What is the difference between Puranas and epics?

Puranas are, by definition, the narrations of incidents that occurred in the remote past. The Itihasas (the epics) on the other hand, is by definition, the narratives of incidents that happened during the lifetime of the narrator.

What are the Puranas in Hinduism?

Contains chapters on dharma and on Hindu epic Mahabharata. The Purana includes Devi Mahatmyam of Shaktism. Contains encyclopedic information….Mahapuranas.

Brāhma: Brahma Purana, Padma Purana
Śakta: Devi-Bhagavata Purana, Markandeya Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Skanda Purana

Is the caste system part of Hinduism?

India’s caste system is perhaps the world’s longest surviving social hierarchy. A defining feature of Hinduism, caste encompasses a complex ordering of social groups on the basis of ritual purity.

Who composed Puranas?

The Puranas are a group of sacred Hindu literature, supposedly written by the Hindu sage Vyasa from about the fourth century BCE to the eleventh century CE. They generally contain myths and genealogies. There are five signs, or standards, that should be in all the Puranas.

Is Ramayana a Purana or Itihas?

Itihasa (Sanskrit: इतिहास, lit. ‘traditional accounts of past events’) refers to the collection of written descriptions of important events in Hinduism. It includes the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the Ramayana.

Is Upanishads an epic?

Four of the main texts of Hindu epic literature are the Upanishads, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and Puranas.

Which is the first Purana?

Matsya
The earliest Puranas, composed perhaps between 350 and 750 ce, are the Brahmanda, Devi, Kurma, Markandeya, Matsya, Vamana, Varaha, Vayu, and Vishnu. The next earliest, composed between 750 and 1000, are the Agni, Bhagavata, Bhavishya, Brahma, Brahmavaivarta, Devibhagavata, Garuda, Linga, Padma, Shiva, and Skanda.

What are the 5 castes in Hinduism?

Indian society was divided into five castes:

  • Brahmins: the priestly caste. After their religious role decreased they became the caste of officialdom.
  • Kshatriya: warrior caste.
  • Vaisya: the commoner caste.
  • Sudras: represented the great bulk of the Indian population.
  • Untouchables: descendants of slaves or prisoners.

How many Hindu castes are there?

four castes
In Hinduism there exists four castes arranged in a hierarchy. Anyone who does not belong to one of these castes is an outcast. The religious word for caste is ‘Varna’.

Is Mahabharata a purana?

Puranas were written almost entirely in narrative couplets, in much the same easy flowing style as the two great Sanskrit epic poems, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The early Puranas were probably compiled by upper-caste authors who appropriated popular beliefs and ideas from people of various castes.

What is difference between Ithihasam and puranam?

Answer. Puranas are by definition, the narrations of incidents that occurred in the remote past. The Itihasas (the epics) on the other hand, are by definition, the narrations of incidents that occurred during the life time of the narrator.