Q. What do Puraanas deal with?
A. The Puraanas deal with creation, destruction Genealogy of gods and Patriarchs, and the history of Manus and some royal dynasties.
Q. How many Puraanas are there?
A. There are eighteen, viz., Brahma, Padma, Brahmanda, Agni, Vishnu, Garuda, Brahmavaivarta, Shiva, Linga, Naarad, Skanda, Markandeya, Bhavishyat, Matsaya, Varaah, Kurma, Vamana and Bhagavat.
Q. What are the Dharma Shastras, and how many are there?
A. There are 20 in number. The most important is Manu Samhita which is the basis of Hindu law; others, too, deal with Canons worked out by different sages.
These are the names of Dharma Shastras: Manu, Vishnu, Yaajnavalkya, Angiras, Apastambhas, Kaatyaayana, Paraasara, Sankha, Daksha, Satapatha, Atri, Harita, Usanas, Yama, Samavarta, Brihaspati, Vyasa, Likhita, Gautama and Vasishta.
Q. Have all these texts been written in Sanskrit?
A. Yes, All, besides the Tulsidas Ramayana which is in Hindi.
Q. Is the Sanskrit language very old?
A. Yes. It is the mother of all Indo-European languages.
Q. Why do Hindus have so many scriptures?
A. From time to time different sages and wise persons have recorded their spiritual experiences in these scriptures. Those spiritual records collected from the time of antiquity have increased the number of religious texts. The varieties of Hindu scriptures are able to meet the needs of people of different tastes and stages.
Courtesy: Hindutvam Vol. 1. Published by: Fiji Sevashram Sangha, Suva, Fiji
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