[Advaita-l] to Satish ji Re: All should read the Vedas

[S Jayanarayanan]

--- sidha at omkarananda-ashram.org wrote:

> Dear Satish ji,
> Most of the Purana's are comparatively modern. One can know that if
> one
> looks at the language used in them. None of them is even as old as
> the
> Upanishads, what to say about the Vedas. Acharya Shankara himself
> didn't
> quote any purana accept Vishnu purana. 

That's not true. Shankara quotes the Agneya purANa as well as the kUrma
purANa:

1) Shankara quotes the Agneya purANa in his commentary on Brahma sUtra
3.4.41:
"For him, who lapses after taking the vow of Naishthika Brahmacharin, I
see no expiation by which such a suicide can be cured." (smR^iti)

Shankara simply says that the above quote is from the smR^iti. But the
smR^iti happens to be Agneya-PurANa 14.5.23 (Vide rAmAnuja's commentary
on the same sUtra).

2) Brahma sUtra bhAshhya (4.3.10)

Shankara quotes KUrma PurANa, 1.12.269, "When the dissolution has come,
they all together with Brahmaa, at the end of time called "Para", enter
the supreme abode".

I once did a comparison of various purANic quotes by Shankara and
rAmAnuja, which can be found at
http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/mar2002/0133.html

-Kartik

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