindu interests at large;
9. Individual Acharya members should consider and project the activities of their Mathas and Peethas as an effort to implement the Resolutions of the Acharya Sabha.

In the light of the foregoing, the Acharya Sabha passes the following Resolutions and calls for their vigorous implementation both by individual Acharya members, sannyasis, Hindu activists and the secretariat of the Acharya Sabha.

Temple governance matters.

Noting that

· in Andhra Pradesh, a High Court Stay was in force on acquisition of temple lands for any purpose till writ petitions filed in that regard are finally disposed off;

· In Andhra Pradesh, certain amendments have been made to the Endowment Act, the primary purpose of which is to reduce the work load on the government department and to release very small temples with little or no income into the hands of individual archakas for implementing daily pujas with the help of govt. subvention/devotee offerings;

· in Karnataka, a high powered committee has submitted recommendations for a new Endowment Law after the High Court struck down the earlier ones on certain grounds not necessarily recognizing Hindu concerns in matters of temple governance;

· in Kerala, in a Writ filed with the help of the Acharya Sabha Trust, the High Court conceded a peripheral point regarding oath-administration, but did not favour any basic concern of Hindu Society as a whole in temple matters;

· in Madhya Pradesh a new Law is under consideration in respect of temples but it seeks to retains all control in a series of government nominated bodies and in the hands of the government itself;

· in Himachal Pradesh and in Uttarakhand new governments have taken over;

· the alarming tendency in governments, both Central and the State, to treat temples and places of sacred importance to Hindus as tourist attraction particularly for foreign tourism which detracts from their sacred value to Hindus;

· there have been many terrorist attacks on Hindu places of worship in the country, and the perpetrators have not been brought to book; and

· the need for local Hindu communities to gather experience in governing temples of different sizes and popularity among temple-worshipping devotees; and thereby for establishing the credibility of the claim that they are capable of managing their places of worship, efficiently, transparently and in an accountable manner.

It is hereby resolved that

· active recourse must be taken to concerted legal action and for this purpose legal cells may be identified and created in different States and at Delhi;

· a Legal Action Fund may be created in the Acharya Sabha Trust to which individual Acharya may contribute liberally;

· rapport may be established with the new governments in Himachal Pradesh and in Uttarakhand to explore the possibility of some salutary changes in the manner of temple governance;

· correspondence may be initiated with the Chief Ministers and the Tourism Minister of Govt. of India on the need to safeguard the sanctity of temples and other places of sacred importance to Hindus; this may be followed up with visits on behalf of the Acharya Sabha, to the ministers;

· representations may be addressed to appropriate authorities deploring increasing terrorist threats to and attacks on Hindu places of worship and demanding strong preventive and punitive action;

· temple committees comprising local temple-worshipping communities should be set up as a part and parcel of Dharma Rakshana Samitis (decided at the last Conference at Mumbai) as a measure of education in transparent and accountable management, harmonious local participation in such management and demonstrable credibility for self-management of places of Hindu worship. Individual Acharyas are exhorted to undertake this exercise within their Sampradayas and area of Matha/Peetha influence.

Temple –entry matters.

Noting that

· while long-held local traditions in regard to some restrictions on entering temples, can not be easily and abruptly brushed aside, it is necessary to take steps which contribute to reducing and eliminating divisiveness within Hindu Society and to thwart forces that stand to benefit by such divisiveness;

· it is necessary to distinguish between idle curiosity that brings some people to wander into temples and genuine visitors who want to observe and learn about temples and the time-honored customs of worship in them.

It is hereby resolved that

· it is necessary to follow all reasonable laws of the land , both in letter and spirit, in restricting entry in to temples and other places sacred to Hindus;

· it is not incorrect, however, to prevent or restrict entry of non-devotees and mere curiosity-seeking tourists, particularly improperly clad or groomed tourists and visitors including such persons from overseas;

· the basic approach in specific cases must be to harmonize local traditions gradually with the expectations of temple-worshipping Hindu devotees and to respect contemporary standards of equity and equality;

· in the event of necessity to restrain individuals from entering temples, the matter should be cordially explained to them; special care must be taken to see that sevadars and pujaris are not offensive or rude to them; and

· none except authorized religious personnel should be allowed to enter the Garbhagriha, which is a specially sanctified place in a temple.

Whom to consider as a Hindu and what distinguishes Sanaatana Dharma (Hinduism).

Noting that

· unlike in other religious persuasions it is not possible to straitjacket a Hindu and Hinduism exclusively in any set of practices, rituals or taboos;

· Hinduism should not be viewed only through the prism of what is construed as ‘religion’ by non-Hindus;

· various differing Sampradayas of ancient lineage with diverse interpretations and understandings of ancient scriptural teachings such as Vedas with all the Upanishads, Bhagawad Gita etc constitute Sanaatana Dharma( Hinduism) and are all integral to Hinduism;

· not-withstanding the foregoing it is necessary to compile a set of simple guiding principles with which modern youth, Ghar Vapasi families, and those outside Hindu Dharma, can obtain a basic understanding of Hinduism; and

· Bhagawad Gita contains a comprehensive code of Dharma, which could be followed by all human beings for a morally upright, happy and productive life.

It is hereby resolved that

· a compilation may be prepared as a practical guide to distinguish a Hindu and Hinduism, with the understanding that it should be taken only as a starting point for a deeper study by a serious seeker, of several authentic interpretations and of the chosen Sampradaya; and

· the idea that Bhagawad Gita merits acceptance as the National Book of India, is worthy of promotion.

Reconversion(Ghar Vapasi issues).

Noting that

· more and more families seem to be interested in returning to their own traditions of faith and worship, realizing the disruption and discord that religious conversion is creating in their communities;

· assistance to such ‘returnees’—Ghar Vapasi families–is resented by individuals and entities engaged in conversion activities, and therefore attempts will increase to throw doubts on and discredit re-conversion;

· after re-conversion, families face intimidation by hostile forces and will, therefore, need sustained efforts at re-absorption in their local communities.

It is hereby resolved that

· every Acharya member is hereby authorized and empowered on behalf of the Acharya Sabha , to encourage, undertake freely and bless all voluntary and genuine re-conversions to Hindu Dharma;

· Such blessing may be accompanied by a simple sanctification ceremony, chosen by the Acharya for the re-converting families/individuals; they may be given simple Hindu names by which they will be called and known to authorities henceforth; as a mark of re-conversion they may be blessed with a copy of the Bhagavad Gita or a small pendant with a god/goddess of the family’s choice or any other such religious symbol;

· Acharya members should in their tours and pravachans emphasize that such returning individuals/families must be readily accepted socially and get connected through marriage etc ( “roti-beti sambhanda”);

· Acharya members may grant privileged darsanam, singly or collectively, to such Ghar Vapasi individuals/families in their field tours and in their Mathas/Peethas; this gesture will be valued greatly by the returning individuals/families;

· The reconverting individuals/families should be free to choose their ancestral caste identity if known and preferred; if not, this may be left to themselves and the village community to be settled amicably; in doing so, any special economic benefit that may be available under law or government schemes, should be kept in mind so that the returnees benefit accordingly;

· It is essential that suitable documentation should precede and follow any Ghar Vapasi program; they are: (1) an application for voluntary re-conversion; (2) an affidavit to be sworn by the voluntary re-convert; and (3) a Report to the District Authorities of the Government (sub divisional magistrate/District Collector or any other official prescribed by the State government concerned) intimating of such voluntary re-conversion with the new name(s). The documentation should be as shown in the attachment to this Resolution; and

· Special care must be taken, with the help of devotees of the Acharya Sabha member, to see that the reconverted individual/family is not subsequently intimidated or lured/enticed by evangelists or their agents, or authorities misled, about such re-conversion with a view to bring ill-repute or harm to such Ghar Vapasis. This follow-up action may need frequent visit to, or even stationing of an activist in, the village/ community for a while.

Distortion and Denigration of Hinduism by academicians.

Noting that

· for several years now some Western academics, particularly in some American Universities have been publishing articles, PhD theses and books, purporting to interpret and analyze Hinduism, Hindu deities and worship practices;

· some of these works are extremely ill-informed or purposely distorted; they do not meet the rigorous standards of scholarship nor do they undergo competent peer-review; they denigrate things sacred to Hindus;

· these works do not remain within scholarly circles but find their way as recommended readings in schools and colleges in the US; besides giving a completely wrong picture of what is Hinduism and what their deities stand for, they impact the young minds of Hindu children and young adults in a deeply injurious manner—destroying their self esteem and pride in their own tradition and cultural roots;

· TV media in India is dominated by non-Hindu interests, pseudo-secularists and Abrahamic religious leadership/institutions; the result is that Hindu youth does not get a correct picture of what Hinduism is and what is its stand on many contemporary issues amidst virulent propaganda against Hindu Dharma; and

· under the deeply flawed notion of what secularism means, school and college curricula avoid any serious Religious studies in the country in an academic setting; this affects Hindu thought particularly.

It is hereby resolved that

· the book, Invading the Sacred, which exposes in a scholarly setting these developments should be widely distributed to encourage large-scale readership; an adapted Summary version in different languages should be put out in the country and liberally distributed;

· till such time a full blown Acharya Sabha TV Channel becomes a reality, Acharyas may buy time-slots in the existing regional and national TV Channels ( Sanskar; Astha; Vishwa Dharisanam, and several such regional language channels) for expertly designed programs; they should comprise not only pravachans on Hindu scriptural and Puranic wisdom but also lectures by Hindu scholars in various professions, debates on contemporary Hindu concerns and issues with a view to countering false propaganda by vested interests and uninformed criticism of Hindu Dharma, and to convey authentic information to youth about Hinduism’s stand on several contemporary social issues. Some important examples are the problem of global warming and how families could contribute to mitigating the adverse effects, child and women welfare, labor welfare, moderating competition in business with compassion and Seva for the underprivileged;

· efforts must be mounted to install departments and curricula of Religious Studies in educational institutions in different States; and well-educated and academically inclined brahmacharis and brahmacharinis should be identified by individual Acharyas and encouraged with financial support to undertake higher studies and PhD programs in civilization/culture/ religion-related subjects; such studies should also be encouraged to develop and clarify Hindu position on a variety of contemporary issues such as human rights, child labour, women welfare, labour welfare, good governance, legal and penal controversies, poverty eradication, sociology, Hindu history, anthropology, medicine, archaeology, architecture etc; and

· colonial constructs and colonized mind- set must be exposed in an academic setting, and in media-debates, journals and in scholarly publications, for which financial and other forms of support should be extended by Acharyas and their well-to-do devotees.

Dharma Index of the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies

Noting that

· the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies as a Consultant to some private companies including the Dow Jones of the US, had proposed and spearheaded the institution of a “Dharma Index” to ‘grade’ Industry and Business (and enterprises) as a guide to investors and businessmen/entrepreneurs;

· in doing so, the Center, on the basis of advice tendered by a group of academics overseas selected by it, has chosen ‘Ahimsa’, construed as ‘non-violence’ and ‘Loka-samgraha’, understood as ‘responsible action for universal welfare’ as guiding moral principles for such grading;

· on being requested by the Center to be a member of ‘spiritual leaders’ to ‘bless’ the Index, the Convener of the Acharya Sabha got the matter studied in consultation with the Director of the Center ; and the former came to the conclusion that the concept and operational modalities of the Index, needed more collective in-depth thinking by Business and Finance experts as well as Dharmic individuals sufficiently knowledgeable in lived Dharma; and that launching the Index without more thought might lead to consequences that may not be happy for those who choose to be guided by the Index; accordingly the Convener had written to the Center, a copy of which was circulated to the members of the Acharya Sabha;

· the Center had also, reportedly, approached directly a few Acharya members( HH Yatindra Mahadesikan of Ahobila Matha; HH Ramanuja Jeer of Vanamamalai math; HH Pejawar Swamigal; HH Pramukh Swamigal of Swaminarayana and Hh Kanchi Sankaracharya); the Convener accordingly apprised them of the stand taken by the Convener on behalf of the Acharya Sabha; and

· the Center notwithstanding the above had gone ahead and launched the so-called “Dharma Index”.

It is hereby resolved that

· individual Acharyas mentioned above and any other Acharya member who may be approached may kindly keep in mind the foregoing developments in mind; they may advise the Oxford Center that the association of members of the Acharya Sabha in a spiritual group or for ‘blessing’ the Index should be preceded by more careful examination of the concept and the consequences of the implementation of the Index.

· a Media Note may be circulated by the Convener accordingly.

Preservation of ancient Hindu heritage documents

Noting that

· a very large number of Hindu heritage manuscripts and other material are in the possession of individuals, religious institutions including Mathas and Peethas and they require proper scientific conservation, preservation for posterity, cataloguing etc by experts;

· around a million of such treasures of our heritage are reported to have been identified and a large number, digitalized with the help of the manuscript depositories all over the country;

· the National Mission for Manuscripts has identified 45 manuscripts to be included, as first instalment in a “Vigyananidhi” ;

· the University of Karnataka and an American company were to collaborate in digitalizing about a lakh of such manuscripts in diverse fields of knowledge; and the Union Ministry of Culture and the National Mission for manuscripts were also engaged in similar activities; and

· abrahamic religious institutions are more organized and tightly controlled to ensure scientific conservation of their heritage documents, their preservation by digitalization for posterity and their wide availability for research.

It is hereby Resolved that

· individual Acharyas may get this matter examined with reference to precious heritage manuscripts and other material that may be in their possession or their Mathas/Peethas or in the possession of their devotees and contribute actively to their location, identification, decipherment, evaluation, cataloguing, conservation and preservation by digitalization for posterity of all such heritage material.;

· in doing so, care must be taken that foreign agencies do not acquire ownership or management rights over our Heritage material;

· any assistance that may be required in this regard may be given by the Convener and the Secretariat.

Functioning of Regional Committees and the Emergency Committee of Acharyas

Noting that

· the regional Committees and the Emergency Committee nominated at the time of the last Acharya Sabha Conference have not been actively functional; and

· their active functioning is important considering the difficulty of convening the Acharya Sabha too often or for specific purposes as and when they arise;

It is hereby resolved that

· these committees may be activated by the convener Acharya members and kept active in respect of problems as and when they arise and the Secretariat may provide all assistance in this regard; and

· he socio-economic Seva and Ghar Vapasi work experience of Acharyas in their regions may be shared with other Acharya members for mutual benefit. The Secretariat should facilitate such mutual exchange of experience.

The Sabha concluded with the resolve that in the next Conference, each Acharya member may present to the Sabha as whole, the initiatives and work programs undertaken by his Matha/Peetha in the period after the present Conference.

February 13, 2008

Email excerpt from Venkata Sriram

Writing on the 'yanthra' found in Ankhor Vat Venkata Sriram says:

".. I remember, this was telecasted in Discovery Channel once. But the yantra was not shown. Angor Wat has most beautiful temple architecture pertaining to Vishnu. Which implies that Hinduism was spread far and wide in the world. A couple of years back, a wonderful siva linga was excavated in Vatican city which is kept in Italian Museum.

The worship of Siva can be traced back to Atharva Veda. The worship of the Siva Lingam originated from the famous hymn in the "Atharva Veda Samhita", sung in praise of the Yupastambha, the sacrificial post which gave place in time to the Siva Lingam and was deified as Lord Siva. This Yupastambha is described as without begin and end. This Yupastambha represents the Vedic concept of the brightness of Siva's body, akasa as his hair, sacrificial fumes as his blue throat etc.

In Tantra, the bull has become Nada in Dahara Akasa, Yoni (the base / peeta of linga) is the Chit and Linga is the Agni in Dahara Akasa. He is the Chit Agni that shines in Dahara Akasa with Nada Brahma. The secret “Panchakshari Vidya” is encoded in Yajur Veda Shatarudriya viz., “Namah Somaya Cha, Rudraya cha…….Namah Shambhave cha, mayobhave cha, namah Sivaya Cha…..”

In Purana, the same Agni has become Siva, Chit has become Uma and Nada has become Nandi.

The Upasana is to correlate the Puranic view with Tantric and Vedic views and to be established in the Nada Brahma."

With regards,
sriram

Srimad Devi Bhagavatham - First Book

Chapter 2

1-5. S'rî Sûta said :-- “I am highly fortunate; I consider myself blessed and I am purified by the Mahâtmâs (high souled persons); inasmuch as I am questioned by them about the highly meritorious Purâna, famous in the Vedas. I will now speak in detail about this Purâna, the best of the Âgamas, approved of by all the Vedas and the secret of all the S’âstras.

O Brahmins! I bow down to the gentle lotus feet, known in the three Lokas, of the Devî Bhagavatî, praised by Brahmâ and the other devas Visnu, Mahes’a and others, meditated always by the Munindras and which the Yogis contemplate as their source of liberation. Today I will devotedly describe, in detail and in plain language, that Purâna which is the best of all the Purânas, which gives prosperity and contains all the sentiments (Rasas) that a human being can conceive, the S’rimad Devî Bhâgavatam.

May that Highest Primal S’akti who is known as Vidyâ in the Vedas; who is omniscient, who controls the innermost of all and who is skilled in cutting off the knot of the world, who cannot be realised by the wicked and the vicious, but who is visible to the Munis in their meditation, may that Bhagavatî Devî give me always the buddhi fit to describe the Purâna!

I call to my mind the Mother of all the worlds who creates this universe, whose nature is both real (taking gross, practical point of view) and and unreal (taking a real point of view), preserves and destroys by Her Râjasik, Sâttvik and Tâmasik qualities and in the end resolves all these into Herself and plays alone in the period of Dissolution - at this lime, I remember my that Mother of all the worlds.
6-10. It is commonly known that Brahmâ is the creator of this universe; and the knowers of the Vedas and the Purânas say so; but they also say that Brahmâ is born of the navel-lotus of Visnu. Thus it appears that Brahmâ cannot create independently. Again Visnu, from whose navel lotus Brahmâ is born, lies in Yoga sleep on the bed of Ananta (the thousand headed serpent) in the time of Pralaya; so how can we call Bhagavân Visnu who rests on the thousand headed serpent Ananta as the creator of the universe? Again the refuge of Ananta is the water of the ocean Ekârnava; a liquid cannot rest without a vessel; so I take refuge of the Mother of all beings, who resides as the S’akti of all and thus is the supporter of all; I fly for refuge unto that Devî who was praised by Brahmâ while resting on the navel lotus of Visnu who was lying fast asleep in Yoga nidrâ. O Munis! meditating on that Maya Devî who creates, preserves and destroys the universe who is known as composed of the three gunas and who grants mukti, I now describe the whole of the Purânas; now you all better hear.

11-16. The Purâna S’rimad Bhâgavat (Devî Bhâgavat) is excellent and holy; eighteen thousand pure S’lokas are contained in it. Bhagavân Krisna Dvaipâyan has divided this Purâna into twelve auspicious Skandhas (Books) and three hundred and eighteen chapters. Twenty chapters compose the first Skandha; twelve chapters in the second Skandha; thirty chapters in the the third Skandha; twenty-five chapters in the fourth Skandha, thirty-five, in the fifth; thirty-one, in the sixth; forty, in the seventh; twenty-four, in the eighth; fifty chapters in the ninth; thirteen, in the tenth; twenty-four in the eleventh and fourteen chapters are contained in the twelfth Skandha, O Munis! Thus the Dvaipâyan Muni has arranged his chapters in each Skandha.

17-20. Thus the Mahâtmâ Veda Vyâs has divided this Bhâgavata Purâna. into so many Skandhas and into so many chapters; and that the number of verses is eighteen thousand is already stated. That is denominated as Purâna which contains the following five characteristics :-- (1) Creation of the universe, (2) Secondary creation, (3) Dynasties (4) Manvantaras and (5) The description of Manus and other kings.

S’iva is beyond Prâkritic attributes, eternal and ever omnipresent; She is without any change, immutable, unattainable but by yoga; She is the refuge of the universe and Her nature is Turîya Chaitanya. Mahâ Lakshmi is Her Sattvikî S’akti; Sarasvati is Her Râjasik S’akti and Mahâ Kâlî is Her Tâmasik S’akti; these are all of feminine forms.

21-25. The assuming of bodies by these three S’aktis for the creation of this universe is denominated as "Sarga" (creation) by the high souled persona (Mahârpurusha), skilled in S’astras. And the further resolution of these three S’aktis into Brahmâ, Visnu and Mahes'a for the creation, preservation, and destruction of this universe is denominated (in this Purâna) as Pratisarga (secondary creation.) The description of the kings of the solar and lunar dynasties and the families of Hiranya Kasipu and others is known as the description of the lineages of kings and their dynasties. The description of Svâyambhûva and, other Manus and their ruling periods is known as Manvantaras. And the description of their descendants is known as the description of their families. (Thus these are the five characteristics in the Purânas.) O best of Munis! all the Purânas are endowed with these five characteristics.

26-32. So is Mahâbhârata writen by Vedavyâsa, characterised by these five things. This is known as the fifth Veda and Itihâsa (history.) In this are something more than one lakh slokas. S’aunaka said :-- “O Sûta! What are those Purânas and how many verses are contained in each? Speak all those in detail in this holy Ksethra; we, the residents of Naimisâranya are all very eager to hear this. (Why we call ourselves as the residents of Naimisâranya, hear; you will realise then that no other place exists in this Kali age for hearing the holy discourses on religion) :-- When we were afraid of the Kali age, Brahmâ gave us a Manomaya Chakra (wheel) and I said to all of us :-- Follow this wheel, go after it and the spot where the felly of the wheel will become thin (so as to break) and will not roll further, that country is the holy place; Kali will never be able to enter there; you all better remain there until the Satya age comes back. Thus, acording to the saying of Brahmâ, we have got orders to stay here. On hearing the words of Brahmâ, wo went out quickly keeping the wheel go on, our object being to determine which place is best and holiest. When we came here, the felly of the wheel become thin and shorn before my eyes; hence this Kshethra is called Naimis; it is the most sanctifying place.

Kali cannot enter here; hence the Mahatmas, Munis and Siddhas, terrified by the Kali age, have followed me and resorted to this place. We have performed yajñas with Purodâsa (clarified butter as is offered in oblations to fire) where no animals are sacrificed; now we have no other important work to do except to pass our time here until the arrival of Satyayuga. O S’ûta! we are extremely fortunate in all respects that you have come here; purify us to-day by narrating to us the names of the Purânas equivalent to the Vedas. O S’ûta! you are also a learned orator; we, too, are ardent listeners, with no other works to bother our heads; narrate to us to-day the auspicious holy Bhâgavata Purâna. O S’ûta! Long live you; and no ailings, internal, external, or from the Devas torment you. (this is our blessing to you). We have heard that in the most sanctifying Purâna, narrated by Maharsi Dvaipâyan, all about Dharma (religion), Artha (Wealth) and Kama (desires) are duly described as well the acquiring of Tattvajñan and liberation are also spoken of. O S’ûta! our desires are not satisfied the more we hear of those beautiful holy words. Now describe to us the highly pure S’rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam where all the Lilas (the dramatic acts) of the Mother of the three worlds purifying the sins, adorned with all the qualifications are described as yielding all the desires like the Kalpa Vriksa (the celestial tree yielding all desires).

Thus ends the second chapter of the first Skandha on the description of the Purâna in Mahâ Purâna S’rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.

(contd.)

Srimad Devi Bhagavatham - First Book

Chapter 1

On the questions by S’aunaka and others

1. I meditate on the beginningless Brahmâvidyâ who is Sarvachaitanyarûpâ, of the nature of all-consciousness; May She stimulate our buddhi to the realisation of That (or who stimulates our buddhi in different directions).

2. S’aunaka said :-- “O highly fortunate Sûta! O noble Sûta! You are the best of persons; you are blessed inasmuch as you have thoroughly studied all the auspicious Purânas.

3. O sinless one! you have gone through all the eighteen Purânas composed by Krisna Dvaipâyana; these are endowed with five excellent characteristics and full of esoteric meanings.

Note :-- The characteristics are to make the mantras reveal to one's own self, to realise, to transfer to others the S’akti, force thereof, to prove the various manifestations of the several effects thereof, etc.

4-5. O Sinless one! It is not that you have read them like a parrot, but you have thoroughly grasped the meaning of them all as you have learnt them from Vyâsa himself, the son of Satyavati. Now it is our good merits that you have come at this divine holy excellent Vis'vasan Kshettra (place), free from any defects of the Kali age.

6-10. O Sûta! These Munis assembled here are desirous to hear the holy Purâna Samhitâ, that yields religious merits. So describe this to us with your mind concentrated. O all-knowing Sûta! Live long and be free from the threefold sorrows of existence. O highly fortunate one! Narrate to us the Purâna equivalent to the Vedas. O Sûta! Those persons that do not hear the Purânas, are certainly deprived by the Creator, though they have apparently the organ of hearing, of the power of tasting the sweet essence of words; because, the organ of hearing is gratified then and then only when it hears the words of the wise men, just as the organ of taste is satisfied then and then only when it tastes the six kinds of rasas (flavour, taste) (sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, salty, and astringent). This is known to all. The serpents that are void of the organ of hearing are enchanted by sweet music; then why should not those persons that have the organs of hearing and are averse to hear the Purânas, be thrown under the category of the deaf?

11-18. O Saumya! Hence all these Brâhmins, being distressed with the fear of this Kali, have come here to this Naimisâranya, eager to hear attentively the Purânas, and are staying here with this one object. Time must be spent away anyhow or other; those that are fools while away their times in sports and other evil practices and those that are learned pass away their times in meditating on the S’âstras; but these S’âstras are too vast and very varied; they contain Jalpas (debates or wrangling discussions to win over the opposite party), Vadas (sound doctrines to arrive at just conclusions), and various Arthavâdas (explanations and assertions, recommending Vidhis or precepts by stating the good arising from its proper observance and evils arising from its omission and also by adducing historical instances for its support; praises and eulogies) and filled with many argumentations. And, amongst these S’âstras again, the Vedânta is the Sâttvik, the Mimâmsas are the Râjasik and the Nyâya S’âstras with Hetuvâdas, are the Tâmasik; so the S’âstras are varied. Similarly, the Purânas are of three kinds :-- (1) S’attvik, (2) Râjasik and (3) Tâmasik. O Saumya! (one of gentle appearance) you have recited those Purânas endowed with five characteristics and full of many narratives; of these, the fifth Purâna, equivalent to the Vedas and with all the good qualities, the Bhâgavata yields Dharma and Kâma (religion and desires), gives liberation to those who desire for emancipation and is very wonderful; you mentioned this before but ordinarily; you did not dwell on this specially. Now these Brâhmanas are eager to hear gladly this divine auspicious Bhâgavata, the best of the Purânas; so kindly describe this in detail.

19-25. O knower of Dharma! By your faith and devotion to your Guru, you have become Sâttvik and thus have thoroughly known the Purâna Samhitâs spoken by Veda Vyâs. O Omniscient one! Therefore it is that we have heard many Purânas from your mouth; but we are not satisfied as the Devas are not satisfied with the drinking of the nectar. O Sûta! Fie to the nectar even as the drinking of nectar is quite useless in giving Mukti. But hearing the Bhâgavata gives instantaneous Mukti from this Samsâra or round of birth and death. O Sûta! we performed thousands and thousands of Yajñas for the drinking of the nectar (Amrita), but never we got the full peace. The reason being that Yajñas lead to heaven only; on the expiry of the period of punya (good merits, the heavenly life ceases and one is expelled, as it were from the Heavens. Thus incessant sojourns in this wheel of Samsâra, the constant rounds of births and deaths never end. O Knower of every thing! Thus, without Jñâna (knowledge, wisdom) Mukti never comes to men, wandering in this wheel of Time (Kâlachakra) composed of the three Gunas. So describe this holy Bhâgavata, always beloved of the Mumukshas (those that desire Mukti), this secret work yielding liberation, holy and full of all sentiments (rasas).

Thus ends the first chapter of the first Skandha on the questioning about the Purâna by Saunaka and other Rishis in the Mahâpurâna S’rîmad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.

Srimad Devi Bhagavatham

Aum Sri MaathrE Namaha

Dear Friends,

I propose to post as far as possible on a daily basis, excerpts from this great Srimad Devi Bhagavatham translated by Swami Vignanananda almost a century ago (1921-22). This was scanned and proofed by Sri Sahaji in 2004-05 with additional formatting at sacred-texts.com. I would be adding my own take whenever I feel so.

May the blessings of Devi be upon us all.

Regards,
Krishna Sastri