[Advaita-l] Padma Purana VI.236.1-27

[V Subrahmanian]

Thank you Kartik ji for the post.

The classification of Puranas as sāttvik, etc. is unvedic. This is because,
the classification is clearly biased in favor of Vishnu and against Shiva
as the Supreme Brahman (Deity). It is universally agreed that the Puranas
are a reflection of the Veda and are relied upon to understand the Veda.
However, when the Veda itself is examined, we have innumerable portions,
both in the non-Upanishadic and the Upanishadic, that are holding Shiva as
the Supreme Brahman. There are also portions that hold Vishnu, Brahmā,
Indra, Agni, etc. as very powerful deities. But then, Veda Vyasa who is
purported to have conceived of the tri-classification of the Puranas, and
who is held as the one who classified the Vedas as Rg, Yajus, etc. has not
made any such classification of the Vedas as sāttvika, etc. And those who
adduce prāmāṇya to the tri-classification of the Puranas do not also
attempt to so classify the Veda. The Shiva-Supreme Vedic portions are
attempted by them to somehow apply to Vishnu and thus arrive at the
Vishnu-only-supreme purport of the Vedic corpus. While this is a possible
way with even the Vedas for them, where is the need to classify the
Puranas?  All the non-Vishnu-supreme puranas could also be, then, somehow
made to appear Vishnu-supreme only without the need to any explicit
classification.  This shows that the tri-classification is of no real
worth, and thus their doubtful authorship of Veda Vyasa.

Regarding this observation by the Padma Purana:

// In this (doctrine) only the giving up of one's own duties is expounded.
And that is said to
be religiousness by those who have fallen from all duties.//

it was pointed out in a post some years ago in this forum that contrary to
this view, the Shānkara Gita bhashya for the 18th chapter initial verses
emphasise the need to devoutly adhere to sva-vihita-karma, svadharma. The
very theme of the Bh.Gita is naishkarmya siddhi and the 3rd chapter there
explicitly says:

न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते ।
न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ॥ ४ ॥

न कर्मणां क्रियाणां यज्ञादीनाम् इह जन्मनि जन्मान्तरे वा अनुष्ठितानाम्
उपात्तदुरितक्षयहेतुत्वेन सत्त्वशुद्धिकारणानां तत्कारणत्वेन च
ज्ञानोत्पत्तिद्वारेण ज्ञाननिष्ठाहेतूनाम् , ‘ज्ञानमुत्पद्यते पुंसां
क्षयात्पापस्य कर्मणः । यथादर्शतलप्रख्ये पश्यत्यात्मानमात्मनि’ (मो. ध. २०४ ।
८) इत्यादिस्मरणात् , अनारम्भात् अननुष्ठानात् नैष्कर्म्यं निष्कर्मभावं
कर्मशून्यतां ज्ञानयोगेन निष्ठां निष्क्रियात्मस्वरूपेणैव अवस्थानमिति यावत् ।
पुरुषः न अश्नुते न प्राप्नोतीत्यर्थः ॥

Both the Gita and the Bhashya very clearly hold that the Goal of
naishkarmya is impossible to be attained without first dutifully adhering
to one's ordained karma.

This shows that the alleged Padma Purana idea is antithetical to what Veda
Vyasa himself has taught in the MB/BG.

regards
subrahmanian.v

On Sat, Apr 1, 2017 at 12:23 AM, S Jayanarayanan via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

>  I've often wondered about the exact source of ISKCON's ideology,
> and am glad to have at last found it!
>
> The extract below is an textbook-case of interpolation, for it claims that:
>
> 1) Shiva incarnated on earth to delude people with "Mayavada".
> 2) Advaita is pseudo-Buddhist.
> 3) Jaimini sutras are anti-Vedic.
> 4) All Shaiva Puranas are Tamasic.
> 5) Gautama Dharma Sutra (among others) leads one to hell.
> 6) ...
>
>
> http://www.mediafire.com/file/a173i1g42f5f15t/Purana+-+
> Padma+Purana+-+Eng.pdf
>
> Padma Purana VI.236.1-27
>
> -----------------------------------------------
>
> CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED THIRTYSIX
>
> Characterization of Various Texts and Doctrines as Sattvika,
> Rajasa and Tamasa
>
> Parvati said:
> 1. O sinless one, tell me about the vicious texts which were
> composed by the brahmanas bereft of devotion to the lord. O
> lord of gods, tell me their names in a sequence.
>
> Rudra said:
> 2-4. O goddess, listen. I shall tell you about the vicious
> texts in a sequence. By merely remembering them even the wise
> ones would be deluded, First I myself proclaimed the Saiva,
> Pasupata (texts) etc. Hear about the ones which were proclaimed
> by the brahmanas into whom my power had entered, after that:
> Kanada proclaimed the great Vaisesika text.
>
> 5-7. Similarly Gautama (proclaimed the doctrine of) Nyaya,
> and Kapila (proclaimed) Samkhya. Dhisana (Brhaspati) in the
> same way (proclaimed) the much censured Carvaka (doctrine);
> Visnu of the form of Buddha proclaimed the false Buddhist doctrine
> and those of the naked and wearing dark blue garments for
> the destruction of the demons. The doctrine of Maya (illusion)
> is a wicked doctrine and said to be pseudo-Buddhist. I myself,
> of the form of a brahmana, proclaimed it in Kali (age).
>
> 8-12. It shows the meaninglessness of the words of the holy
> texts and is condemned in the world. In this (doctrine) only the
> giving up of one's own duties is expounded. And that is said to
> be religiousness by those who have fallen from all duties. I have
> propounded the identity of the Highest Lord and the (individual)
> soul. I stated this Brahman's nature to be qualityless. O
> goddess, I myself have conceived, for the destruction of the
> worlds, and for deluding the world in this Kali age, the great
> doctrine resembling the purport of the Vedas, (but) non-Vedic
> due to the principle of Maya (illusion) (present in it). By my
> order formerly Jaimini propounded the great doctrine of Purva
> Mimamsa, stating godlessness and making the Veda meaningless.
>
> 13-17. O Girija, know from me the vicious doctrines. I
> shall also narrate the names of the vicious Puranas* in succession:
>
> [Footnote: *The immediately following list is not actually that of the
> vicious
> Puranas but of the Puranas in general. The vicious six Puranas follow this
> list of eighteen Puranas. The word 'tamasa' in this verse is not
> appropriately
> used. (Ed.)]
>
> Brahma, Padma, Vaisnava, Saiva, so also Bhagavata. So
> also Naradiya and Markandeya as the seventh. Agneya is said
> to be the eighth, and Bhavisya to be the ninth. Brahmavaivarta
> is said to be the tenth, and Liriga to be eleventh. Varaha is said
> to be the twelfth and Vamana the thirteenth. Kaurma is said to
> be the fourteenth and Matsya the fifteenth. Garuda is said to be
> the sixteenth, and Skanda to be the seventeenth. The eighteenth
> is Brahmanda. (These are) the Puranas in succession.
>
> 18-22a. Know from me that Matsya, Kaurma, Lainga,
> Saiva, so also Skanda and Agneya are tamasa (vicious). O you of
> an auspicious appearance, the Puranas, viz. Vaisnava, Naradiya,
> so also the auspicious Bhagavata, similarly Garuda, Padma,
> Varaha should be known to be sattvika (or virtuous). Know from
> me that Brahmanda, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavisya,
> Vamana and Brahma are rajasa (endowed with the quality of
> passion). The sattvika ones are said to give salvation and are
> always auspicious. Similarly, O goddess, the tamasa are said to
> be the cause of (i.e. lead one to) hell.
>
> 22b-27. Similarly Smrtis endowed with the three qualities
> are proclaimed by the sages. O you of an auspicious appearance,
> they are sattvika, rajasa and tamasa. Vasistha, Harita, Vyasa,
> Parasara, Bharadvaja and Kasyapa are said to sattvika, giving
> (i.e. leading to) salvation and auspicious. Yajnavalkya Atreya,
> so also Taittira, Daksa and Katyayana and Vaisnava are
> rajasa, giving (i.e. leading to) heaven, and auspicious. Gautama,
> Barhaspatya, Sarhvarta, Yama, Samkhya and Ausanasa are said
> to be tamasa, and giving (i.e. leading to) hell. What is the use of
> talking much in the case of the Puranas and the Smrtis also?
> The tamasa do lead to hell. A wise one should avoid them. As
> the occasion has come, I have told you all the auspicious
> doctrines. Listen. I shall tell you about the nature of the remaining
> birth (i.e. of the other incarnations) of Visnu.
>
> -----------------------------------------------
>
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