The Objective of the Purana: Awakening Discrimination of Supreme Purusa

The microcosm operates through a harmonious working of the three entities of kala (time) [Siva], manas (brain) [Brahma] and purusa (spiritual personality) [Visnu]. But, for such harmony to occur out of such disparate-natured entities, there must be some master-mind to ‘string together the trinity,’ as Madhavadeva says in the Nama Ghosa. That master-entity, the lord of all the controlling entities (devas), is the supreme purusa, Lord Krsna himself.
It is to arouse discrimination of supreme purusa alone that the (anatomical) narrative of the Puranas is formulated in the first place. The entire Purana—its every chapter and verse—is designed with this ultimate objective of awakening discrimination in the mind of the (intelligent) reader.
The Puranic narrative is thus a strategy to make the reader realize the sole entity of worship, the sole object of refuge. The intelligent reader will not fail to observe that, among all the entities, it is only Hari that is emerging as supreme; and he will understand that this only is the most powerful entity, worthy of sole-refuge. It is this conclusion that is directly expressed by Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva, in their own works, in the form of upadesas and in chapters such as “The Determination of the Supreme Entity Worthy of Adoration” (Bhakti Ratnakara).
The objective of the author of the Bhagavata—and this ought also to be the objective of the inquisitive and critical reader—is to determine the supreme entity among all the entities, who alone is eligible for worship. In the Bhagavata, the reader has to know this entity by reading intelligently through the passages and piercing the dialogic strategy with the power of his intellect. But in Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva, this meaning is directly expressed.

Discovery of God: The Intellectual Process

If we take the authors of the Puranas such as the Bhagavata as the intellectual heirs of the original Samkhya school, then we will be looking at one unbroken intellectual tradition.

The doing of pure devotion to God, then, would be the culmination of a long intellectual process, comprising, broadly, the following stages:

1. The unconscious entity: Examining and understanding prakrti, its evolutive nature, character and limitations.
2. The conscious entity: Examining and understanding the body of man and its various organs and systems. Understanding especially the nature of the neural entities and the brain. Are they of the same essential characteristics as the external (unconscious) matter? Can the brain give rise to consciousness?
3. The pure personality: Understanding the nature of purusa, its interface with the brain (and, through it, the body), the capabilities of purusa.
4. The supreme pure personality: Relook at the programmed nature of the entities of the body such as the brain. Is their evolving out of prakrti possible in the absence of initiation and control by a superior conscious personality? Comparison with instances from the external world. The discovery of God, the supreme purusa.
5. The revelation of the highest philosophy: The reason behind purusa becoming endowed with a (prakrti-made) body. Motivations of the supreme purusa. Consideration and full accommodation of the higher aspects of consciousness like compassion, grace and joy. Devotion to God, the supreme purusa.

It perhaps needs no reiteration that each one of these stages is huge and could be broken up into several sub-stages and phases but this is only a general outline. The point sought to be made is this:

God may be discovered solely through a (long and exhaustive) intellectual investigation without there being any need of any external revelation.

Translation of Sankaradeva's Bhakti Ratnakara: Chapter on the Characteristics of the Saintly Pure Devotee

After this, listen all men, I tell the distinguishing characteristic (laksana) of the saint (santa).

In the eleventh chapter of the eleventh  book

is the word of Lord Krsna.

Madhava says, “Hear me, O Uddhava, I am now going to tell you the characteristics of the saintly.

That one is said to be of saintly disposition (sadhu) that cannot bear to witness the sorrow of any creature. 92

According to capacity, the saintly person does good to all.

He is of greatly forgiving nature. Disciplining his mind,

towards nobody ill-feeling he nurtures.

Extremely soft-hearted, nor does he ever oppose any creature.

Free from all mental transformations (vikara), he never leaves the path of ‘good conduct ’ (sadacara).

He is fixed in his own assigned dharma (svadharma). 93

All the organs of sense and action he has controlled

and he is equanimous in both happiness and misery.

No desire can ever defraud his conscience.

Only truth is his great strength.

All worldly efforts and exertions (loka cesta) he has abandoned;

small is the size of his meal.

There is no accumulation of wealth and property for the saint,

this I tell you most certainly. 94

He has taken only me as his shelter

and has become extremely careful in mind.

He is not at all desirous of receiving honor from others

but himself honors others.

In times of distress, miserly habit

is not the sadhu’s.

He has conquered the six heats of material existence—sorrow, delusion, etc.—without a break. 95

They are supremely tolerant, the saintly,

greatly knowledgeable and wise.

Greatly compassionate, leaving greed for material objects,

they subsist in compassion.

Never are they, the sadhus, the deceivers of people.

They, the saintly ones, are capable of giving knowledge and counsel to the people. 96

Now listen, O beloved friend! In the form of the Vedas, I

am telling all the dharmas;

knowing that in their performance lies merit (guna) and in non-performance, sin (dosa), the one who,

firmly resolving in mind that

through pure devotion (bhakti), every dharma will be accomplished,

forsaking completely those dharmas, engages solely in my pure devotion, know only that one to be the [real] saint, O high-minded one! 97

This best one is of extremely exalted status like that

saint endowed with the twenty-eight signs about whom I have just now spoken.

Listen again to the characteristic of the devotee of the extremely great and best kind.

Only I, know in reality, am the sole inner controller of all.

Impartite in time and space,

I am of the form of blissful consciousness (cidananda rupa). 98

In this form, to me the supreme Lord,

knowingly or unknowingly,

whosoever soul does worship only through unadulterated (vyabhicara sunya) devotion,

that one only is my best devotee,

I have told you this verdict of mine.”

The characteristics of the true devotee, in this manner, God Himself

revealed before Uddhava. 99

The Bhagavata scripture, in the words of Krsna,

tells the characteristics of the saint.

Now listen all people, to the saint’s characteristic,

as told in other puranas.

‘Rama, Krsna, Hari, Ananta, Murari, Jagannatha, Narayana,

Madhava, Mukunda, Gopala, Govinda, Vasudeva, Janarddana—’ 100

These names of the Lord the man who sings always, at all times,
know it for sure, without doubt, that one is venerable in the eyes of all.

In the Vaisnavananda, before Arjuna,

Krsna says these words,

“My ‘Krsna’ name, supremely auspicious,

the saintly ones always sing. 101

For these great ones (mahanta), there is always auspiciousness, never anything unpropitious.

Apart from the name, they do not offer any other interpretation,
they who are the real sadhus.

Moreover, the person who, with my devotees,
is always in conversation,
that one also is the devotee of mine,

I tell you this for certain. 102

Further, the man who is always engaged in doing

devotion to my devotee,

that one is my most beloved friend,

I tell you this definitely and most emphatically.

That great-minded one who, even without conquering the matter-induced lust, anger and greed;
considering my name to be his friend,

sings only it, always; 103

O beloved mate Arjuna, the way in which that one shows his affection
for me,
it can never be excelled
even by the one conquering

the six material qualities (gunas).”
***

In the Mine of the Gem of Pure Devotion, the distinguishing signs of the pure devotees

I have told in careful detail.

O men in the assembly! Krsna’s voice

you have heard; therefore without fail, 104

heeding it in mind, making eka sarana at Krsna’s feet the essential thing,
take the company of the sadhus, the pure devotees; sing the qualities of Krsna
and cross this terrible samsara.

In this entire creation, there is no other essential thing
apart from the name of the Lord of Primal Nature.

Therefore, leaving aside all other things,
please utter always ‘Rama,’ ‘Rama.’ 105