Over the course of our lives, we are subject to a lot of opposing experiences that are pleasant, unpleasant, good and not good, mostly fleeting and some which are permenant.

All these experiences are to a large extent well beyod our control.  We are forced to to many acts because of the circumstances to which we are exposed and our own desires.

All of these experiences are ultimately moved to a storehouse within the mind that we call memory.  This memory is an essential aspect of our capability to learn and evolve from the experiences of life.  We would like to re-live the pleasant experiences many times over and we would also like to not repeat the mistakes from the past. We would like to move to a state of an existense that is pleasant and permenant, with no uncertainties. 

When we go thru these experiences of life, we are undergoing change.  The change is born out of learning.

When a hunter sets a trap to capture an elephant, he digs a huge pit in the ground and covers it up with straw, so that the animal does not see the hole and steps on the straw which gives way to trap it.  A fish is always caught by temptation of food that is dangled as bait before it. It does not see the hook to which the bait is attached.  A lion may be trapped by using a goat as the bait.  

Likewise, man is caught by the many temptations that are thrown in his path by the events of life or by what is more technically known as KARMA. 

Man however has the capability to learn. The learning comes from either his own past experiences or from the experience of others. The experiences of others are learnt weither thru observation of the lives of friends and relatives or thru reading about them in books which would include the scriptures, listening to other people which would include Satsang by Swamijis, watching plays, movies dramas,  listening to music (which is actually an emotional renditioning of the events of life, which makes it easy to remember and repeat).

An animal or bird or insect, generally speaking, does not have the capability to learn from past experiences.  They will make the same mistake many times over.  They can always be trapped by man with the temptation of food and with disguise. They succumb to base instincts.  The base instinct of hunger is all powerful for these creatures.  The base instinct over rules all other past experiences and repeatedly draws them to their demise.

An animals base survival existence is always driven by physical necessities only of food, shelter, and procreation.  So the satisfaction of these physical needs is of primary importance and nothing else matters. So all their actions are driven by the fulfilment of these needs.   

Man's overriding base instinct is also survival.  However Man is also inflicted with ambitions such as fame, achievement, recognition, wealth, comfort and indulgence in luxury.  

These ambitions come attached with huge pitfalls that are very difficult to avoid. Learning must be quick and permenant. Mistakes cannot be repeated. Man cannot allow himself to be led only by temptations and the lure of wealth and luxury. He must be balanced in his approach to life. Not being entrapped by temptations cannot be easily attained. the forces inducing desire in the mind cannot be resisted even if one knows the consequences. Thats how powerful these forces are. 

Puranas use historical narratives, stories, transcripts of conversations, and interpretations to stimulate the mind to developing the tools to learn about itself and evolve to a higher plane. 

They have been written to invoke all the major attributes of thought. A sample of these are:

BELIEF_DISBELIEF

REAL_IMAGINARY

TRUTH_FICTION

RATIONAL_IRRATIONAL

TIME BOUND_TIMELESSNESS

POSSIBLE_IMPOSSIBLE

ATTAINABLE_UNATTAINABLE

FEAR_COURAGE

KNOWN_UNKNOWN

HAPPINESS_MISERY

SUCCESS_FAILURE

As the Bhagavatham is learnt all of us experience the abobe attributes.  Our minds will be pushed and pulled between these opposing attributes.  We will be lost in trying to figure out which path to take and what to accept. We will also begin to question our own understanding of the narratives in an effort to resolve the perceived conflicts that the narratives induce in our minds.

The Puranas have been primarily written to invoke the process of learning about the self through many different pathways. The initial sceptisism and our disbelief expose us to the process of our rationale mind looking for "evidence" in the events described in the Puranas. 

One piece of advice when reading the Puranas.  There is no need to read them with closed minds (either in belief or disbelief). Do not be hesitant to question the transcripts.  These were written by the ultimate subject matter experts, who had direct access to the supreme consciousness.

These are not simplistic stories. The primary intent is to start us of on the journey of self inquiry and self-realization, which is the only path to catapult us on to the evolutionary trajectory towards attainment of Easwara.

Each of the characters and events have a certain dominant attribute such as Kamsa's insecurity, Hiranyakashipu's greed, Prahalada's Bhakthi, etc.  We have to recognize that we are all born with these conflicting attributes. These attributes are built within us and through the experience of life, we have to selectively develop the constructive and progressive attributes and allow the destructive ones to wither away.

The Puranas must be read with this primary intent in mind.  These are not about the physical world or how to gain peace and happiness through material “success”.   The Commentaries on the Puranas by the great scholars of today and the times gone by, come in handy in helping us to interpret the Puranas and to see the narratives using different perspectives.  The Puranas have been subjected to multifaceted interpretations.  The individual has the option to pick and choose the path that fits one’s lifestyle and inclination.