Hari- the Eternal Source
śaṃkara uvāca | trayī sāṃkhyavedāṃtayogāḥ purāṇaṃ tathā pañcarātraṃ prabho dharmaśāstram | tavaivātimāhātmyamekasya nityaṃ prakārairanekairhi gāyaṃti bhaktyā || 3 ||
tvadeveśa śāstrāṇi caitāni bhūmno babhūvustvadekāśrayāṇyādikalpe | ramāsevyapādāmbujaṃ śāstrayoniṃ tamādyaṃ bhavantaṃ bhaje vāsudevam || 4 ||
Śaṅkara said:
3. O Lord! The Three Vedas, Sāṅkhya, Vedānta, Yoga, Purāṇa, Pāñcarātra as well as Dharmaśāstra—all these devoutly sing in various ways the supreme majestic glory of yours alone.
4. In the first Kalpa (Ādi-Kalpa), it is from you, the great one, alone that these Śāstras were born and they have you as their only resort, O Sovereign Lord. I betake myself to you and worship you, the Primordial One whose lotus-feet are served by Ramā, who are the source of the origin of Śāstras.
(Taken from Wisdom Library )
This is a small portion of Chapter 15 of Vaasudeva Mahatmya from Skanda Purana. The essence of these verses is to talk of how Vishnu is every little and every big thing in this Universe.
There is a constant struggle about whether the Puranas are right or not, through things I have read, that contradict with what I have learned as a child, which clash with some beliefs even- and it is actually very true that they have been interpolated heavily, over the years.
That is why, the first basis of reference and understanding comes from Itihaasa- that which has happened. There are two Itihaasas or epics in Sanatana Dharma, Valmiki Ramayana and Mahabharata. Of course, Harivamsa is included in this list, as it is a khila of the Mahabharata itself.
It sounds a bit crazy when I speak of how Itihaasas come first and yet I posted something from a Purana, does it not? Well, the reason for it is to remind people that Shastras originated from the ParaBrahman- be they Vedas, Upanishads, Itihaasas, Puranas and various other works. And every form of ParaBrahman are the origin of such, based on how one's own Ishta/Aaradhya.
Many months ago, I had asked if I should post something on Sanatana, and finally, I got the time to start. As always, I wondered where to start, and this specific tab was open. Hari, as always, gave me an indication.
I will be much more consistent with posting henceforth, so expect interpretations, rants, aesthetics, story snippets and so on to be shared.
@thelekhikawrites @celestesinsight @krsnaradhika @kaal-naagin @krishnapriyakiduniya @nirmohi-premika @chemicalmindedlotus @whippersnappersbookworm @sakhiiii @ambidextrousarcher @willkatfanfromasia @nspwriteups @dr-scribbler @rupkatha-banerjee @theramblergirl @hinsaa-paramo-dharma @moon-880 @thegleamingmoon Please let me know you thoughts, and do let me know if the rest of you want to be added to the list.
