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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Sanskrit scripture, One of the eighteen major Puranas}}<br />
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[[File:Naradiya Purana, Sanskrit, Devanagari.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|A page from a ''Naradiya Purana'' manuscript (Sanskrit, Devanagari)]]<br />
{{Hindu scriptures}}<br />
{{Vaishnavism}}<br />
The '''''Naradiya Purana''''' ({{lang-sa|नारदीय पुराण}}, {{IAST|Naradiya Purana}}) or '''''Narada Purana''''' ({{lang-sa|नारद पुराण}}), are two Sanskrit texts, one of which is a [[Puranas#Mahapuranas|Major Purana]] of [[Hinduism]], while the other is a Minor Purana (''Upapurana'').{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=272}} Both are [[Vaishnavism]] texts, and have been a cause of confusion in Puran-related scholarship.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=202-203}} To prevent confusion, some scholars sometimes refer to the Minor Puran as ''Brihannaradiya Purana''.{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=272}}{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=202-203}}<br />
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Unlike most Puranas that are encyclopedic, the Brihannaradiya text is focussed almost entirely on [[Vishnu]] worship, while the Naradiya text is a compilation of 41 chapters (20%) on Vishnu Worship and rest of the chapters (80%) cover a wide range of topics including a large compilation of ''Mahatmya'' (travel guides){{Sfn|Ariel Glucklich|2008|p=146, '''Quote:''' The earliest promotional works aimed at tourists from that era were called ''mahatmyas''}} to temples and places along river Ganges, and neighboring regions.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=202-203}}<ref name=jameslochgg34>{{cite book|author=James Lochtefeld|title=Gods Gateway: Identity and Meaning in a Hindu Pilgrimage Place|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V1L99XsB1gkC|year=2009|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-974158-8|pages=30–34}}</ref><br />
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The ''Naradiya Purana'' is notable for dedicating eighteen chapters on other Puranas, one entire chapter summarizing each major Purana.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}} It is also notable for its verses extolling [[Buddha]] in chapter 1.2.{{Sfn|Parmeshwaranand|2001|p=253}}<br />
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==<ref name="Hazra" /> History==<br />
[[File:Narad - Vintage Print.jpg|thumb|left|The text is named after the [[Vedic]] sage [[Narada|Narad]], the musical genius and monk who also appears in numerous [[Upanishads]].{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=271-272}}]]<br />
Manuscripts of nearly all the Major Puranas acknowledge the existence of a Major Puran named either Narad or Naradiya, suggesting it was an important text in Hindu history.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=202}} Yet, unlike other Puranas which either appear in the Major Puran or Minor Puran lists, the Narad text appears in both lists.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=202}} This caused significant confusion to 19th and early 20th century Indologists.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=202}} The confusion was compounded by the fact that the content of the text manuscripts they found seemed to follow similar scope and focus, except that the ''Brihannaradiya Purana'' text with about 3,500 verses was slightly bigger than the other with about 3,000 verses.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=202}}{{Sfn|Wilson|1864|pp=LI-LIII}}<br />
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Later discovered manuscripts and scholarship established that the Narad or Naradiya is the Major Puran, Brihannaradiya is the ''Upapurana''.{{Sfn|Hazra|1940|pp=127-128}} The ''Naradiya Purana'' consists of two ''bhagas'' (parts), with the first called ''Purvabhaga'' and second called ''Uttarabhaga''.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=202}} The ''Purvabhaga'' has four ''padas'' with the total of 125 chapters.{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=272}} The ''Uttarabhaga'' has 82 chapters, which embeds the ''Rukmangada-carita''.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=202}}<ref name=Hazra>Hazra, R.C. (1962). ''The Puranas'' in S. Radhakrishnan ed. ''The Cultural Heritage of India'', Vol.II, Calcutta: The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, {{ISBN|81-85843-03-1}}, p.262</ref><br />
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The ''Brihannaradiya Purana'' has no parts or padas, and a total of 38 ''adhyayas'' (chapters).{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=202}}<br />
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The ''Narad Puran'' texts, like other Puranas, exist in numerous versions, but with less variation than other Puranas.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=202-203}}{{Sfn|Hazra|1940|pp=4-13, 127-130}} Wilson states that both texts are of likely recent composition, probably 16th or 17th century, because the five manuscripts he reviewed had verses mentioning certain events after Islamic invasion and control of the Indian subcontinent.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}}{{Sfn|Wilson|1864|pp=LI-LIII}} The other unusual part of the manuscripts he examined, states Wilson, is that the descriptions of ritual worship of Vishnu in the text are "puerile inventions, wholly foreign to the more ancient" ideas in the Puran genre of Hindu texts.{{Sfn|Wilson|1864|pp=LI-LIII}}<br />
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Rajendra Hazra, in contrast, states that the core verses of the texts were likely first composed over various centuries, as follows: he dates the Vishnu Bhakti focussed text ''Brihannaradiya Purana'' to the 9th-century; he places the first 41 chapters of ''Purvabhaga'' and the first 37 chapters of ''Uttarabhaga'' to have been composed before the 11th century; and, the rest he states is of likely a comparatively later origin.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}}{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=272}}{{Sfn|Hazra|1940|pp=4-13, 127-133}} The ''Naradiya Purana'', states Hazra, was likely composed after the ''Brihannaradiya Purana''.{{Sfn|Hazra|1940|p=127}} It is unknown, adds Hazra, whether the extant manuscripts of the Narad Puranas are same as the 9th and 10th-century originals,{{Sfn|Hazra|1940|p=130}} but we know that the verses quoted in medieval Hindu Smriti texts with these texts cited as source, are missing from the currently surviving manuscripts.{{Sfn|Hazra|1940|p=133}}<br />
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Rocher states that the composition date of each Puran remains unclear.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203, 249}}{{Sfn|Gregory Bailey|2003|pp=139-141, 154-156}} Dimmitt and van Buitenen state that it is difficult to ascertain when, where, why and by whom the major and inor Puranas were written:{{Sfn|Dimmitt|van Buitenen|2012|p=5}}<br />
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{{Quote|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 Puran 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|J.A.B. van Buitenen]]|''Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas''{{Sfn|Dimmitt|van Buitenen|2012|p=5}}}}<br />
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The [[Padma Purana|Padma Puran]] categorizes Naradiya Purana as a [[Sattva]] Puran (which represents goodness and purity).{{Sfn|Wilson|1864|p=12}} Scholars consider the ''Sattva-Rajas-Tamas'' classification as "entirely fanciful" and there is nothing in this text that actually justifies this classification.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=21}}<br />
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==Contents==<br />
===Brihannaradiya Purana===<br />
[[Image:Naradiyamahapuranam.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Naradiya Purana'' cover from 19th century.]]<br />
The ''Brihannaradiya Purana'' (also ''Brihannarada Purana'') is focussed on the [[Bhakti]] Of [[Vishnu]].{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}} It describes the festivals and ritual ceremonies of [[Vaishnavism]].{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}} Many chapters of the text are part of ''Mahatmya'' glorifying the river Ganges, pilgrimage and travel centers such as [[Allahabad|Prayag]] (meeting point of Yamuna and Ganges rivers) and [[Benaras|Banaras]] (the holy city Of Hindus).{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}} The text also includes chapters on ethics and duties of [[Varna (Hinduism)|Varna]] and [[Ashrama (stage)|Ashramas]], ''vrata'' and summaries on [[Sanskara (rite of passage)|Sanskara (rite of passage)]].{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}}<br />
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===Narad Puran===<br />
The ''Narad Puran'' (also ''Naradiya Purana'') follows the style of the ''Brihannaradiya Purana'' in the first 41 chapters of ''Purvabhaga'', but the rest of the first part and second part are encyclopedic covering a diverse range of topics.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}} The encyclopedic sections discuss subjects such as the six [[Vedangas]], [[Moksha]], [[Dharma]], Adhyatma-jnana (monastic life), [[Pashupata Shaivism|Pashupata]] philosophy, a secular guide with methods of worship of [[Ganesha|Ganesh]], various incarnations of Vishnu ([[Mahavishnu|MahaVishnu]], [[Narasimha|Narsimha]], [[Hayagriva]], [[Rama|Ram]], [[Krishna]]), [[Lakshmana|Lakshman]], [[Hanuman]], goddesses such as Devi and [[Lakshmi|MahaLakshmi]], as well as [[Shiva]].{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}} The text glorifies [[Radha]] as the one whose soul and love manifests all Hindu goddesses.{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=272}}<br />
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The text's secular description and verse of praises are not limited to different traditions of Hinduism, but also other traditions. For example, chapter 1.2 extols [[Buddha]].{{Sfn|Parmeshwaranand|2001|p=253}} This contrasts with ''[[Kurma Purana|Kurma Puran]]'' which is disdainful of [[Buddhism]] without mentioning [[Buddha]],{{Sfn|Parmeshwaranand|2001|p=254}} but similar to the praise of Buddha in other major Puranas such as chapter 49 of the ''[[Agni Purana|Agni Puran]]'', chapter 2.5.16 of the ''[[Shiva Purana|Shiva Puran]]'', chapter 54 of the ''[[Matsya Purana|Matsya Puran]]'' and various minor Puranas.{{Sfn|Parmeshwaranand|2001|pp=254-255}}<br />
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Chapters 92 through 109 of ''Purvabhaga'' are notable for summarizing the 18 major Puranas, one entire chapter dedicated to each.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}} This has been an important benchmark in comparison studies, and as evidence that the Puranas were revised after the composition of ''Narad Puran'', since the summary in these 18 chapters is significantly different than the extant manuscripts of the major Puranas.{{Sfn|Parmeshwaranand|2001|pp=204, 207, 278, 321}}{{Sfn|Hazra|1940|pp=127-133}} Other topics covered in the verses of Uttarabhaga include flora and fauna, food, music, dance, dress, jewelry, weapons and theories on war.{{Sfn|K P Gietz|1992|p=323 with note 1778}}<br />
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The ''Narad Puran'' also contains ''Rukmangadacarita'', a legend of king named Rukmangada, whose belief in Vishnu is repeatedly tested by a temptress [[Mohini]] (a female [[avatar|incarnation]] of Vishnu), one that became subject of plays and dance arts in Indian culture.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}}{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=272}} After ''Rukmangadacarita'', the text predominantly is a compilation of geographic ''Mahatmyas'' or travel guides for pilgrimage along river Ganges starting with [[Haridwar]],<ref name=jameslochgg34/> through [[Varanasi|Banaras]] (Kashi) towards [[Bengal]], and nearby regions such as [[Gaya district|Gaya]] in Bihar and Nepal.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=203}}{{Sfn|Dalal|2014|p=272}}<br />
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==See also==<br />
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*[[Brahma Purana|Brahma Puran]]<br />
*[[Markandeya Purana|Markandeya Puran]]<br />
*[[Shiva Purana|Shiva Puran]]<br />
*[[Vishnu Purana|Vishnu Puran]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist|30em}}<br />
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===Bibliography===<br />
*{{cite book|author=Gregory Bailey|editor=Arvind Sharma|title=The Study of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=npCKSUUQYEIC| year=2003| publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-57003-449-7}}<br />
* {{cite book | last1 = Dimmitt | first1 = Cornelia | first2 = J. A. B. |last2 = van Buitenen | title = Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=re7CR2jKn3QC| publisher = Temple University Press (1st Edition: 1977) | year = 2012 | isbn =978-1-4399-0464-0 }}<br />
*{{cite book|first = Rosen|last= Dalal|year= 2014|title= Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide| publisher= Penguin|isbn= 978-8184752779| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC }}<br />
*{{cite book|author=K P Gietz|display-authors=etal|title=Epic and Puranic Bibliography (Up to 1985) Annoted and with Indexes: Part I: A - R, Part II: S - Z, Indexes|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kgpLBpUCufwC |year= 1992|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag |isbn=978-3-447-03028-1}}<br />
*{{cite book|author=Ariel Glucklich|title=The Strides of Vishnu : Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KtLScrjrWiAC| year=2008| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-971825-2 }}<br />
*{{cite book| first=Swami | last= Parmeshwaranand | title=Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6F0ZIBIL2ZAC| year=2001| publisher=Sarup & Sons| isbn=978-81-7625-226-3}}<br />
*{{cite book| first=Rajendra Chandra| last= Hazra|title=Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Jar4V3piCeQC| year=1940| publisher=Motilal Banarsidass (1987 Reprint) |isbn=978-81-208-0422-7}}<br />
*{{Cite book|first=Ludo |last=Rocher| year= 1986| author-link= Ludo Rocher| title= The Puranas| publisher= Otto Harrassowitz Verlag| isbn= 978-3447025225}}<br />
*{{cite book |last= Wilson |first=H. H. |author-link= Horace Hayman Wilson|title=Puranas |year=1864 | url = https://archive.org/stream/puranasoraccount00wils#page/28/mode/2up |isbn=1-84664-664-2}}<br />
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[[Category:Vaishnava texts]]</div>ImportMaster