મહાપુરાણની વિભાવના અને ભાગવત પુરાણ

Summary

This Gujarati paper offers an overview of the Mahāpurāṇas with special emphasis on the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. It begins by outlining the structure and thematic content of the eighteen major Purāṇas, highlighting their mythological narratives, cosmology and genealogies. The author notes that while Purāṇas like the Matsya and Kūrmā focus on avatāra legends, others like the Agni and Vāyu serve as encyclopaedic compendia. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa receives detailed attention: its story of Kṛṣṇa’s childhood in Vraja, the churning of the ocean and the Rāsalīlā are summarised, and its emphasis on bhakti (devotion) is contrasted with the more ritualistic tone of earlier Purāṇas. The paper explores how the Bhāgavata theologizes the relationship between the individual soul and the supreme, presenting loving devotion as both means and end. The author discusses the Purāṇa’s influence on music, dance and visual arts, and its role in shaping the culture of the Vaiṣṇava bhakti movement. By situating the Bhāgavata within the Purāṇic corpus, the article shows how it both draws upon and transforms earlier mythic motifs.