re: some thought on "parasurama"

From the Bhakti List Archives

• April 12, 1995


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>From sunder@crystal.cirrus.com Thu Apr  6 16:21:06 1995
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 15:20:06 -0500
From: Srinivas Sunder  
To: krishna@nynexst.com
Subject: re:  some thought on "parasurama"


Thanks you for a very insightful discussion.

Could you please tell me which are the 6 PuraaNaas that Vyaasa referred
to as Saatvic ? And if possible, which 6 are Rajasvic, and Tamasvic too ?

Thanks

Srinivas


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let me write to you from a preface to vishnupurana written by a sreevaishnava
scholar. yajna narayana deekshita's disciple:

agnehe sivasya maahatmyam taamaseshu prakeerthyate
raajaseshu cha mahatmyam adhikam bramhano viduhu
saatvikeshu atha kalpeshu maahatmyam adhikam harehe

what this is in agni and other taamasa puranas sivas greatness is upheld
in raajasa puranas 4 faced bramhan is extolled
in saatvika puranas it is hari's greatness that is extolled.

the saatvika puranas are :

vishnu purana,  naaradeeya purana, srimad bhagawatam
garuda purana, paadma purana,  varaha purana

  
these are rajasik puranas.

bramhanda, bramhakaivarta, maarkandeya, bhaviyat, vamana,  braamha

 the taamas puranas are:
maatsya, tamram , linga, saiva, skaanda  and agni.

In fact these are quoted from Siva parvati dialoges.  Further siva 
states that only the saatvic puranas have to be used to find way for 
moksha.  the other puranas do have important knowledge. our acharyas
quote profusely from linga purana etc.  for example for our
bhagawad aradhana - a sloka from linga purana is used!!

yesha naarayanaha sreeman ksheerarnava niketanaha
naaga paryankam utsrijya hyagato maduram pureem


Note the important quote is from rahasya traya sara - vedanta desika says:

matsya purana - saatvikeshu kalpeshu maahatmyam adhikam harehe
teshveva yoga samsiddhaha gamishyanti paraam gatim

his explanation states:

yangai ale,  avargal pakkal moksham vilabithum kidaiyaathu.

ie. only vishnu can grant moksha and bramha rudras even after a long time
cannot give moksha - hence only saatvika information - both satvik puranas
and satvik smritis which are:

vaasista, haareeta, vyasa, paarashara, bharadvaja kashyapa should be

resorted. to.  

other puranas can be used as long as major decisions are not take n based on
them.  and as long as others do not conflict with saatvik puranas.