Hinduism can easily be divided into two phases: the vedic phase and the puranic phase. The vedic phase focused on ritual, while the puranic phase is about narrative. The vedic phase therefore continues to be mysterious, even out of reach, while the puranic phase with its heroes and villains seems to make immediate sense.
Historically, the vedic phase begins 4,000 years ago and wanes after the arrival of Gautama Buddha, 500 BCE. The puranic phase follows the rising appeal of the Buddha and his teachings, something that continues today.
The vedic phase is associated with the hymn collections or samhitas -- Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva -- the ritual manuals or brahmanas, and the philosophical texts known as aranyakas and more prominently, the upanishads. The puranic phase is associated with the great epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and with the chronicles known as puranas. There are many puranas: 18 major ones, hundreds of minor ones, including those restricted to a particular place (sthala-purana) or to a particular community (jati-purana). It is through the puranas, that vedic wisdom reaches the common man.
The story goes that a fisherwoman’s son called Krishna Dwaipayana, whose name means ‘the dark one who was born on a river island’, compiled and organised the vedic hymns, which is why he was given the title of Veda Vyasa. Veda Vyasa then wrote the Adi Purana full of stories that made vedic wisdom accessible. From the Adi Purana came the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the many puranas. Thus, in traditional lore, puranas are fruits of the tree that is the vedas. These puranas inspired the agama texts that replaced the old vedic yajna-shala with grand new temple complexes.
The sages see puranas as an extension of the vedas: one cannot exist without the other. The Mahabharata says ‘Itihaas-puranabhyan vedon samupbrihayet’ which means, ‘Study of epics and puranas supplements the understanding of vedas.’ Yet modern scholars separate vedas from puranas.
Some see vedas and puranas as two distinct traditions that have nothing to do with each other, vedas being the creation of Aryans and puranas being the creation of non-Aryans, who mingled with the Aryans. They see puranas as a Hindu reaction to Buddhist monasticism, which is why the puranas and temple traditions celebrate the householder’s life over the hermit’s.
Others see vedas as superior and puranas as inferior, a hierarchy that was common amongst Greek aristocrats, and later colonial orientalists, who preferred philosophy over poetry and saw ‘logos’ as superior to ‘mythos’. This was adopted by many Hindu ‘reformers’ of the 19th century, who were ashamed of Hindu customs such as what they perceived as ‘idol’ worship.
At the heart of the vedas is brahmavidya or atmajnan -- a deep understanding of human nature, which does not change with time (sanatan dharma). The sages struggled to communicate this idea. First they used rituals, hence the vedas. Later, with increased confidence, they used stories, hence the puranas. The former created an elite club. The latter reached out to the general public.
In the 21st century, we are seeing a trend towards anti-elitism and anti-intellectualism. Perhaps we need to question why some people insist that vedas are seen as different than or superior to the puranas. Why do we reject the fruit and prefer the tree? Does it indulge the ego? Does that not go against the very point of vedic wisdom?
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