upapurana

The Upapuranas (Sanskrit: ') are a genre of Hindu religious texts consisting of many compilations differentiated from the Mahapuranas by styling them as secondary Puranas using the prefix ''Upa'' (secondary). Though only a few of these compilations originated earlier than most of the extant ''Mahapuranas'', some of these texts are extensive and important.Hazra, R.C. (1962, reprint 2003). ''The Upapuranas'' in S. Radhakrishnan (ed.) ''The Cultural Heritage of India'', Vol.II, Calcutta:The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, , pp.271-286

Definition and number

Similar to the case of the ''Mahapuranas'', a claim has been made in a number of ''Puranas'' and ''Smritis'' that the ''Upapuranas'' are also eighteen in number and give evidence of their knowledge of the existence of a larger number of the ''Upapuranas''. But, unlike the case of the ''Mahapuranas'', the different lists of eighteen ''Upapurana''s seldom agree with one another with regard to the names of these texts. Lists of eighteen ''Upapuranas'' occur in a number of texts, which include the ''Kurma Purana'', the ''Garuda Purana'', the '' Brihaddharma Purana'', the '' Sanat Kumara Purana'', the '' Ekamra Purana'', the '' Vāruṇa Purāṇa'', the '' Pārāśara Purāṇa'', the ''Skanda Purana'', the ''Padma Purana'', the ''Brahmavaivarta Purana'', the '' Aushanasa Purāṇa'', Hemadri's ''Caturvargacintamani'' and Ballal Sena's ''Dana Sagara''. In spite of the mention of a particular ''Upapurana'' in different lists under different names, these lists provide us the names of much more than eighteen texts as the ''Upapurana''s. In fact, by examining all the Sanskrit texts which mention the names of these texts, the actual number of the ''Upapuranas'' are found to be near a hundred, including those mentioned in the different lists. But, it can not be denied that many of these texts have been lost without leaving any trace.

Major Upapuranas

Sthala, Kula, and Minor Upapuranas

Also called Aupapuranas or Atipuranas.

Sectarian divisions

Unlike the ''Mahapurana''s, most of the ''Upapurana''s have been able to preserve their older materials along with their distinctive sectarian character. All extant ''Upapurana''s can be broadly divided into six groups according to the sectarian views found in these texts: ''Vaishnava'', ''Shakta'', ''Shaiva'', ''Saura'', ''Ganapatya'' and non-sectarian.

Vaishnava Upapuranas

The most significant texts among the ''Vaishnava Upapurana''s are the '' Mānava Purana'', the ''Vishnudharmottara Purana'', the ''Narasimha Purana'', the '' Brihannaradiya Purana'' and the '' Kriyayogasara''.

The extant ''Narasimha Purana'' comprises 68 chapters. The extant ''Vishnudharma Purana'' comprises 105 chapters.

Shakta Upapuranas

Among the ''Shakta Upapurana''s, the most important extant texts are the ''Kalika Purana'' (or Sati Purana), the '' Mahabhagavata (Devi) Purana'' and the '' Candi Purana'' (or Candika Purana).

The extant ''Kalika Purana'' comprises 98 chapters.

Shaiva Upapuranas

The notable ''Shaiva Upapurana''s are the '' Saura Purana'', the '' Shivadharmapurva Purana'', the '' Shivadharmottara Purana'', the ''Shivarahasya Purana'', the '' Ekamra Purana'', the '' Parashara Purana'', the '' Varuna Purana'', and the ''Maheshwara Purana''.

The extant ''Saura Purana'' comprises 69 chapters. The extant ''Parashara Upapurana'' consists 18 chapters. The extant ''Shivadharma Purana'' comprises 24 chapters and deals only with the religious rites and duties of the worshippers of Shiva. It mentions itself as a ''shastra'' or '' dharmashastra.

Saura Upapuranas

The only extant text which can be called an exclusive '' Saura Purana'' is the ''Samba Purana''. It comprises 84 chapters.

Ganapatya Upapuranas

Only two extant Upapuranas profess the views of the ''Ganapatya'' sect. These are the ''Mudgala Purana'' and the ''Ganesha Purana''.

Non-sectarian Upapuranas

The Upapuranic works, which do not profess any particular sectarian views are the '' Bhavishyottara Purana'', the ''Kapila Purana'' and the '' Brihaddharma Purana''.

Scholarship

Dr. R. C. Hazra's ''magnum opus'' for which he earned a D. Litt was a detailed catalogue of contents, comparison of manuscripts of Upapuranas; popularly known as ''Studies in the Upapurāṇas''. It was series of five volumes of equal length, a part of the Calcutta Sanskrit College Research Series (out of which only two were published by Munshiram Manoharlal, both generally edited by Gaurinath Sastri and Hazra's handwritten papers of the other three volumes are kept with the College); on a descriptive study of all more than hundred Upapuranas, which, even to this day, remains an important but ignored field of Sanskrit literature.

References

{{Puranas

Hindu texts
Puranas