Are stories in puranas real ?

When it comes to puranas there are several questions that comes to our minds, especially the younger generation. Are they real history ? if yes, why some of those stories are not aligning to science and doesnt sound real. . For example: We learn in school that the Earth is a planet orbiting the Sun. But some Puranas describe the Earth as a devata, a lotus, with oceans of milk and curd. Why is there no alignment? 

Even within the texts, there seems to be a fight. The Shiva Purana says Lord Shiva is the ultimate creator and Vishnu bows to him. The Vishnu Purana says Lord Vishnu is supreme and Shiva comes from him. The Devi Bhagavatam says Shakti is the mother of both!

So, are they lying? Is it fake history? Or are we reading them wrong? To answer this, we need to understand a beautiful concept from our ancient wisdom called Ardhavaadam.  Before even going towards ardhavaadam lets understand purpose of purana.

What is a Purana and its purpose?

Think of the Vedas as the strict constitution or a textbook of physics. They give us the laws of life (Dharma) and the universe. But honestly, how many of us can read a physics textbook and feel inspired to be a better person? Not many.

So, the Puranas were created. If Vedas are the strict father or the teacher, Puranas are like the loving mother or grandmother. They take the hard truths of the Vedas and wrap them in entertaining, emotional, and dramatic stories so that the common man can understand and follow them.

Technique Used By Puranas: Functional Exaggeration

Now, coming to the main point. How do Puranas teach us? They use a technique called Ardhavaadam (Arthavada).

In simple English, we can call Ardhavaadam "Praise with a Purpose". It is not lying. It is a way of highlighting the benefit of a good habit so much that you feel motivated to do it.

The Science: Why Exaggeration Works

Why did our Rishis use exaggeration? Modern psychology actually supports this ancient method! It relies on two powerful concepts:

1. People need gentle push to make hard but correct choices:  Nudge Theory (The Gentle Push)

Nobel Prize winner Richard Thaler introduced "Nudge Theory." It says that people don't always make logical choices; they make easy choices based on how options are presented (Choice Architecture). If I tell you "Fast on Ekadashi because it is good for digestion," your brain feels it is a burden. You feel like you are losing food.  The Purana changes the frame. It says, "Fast on Ekadashi and you burn the sins of 100 lifetimes!" Suddenly, you are not "starving"; you are "winning." The exaggeration changes your perspective from Loss (no food) to Gain (huge merit). This mental switch is a Nudge.

Our minds are naturally lazy (Tamasic). Logic is not enough to break laziness. We need strong emotion. We need "Greed for Punya" or "Extreme Fear of Paap" to get off the couch.

2. Unless we have significant incentive we are not motivated: Incentive Salience (The Dopamine Kick)

Neuroscience tells us there is a difference between "Liking" something and "Wanting" something. "Wanting" is driven by a chemical called Dopamine. Our brains are wired to ignore boring, normal things. If a reward is small ("you will feel okay"), your brain sleeps. But if a reward is huge and shiny ("you will shine like a million suns"), your dopamine spikes!  Think of it like a movie. We love "Masala movies" where the hero fights 50 guys because it is exciting. Real life is dull. Puranas are "Masala for the Soul." They use hyper-exaggerated images (oceans of milk, weapons of thunder) to hijack your dopamine system. They make the boring act of discipline feel exciting and urgent.

Ardhavaadam  does have many techniques and tools,  let us look at its four main tools (subcategories).

The 4 Types of Ardhavaadam

1. Stuti (Praise) This is exaggerating the good results to make you do something good.

"Eat this spinach, you will get muscles like Popeye or Shaktimaan!" (Fact: Spinach is healthy. Exaggeration: Instant muscles.). In a  similar way, Phalashruti. "If you chant this mantra once, it is equal to visiting all holy rivers." This gives you the motivation to start chanting.  When the Shiva Purana says Shiva is Supreme, it is Stuti. It is not trying to insult Vishnu; it is trying to make the devotee focus 100% on Shiva without distraction. It is about Focus, not Hierarchy.

2. Ninda (Blame/Censure) This is exaggerating the bad results to make you stop doing something bad.

"So ja beta, nahi toh Gabbar Singh aa jayega!" (Sleep, or the bandit/monster will come!). In the South, they say Boochodu will come. Similar way, Descriptions of Naraka (Hell). "If you steal, you will be fried in oil." The fear stops the bad habit.

3. Parakrti (Precedent/Heroic Act) This involves citing the actions of a great person to motivate you.

"Look at Sharma ji's son! He studied hard and went to America. Be like him.". Similarly "Lord Indra performed this Yajna and became King of Heavens. You should also do it to win."

4. Purakalpa (Ancient Narrative) This is telling a story from a bygone age to explain a concept or tradition.

"In your grandfather's time, they woke up at 4 AM and never fell sick. That is why we must wake up early.". The stories of creation or the story of King Prithu (explained below). A perfect example is found in the Harivamsha and other Puranas regarding King Prithu (after whom Earth is called Prithvi). 

The Story: Long ago, there was a famine. The Earth refused to give food and grains. King Prithu got angry and chased the Earth to punish her. To protect herself, the Earth turned into the form of a Cow. Prithu calmed down and decided to "milk" the Earth-Cow to get the resources (vegetables, grains) his people needed.

How to Interpret this (The Gunavada Technique): If you read this literally, you will get stuck asking, "How can a planet turn into a cow? This is fake!" But this is a Purakalpa—a narrative meant to teach civilization. We must look for the Gunavada (metaphor based on quality):

1. The Cow: Represents the Earth (Vasundhara - holder of wealth). Just as a cow holds milk, the Earth holds resources.

2. The Milk: Represents the Essence (Wealth, Nutrition, Wisdom).

3. The Calf: Represents the Medium. In the story, Prithu uses Manu (the first human) as the "calf" to start the milk flow.

The Lesson: The Purana is teaching Agriculture and Economics. It says: "Nature (Earth) has resources, but she won't give them automatically. You need a King (Leader) and a System (Calf) to 'milk' these resources for the people.". By telling this as a dramatic story (Purakalpa) instead of a dry economics lesson, the concept stays in our memory forever.

Conclusion: Should We Take the Stories?

So, should we take stories from Puranas? Yes, absolutely.

But we should take them the way we take our mother's words. When mom says "eat carrots for laser eyes," we don't sue her for false advertising. We eat the carrots because we trust her love.

Similarly, we should view Puranas not as a history textbook of dry facts, but as a guidebook for discipline.

• Don't get stuck on the "Cow" (the literal story).

• Focus on the "Milk" (the wisdom).

The "exaggeration" is just the packaging; the "discipline" inside is the real gift.

Happy Reading! Let the stories guide you.