REFUTATION:<\/strong> That the Vedas<\/em> are eternal and apauruseya<\/em> is a fact that all sampradayas<\/em>, including the school of Sankara, unanimously agree with. They constitute the means of receiving knowledge about the Absolute Truth. However, there are certain factors that make it practically impossible to study the Vedas<\/em> in this age:<\/p>\n \u00a0 After Srila Vyasadeva divided the Vedas<\/em> into four books (Rg, Yajur, Sama<\/em> and Atharva<\/em>), his disciples further divided them into 1,130 divisions. This is stated in the Kurma Purana<\/em> (52.19-20):<\/p>\n eka-vimsati-bhedena rg-vedam krtavan pura sama-vedam sahasrena sakhanam prabibheda sah \u2018Previously the Rg Veda<\/em> was divided into 21 sections, the Yajur Veda<\/em> into 100 sections, the Sama Veda<\/em> into 1,000 sections and the Atharva Veda<\/em> into 9 divisions.\u2019<\/p>\n Each division has 4 minor divisions, namely the Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas<\/em> and\u00a0Upanisads.<\/em> Thus altogether the 4 Vedas<\/em> contain 1,130 Samhitas,<\/em> 1,130 Brahmanas,<\/em> 1,130 Aranyakas,<\/em> and 1,130 Upanisads.<\/em> This makes a total of 4,520 divisions. Apart from that, it is practically impossible for those born in the age of Kali (who are generally \u2018mandah sumanda-matayo<\/em>\u2019) to memorise even the slightest thing. What to speak of the entire Vedas<\/em> or even the 6% that still survives today! At present, amongst the brahmana<\/em> communities in India, it is generally observed that vedadhyayana<\/em> simply consists of memorising the text of one of the four Vedas<\/em> \u2018parrot-fashion\u2019, but as we can see from above, there is much more to it than that. Therefore, we may conclude that although the Vedas<\/em> are perfect sabda-pramana<\/em>, it is impractical to become thoroughly conversant with the Vedas<\/em> in this day and age in order to understand the Supreme. Hence the solution lies in the Puranas<\/em> and the Itihasas.<\/em> This is explained in the following verse –<\/p>\n bharata-vyapadesena hyamnayarthah pradarsitah “On the pretext of writing the Mahabharata<\/em>, Vyasa explained the meaning of the Vedas<\/em>. Certainly all the topics of the Vedas<\/em> have been established in the Puranas.<\/em>” (Visnu Purana<\/em>)<\/p>\n Furthermore, it is explained in the Mahabharata<\/em> (Adi Parva<\/em> 1.267) and Manu Samhita<\/em> \u2013<\/p>\n itihasa puranabhyam vedam samupabrmhayet<\/em><\/p>\n ” One must complement one\u2019s study of the Vedas<\/em> with the Itihasas<\/em> and the Puranas.<\/em>“<\/p>\n In the Prabhasa-khanda<\/em> of the Skanda Purana<\/em> (5.3.121-124) it is said \u2013<\/p>\n veda-van niscalam manye puranartham dvijottamah bibhety-alpa-srutad vedo mam ayam calayisyati yan na drstam hi vedesu tad drstam smrtisu dvijah ” O best of the brahmanas<\/em>, the meaning of the Puranas<\/em> is unchanging just like that of the Vedas<\/em>. The Vedas<\/em> are all sheltered within the Puranas<\/em> without a doubt. The Veda<\/em> has a fear that unqualified people will read her and then distort her meaning. Thus, the significance of the Veda<\/em> was fixed in the Puranas<\/em> and Itihasas.<\/em> That which is not found in the Vedas<\/em> is found in the Smrti<\/em>. That which is not found in the Smrti<\/em> is to be found in the Puranas<\/em>. Those who know even the Vedas<\/em> and Upanisads<\/em> are not learned if they do not know the Puranas<\/em>.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u00a0The reason they are called \u2018Puranas<\/em>\u2019 is because they make the Vedas<\/em> complete (puranat puranam iti canyatra<\/em>). This is not to suggest that the Vedas<\/em> are incomplete. It simply means that the Puranas<\/em> are explanatory supplements which aid one to understand the concise and ambiguous passages in the Vedas.<\/em> If the Puranas<\/em> complete the Vedas<\/em>, it is only logical that they must be Vedic in nature. rcah samani chandamsi puranam yajusa saha “The Rg, Sama, Yajur<\/em> and Atharva<\/em> became manifest from the Lord, along with the Puranas<\/em> and all the Devas residing in the heavens.” (Atharva Veda<\/em> 11.7.24)<\/p>\n sa brhatim disam anu vyacalat tam itihasas ca puranam ca gathas ca itihasasya ca sa vai puranasya ca gathanam ca narasamsinam ca priyam dhama bhavati ya evam veda<\/em><\/p>\n “He approached the brhati<\/em> meter, and thus the Itihasas, Puranas, Gathas<\/em> and Narasamsis<\/em> became favorable to him. One who knows this verily becomes the beloved abode of the Itihasas, Puranas, Gathas<\/em> and Narasamsis<\/em>.” (Atharva Veda<\/em> 15.6.10\u201312)<\/p>\n evam ime sarva veda nirmitah sa-kalpah sa-rahasyah sa-brahmanah sopanisatkah setihasah sanvakhyatah sa-puranan<\/em><\/p>\n “In this way, all the Vedas<\/em> were manifested along with the Kalpas, Rahasyas, Brahmanas, Upanisads, Itihasas, Anvakhyatas<\/em> and the Puranas.”<\/em> (Gopatha Brahmana, purva<\/em> 2.10)<\/p>\n nama va rg-vedo yajur-vedah sama-veda atharvanas caturtha itihasa-puranah pancamo vedanam vedah<\/em><\/p>\n “Indeed, Rg, Yajur, Sama<\/em> and Atharva<\/em> are the names of the four Vedas.<\/em> The Itihasas<\/em> and Puranas<\/em> are the fifth Veda.” (Kauthumiya Chandogya Upanisad 7.1.4)<\/em><\/p>\n asya mahato bhutasya nihsvasitam etad yad rg-vedo yajur-vedah sama “O Maitreya, the Rg, Yajur, Sama<\/em> and Atharva Vedas<\/em> as well as the Itihasas<\/em> and the Puranas<\/em> all manifest from the breathing of the Lord.” (Madhyandina-sruti, Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad<\/em> 2.4.10)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n From these above sruti<\/em> statements it is clear that the puranas<\/em> are part of the Vedas<\/em> and originate from the same source as the Vedas<\/em>, namely the Supreme Lord Himself. One may argue that since the Puranas<\/em> have names such as Skanda, Agni, Markandeya<\/em> etc. they must have been composed by those personalities, therefore they are not eternal and thus cannot be apauruseya. However, if that is the case, then certain sections of the Vedas<\/em> must also be considered to be pauruseya-vakya<\/em> since they have names like Katha<\/em> Upanisad, Aitareya Upanisad<\/em> (Katha and Aitareya being names of sages). It is understood that certain parts of the Vedas<\/em> are named after certain rsis,<\/em> not because they composed them, but because they were the main exponents of those portions. Since persons with the names Katha<\/em> and Aitareya<\/em> appear in every millenium, one should not misunderstand that before the appearance of those persons described in the Vedas<\/em>, these names were simply meaningless words.<\/p>\n \u00a0Similarly many of the Puranas<\/em> are named after the first person who expounded them. Many times however, due to the influence of time, a scripture may become forgotten on this planet and thus a deva or sage speaks it again, and it becomes known by that name. Such an example is found in the Bhagavatam<\/em> wherein the sun-god imparts the Vajasaneyi-samhita<\/em> of the Yajur Veda<\/em> to Yajnavalkya Muni \u2013<\/p>\n atha ha bhagavams tava carana-nalina-yugalam tri-bhuvana-gurubhir evam stutam sa bhagavan vaji-rupa-dharo ravih “Therefore, O lord, with prayers I approach your two lotus feet, which are adored by the preceptors of the three worlds, because I wish to receive from you mantras<\/em> of the Yajur Veda<\/em> that are unknown to anyone else.” In his treatise Visnu Tattva Vinirnaya, Sri Madhva, quoting Brahmanda Purana explains thus:<\/p>\n puranani tadarthani sarge sarge\u2019nythaiva tu In other words, the Puranas<\/em> are supposed to explain the meaning of the Vedas<\/em> and are only different by the changes in words, chanda (metre), rsi, sequence etc. at the beginning of each creation. In this way they are considered to be non-eternal, but their meaning will be the same as in the previous creation. itihasa-purananam vaktaram samyag eva hi yac-chistam tu yajur-veda iti sastrartha-nirnayah<\/em><\/p>\n “That almighty Lord (Sri Vyasa) chose me as the qualified speaker of the Itihasas<\/em> and the Puranas<\/em>. In the beginning there was only one Veda<\/em> \u2013 the Yajur Veda<\/em>. This was divided into four portions. From these stemmed the four performances known as the catur-homa<\/em> by which he (Vyasa) arranged for the performance of sacrifice. The Adhvaryu<\/em> priest uses the Yajur mantras,<\/em> the ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/vedkabhed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/img_5f23fe9dbeb17.png\")
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\nsakhanam satenaiva yajur-vedam athakarot<\/em><\/p>\n
\natharvanam atho vedam bibedha navakena tu<\/em><\/p>\n
\nAt present, most of these texts have disappeared due to the influence of time. We can only find 11 Samhitas<\/em>, 18 Brahmanas<\/em>, 7 Aranyakas<\/em> and 220 Upanisads<\/em> which constitutes a mere 6% of the entire Vedic canon!<\/p>\n\n
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\nvedah pratisthah sarve sarve purane natra samsayah<\/em><\/p>\n
\nvedah pratisthitah sarve purane natra samsayah<\/em><\/p>\n
\nitihasa-puranais tu niscalo\u2019yam krtah purah<\/em><\/p>\n
\nubhayor yan na drstam hi tat puranah pragiyate
\nyo veda caturo vedan sangopanisado dvijah
\npuranam naiva janati na ca sa syad vicaksana<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/vedkabhed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/img_5f23febf07008.png\")
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\nOur Tattvavadi friends have stated that Puranic<\/em> evidence is secondary to those statements of the sruti<\/em> because they are composed by mortals. Generally it is correct to state that the sruti<\/em> is primary and the smrti<\/em> secondary in that it (sruti<\/em>) seeks to elaborate on the meaning of the smrti.<\/em> However, under the circumstances, the puranas<\/em> and itihasas<\/em> are now to be considered primary evidence. As regards the mortal composition of the puranas<\/em> and Itihasas<\/em>, 2<\/span> we beg to differ with this view, on the basis of the following references in the sruti-sastras<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\nucchistaj-jajnire sarve divi deva divi-sritah<\/em><\/p>\n
\nvedo\u2019tharvangirasa itihasah puranam ityadina<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/vedkabhed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/img_5f23fed3311f7.png\")
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\nabhivanditam aham ayata-yama-yajus-kama upasaramiti.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nyajumsy ayata-yamani munaye \u2019dat prasaditah<\/em><\/p>\n
\n“Being pleased by such exaltation, the sun-god took the form of a horse and presented to the muni<\/em> mantras<\/em> of the Yajur Veda<\/em> which were previously unknown to any mortal.” (Bhagavata<\/em> 12.6.72-73)<\/p>\n
\nkriyante\u2019tastvanityani tadarthah purva-sargavat
\nvedanam srsthivakyani bhaveyurvyaktyapeksaya
\navantarabhimananam devanam va vyapeksaya
\nnanityatvat kutastesamanityatvam sthiratmanam<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nTherefore Madhva categorizes the Puranas<\/em> as \u2018nitya-anitya\u2019<\/em> because they originally emanate from the Supreme Lord, but they are sometimes unmanifest.
\nAs a side note, it may be asked that if the Puranas<\/em> are indeed subsidiary to the sruti-sastras,<\/em> why does Sri Madhvacarya himself quote them so often in his works? Not only that, he even uses puranic<\/em> evidence in order to establish the nityatva<\/em> of the Vedas!<\/em> If the Puranas<\/em> are not eternal and apauruseya,<\/em> why would he use their \u2018secondary statements\u2019 as a pramana<\/em> to validify something which is superior?
\nAnother point is that in the chanting of the Brahma-yajna<\/em> (formal study of the Vedas<\/em>), the Puranas<\/em> are included. If they were not Vedic<\/em> in nature they would not be included. Therefore the Taittiriya Aranyaka<\/em> (2.9) states yad brahmananitihasa-puranani<\/em>: “The Itihasas<\/em> and Puranas<\/em> are Vedas.”<\/em>
\nIt has already been stated above in the quote from Chandogya Upanisad<\/em> 3<\/span> that the Puranas<\/em> are known as the fifth Veda. 4<\/span> The reason behind this is because the Puranas<\/em> and Itihasas<\/em> are derived originally from the Yajur Veda.<\/em> This is explained by Sri Suta<\/em> in the Vayu Purana-<\/em><\/p>\n\n
\nmam caiva pratijagraha bhagavan isvarah prabhuh
\neka asid yajur-vedas tam caturdha vyakalpayat
\ncatur-hotram abhut tasmins tena yajnam akalpayat
\nadhvaryavam yajurbhis tu rgbhir hotram tathaiva ca
\naudgatram samabhis caiva brahmatvam capyatharvabhih
\nakhyanais capyupakhyanair gathabhir dvija-sattamah
\npurana-samhitas cakre puranartha-visaradah<\/em><\/p>\n