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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Padmapurana" redirects here. For Jain text, see Rama in Jainism.

A Page From A Padma Purana Manuscript (Sanskrit, Devanagari)

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The Padma Purana (Sanskrit: पद्मपरु ाण or पाद्मपरु ाण, Padma-Purana or Padma-Purana) is

one of the eighteen Major Puranas, a genre of texts in Hinduism. It is an
encyclopedic text, named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and
includes large sections dedicated to Vishnu, as well as significant sections
on Shiva and Shakti.[1][2]
The manuscripts of Padma Purana have survived into the modern era in numerous
versions, of which two are major and significantly different, one traced to eastern and
the other to western regions of India.[3] It is one of the voluminous text, claiming to
have 55,000 verses, with the actual surviving manuscripts showing about 50,000. [4][5]
The style of composition and textual arrangement suggest that it is likely a
compilation of different parts written in different era by different authors. [6] The text
includes sections on cosmology, mythology, genealogy, geography, rivers and
seasons, temples and pilgrimage to numerous sites in India – notably to the Brahma
Temple In Pushkar Rajasthan,[7] versions of story of Rama and Sita different from one
found in Valmiki's Ramayana, festivals, glorification mainly of Vishnu but also in parts
of Shiva and their worship, discussions on ethics and guest hospitality, Yoga,
theosophical discussion on Atman (Soul), Advaita, Moksha and other topics.[2][4][8]
There is Purana-style, but entirely different Jainism text that is also known as Padma
Purana and includes a Jain version of the Ramayana. [9][10]

History[edit]
The Padma Purana, like other Puranas, exists in numerous versions. [11] One major
recension, traced to Bengal region, has five Khandas (Parts, Books) and an
appendix, but has neither been published nor translated. [3] The second major different
recension, traced to western region of India, has six Khandas, is the adopted and oft-
studied version since the colonial British India era. [3] The Bengal edition is older.
[12]
 The Bengal edition is notable in that the 39 chapters on Dharma-sastra are
missing from the Sristikhanda book, in all versions of its manuscripts. [6]
The composition date of Padma Purana is unknown. Estimates vary between the 4th
and 15th century CE.[13] Some parts of the text may be from the 750 to 1000 CE
period.[14] The extant manuscripts and ones widely studied, states Wilson, is very
likely to have been written or revised well after the 14th century, probably in the 15th
or 16th century, because it describes later era major temple sites of south India and
sites in the Vijayanagara Empire.[4] No portion of the versions of the Padma Purana
available in the 19th century, wrote Wilson, is "probably older than the 12th-century".
[4]
 Asoke Chatterjee, in 1963, suggested that the text may have existed between the
3rd and 4th century CE, but the text was rewritten and greatly expanded over the
centuries and through the second half of the 17th century. [15]
Rocher states that the composition date of each Purana remains a contested issue. [16]
[17]
 Dimmitt and van Buitenen state that each of the Puranas manuscripts is
encyclopedic in style, and it is difficult to ascertain when, where, why and by whom
these were written:[18]
As They Exist Today, The Puranas Are A Stratified Literature. Each Titled Work
Consists Of Material That Has Grown By Numerous Accretions In Successive
Historical Eras. Thus, No Purana Has A Single Date Of Composition. (...) It Is As If
They Were Libraries To Which New Volumes Have Been Continuously Added, Not
Necessarily At The End Of The Shelf, But Randomly.

— Cornelia Dimmitt And J.A.B. Van Buitenen, Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader In The

Sanskrit Puranas[18]
The Padma Purana categorizes itself as a Sattva Purana (One Which Represents
Goodness And Purity).[19]
Contents[edit]

The text describes Pushkar, as the place for Pilgrimage

This text exists in two different versions (Recensions), the Bengal and the west
Indian. The Bengal recension consists of Five Khandas (Sections): Shrishti Khanda,
Bhumi Khanda, Svarga Khanda, Patala Khanda and Uttara Khanda. [20] The latter
recension consists of Six Khandas: Adi Khanda (also known as the Svarga Khanda
in some printed editions), Bhumi Khanda, Brahma Khanda, Patala Khanda, Srishti
Khanda and Uttara Khanda. The Bhumi Khanda of the Bengal recension contains
additional thirteen chapters, while the Patala Khanda of this recension contains
thirty-one additional chapters. The Srishti Khanda can be divided into two parts and
the second part is not found in the Bengal recension. [20]
The first eighteen chapters of the first part (Khanda) of the text is notable for its
description of lake Pushkar, near Ajmer in Rajasthan as a Brahma pilgrimage site,
followed by chapters with Vishnu-oriented presentation. [7]
The second part of the text is called Bhumikhanda, and is largely a book of legends
woven into a pilgrimage guide.[7] The third part of the text, called Svargakhanda,
presents Cosmology, geography of India, its rivers and description of places. [7]
The fourth part of the text, called Brahmakhanda, glorifies Vishnu, discusses
seasons, festivals such as one dedicated to Goddess Radha, rituals and Tulasi
plant.[7] The fifth part of the text, called Patalakhanda, presents Rama as an
Incarnation of Vishnu, Sita as an Incarnation of Lakshmi, and presents a version of
their story that is different from one found in the Valmiki's Ramayana.[21] The fifth part
also includes chapters where Shiva and Parvati discuss the character of Krishna, as
well as significant collection of chapters which glorify Shiva. [22]
The last part, called Uttarakhanda, contains legends and mythology associated with
Indian festivals, eighteen chapters called as Gita Mahatmya, followed by chapters of
Bhagavata Mahatmya and Shiva Gita, discussion of soul and liberation, quotes from
the Upanishads, Yoga and the Advaita Vedanta doctrines.[23] The text, in some
versions of the manuscripts, ends with Kriya-Yogasara which is a discussion of
ethics and hospitality to guests.[24]

Other texts with same title[edit]

Several purana-like texts of other Indian religions such as Jainism and Buddhism are
also known as Padma Purana. These include the Padma-Purana (also called
Padma-Caritam) by the 7th century Ravisena of the Digambara tradition of Jainism,
written in Sanskrit.[25] Other texts with same name include those by
(Balabhadrapurana) or Raidhu (15th century), the Padma-Purana of Somadeva
(1600), the Padma-Purana of Dharmakirti (1612), the Padma-Purana of Bhattaraka
Candrakirti (c. 17th century), and two undated texts by Candrasagara and by
Sricandra. These belong to the Apabhramsa genre of Indian literature.[26]

References[edit]
1. ^ Dalal 2014, pp. 239–240.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Rocher 1986, pp. 206–214.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c Rocher 1986, pp. 18, 206–214.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Wilson 1864, pp. 29–35.
5. ^ HH Wilson (1839), Essays on the Puránas. II, The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 5, No. 2, pages 280-313
6. ^ Jump up to:a b Rocher 1986, pp. 207–208.
7. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Rocher 1986, pp. 208–209.
8. ^ K P Gietz 1992, pp. 289, 820.
9. ^ Rocher 1986, pp. 94–95, for context see 90-95 with footnotes.
10. ^ Dalal 2014, p. 240.
11. ^ Rocher 1986, pp. 18, 206–214; Bailey 2003, pp. 141–142.
12. ^ Rocher 1986, p. 207.
13. ^ Vanita 2005, p. 144.
14. ^ Doniger 2010, p. 473.
15. ^ K P Gietz 1992, pp. 287 with notes 1572-1574, 290 with note 1586.
16. ^ Rocher 1986, p. 249.
17. ^ Bailey 2003, pp. 139–141, 154–156.
18. ^ Jump up to:a b Dimmitt & van Buitenen 2012, p. 5.
19. ^ Wilson, H. H. (1840).  The Vishnu Purana: A system of Hindu mythology and tradition.
Oriental Translation Fund. p.  12.
20. ^ Jump up to:a b Hazra, R.C. (1962). The Puranas in S. Radhakrishnan ed. The Cultural
Heritage of India, Calcutta: The Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Vol.II, ISBN 81-
85843-03-1, p.261
21. ^ Rocher 1986, p. 209.
22. ^ Rocher 1986, pp. 209–211.
23. ^ Rocher 1986, pp. 211–213.
24. ^ Rocher 1986, p. 213.
25. ^ Kodaganallur Ramaswami Srinivasa Iyengar (2005).  Asian Variations in Ramayana:
Papers Presented at the International Seminar on 'Variations in Ramayana in Asia.
Sahitya Akademi. pp.  58, 70.  ISBN  978-81-260-1809-3.
26. ^ Devi Prasada Mishra, cited in Kodaganallur Ramaswami Srinivasa Iyengar, Asian
variations in Ramayana, Sahitya Akademi (2006) ISBN 9788126018093, p. 61.

Bibliography[edit]
 Bailey, Gregory (2003). Arvind Sharma (ed.). The Study of Hinduism. University
of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-57003-449-7.
 Dimmitt, Cornelia; van Buitenen, J. A. B. (2012). Classical Hindu Mythology: A
Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas. Temple University Press (1st Edition:
1977). ISBN 978-1-4399-0464-0.
 Doniger, Wendy (2010), The Hindus: An Alternative History, Oxford University
Press
 Dalal, Rosen (2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin. ISBN 978-
8184752779.
 K P Gietz; et al. (1992). Epic and Puranic Bibliography (Up to 1985) Annoted
and with Indexes: Part I: A - R, Part II: S - Z, Indexes. Otto Harrassowitz
Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-03028-1.
  Rocher, Ludo (1986). The Puranas. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-
3447025225.
 Vanita, Ruth (2005). Love's Rite. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-8160-8.
 Wilson, H. H. (1864). Puranas. ISBN 1-84664-664-2.

External links[edit]
 Padma Purana Part 1 Srishti Khanda Motilal Banarsidass 1988
 Padma Purana Part 2 Srishti Khanda Motilal Banarsidass 1989
 Padma Purana Motilal Vol. 3 Through Vol. 10
 THE PADMA-PURANA PART. 3
 Padma Purana Vol 04 Bhumi And Svarga Khanda Pages 1241 1563 ENG Motilal
Banarsidass 1990
 The Padma Purana English translation by N. A. Deshpande, 1951 (includes
glossary)
 Ethics And Sociology Of Politics In Some Of The Puranas VR Varma (1978), The
Indian Journal of Political Science (discusses Padma Purana)
 Essays On The Puranas. II HH Wilson (1839), The Journal Of The Royal Asiatic
Society Of Great Britain And Ireland (Discusses Pilgrimage In Padma Purana)

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