[Advaita-l] Do 'Tamasa' Puranas enjoin practice of Adharma?

VTCS Rao vtcsrao at hotmail.com
Sun May 7 20:09:12 EDT 2023


This is all too common in world history (not just Hinduism) where people are always very eager to put down other religions, rather than learn their own religions better. This is the quality of sectarianism. One has the right to Love His God. God is One. A True Vaishnava believes that His Lord Vishnu is the Antaryami of Lord Shiva (thus all prayers to Lord Shiva reach Lord VIshnu). A True Shaivite believes that His Lord Shiva is the Antaryami of Lord Vishnu. Thus these real followers never waste their time criticising each other.

Padma purana also houses Shiva Gita, it may be good idea to recognize that puranas provide story like context to teach dharma and take only prasthana Trayi as basis for any discussion.

Regards


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From: Advaita-l <advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> on behalf of V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 6, 2023 2:00:44 PM
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Subject: [Advaita-l] Do 'Tamasa' Puranas enjoin practice of Adharma?

We are aware that practice of adharma leads to sin, paapa and one will have
to reap the fruits of paapa in hell, naraka. The Padma purana says:


सात्विका मोक्षदाः प्रोक्ताः राजसा सर्वदा अशुभाः ।

तथैव तामसा देवि निरयप्राप्तिहेतवः ।।

  प.पु. उत्तर 236.21


Sattvika puranas lead to mukti, liberation, Rajasika puranas,
inauspiciousness and Tamasa puranas lead to hell.


The question that arises is: Do the Tamasa puranas enjoin one to perform
sinful deeds, that is, adharma? Is there evidence for such an enjoining
like 'engage in stealing, killing brahmanas, drink alcohol, etc.'


The following is a sample of Dharma being taught in a Tamasa Purana, Shiva
Purana:
Here the teaching is:  Since Dharma leads to punya and happiness and
adharma leads to papa and misery, one should take to the practice of Dharma.
शिवपुराणम्/संहिता १ (विश्वेश्वरसंहिता)/अध्यायः १३
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यादृशं पुण्यं पापं वा तादृशं फलमेव हि ।
द्रव्यदेहांगभेदेन न्यूनवृद्धिक्षयादिकम् ५६ ।
अधर्मो हिंसिकारूपो धर्मस्तु सुखरूपकः ।
अधर्माद्दुःखमाप्नोति धर्माद्वै सुखमेधते ५७ ।
विद्यादुर्वृत्तितो दुःखं सुखं विद्यात्सुवृत्तितः ।
धर्मार्जनमतः कुर्याद्भोगमोक्षप्रसिद्धये ५८ ।
ज्ञानसिद्ध्या मोक्षसिद्धिः सर्वेषां गुर्वनुग्रहात् ।
मोक्षात्स्वरूपसिद्धिः स्यात्परानन्दं समश्नुते ६६ ।
सत्संगात्सर्वमेतद्वै नराणां जायते द्विजाः ।
धनधान्यादिकं सर्वं देयं वै गृहमेधिना ६७ ।
यद्यत्काले वस्तुजातं फलं वा धान्यमेव च ।
तत्तत्सर्वं ब्राह्मणेभ्यो देयं वै हितमिच्छता ६८ ।

शिवपुराणम्/संहिता ७ (वायवीयसंहिता)/पूर्व भागः/अध्यायः ३२
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वायुरुवाच
शैवो हि परमो धर्मः श्रेष्ठानुष्ठानशब्दितः ॥ ७.१,३२.२
यत्रापरोक्षो लक्ष्येत साक्षान्मोक्षप्रदः शिवः ॥ ७.१,३२.२
स तु पञ्चविधो ज्ञेयः पञ्चभिः पर्वभिः क्रमात् ॥ ७.१,३२.३
क्रियातपोजपध्यानज्ञानात्मभिरनुत्तरैः ॥ ७.१,३२.३
तैरेव सोत्तरैस्सिद्धो धर्मस्तु परमो मतः ॥ ७.१,३२.४
परोक्षमपरोक्षं च ज्ञानं यत्र च मोक्षदम् ॥ ७.१,३२.४
परमोऽपरमश्चोभौ धर्मौ हि श्रुतिचोदितौ ॥ ७.१,३२.५
धर्मशब्दाभिधेयेर्थे प्रमाणं श्रुतिरेव नः ॥ ७.१,३२.५
परमो योगपर्यन्तो धर्मः श्रुतिशिरोगतः ॥ ७.१,३२.६
धर्मस्त्वपरमस्तद्वदधः श्रुतिमुखोत्थितः ॥ ७.१,३२.६
अपश्वात्माधिकारत्वाद्यो धरमः परमो मतः ॥ ७.१,३२.७
साधारणस्ततोऽन्यस्तु सर्वेषामधिकारतः ॥ ७.१,३२.७
स चायं परमो धर्मः परधर्मस्य साधनम् ॥ ७.१,३२.८
धर्मशास्त्रादिभिस्सम्यक्सांग एवोपबृंहितः ॥ ७.१,३२.८
शैवो यः परमो धर्मः श्रेष्ठानुष्ठानशब्दितः ॥ ७.१,३२.९

If there are instances of Tamasa Puranas asking one to commit sins, the
exact verses may be cited.

Om Tat Sat
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