Skanda Purana Part 15

[Urbano Bozman]

TheSkanda Purana (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest Mukhyapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts.[1] The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature,[2] titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati (who is also known as Murugan in Tamil literature).[3] While the text is named after Skanda, he does not feature either more or less prominently in this text than in other Shiva-related Puranas.[3] The text has been an important historical record and influence on the Hindu traditions and rituals related to the war-god Skanda.[3][4]

The earliest text titled Skanda Purana likely existed by the 8th century CE,[5][6] but the Skanda Purana that has survived into the modern era exists in many versions.[7] It is considered as a living text, which has been widely edited, over many centuries, creating numerous variants.[8] The common elements in the variant editions encyclopedically cover cosmogony, mythology, genealogy, dharma, festivals, gemology, temples, geography, discussion of virtues and evil, of theology and of the nature and qualities of Shiva as the Absolute and the source of true knowledge.[9]

The editions of Skandapurana text also provide an encyclopedic travel handbook with meticulous Tirtha Mahatmya (pilgrimage tourist guides),[10] containing geographical locations of pilgrimage centers in India, Nepal and Tibet, with related legends, parables, hymns and stories.[11][12][13]

Haraprasad Shastri and Cecil Bendall, in about 1898, discovered an old palm-leaf manuscript of Skanda Purana in a Kathmandu library in Nepal, written in Gupta script.[14][15][16] They dated the manuscript to 8th century CE, on paleographic grounds. This suggests that the original text existed before this time.[17] R. Adriaensen, H.Bakker, and H. Isaacson dated the oldest surviving palm-leaf manuscript of Skanda Purana to 810 CE, but Richard Mann adds that earlier versions of the text likely existed in the 8th century CE.[5][18][19] Hans Bakker states that the text specifies holy places and details about the 4th and 5th-century Citraratha of Andhra Pradesh, and thus may have an earlier origin.[20] The oldest versions of the Skandapurana texts have been discovered in the Himalayan region of South Asia such as Nepal, and the northeastern states of India such as Assam.[21] The critical editions of the text, for scholarly studies, rely on the Nepalese manuscripts.[21]

Additional texts style themselves as khandas (sections) of Skandapurana, but these came into existence after the 12th century.[21] It is unclear if their root texts did belong to the Skandapurana, and in some cases replaced the corresponding chapters of the original.[21] The version of the earliest known recension was later expanded in two later versions namely the Revakhanda and Ambikakhanda recensions. The only surviving manuscript of the Revakhanda recension is from 1682. The four surviving manuscripts of the Ambikakhhnda recension are of a later period and contains much more alterations. Judit Trzsk says a similar recension to these two recensions seems to have been known to Laskhmidhara, thus it existed before 12th century.[19] Ballala Sena quotes content found only in these two recensions, thus the version known at that time was similar to the ancient version of these two recensions.[22]

There are a number of texts and manuscripts that bear the title Skanda Purana.[5] Some of these texts, except for the title, have little in common with the well-known Skandapurana traced to the 1st millennium CE.[21] The original text has accrued several additions, resulting in several different versions. It is, therefore, very difficult to establish an exact date of composition for the Skanda Purana.[23][7]

Stylistically, the Skanda Purana is related to the Mahabharata, and it appears that its composers borrowed from the Mahabharata. The two texts employ similar stock phrases and compounds that are not found in the Ramayana.[5] Some of the mythology mentioned in the present version of the Skanda Purana is undoubtedly post-Gupta period, consistent with that of medieval South India. This indicates that several additions were made to the original text over the centuries.[17] The Kashi Khanda, for example, acquired its present form around the mid-13th century CE.[24] The latest part of the text might have been composed in as late as the 15th century CE.[23]

The whole corpus of texts which are considered as part of the Skanda Purana is grouped in two ways. According to one tradition, these are grouped in six saṁhitās, each of which consists of several khaṇḍas. According to another tradition, these are grouped in seven khaṇḍas, each named after a major pilgrimage region or site. The chapters are Mahatmyas, or travel guides for pilgrimage tourists.[10]

The manuscripts of the Sanatkumāra Saṁhitā, the Śaṁkarī Saṁhitā, the Sūta Saṁhitā and the Saura Saṁhitā are extant. A manuscript of a commentary on the Sūta Saṁhitā by Madhavācārya is also available.[26] These texts discuss cosmogony, theology, philosophical questions on virtues and vice, questions such as what is evil, the origin of evil, how to deal with and cure evil.[35]

The oldest known 1st-millennium palm-leaf manuscripts of this text mention many major Hindu pilgrimage sites, but do not describe Kailash-Manasarovar.[16] The later versions do, particularly in Manasakhanda.[16]

The Skanda Purana, like many Puranas, include the legends of the Daksha's sacrifice, Shiva's sorrow, churning of the ocean (Samudra manthan) and the emergence of Amrita, the story of the demon Tarakasura, the birth of Goddess Parvati, her pursuit of Shiva, and her marriage to Lord Shiva, among others.

The central aim of the Skandapurana text, states Hans Bakker, is to sanctify the geography and landscape of South Asia, and legitimize the regional Shaiva communities across the land, as it existed at the time the edition was produced.[36] The text reflects the political uncertainties, the competition with Vaishnavism, and the cultural developments with the Pashupata Hindus during the periods it was composed.[37]

It is the biggest among Puranas. Named after Skanda, son of Siva, this Purana expounds doctrines and worship of Siva. It also contains legends of Siva, especially his battles with Daityas and Danavs. There are sections of Yoga, Dhyana (Meditation), and Jnana (Knowledge). It describes Siva temples in and around Varanasi. It is encyclopedic in character and throws light on different topics of general interest. This Purana is divided into Seven Khandas: Mahesvara, Brahma, Vaisnava, Kasi, Avantya, Nagara, and Prabhasa. While the first three include episodes related to the Trinity, the last four deal with the holy places of pilgrimage, the meaning and significance thereof, and the anecdotes illustrating the same. Skanda is the biggest among the Mahapuranas.

The purest gems lie hidden at the bottom of the ocean or in the depth of rocks. One has to dive into the ocean or delve into the rocks to find them out. Similarly, the truth lies concealed in the language which with the passage of time has become obsolete. Man has to learn that language before he discovers that truth.

But he has neither the means nor the leisure to embark on that course. We have therefore planned to help him acquire knowledge by an easier course. We have started the series of Ancient indian tradition and mythology in English translation. Our goal to universalize knowledge through the most popular international medium of expression. The publication of the puranas in English translation is a step towards that goal.

All religions be it islam Christianity or Hinduism lay great emphasis on the sanctity of certain places and enjoin pilgrimage to them. Large rivers mountains and forests have always been venerated as the abodes of gods.

Ancient Sutras and old Smrtis like Manu and Yajnavalkya do not attach importance to Tirthas but the later literature on this branch of Dharmasastra is very extensive. The Mahabharata regards pilgrimage to Tirthas more meritorious than sacrifices.

Hence it was natural that Puranas and digests on Tirthas vied with one another in glorifying their respective Tirthas. The Skanda Purana is not one book but a library of such Sthaal Puranas or Tirtha Mahatmyas. Hence its importance for researches in different disciplines.

This genre of literature is not only very useful for deepening out knowledge of the cultural and religious history of india in general but also most valuable for those who want to reconstruct the development of regional history and local cults or to gain a deeper insight into various religious institutions for instance the recommendation of pilgrimage to poor people as a substitute for expensive sacrifice into beliefs and practices e.g. those who bathe here go to heaven and those who die here are not born again and in connection with the conviction in religious suicide and worship of the deceased and into the significance of holy places local variants of myths and legends and so on. They give information on topography.

it need not however be supposed that the Skp or the Mbh underestimates the importance of moral purity. The Skp kasikhanda quotes Mbh vana 82.9-12 and exhorts the need of self control knowledge and penance for obtaining the full advantage of pilgrimage.

The Skp is specially important as it covers practically the whole of india. Thus it describes the topography cultural traditions etc. of the Himalayan region of Uttara Pradesh Orissa (in Purusottama ksetra-mahat-mya) Malwa Rajasthan and a part of Gujarat western india along with Gujarat and south india. The Skp has thus covered the major part of india (except such states as maharashtra and Punjab). The authors of each of these Mahatmyas knew their respective regions like the palm of their hand and describe the topography of the area particular Tirtha its location legendary history its distance and directions from the main Tirtha. Naturally these Tirtha-mahata-myas came to be written at different times by different authors. Hence the criticism or evaluation of a particular Khanda should not be regarded as applicable to the whole of the Skp thus the ignorance about the beginning of the kali age or the dates of Vikramaditya Saka, Pramati etc. in Kaumarkakahanda should be attributed to the author of that particular khanda and not to authors of other parts. Similarly the author of the Kasikhanda does not mean that the whole of the Skp is of that poetic standard. The general literary standard of other authors however is certainly high.

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