The Vedic Scriptures
The following important Vedic scriptures will be presented here in brief:
Purāṇas
Purāṇa means “that which completes” and “very old, historical”. There are 18 Purāṇas:
| Name | Verses | Name | Verses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agni-Purāṇa | 15,000 | Bhāgavata-Purāṇa | 18,000 |
| Bhaviṣya Purāṇa | 14,500 | Brahmā-Purāṇa | 10,000 |
| Brahmānda-Purāṇa | 12,000 | Brahma-Vaivarta-Purāṇa | 18,000 |
| Garuda-Purāṇa | 19,000 | Kurma-Purāṇa | 17,000 |
| Linga-Purāṇa | 11,000 | Markandeya-Purāṇa | 9,000 |
| Matsya-Purāṇa | 14,000 | Nārada-Purāṇa | 25,000 |
| Padma-Purāṇa | 55,000 | Śiva-Purāṇa | 24,000 |
| Skandha-Purāṇa | 81,000 | Vamana-Purāṇa | 10,000 |
| Varaha-Purāṇa | 24,000 | Viṣṇu-Purāṇa | 23,000 |
In the Bhagavat Purāṇa it is said that a Purāṇa contains ten characteristic topics: 1. the creation of the universe, 2. the creation of the three worlds and their living beings, 3. the preservation of all living beings, 4. the incarnations of the Lord, 5. the rule of the Manus, 6. the dynasties of great kings, 7. the activities of such kings, 8. annihilation, 9. the impetus for creation, preservation and annihilation, and 10. the supreme refuge.
Of all the Purāṇas, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, also called Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Amala Purāṇa ("the spotless Purāṇa”), is the best. “Just as the Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas.” (Ś.-B. Canto 12, Chapter 13, Verse 16)
The conditioned souls act under the influence of and are governed by the three modes of material nature sattva, rajas and tamas. In order to gradually uplift all human beings – no matter by which guṇas they are ruled – spiritually by certain rules and regulations and eventually bring them back to God, six Purāṇas are meant for people in the mode of ignorance (Brahmānda, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavisya, Vamana, and Brahmā Purāṇa), six for people in the mode of passion (Skandha, Matsya, Kurma, Linga, Śiva, and Agni-Purāṇa), and six for people in the mode of purity (Viṣṇu, Naradiya, Bhāgavata, Garuda, Padma, and Varaha Purāṇa).
The sattvika-Purāṇas glorify Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the rajasika-Purāṇas glorify Brahmā, the creator of the universe; and the tamasika-Purāṇas glorify Agni, Śiva and Durga. There are other scriptures where the worship of various demigods like Sarasvati (goddess of learning), Lakshmi (goddess of fortune), the pitris (forefathers) etc. is encouraged.
For example, there are Purāṇas where rules for sacrificing goats to the goddess Kāli are described. This is a concession for people in tamo-guṇa that restricts the killing of animals so that they do not kill cows and other animals to satisfy their lust for meat. If people follow the Purāṇas' instructions appropriate to their state of mind, they will gradually be purified and eventually reach the goal of life.
He who unrestrictedly follows the whims of his mind will never escape the material swamp. He degrades and is reborn in animal forms of life.