The Geography of the Puranas c6.85

c6.85

These few examples illustrate the style of the Purāṇas and also bring out the value of the traditions which have been so well preserved in these works. In general, all the world over, the early history of the nations consists more or less of traditions handed down by memory since the ages before the invention of writing. Traditions are still more lasting when handed down in fixed words as in the case of the Purāṇas, especially when the poets have set them in verse. Among other nations of the world as well the poets, for instance, Homer and Firdausi, have preserved many picturesque incidents of history although they have not the historian's conscience about facts. Eager to rouse and delight their audience, to flatter the national pride of their people and the family pride of the chieftain, in whose court they recited their poems, the poets brought in real names and events, but they manœuvred them to suit their dramatic sense or even completely fabricated history. This is not true of the Purāṇas which very often present historically correct facts, although, as mentioned earlier, they personify abstract ideas or inanimate objects with the sole purpose of making facts easily digestible and ensuring the easy remembrance of events. Thus in the case of the former, it is too hard a task to sift out historic truth from the mixture of natural events and exact source of knowledge, while in the latter case it is possible to visualise the factual background.