It has become a fashion these days to abuse and taunt on the Purans and other texts for their myths. The reason, political and others, however are doing injustice to the strict historical parts of the Purans and Itihasa.
The most sad part is that history has got badly entagled in politics. Today, calling the purans as myths earns you a tag of 'progressive' .
One of my friend asked me, "out of the total countries in the world, which countries study the vedas and purans? "
PURANS AND VEDAS ARE OUR SCRIPTURES. WHY THE HELL SHOULD OTHER COUNTRIES STUDY THEM? even if those countries don't, it is our duty to study those scriptures. Reason? BECAUSE they are OUR scriptures. THIS REASON IS ENOUGH.
The problem is that whatever is related to hindusim is always considered as wrong and myth.
1. When Vasudev was carring baby Krishna the river Yamunna parted. This is considered myth and when Mosses parted the ocean is real.
2. In Ramayan, Vanars were able to talk. This is a myth and in Bible when a turtle talked it was real.
3. Kumbhkarna was big. It is myth and in Bible Goliath was ten feet tall is real.
4. Krishna performed miracles. This is myth and Jesus performing miracles are real.
5. Bhim and Arjun were powerful warriors. This is myth, no one can be so strong. Samson and David being very stong to destroy stone pillars is real.
6. Prahalad getting out alive from snakes is myth. Another person in Bible getting out alive from lions cave is real.
7. Arjun and Yudhisteer going to heaven alive is myth. Mohammed going to heaven on a flying horse is real. Wow.
8. Valmiki, a simple robber getting great knowledge is myth. Mohammed an uneducated person getting knowledge is real.
See all the religions have similar things except only Hinduism is named mythology.
Taking about the credibility of the purans, I would like to quote Koernaad Elst
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"To the neglect of the legitimate history books, the ItihAsa-PuraNa literature, i.e. the Epics and the Puranas is like ignoring the historical Bible books (Exodus, Joshua, Chronicles, Kings) to draw ancient Israelite history exclusively from the Psalms, or like ignoring the historians Livius, Tacitus and Suetonius to do Roman history on the basis of the poet Virgil. What would be dismissed as “utterly ridiculous” in Western history is standard practice in Indian history.
No serious historian would ignore the Exodus narrative simply because it also contains unhistorical episodes like the Parting of the Sea and the voice from the Burning Bush..So, if Biblical history can be accepted as more than fantasy, the same credit should be given to the historiographical parts of the Epics and Puranas."
Purans and Vedas are OUR scriptures, they contain info about OUR ancestors, OUR kings, OUR rishis, OUR kingdoms. They are written on OUR land, by OUR ancestors in OUR own Sanskrit language. So it is OUR duty to see to it that at least we try to analyze the historical part of these scriptures.
These days are dark and shadowed. Our own religion and scriptures are undergoing a turbulent phase. But as Mundok Upanishad states it, Satyameva Jayate, Truth will always triumph. One day surely will come when our true history will reveal itself.
Credits : Ashuthosh Kulkarni
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