Retrieval of History from Puranic Myths : Exposure of Late Puranic Myths about Some Great Characters of the Earliest Indian History
Contents: Preface. 1. The Puranas and the Ramayana. 2. Did Rama banish his wife Sita? 3. Did Rama kill Balin surreptitiously? 4. Was Visvamitra the father of Sakuntala? 5. Did Parasurama kill his own mother? 6. Did Bhagiratha bring the Ganga from heaven? 7. Did Krsna have a companion named Radha? 8. Was Yudhisthira crowned King of Hastinapura in 3102 B.C.? 9. Was Vyasa the author of the traditional eighteen Puranas? 10. Was Valmiki a robber in his youth? Appendix. Glossary Bibliography. Index.
As a well known genre of Sanskrit literature, the Puranas, besides giving an account of the creation and the dissolution of the unverse and the ages of Manus (the ancestors of mankind), also list the genealogies of Aryan Kings and rsis, and the life stories of famous persons. They have accordingly lent to ancient Hindu lore a most remarkable air of veracity. The historicity of these personages in evident from the fact that the names of many of them occur in the Vedic literature also, which is much older than, and quite independent of these Puranas. A systematic, critical, and comparative study of the Puranas and the Vedic literature, as well as of other time honoured literary sources conducted in this book makes it possible to discredit the myths that have grown around the names of many great men and women of ancient India.
"The book logically demolishes some of the widely-prevalent Puranic myths, focussing on eight celebrated great men of remote historical past: Visvamitra, Parasurama, Bhagiratha, Rama, Vyasa, Krsna, Yudhisthira, and Valmiki--whose real characters have been shrounded in the mist of centuries of mythologization. The author has demonstrated that when shorn of all myths, the real greatness of these men is fully revealed.
"A widely acclaimed work, Retrieval of History from Puranic Myths is now in its second, revised edition." (jacket)
[P.L. Bhargava's books include Fundamentals of Hinduism, India in the Vedic Age and Vedic Religion and Culture.]
