Veda and Puranas.

"The Vedas and Puranas are one and the same in purpose. They ascertain the Absolute Truth, which is greater than everything else. The Absolute Truth is ultimately realized as the Absolute Personality of Godhead with absolute controlling power. As such, the Absolute Personality of Godhead must be completely full of opulence, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation."

Srila Vyasadeva, in kindness to the fallen conditioned souls, supplemented the Vedas with the Puranas, which easily explain the Vedic truths in a way that all people can understand. The Puranas relate the Vedic teachings to historical facts and events that explain the teachings of the Rg, Sama, Atharva and Yajur Vedas. The Puranas, along with Chandogya Upanisad and the Mahabharata, are often referred to as the fifth Veda.

The Itihasas are puranic literatures describing historical events and pastimes of a single hero, or a group or lineage. For example, the Ramayana describes the pastimes of Sri Ramacandra, and the Mahabharata describes the pastimes of the Pandavas in the Kurus lineage. The Bhagavad-gita is part of the epic Mahabharata, and instructs that one surrender all other activities and engage fully in devotional service to Lord Krsna. Similarly, the Ramayana teaches surrender to the lotus feet of Lord Sri Ramacandra.

The 18 Primary Puranas

There are 18 primary Puranas, 18 upa-puranas, and numerous minor Puranas. The primary Puranas describe these five subjects: sarga (creation), pratisarga (recreation), vamsa (history of the sages), manvantara (periods of Manu), and vamsanucarita (geneology of kings).

*Lord Visnu is the predominating Deity of the following six Puranas:

Bhagavata Purana: has 18,000 verses, and is a jewel of the Vedas, providing all instruction on the science of self-realization.

Visnu Purana: has 23,000 verses, including stories of various devotees, a description of varnasrama, the six angas of the Veda, a description of the age of Kali, a description of Sveta Varaha Kalpa, and Visnu dharmotara.

Naradiya Purana: has 25,000 verses, and contains a synopsis of the complete philosophy. It describes Jagannatha Puri, Dwaraka, Badrinatha, and other holy sites.

Padma Purana: has 55,000 verses, and contains the glory of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and stories of Rama, Jagannatha, Matsya, Ekadasi, Bhrgu, and others.

Garuda Purana: has 19,000 verses, and discuss the subject of Bhagavad-gita, reincarnation, visnu-sahaasra-nama, and a description of Tarsya Kalpa.

Varaha Purana: has 24,000 verses, and describes the different vratas and Lord Visnu's glories.

*Lord Brahma is the predominating Deity of the following six Puranas:

Brahmanda Purana: has 12,000 verses, and describes the vedangas and the Adi Kalpa.

Brahmavaivarta Purana: has 18,000 verses, and describes the glories and pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna.

Markandeya Purana: ahs 9,000 verses, and tells the stories of Rama and Krsna.

Bhavisya Purana: has 14,500 verses, and describes the glories of devotional service to Sri Krsna, along with the prediction of Lord Caitanya.

Vamana Purana: contains 10,000 verses, and tells the story of Lord Trivikrama.

Brahma Purana: has 10,000 verses, and describes the teachings of Lord Brahma to Daksa.

*Lord Siva is the predominating Deity of the following six Puranas:

Matsya Purana: has 14,000 verses, and describes the Vamana and Varaha Kalpas, and temple construction.

Kurma Purana: has 17,000 verses, and describes the conversation between Krsna and the Sun-god, Dhanvantari, and the Laksmi Kalpa.

Linga Purana: has 10,000 verses, and describes the glories of Lord Nrsmhadeva, the stories of Janardhana and Ambarisa, and the glories of Gayatri.

Siva Purana has 24,000 verses, divided into six samhitas. It was recited by Vedavyasa’s disciple Romaharshana.

Skanda Purana: has 81,000 verses, and describes the slaughter of the demon Tarakdsura by Skanda (Subrahmanya). Skanda Purana is very similar to the Kumarasambhava of Kalidasa.

Agni Purana: has 15,400 verses, and describes Salagrama and the Isana Kalpa.

Source: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.

Originally posted by Dasa
"The Vedas and Puranas are one and the same in purpose. They ascertain the Absolute Truth, which is greater than everything else. The Absolute Truth is ultimately realized as the Absolute Personality of Godhead with absolute controlling power. As such, the Absolute Personality of Godhead must be completely full of opulence, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and ...[text shortened]... Kalpa.

Source: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.

Do you think that the teachings of Vedanta and your own personal interpretation of Vedanta are the same?

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Do you think that the teachings of Vedanta and your own personal interpretation of Vedanta are the same?

Exactly the same - but I have my own personal style of presentation.

Originally posted by Dasa
Exactly the same - but I have my own personal style of presentation.

What about proponents of Vedic teachings whose personal interpretation of Vedanta is different from yours?

Originally posted by Dasa
Exactly the same - but I have my own personal style of presentation.

Ok. I'm glad you can admit that , otherwise you may be mistaken for someone that spews forward vedas and sutras without having any personal input on the system.
I belive we need our own interpretations of any religous/spiritual texts otherwise we just quote directly from some one else, and if not held up for scrutiny before posting, you can come off as a siccophant and lead people to believe that you/they cant think for youself/themselves.Dont worry, you're not the only one🙂

Originally posted by karoly aczel
Do you think that the teachings of Vedanta and your own personal interpretation of Vedanta are the same?

Karoly, may I please state that some rigorousness in the terminology is required first before we venture to rush where angels may fear to tread. Firstly everyone might just know that there are 4 books which are called the Vedas, containing the most ancient thoughts about God and believed to be " heard " by the Rishis who put them into words. Then comes the Vedanta. Vendanta means ( at) the end of the Vedas. This term applies to only the principal Upanishads. These are 10 in number. The term Shruti or the " heard " one applies to the Veda and the Vedanta. Then come the " Smrutis " or the " remembered ones ". The term applies to Ramayana and Mahabharata, to Manusmrti and other smrities. Only then come the Puranas.

Originally posted by FMF
What about proponents of Vedic teachings whose personal interpretation of Vedanta is different from yours?

Those who embrace the true authorized Vedic teachings - present the exact same knowledge that I present.

However there are persons that also accept the authority of the Vedic teachings but because of personal speculation - do not present the correct understanding of those teachings.

While my style is unique to me - the knowledge remains unchanged.

However I have my own unique style of presentation - which has developed recently because of my dealings with insincere and dishonest persons in this forum.

In my entire life I have not met a complete group of persons who defend falsity and reject truth as blatantly and foolishly - as the persons found in this forum.

What does Veda and aggressive, flesh-eathing fish have to do with each other?

I don't understand.

Originally posted by sumydid
What does Veda and aggressive, flesh-eathing fish have to do with each other?

I don't understand.

There will be many things you will not understand until you raise your consciousness to the transcendental platform by following the prescribed method of spiritual purification of mind and intelligence and heart - outlined in the Vedanta Sutra and other authorized literatures.

Mundane mind cannot comprehend transcendental knowledge.

Purified transcendental mind can.

Originally posted by Dasa
However there are persons that also accept the authority of the Vedic teachings but because of personal speculation - do not present the correct understanding of those teachings.

You just use circular arguments all the time. Presumably others who accept the authority of the Vedic teachings are able to explain and make the arguments better than you. If you are mistaken in your presentation style - which I'd say you clearly are - then it stands to reason that you may also be mistaken in your interpretations and understandings of those teachings. Why should anyone in this community take your word over the word of other proponents of your religion?

Originally posted by FMF
You just use circular arguments all the time. Presumably others who accept the authority of the Vedic teachings are able to explain and make the arguments better than you. If you are mistaken in your presentation style - which I'd say you clearly are - then it stands to reason that you may also be mistaken in your interpretations and understandings of those teac ...[text shortened]... uld anyone in this community take your word over the word of other proponents of your religion?

P.B.P.W.M.I.

Originally posted by Dasa
P.B.P.W.M.E.

If you sincerely want people in this community to take your word over the word of other proponents of your religion, you probably want to change your presentation style.

Originally posted by FMF
If you sincerely want people in this community to take your word over the word of other proponents of your religion, you probably want to change your presentation style.

There is a certain bitterness in Dasa's repartee and it makes me wonder. Maybe you are a good person to ask as you are familiar with him/her. Do you think it is the high-level spiritual teachings of the Vedas that has made him/her bitter? Maybe he/she has risen to such a high level of knowledge and sophistication that the rest of us seem petty and annoying? Or do you think he/she was always that way?

The latter would concern me most because if his/her bitterness was present before his/her spiritual ascension and it's still there, then it seems like a mark against the teachings themselves, that they would not alleviate the condition and bring him/her peace.

Originally posted by sumydid
There is a certain bitterness in Dasa's repartee and it makes me wonder. Maybe you are a good person to ask as you are familiar with him/her. Do you think it is the high-level spiritual teachings of the Vedas that has made him bitter? Maybe he has risen to such a high level of knowledge and sophistication that the rest of us seem petty and annoying? Or d ...[text shortened]... the teachings themselves, that they would not alleviate the condition and bring him/her peace.

As I said on the other thread recently, I think any belief system or spiritual path that does not foster emotional intelligence or create a degree of equilibrium has something seriously wrong with it. None if the Hare Krshna devotees I've known in the past have had anything like the same bitterness-certainty-vanity thing going on that Dasa has.

Dasa has been a Christian in the past and maybe dabbled in other religions - I can't quite remember, maybe he will tell you - and he has been an agnostic and/or an atheist too. Again, he will perhaps clarify. So, I don't know, maybe there is now an unpleasant combination of a desire for firm conviction layered upon an undisguised and deep insecurity.

I don't think we can either blame his theological dogma for his demeanour, nor can we necessarily expect his theological dogma to solve whatever personal attributes or circumstances that have given rise to his online persona.

Originally posted by FMF
As I said on the other thread recently, I think any belief system or spiritual path that does not foster emotional intelligence or create a degree of equilibrium has something seriously wrong with it. None if the Hare Krshna devotees I've known in the past have had anything like the same bitterness-certainty-vanity thing going on that Dasa has.

Dasa has been ...[text shortened]... ve whatever personal attributes or circumstances that have given rise to his online persona.

That is very insightful and thank you for your answer. It helps me to understand a little better where the anger and condescension is coming from.

From a Christian perspective, I do find his/her method of evangelism quite useful. In a reverse logic kind of way. 😉