Puranas in the Light of Modern Sciene BY k narayanaswamy aiyer

Contents

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER. I - Sarga

CHAPTER II - Prati-Sarga

CHAPTER III Kala

CHAPTER IV - Vams'a

CHAPTER V- Manucharitam

CHAPTER VI. The Trimurti

CHAPTER VII Avatars

Key to the Study of the Puranas

Conclusion

Index

 

Foreword to the First Edition

The title of this work, Puranas in the light of Modern science may, at the first sight, seem to be rather a preten tious one. It has been adopted more to attract the public to the much neglected study of the Puranas than to my exposition of them, but I am profoundly convinced that there is a real Scientific basis to the Puranas.

The Hindus are aware that in the past there was a great Pauranika named Suta, who used to expound the Puranas before a very large concourse of people assembled at Naimisharanya. It now identified with a Railway Station called Oudh, situated on the broad gauge branch line leading to Sitapur. This cusom of exposition is becom ing nearly obsolete in It survives still in some of the out of the way station, and especially in Southern India. Each Night women and men would be gathered together to hear the Puranas from the lips of the Pandits. There were, the old big brass lamps burning, fed with castor oil; and two Pandits would expound them, as if he was really a Suta. Most of the audiences would be generally squat ting on the bare ground and on the streets even. Leaving out of account, a few who would be lulled to sleep through their overwork or inability to stand the strain of hearing the abstract truths, there were many with true and stead fast devotion who would alternate between sob and smile as the events in the drama versed from the sad to the bright or vice versa. They are becoming obsolete, mainly because there is no proper encouragement from the edu cated. If only the higher classes would take an intelligent