[Advaita-l] Suta Samhita

[V Subrahmanian]

SŪTA-SAṀHITĀ: A Less Frequently Studied Paurāṇic Text by the Contemporary
Smārta Community

While Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇam, Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and Devīmāhātmyam are frequently
studied by the Smārtas today, works like Sūta-saṁhitā of the Skānda Purāṇa
are rarely studied by us today. It is common to see Upanyāsakas give
lectures on the Rāmāyaṇam or Bhāgavatam, but a grand upanyāsa on
Sūta-saṁhitā or Mudgala Purāṇa is something we hardly come across anywhere.
It is possible to get innumerable books on the Rāmāyaṇam, Bhāgavatam or
Devīmāhātmyam in many languages today; innumerable translations and
commentaries in many languages; and innumerable transliterations of the
mūla-granthas for pārāyaṇam in many languages.
Śravaṇam or hearing is the first step in the practice of bhagavad-bhakti.
Listening to the concepts of Bhagavat-tattva from authorized Vedic
scriptures— the Itihāsa-purāṇas— is extremely important for us to have the
right knowledge about our Devatās. The attributes, glories, splendor, and
the various avatāras of each of the Devatās are explained in detail in the
Mahāpurāṇas and the Upapurāṇas. To know about the
guṇa-mahima-vibhūti-vaibhavas of Lord Viṣṇu, one has to study scriptures
like Bhāgavatam or Viṣṇu Purāṇa. To know about the
guṇa-mahima-vibhūti-vaibhavas of Devī, one has to study scriptures like
Devī Bhāgavatam or Devīmāhātmyam. To know about the
guṇa-mahima-vibhūti-vaibhavas of Lord Vināyaka, one has to study scriptures
like Mudgala Purāṇa or Gaṇeśa Purāṇa. To know about the
guṇa-mahima-vibhūti-vaibhavas of Lord Śiva, one has to study scriptures
like Śiva Mahāpurāṇa with its various Saṁhitās—(I) Vidyeśvara Saṁhitā, (II)
Rudra Saṁhitā, (III) Śatarudra Saṁhitā, (IV) Koṭirudra Saṁhitā, (V) Umā
Saṁhitā, (VI) Kailāsa Saṁhitā, (VII) Vāyavya Saṁhitā, or Skānda Mahāpurāṇa
with its various Saṁhitās. It is the study of these scriptures under the
guidance of a guru that will help us stay focused in our Dharma.
Ever since I learnt that during the time of Sri TK Balasubrahmanya Aiyar
there used to be a complete pārāyaṇam of Skānda Mahāpurāṇa’s Sūta-saṁhitā
in the premises of Srirangam Sri Sankaragurukulam (Śṛṅgerī Maṭha,
Śrīraṅgam), I had a longing desire to know about this ancient text and
study it with Sanskrit commentaries written on it. With the aim of
propagating the study of Sūta-saṁhitā, I have started publishing pārāyaṇam
videos of it chapter by chapter in my YouTube channel Tamil Smārta. I
request all āstikas to join hands in propagating Sūta-saṁhitā.

What is Sūta-saṁhitā?
Sūta-saṁhitā is Book 2 of the South Indian recension of the Skānda
Mahāpurāṇa and the others are — (I) Sanatkumāra Saṁhitā, (III) Brāhmī
Saṁhitā, (IV) Śāṅkarī Saṁhitā, (V) Vaiṣṇavī Saṁhitā, and (VI) Saurī
Saṁhitā. The North Indian and South Indian recensions of the Skānda
Mahāpurāṇa vary greatly in structure and contents. The North Indian
recension is divided into seven khaṇḍas. The glories of holy cities like
Kāśī and Jagannātha Purī are written down in it.
The text is organized into four parts— (I) Śiva-māhātmya-khaṇḍam, (II)
Jñānayoga-khaṇḍam, (III) Mukti-khaṇḍam, and (IV) Yajñavaibhava-khaṇḍam
(Pūrvabhāga and Uttarabhāga). Śiva-māhātmya-khaṇḍam deals with the glories
of Lord Śiva. Jñānayoga-khaṇḍam describes the rules of the four āśramas and
the methods worshipping the Lord through the process of Aṣṭāṅga-yoga.
Mukti-khaṇḍam deals with the exposition on the means to attain mukti.
Pūrvabhāga of Yajñavaibhava-khaṇḍam deals with the exposition on various
forms of yajñas, explanation of Gāyatrī-mantra and Ṣaḍakṣara-mantra,
external forms of worship and meditation. Uttarabhāga of
Yajñavaibhava-khaṇḍam is divided into two parts— (I) Brahma-gītā, and (II)
Sūta-gītā. Concepts of Vedānta have been dealt with in these two sections.

How does the study of Sūta-saṁhitā help us, the followers of Ādi Śaṅkara
Bhagavatpāda?
This is one of the very many ancient Paurāṇic treatises that remind us of
the words of Śrīmad Appayya Dīkṣitendra that ‘the passages of the Upaniṣads
and the Vedas together with all the Purāṇas, Smṛtis and Itihāsas like
Mahābhārata are centred in Advaita alone’. Studying Sūta-saṁhitā along with
the works of our Ācāryas will be of great help to us in our adhyayana.
Smārta brāhmaṇas and saṁnyāsins of the past generations used to study
Sūta-saṁhitā with a lot of bhakti and śraddhā.

Here is the link to the playlist of three videos of Sūta-saṁhitā published
on Śivarātri. These are the first three chapters of the
Śiva-māhātmya-khaṇḍam. The remaining chapters of it will be published on
every Pradoṣam. Hence, I request you to follow me on Tamil Smarta and help
spread the study and pārāyaṇam of Sūta-saṁhitā.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7xqd-CZuARn7Si3iUvDLGALp5zmTNdq6