The Skanda-Purana (23 Volumes)

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The purest gems lie hidden in the bottom of the ocean or in the depths of rocks. One has to dive into the ocean or delve into the rocks to find them out. Similarly, 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 is 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.

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. The Skp is thus a mine of social, cultural, political, historical, geographical, religious and philosophical information. 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 especially important as it covers practically the whole of india.

Thus it describes the topography, cultural traditions, etc. of the Himalayan region of Uttar Pradesh, Odisha (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, the 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. This Purana is called Skanda according to the NP 104.2-4. Vyasa described this Purana, Skanda, as consisting of a hundred thousand verses, and all the rites and rituals regarding Siva have been revealed by Skanda. The Skp in the concluding (44th) Adhyaya of the last Khanda informs us. This Skanda Purana was formerly disclosed by Kumara (Skanda).

This Purana, contributing to longevity and pleasing to the people of four Varnas, was certainly created by the great-souled Skanda. In the traditional list of Mahapuranas, the Skp holds the thirteenth rank, but in its extent in number of verses it is the first. The Skp is found in two versions or forms: (1) Khandas and (2) Samhitas. The Samhitas are six in number, viz, (a) Sanatkumara (b) Suta (c) Sankari (d) Vaisnavi (e) Brahmi and (f) Saura; the total number of verses in these Samhitas is one hundred thousand.

But the NP recognizes the Khanda version. The Skp has the following seven khandas.

(1) Mahesvara (2) Vaisnava (3) Brahma (4) Kasi (5) Avanti (6) Nagara and (7) Prabhasa. The NP 104.3 states that the Skp contains 81,000 verses, a figure confirmed by the Skp in the colophon of each Adhyaya. The Mtp 53.41-42, the Vap 104 and the Bhp 12,13 give 81,000 as the number of its verses. But the AP 272.17 states that the Skp has 84,000 verses, a view confirmed by the Skp.

The Venkateshwar Press edition of the Skp, which we translate, contains 94313 verses. The incidents mentioned in this Purana took place in the Tatpurusa Kalpa.

There are four editions of this Khanda type of Skp: (1) the Venkateshwar Press (VP), (2) Bangavasi (BV), (3) Naval Kishore Press Lucknow, and (4) the Gurumandala (GM) edition, but these editions vary in their contents; for example, the catruastiti linga mahatmya in Part i of the Avanti Khanda is not found in the Lucknow edition. In Part ii of the Avanti Khanda, some 110 chapters differ considerably from those in the VP edition. The GM includes the spurious Satya Narayana mahatmya in the Reva Khanda, but it is not found in the VP Edition.

The Skp Vii states that the entire Purana was narrated formerly by Skanda to Bhrgu. Angiras got it from Bhrgu; Cyavana got it from Angiras; Reika got it from Cyavana. It is thus traditionally handed down. The Purana is silent as to how it came up to Suta through Vyasa. The rest of that last chapter of the Skp is Phalasruti.

The present text of the Skp is somewhat different from that of the 11th cent. A.D. Some of the verses then existing in the Skp and quoted as such by Laksmidhara in the Kalpataru (A.D. 1110) are not found in the present-day text of the Skp. For example, in the Kalpataru on Tirtha (pp. 36-3 some 19 verses are quoted from the Sky, but they are untraced in the present text of the SkP, though they are found in LP 92.120-142. in the Kalpataru on p. 44 three verses are quoted from the Sky but are not found in our Sky text, though they are traced in the Ly 92.97-99.

There is thus an urgent necessity of preparing a critical edition of the Skanda Purana. I have, however, followed here the VP edition.

The position of the Skp as a Mahapuraa is not disputed by anyone. But the very nature of the Skp being a library of Ksetra and other Mahatamyas is basically different from other Puraias, say the VP or the Bhp. Hence we should not stretch the Sky on the Procrustean bed of puranam paica1akca- zam. In fact (as observed by A.D. Pusalkar in Studies in Epics and Puratnas, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay), the paflca laksatzas are observed in their breach by several Puranas except the VP.

The Sky, not being one book, is not expected to follow the five laksanas. Many books in the Sky indeed share the Puranic ideas about Sarga, Pratisarga, Manvantara, but the lakksanas Vamsa and Vansabycarita are totally absent except a few unconnected semi-historical references in the Kaumarikaichanda and Brahmakhanda (see infra, the section on "Semi-historical References in the Skanda Puraa").

As society in Puranic india is of utmost importance and interest, let us first see society as depicted in the Sky. Like other Puranas, the Sky nostalgically remembers the ideal social condition in the Krta Age-a classless society, free provision of shelter, food, clothes, and ornaments by trees, absence of the concept of Adharma, etc. The evolution of varnas like Ksatriyas and the introduction of the performance of sacrifices appeared in the Treta Yuga.

But as P.V. Kane points out, Varna is not jati or caste. Jati has the following characteristics.

(1) Heredity: caste is assigned by birth

(2) Endogamy and Exogamy

(3) Certain restrictions as to food (what food is to be taken from whom, etc.)

(4) Occupation: A particular caste is to follow a particular occupation.

(5) Gradation of castes on a social scale: jati thus lays special emphasis on birth or heredity, while Varna emphasized duties.

But Brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra are equally important parts of the body of the Purusa. It thus represents the organic nature of the Hindu Society. The Skp strongly asserts equality between man and man.

Humanity being the common factor, who is low and who is high? Asks Skp IV if four sons are born from the same person, from the same woman, how can they belong to four different varpas? The distinction between one varna and another does not hold water. Hence nobody should ever regard that there is a difference between man and man; like Sankara Vedanta, the Skp also espoused elsewhere the stand of equality. Listing the created castes, god Brahmi asserts the equality of these casters to Narada: all those subjects are born from parts of my body and hence are equal.

This equality is voiced in other Puranas as well, e.g., all varnas are born of the person; the respective duties of Brahmins, Vaisyas and Sutras are based on old Smrtis like Manu Yajnavalkya. But even Brahmans took to different vocations like agriculture, the medical profession, begging at forbidden houses, and became degraded. It resulted in the creation of eleven castes among brahmanas who neither dine nor marry inter.