Conclusion
If a text exists it must have had a author. We in fact do not know who the authors of the Purāṇas were, so we simply say it was “Vyāsa” — the compiler. In the books on Law (Smṛti) written by various sages, in the 18 Traditional Texts (Purāṇas) and the two great epics (Itihāsas) Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata the direct injunctions are buried in a mass of verbiage of a purely descriptive character.
These descriptive passages are relegated to the category of arthavāda as such need not be taken as absolutely correct with regard to biological, geographical or historical fact.
These works were intended for the general public, who are of varying degrees of intelligence and thus Vyāsa and the others inserted every kind of material in their works from pure injunctions to apparently useless and banal stories.
The sole purpose was to make these works attractive to all people. Another element was aesthetics and pleasure in an age in which the main form of
entertainment was story-telling, to delight people with beautiful descriptions and entertaining fables.
There were and are some teachers of the Madhva and Gauḍiya sampradāyas who emphasize Purāṇa as the highest Scriptural authority but this is not accepted by the two major schools of Vedānta. The highest authority is the Veda only, because the transmission of the Vedas over 1000’s of years has been perfect and there has been no interpolation.
Itihāsa purāṇābhyām vedam sam-upabṛmhayet |
Bibhetyalpa śrutād vedo mām ayam prahariṣyati ||
The Veda is to be interpreted through means of the Itihāsas and Purāṇas. The Veda dreads a person of little learning fearing — “he will misunderstand me!” (Vasiṣṭha Dharma sūtra 27:6)
The primary sources of knowledge are the Vedas Upaṇiṣads, the Purāṇas and Itihāsas are authoritative only in so far as they confirm and elucidate the Vedic teachings.
They are not accepted as independent sources of knowledge by Śankara and Rāmanuja as Mādhava claims they are.
If a text exists it must have had a author. We in fact do not know who the authors of the Purāṇas were, so we simply say it was “Vyāsa” — the compiler. In the books on Law (Smṛti) written by various sages, in the 18 Traditional Texts (Purāṇas) and the two great epics (Itihāsas) Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata the direct injunctions are buried in a mass of verbiage of a purely descriptive character.
These descriptive passages are relegated to the category of arthavāda as such need not be taken as absolutely correct with regard to biological, geographical or historical fact.
These works were intended for the general public, who are of varying degrees of intelligence and thus Vyāsa and the others inserted every kind of material in their works from pure injunctions to apparently useless and banal stories.
The sole purpose was to make these works attractive to all people. Another element was aesthetics and pleasure in an age in which the main form of
entertainment was story-telling, to delight people with beautiful descriptions and entertaining fables.
There were and are some teachers of the Madhva and Gauḍiya sampradāyas who emphasize Purāṇa as the highest Scriptural authority but this is not accepted by the two major schools of Vedānta. The highest authority is the Veda only, because the transmission of the Vedas over 1000’s of years has been perfect and there has been no interpolation.
Itihāsa purāṇābhyām vedam sam-upabṛmhayet |
Bibhetyalpa śrutād vedo mām ayam prahariṣyati ||
The Veda is to be interpreted through means of the Itihāsas and Purāṇas. The Veda dreads a person of little learning fearing — “he will misunderstand me!” (Vasiṣṭha Dharma sūtra 27:6)
The primary sources of knowledge are the Vedas Upaṇiṣads, the Purāṇas and Itihāsas are authoritative only in so far as they confirm and elucidate the Vedic teachings.
They are not accepted as independent sources of knowledge by Śankara and Rāmanuja as Mādhava claims they are.