Literary sources

Vedas, Epics,Dharmashastras, Puranas

Literary sources
DHARMASHASTRAS
VEDAS
October 2014 October 2015

August 2015 November 2015

EPICS PURANAS
ORIGIN
“The period of epic philosophy
shows,the typical features of a
transitional period.”
-Frauwallner
1. Composed in Sanskrit by the sage Valmiki
2. About 24000 verses,
3. Ramayana leans more towards an ideal
state of things.
 Selling your idea
Lassen and weber believe the ramayana to represent allegorically
“the first attempt”of the aryans to capture the non aryan south and
spread their culture.
Macdonell and Jacobi on the other hand
believe that it is a fanciful creation of
indian mythology.
1.Consists of 100,000 verses
2.Divided into 18 books,written by Vyasa
3.Origin of name
Jaya which means “victory”
Bharata “(lit. Descendants of Bharata).”
Mahabharata -
1.Tales of the descendants of Bharata mahabharata
2.Very heavy i.e, Maha- bhar in sanskrit
MULTIPLICITY
Who is the hero? Who is the villain?
INDIA
SRILANKA
KONESWARAM
TEMPLE
INDONESIA
THAILAND
INFLUENCE OF EPICS ON
CULTURE,LIFE,RELIGION AND
POLITICS
 ANCIENT INDIA
1. Four social divisions or castes of the Hindu society
2. It is most amazing to find that the
3. application of surgery at the time of child-birth is very common at
that time.
4. Selling of lac, honey, meat, iron or metal, poison etc, are regarded as
sinful business.
5. But the prostitute has a specific importance in the society of that
period.
6. The purdah system as well as the veil system are also present in the
period, portrayed in the epic.
7. The mahabharata speak of pre varna times when
“New gods had to be invented thereafter,
because Indra and his Vedic fellow deities...went
out of fashion with their Vedic sacrifices”
[1975a: 167].
Dharma karma the epics and society

Dharma is an important order of hinduism

signifying duty, law, order and truth.
Karma is the “acting out of duties”.it also came to
be associated with the idea of rebirth.the
consequences of ones actions both positive and
negative would be seen in future lives.
Hinduism is therefore "away of life" that is not
separate from politics and societY
(Radhakrishnan 1961).
 POLITICAL TOOL

Babri masjid vs Ayodhya temple Partition of india

 CYNTHIYA STEPHEN an activist from
bangalore (hindustan times march 2016) caption
read “Caste is above god and honour above life”.
REFERENCES
THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN
EPICS
1.The two major Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were
written by men in the patriarchal system and interpreted by
Brahmins, which gave them monopoly to shape the mythological
characters as per their will.

2. The women characters in Indian mythology have traits that

surprise us at times and at other times appear inexplicable.

3.There have been instances which indicate that these women had a
will of their own too.
GANDHARI
A woman of substance, daughter of King Subal of Gandhar. She
became the Queen of Kuru and mother to mighty Kauravas.

Positives of Gandhari :
1. She had a great willpower.
2. She was an adherent follower of Dharma
3. Straightforwardness

Gandhari as a character teaches us to value whatever God has given

us.Gandhari's empathy is unparalleled. It requires immense grit to
voluntarily blindfold oneself lifelong to experience the sightlessness of
another person.
DRAUPADI
The most important female character of Mahabharata, Draupadi was
the daughter of King Drupad and the wife of the five Pandavas.

Considered as the epitome of unlimited courage, boldness,

intelligence and revengeful mindset like a warrior.

The disrobing of Draupadi at the hands of Dusshasana is an account

of disgrace, humiliation, suffering and revenge. She can be viewed as
a subversive character that emerges as a Victor by combining her
intelligence and smartness with the strength of her husband's
KUNTI
A character of tolerance and intelligence, Kunti’s life too was full
of complications but she faced them boldly and her patience
and selfconfidence made her a strong woman.

A faithful consort
A dutiful mother and a fair mother in law
A shrewd mother
Righteous and sacrificing woman
Gross injustice between Karna and Pandavas.

She was never revengeful and in the favor of war but at the
same time, she was against the injustice done to her sons so
she inspired her sons to take their rightful inheritance.
SITA perceived meek and timid given
to emotional outbursts

Lack of Judgement
Emerges as a strong character
later

Unselfish, self sacrificing

Faces challenges with fortitude
Surpanakha -
1.Ravana's sister and also known as
Princess Meenakshi

2.To avenge her insult by

Lakshmana, she forced Ravana to
abduct and marry her

3.A reason behind the destruction of

Ravana
Urmila
1.Younger sister of Sita and wife of
Lakshman

2.Stayed behind in the palace while her

husband accompanied Rama and Sita in
the forest

3.Lived like an ascetic woman for 14 yrs

till her husband returned

4.Values of sacrifice, responsibility and

importance of morals and ethics from her
life
Kausalya, Mandodari, kaikeyi and Shabri are
other female characters who have played a
significant role in Ramayana.
MYTH VS HISTORY
DHARMASHASTRAS
1)Dharmashastra-collection of sanskrit texts
2)Gives code of conduct and moral principles for
Hindus
3)Emerged during the vedic era
4)Divided into 3 parts
- Sutras
-Smritis
-Nibandh
5)The main smritis are-
-Manusmriti[ 2nd- 3rd CE]
-Yajnavalkya Smriti[ 4th- 5th CE]
-Nardasmriti[ 5th-6th CE]
Visnusmriti[ about 7th CE]
-Each of these scripts provide
guidelines for
kings,ministers,judicial systems etc.
-Also talk about creation,stages of
life,duties of each person etc.
 YAJNAVALKYA SMRITI
-Yajnavalkya was a rishi(saint) and got much
of his knowledge from lord surya(sun)
-Focuses on the concept of karma and rebirth
-Contends that individuals future is based on
his/her past.
-According to how one acts,behaves,so does
one become in the future
-Doer of good becomes good, and doer of bad
becomes evil.
YAJNAVALKYA ON SOCIETY
-Encouraged widow remarriage
-Permits women to have several relations with
other men
-Especially important for 'shudras' and
women
VISNUSMRITI
-One of the latest books of dharmashastra
--The main focus is on the bhakti tradition
and puja of vishnu daily.
-Relies heavily on previous dharmashastra
such as manusmriti
-The smriti is based upon the dialogues
between God vishnu and earth.
- Vishnu realizes that earth is submerged
under water
-Vishnu dives and rescues her and
makes earth believe that vishnu will
be always present to save her
-It is also known for handling
controversial subjects such as sati.
Dharmasastra
• Ancient Indian tradition of knowledge had been carried out in two
ways:-
• Sruti to hear or Devyaani
• Smriti to remember
• Carrier of knowledge (mainly Vedic or religious ones) were learned
sages.
• The ‘Gurus’ or teachers thaught their ‘Shisyas’ or students to
memorise, the couplets in a ‘Sutra’ form and transmitted it to another
generation.
• Some of them were:-
• Manusmriti
• Naradasmriti
Introduction to Manusmriti
• Manusmriti is an ancient legal text for all social classes (from around
2nd to 3rd century C.E.).

• It is juridical in nature. • It is also titled as ‘Manav-Dharma-Sastra’.

• Traditionally the most authoritative book of the Hindu code in India.

• It is originally found in a verse form in Sanskrit. • It influences all

aspects of Hindu thought, particularly the justification of caste system
Contribution of Manusmriti
• Varna system:
these were the social classes in the society.
• Brahmin
• Kshatriya
• Vaishyas
• Shudras

.
Ashrama : talks about the four stages of life, which changes after
a particular age

1.Brahmacharya
2.Grihastha
3.Vanaprastha
4.Sanyasi
• Samskara:(संसार)
The personal sacraments traditionally observed at all stages of a
person (Hindu).
So, in Hinduism there were 16 samskaras,
• Garbhadan
• Pumsvan
• Seemantonayan
• Jatakarma
• Nama-karana
• Nishkramana
• Annaprashana
• Chudakarana
• Karna-vedha
 Upanayan & Vedarambha
• Keshanta
• Samavartan
• Vivaha
• Vanprastha
• Sanyas
• Antyeshthi
Introduction to Naradasmriti

• The "Naradasmriti" (from about the 5th to 6th century C.E.)

is a juridical text as opposed to a text about righteous conduct.
• It is written by divine sage Narada.
• It is a valuable text for the rulers and the government.
• An authoritative document which had pax Indian appeal eg.:
Champa (Modern Vietnam).
Impact of Dharmasastra laws on the society
• Brahmin men can marry Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and even Shudra women but
Shudra men can marry only Shudra women.
• When twice-born [dwij=Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya] men in their folly marry low
caste Shudra women, they are responsible for the degradation of their whole family.
Accordingly, their children adopt all the demerits of the Shudra caste.
• Women, true to their class character, are capable of leading astray men in this world, not
only a fool but even a learned and wise man. Both become slaves of desire.
• Wise men should not marry women who do not have a brother and whose parents are
not socially well known.
• Wise men should marry only women who are free from bodily defects, with beautiful
names, grace/gait like an elephant, moderate hair on the head and body, soft limbs, and
small teeth.
 • Food offered and served to a Brahmin after the Shradh ritual should not be seen
by a ‘chandal’, a pig, a cock, a dog, and menstruating women.
• A Brahmin in order to preserve his energy and intellect must not look at women
who apply collyrium to her eyes, one who is massaging her nude body or one who is
delivering a child.
• One should not accept meals from a woman who has extra-marital relations, nor
from a family exclusively dominated/managed by women or a family whose 10 days
of impurity because of death have not passed.
• A female child, young woman or old woman is not supposed to work independently
even at her place of residence.
Girls are supposed to be in the custody of their father when they are
children, women must be under the custody of their husband when
married and under the custody of her son as widows. In no circumstances
is she allowed to assert herself independently.
• Men may be lacking virtue, be sexual perverts, immoral and devoid of
any good qualities, and yet women must constantly worship and serve their
husbands.
• In case a woman tears the membrane (hymen) of her Vagina, she shall
instantly have her head shaved or two fingers cut off and made to ride on
Donkey.
• It is the duty of all husbands to exert total control over their wives. Even
physically weak husbands must strive to control their wives.
On failure to produce offspring with her husband, she may obtain
offspring by cohabitation with her brother-in-law [devar] or with
some other relative [sapinda] on her in-law’s side.
• A barren wife may be superseded in the 8th year; she whose
children die may be superseded in the 10th year and she who bears
only daughters may be superseded in the 11th year, but she who is
quarrelsome may be superseded without delay.
• In the case of any problem in performing religious rites, males
between the age of 24 and 30 should marry a female between the age
of 8 and 12.
• So, basically laws were so designed that they may benefit of upper
class of people like Brahmins and Kshatriyas
• For any punishable act, Upper class except Shudras enjoy all
liberties and punished lesser than Shudras.
• Manusmriti not only said negative about women but also
mentioned that “where ever women are honour, gods are pleased
and reside there”
Conclusion
Dharmasastra talks about the laws related to hinduism. It
made obligatory for Hindus to follow their Dharma. In
Manusmriti made laws which were not fully justified for some
of the classes of the society, which included women and
Shudras. On the other hand, Naradasmrti is purely juridical in
character and focuses solely on procedure and substantive law.
So, it is a kind of advance version of Manusmriti with more
revised laws.
PURANAS
■ Meaning of the word Puranas
■ Religious literature
■ Time period 4th to 6th century
■ Reflect Brahminical social and religious values
■ Light on emergence and development of Hindu religious
practices
1. Puranas discusses five topics in the time span of four
ages/yugas.
• Satya
• Treta
• Dvapara
• Kali
1. Further classification is done by dividing puranas
into 18 mahapuranas.

2. Information on historical dynasties can be traced.

 MAHAPURANAS

1. Agni Purana
• 15,400 verses
• It is the celebration
of Agni, the Fire
God.
• It is either dated to
the 8th-9th century or
th th
 Bhagavata Mahapurana

■ 18,000 verses.
■ Composed in Sanskrit and
available in almost all Indian
languages.
■ It promotes
Bhakti(devotion) to Lord
Krishna as the incarnation
of Lord Vishnu.
■ It is a revered text in
Vaishnavism.
 Brahma Mahapurana

■ 10,000 verses.
■ It is listed as the first Mahapurana
and is thus called the Adi Purana.
■ It is also called as Saura Purana
as it includes many chapters
related to Surya or the Sun God.
■ The name is misleading as the
extant manuscripts do not have
references to Lord Brahma.
 Brahmanda Mahapurana
■ 12,000 verses.
■ Listed as the eighteenth
mahapurana in all the
anthologies.
■ It is named after one of the
cosmological theories of
Hinduism, namely the “cosmic
egg”(Brahma-anda).
■ Among the oldest
Mahapuranas, it was written in
the 4th century CE and edited
thereafter over time.
 Brahmavaivarta Purana

■ 18,000 verses.
■ Centring around Krishna and
Radha.
■ It is a Vaishnavism text and is
considered as one of the modern
Puranas.
 Garuda Purana

■ 19,000 verses.
■ Centres around Lord Vishnu
and Garuda but also praises
other Gods.
■ Earliest version may have been
composed in the first
millennium CE.
 Kurma Purana

■ 17,000 verses.
■ A medieval era Vaishnavism
text.
■ The text is named after the
tortoise avatar of Vishnu.
■ The manuscripts has
survived into modern era in
many versions.
 Linga Purana

■ 11,000 verses.
■ A Shaivism text of
Hinduism.
■ The title ‘Linga’ refers to
the iconography for
Shiva.
■ May have been
composed between 5th to
10th century CE.
 Markandeya Purana

■ 9,000 verses.
■ The text’s title
‘Markandeya’ refers to
the sage Markandeya.
■ He is the central
character in two
legends, one linked to
Vishnu and other to
Shiva.
 Matsya Purana

■ 14,000 verses
■ Narrates the story of
Matsya, the first of ten
major Avatars of
Vishnu.
■ Includes legends
about Brahma and
Saraswati.
 Narada Purana

■ 25,000 verses
■ Discusses the four Vedas and
the six Vedangas.
■ Dedicates one Chapter each,
from Chapters 92 to 109, to
summarize the other 17
Maha Puranas and itself.
 Padma Purana
■ 55,000 verses.
■ Describes cosmology, the
world and nature of life from
the perspective of Vishnu.
■ Discusses festivals,
numerous legends,
geography of rivers and
regions from northwest India
to Bengal to the kingdom of
Tripura, major sages of India,
various Avatars of Vishnu and
his cooperation with Shiva,
the story of Rama-Sita that is
different than the Hindu epic
Ramayana.
 Shiva Purana

■ 24,000 verses.
■ Discusses Shiva,
and stories
about him.
 Skanda Purana
■ 81,100 verses.
■ Describes the birth of Skanda (or
Karthikeya), son of Shiva.
■ The longest Purana.
■ It is an extraordinarily meticulous
pilgrimage guide, containing
geographical locations of pilgrimage
centers in India, with related
legends, parables, hymns and
stories.
 Vamana Purana

■ 10,000 verses.
■ Describes North India,
particularly Himalayan
foothills region.
 Varaha Purana

■ 24,000 verses.
■ Presentation focuses on
Varaha as incarnation of
Narayana alias Vishnu, but
rarely uses the terms
Krishna or Vasudeva (the
other avatar of Vishnu).
 Vayu Purana

■ 24,000 verses
■ Praises Shiva,Pawan
Deva
■ Discusses rituals, family
life, and life stages of a
human being.
 Vishnu Purana

■ 23,000 verses.
■ A Vaishnavism text,
focused on Vishnu.
Puranic rights and Customs as influenced
by the social and economic need of the
sacerdotal class

1. The practice of yajna, adhyapana, was observed by priests

or purohits.
2. Priest avoided service trade and agricultural etc.
3. In economic crisis Brahmin could follow the profession of
the vaishya and kshatriya under certain restrictions.
1. Brahmins wear advice to follow agriculture through
representatives
2. Puranic literature tells us about the relation between
the master and slave (Namasiddhik – jataka)
3. Brahmins try to better their economic conditions
through
accepting gifts priesthood teaching etc.
1. Damodar copper plates - Grand land made to brahmins
for conduct of Vedic rites.

2. Brahmins are represented as visual God in majority of

The Puranas.
Different Puranic concepts

■ Dharma
■ Satya
■ Dana
■ Karma
■ Bheda
■ Upeksha
■ Samasray
 CONCLUSION

■ Not only did it help to infuse the minds of people with nobler
ideas but also to create a way of life by tactfully solving
various social and economic problems.
■ They have always served as records of ancient geography
and political history of India.
■ Gives us a great insight into all phases and aspects of
Hinduism and into the inner spirit of the Hindu Social System.
■ The Puranas give us flexibility in the social context to
welcome changes in the socio-religious traditions and
customs, with a modern outlook.
VEDAS
• The fountainhead of all knowledge whether of the
material world or of the spiritual world.
• Believed to be revealed texts I.e. they appeared in
the minds of sages as is not as an idea that sage
then put to verse like a poem but as the verse
itself.
• Apaurusheya- not created by man.
• Rig Veda- Sage Agni
• Yajurveda- Sage Vayu
• Samaveda- Sage Aditya
• Atharveda- Sage Angira
 SANSKRIT

VEDIC LAUKIK
SANSKRIT SANSKRIT
 ANTIQUITY OF VEDAS

“Any such attempt of defining the Vedic antiquity is absolutely

fruitless.”

BEAVER, THE HISTORY OF SANSKRIT LITERATURE

Conservative Estimate- 5000 years

Indian Tradition- Advent of Man
THE FOUR VEDAS
 THE RIGVEDA
RIK means praise

■ Oldest scripture in the world

■ Rik means praise
■ Praises for deities like Indra, Agni, Rudra
and the two Ashwini gods, Varuna, Maruti,
Savitri and Surya.
■ Verses continue to be recited during
Hindu rites of passage.
 THE YAJURVEDA
Yaj means worship

■ Yaj means worship

■ Primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals
■ Broadly grouped into two – the "black" or "dark" (Krishna
Yajurveda) and the "white" or "bright" (Shukla
Yajurveda)
■ Ancient layer-1,875 verses YAJNA
■ Middle layer includes the Satapatha Brahmana, one of
the largest Brahmana texts in the Vedic collection.
■ The youngest layer- the largest collection of primary
Upanishads.
 THE SAMVEDA
Sama means song
• Book of chants and songs which were
sung during ceremonial sacrifices and
various rituals of worship.
• 7 notes Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni
• Contains 1875 verses.
• The priest performs the rituals of the
Soma ceremonies.

SOMA
 THE ATHARVAVEDA
Book of spells

• Contains 5,977 verses.

• Called the Book of Spells.
• This includes incantations, spells
and charms.
• Said to represent a good picture of
what the Vedic life was all about.
• Description of diseases, sins and
acquiring wealth.
• More applicable to modern
science.
AAYURVEDA CASTE
SYSTEM

BLACK MAGIC
OTHER SUBJECTS UNDER ATHARVAVEDA
 Main Teachings of Vedas

❖ The Eternal Trinity-

▪ Matter (Prakriti) - inanimate and makes up most of the universe

▪ Individual Souls (Jeevatmas) - animate but have limited

capability and knowledge

▪ God (Parmatma) - all knowing,all powerful and pervades the

universe and exists outside the universe.
 ❖ THE FOUR GOALS OF LIFE-
▪ DHARMA

▪ ARTHA
▪ KAMA

▪ MOKSHA
 ❖ LAW OF KARMA

Actions according to Dharma lead to Punya and ultimately to happiness. Those

against Dharma lead to Paap and sorrow.
❖ THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE
❖ CYCLE OF CREATION

SRISHTI

STHITI

PRALAYA
Vedas and contemporary relevance

“Those who consume beef

should be publically
hanged”
– Sadhvi Saraswati
 COWS IN ANCIENT INDIAN
HISTORY
■ Scholars have known for centuries that the ancient Indians ate beef. After
the fourth century B.C., when the practice of vegetarianism spread
throughout India among Buddhists, Jains and Hindus, many Hindus
continued to eat beef.
■ In the time of the oldest Hindu sacred text, the Rig Veda (c. 1500 B.C.),
cow meat was consumed. Like most cattle-breeding cultures, the Vedic
Indians generally ate the castrated steers, but they would eat the female of
the species during rituals or when welcoming a guest or a person of high
status.
■ Some dharma texts composed in
this same period insist that cows
should not be eaten.
■ Historian Romila Thapar describes
as a “matter of status” – the higher
the caste, the greater the food
restrictions. Various religious
sanctions were used to impose
prohibition on beef eating, but, as
Thapar demonstrates, “only among
the upper castes.”
■ Female purity and doctility
symbolized by the cow who
generously gives her milk to her
calf.
■ The nationalist and fundamentalist
“Hindutva” (“Hindu-ness”) movement
is attempting to use this notion of the
sanctity of the cow to disenfranchise
Muslims.
■ And it is not only the beef-eating
Muslims (and Christians) who are the
target of Hindutva’s hate brigade.
Lower-caste Hindus are also being
attacked.
■ As these and so many other recent
attacks demonstrate, cows – innocent,
docile animals – have become in India a
lightning rod for human cruelty, in the
name of religion.
 ESTABLISHMENT OF A VEDIC BOARD OF
EDUCATION
• There are some who feel ancient Indian knowledge has been
unfairly sidelined in favour of its modern, Western counterparts.

• Bhartiya Shiksha Board (BSB) will standardise Vedic education.

• The BSB is also expected to establish a curriculum in which
Vedic and modern learning will be fused together.

• The Board seems like a positive step towards reviving the

ancient Indian culture

HOWEVER…..
THERE ARE CERTAIN PROBLEMS THAT CANNOT BE
IGNORED-

■ Attempt At Saffronisation
■ Defying Modernity Under The Pretext of Reviving
Culture?
■ A More Inclusive Approach To Study Indian Culture
■ The Economics Of Knowledge: Creating Employment
And Job Security
■ Reviving A Language Is More Difficult Than We Think
 CONCLUSION
Brahmastra- Wikipedia
The Brahmastra is mentioned in the epics and vedas as the
weapon of the last resort and was never to be used in combat.
Described in the Mahabharata, as the weapon charged with
half the power of the universe.