6-Pareekshit's Param Gati, Janamejaya's Sarp Yagya and Division of Ved

Soot Jee said - "Hey Shaunak etc Rishi, Whatever Shuk Dev Jee said, Pareekshit heard it very attentively. Pareekshit said to Shuk Dev Jee - "I am very grateful to you as you told me all this. You have shown me the way. Now I am not afraid of anything. People of the world do not have the knowledge of Paramaarth and are burning in their own fire of various kinds of sorrows. I am fearless now. Now kindly permit me to be silent and to leave my body through meditation." After that Pareekshit Jee worshipped Shuk Dev Jee and Shuk Dev Jee left the place. Pareekshit started meditating on the bank of Gangaa Jee.

Now according to the Shaap of Shringee Rishi, Takshak started to walk down to Pareekshit's place. On the way he met a Braahman named Kashyap. He was very good at treating the snake bites, so Takshak gave him lots of money and asked him to go away from that spot, and he himself started his journey to Pareekshit Jee in disguise of a Braahman. But when he reached there, he changed himself into Takshak and bit him. But by that time Pareekshit had already left his body. His body burned with the fire of the poison of Takshak.

When Janamejaya, Pareekshit's son, heard that Takshak had bitten his father, he got very angry and started a Sarp Yagya (Snake Yagya)  with the help of able Braahman. Takshak saw that even very large snakes were falling in the Yagya fire and were burning, so he approached Indra in fear. Janamejaya found that Takshak had not appeared yet, so he asked the Braahman - "Why Takshak has not come yet?" Braahman said - "Raajan, Indra is protecting him, that is why he is not falling in Havan Kund." Janamejaya said - "Then call Indra also with Takshak." Obeying him Braahman did so. They invoked him - "Come and fall into this Havan Kund along with Indra." Indra got worried hearing this and his Aasan shook and started falling down. Angiraa's son Brihaspati Jee saw that Indra was falling in Yagya fire along with his Aasan and Takshak. He advised Janamejaya - "Killing Takshak is not your job, because Takshak has taken Amrit and is immortal. Hey Raajan, All living beings pass their lives according to their Karm. Many people die from snake bite, or thunder, or fire, but this is only for saying sake, because in reality everybody gets his death according to his Karm. By doing this Yagya, you are not going to achieve anything good except killing innocent snakes, so stop doing this, because everybody enjoys the results of his own Karm."

Soot Jee said - "At this, Janamejaya stopped the Yagya and worshipped Brahaspati Jee. Hey Rishi, This is Vishnu Bhagavaan's Maayaa (that a learned Braahman got angry, he gave Shaap to Raajaa, he died, Janamejaya got angry and so many snakes were killed etc). This is very long, there is no end of it. That is why meditate on Vishnu's Swaroop (form), the same only gets you out of His Maayaa. That is why listen to to His Swaroop. He is a cheater, He is proud, thinking thus is Maayaa. Because of the similar kind of emotions people trouble each other and cannot stop it. By meditating on Paramaatmaa Man (mind) becomes peaceful. One can attain this state only when he doesn't be proud of himself, nor he is attached to worldly things. Shaunak Jee, Whoever wishes to attain that Parampad, he should tolerate others' harsh language and should not insult anybody in return. This body is immortal, knowing this one should not get attached to it and consequently should not develop enmity with anybody. Now I finish my Bhaagvat Kathaa here after bowing to Bhagavaan Krishn."

Division of Ved
Shaunak Jee asked - "Vyaas's disciples Pail etc Maharshi were great scholars of Ved. How did they divide Ved, please tell us that?" Soot Jee said - "When Brahmaa Jee was meditating to create the world, a sound came out of his heart. This sound can be heard when Jeev controls his Indriyaan. Even great Yogee worship that sound and attain Moksh. From the same sound appeared A, U and M (Aum). These three letters denote Sat, Raj and Tam: three Gun; Rig, Yajur, Saam: three Ved; Bhoo, Bhuvah, Swaha: three meanings; and waking, dreaming, sleeping: three states - all things which are three in number. After this Brahmaa Jee created the alphabet. And with the help of that alphabet he created four Ved to tell people about their Dharm from his four mouths. Then he taught Ved to his able sons Mareechi etc. When they became expert of them, they taught them to their sons. They found that in the end of Dwaapar Yug people's age, strength and wisdom was deteriorating, then they divided them.

In this Vaivaswat Manvantar also, Bhagavaan has appeared as the son of Maharshi Paraashar and Satyavatee - Ved Vyaas Jee. He divided Ved in four parts - Rig, Yaju, Saam and Atharv and taught them to his four disciples -
   "Bahavrich" - first Rig Sanhitaa to Pail;
   "Nigad - second Yaju Sanhitaa to Vaishampaayan Jee;
    Saam's "Chhaandog" Sanhitaa to Jaimini;
   "Atharvaangiras Sanhitaa" to Sumantu

And after that even these four Ved were also divided into many. Pail divided his Sanhitaa in two and taught them to Indrapramiti and Baashkal. Baashkal divided his own part into four parts and taught them to Shishyabodhya, Yaagyavalkya, Paraashar, and Agnimitra. Indrapramiti taught his part to Maandookeya Rishi. Maandookeya's disciple Devmitra taught it to Saubhari Rishi etc. Maandookeya had a son named Shaakalya, he divided his Sanhitaa into five parts and taught them to Vaatsya, Mudgal, Shaaleeya, Gokhalya and Shishir. Shaakalya had one another disciple - Jaatookarnya Muni. He divided his part into three parts and taught them to his disciples - Balaak, Paij, Vaitaal, and Viraj. Baashkal's son Baashkali edited one branch named "Baalkhilya" selected from all branches.

Shaunak Jee, Vaishampaayan had a few disciples who were called Charakaadhwaryu. They did a Vrat to save their Guru from Brahm Hatyaa (killing of a Braahman), that is why they were called Charakaadhwaryu. He had one disciple more, named Yaagyavalkya. One day he said to his Guru - "These Charakadhwaryu don't have much power. You will not get much result out of their Vrat. I will do more difficult Tap for you." Hearing this Vaishampaayan Jee got very angry and asked him to leave immediately saying that he didn't need such a person who disrespected Braahman. He asked him to return all the knowledge he had attained from him so far. Yaagyavalkya was the son of Devaraat, he immediately spitted out Yajur Ved and went away from there. When other Muni saw this they were tempted to take that knowledge, but it was not good to take that spitted Mantra for them like this, so they converted themselves into Teetar (a type of bird) and picked those Mantra. That is how that beautiful branch of Yajur Ved became famous as "Tattireeya".

Now Yaagyavalkya thought that I should get such Shruti which are not known even to my Guru. So he started meditating for Soorya Bhagavaan to get better Shruti than his Guru Jee's. Soorya appeared before him in the form of a horse and taught him those Mantra of Yajur Ved which were not available to anyone. Then Yaagyavalkya created 15 branches out of those numerous Mantra. They are known as Vaajsaneya, and Rishi Kanv, Maadhyandin etc studied them.

Vyaas Jee taught Saam Sanhitaa to Jaimini. Jaimini had a son named Sumantu Muni and his grandson was Sunvaan. He taught one Sanhitaa to his son and another to his grandson. He had a disciple also named Sukarmaa. He divided Saam in 1,000 Sanhitaa and taught them to his disciples. That is how Ved spread."

Soot Jee said - "Sumantu Muni was the authority on Atharv Ved. He taught his Sanhitaa to his dear disciple Kabandh. Kabandh divided it in two parts and taught them to his disciples Pathya and Vedadarsh. Atharv Ved spread in this way. Hey Shaunak Jee, Now I tell you about Puraan. There are six authorities on Puraan - Trayyaaruni, Kashyap, Saavarni, Akritvarn, Vaishampaayan, and Haareet. They learned one Puraan each from my father and my father (Ugrashravaa Jee) himself had learned it from Vyaas Jee. I learned all the six Sanhitaa from those six Aachaarya. Besides those six Sanhitaa, there were four more Mool Sanhitaa. Kashyap, Saavarni, Akritvarn and I myself studied those also from my father.

Maharshi have told  ten characteristics of a Puraan according to Ved and Shaastra, they are - Vishwa Sarg, Visarg, Vritti, Rakshaa, Manvantar, Vansh, Vanshaanucharit, Sansthaa (Pralaya), Hetu (Ooti), and Apaashraya. some tell only five but both are correct, because Mahaa-Puraan (large Puraan) have all the ten, while the short ones have only five. Now you listen to those ten characteristics of Puraan  -

(1) When Gun get Kshobh in Mool Prakriti, then Mahat-Tattwa appears and from that appear three types of Ahankaar - Sat, Raj and Tam; and from these three Ahankaar appear Panch-Tanmaatraa, Indriyaan and pleasures. This creation is called Sarg.
(2) By the grace of Parameshwar, Mahat Tattwa attain the power of creation and create this world in its physical form according to their previous actions is called Visarg.
(3) Moving living beings live on non-moving things including the milk of moving living beings. Among them some have been prescribed by Shaastra and some have been decided by the living beings themselves. This is called Vritti.
(4) Bhagavaan takes Avataar in various forms to do Leelaa to protect the world, that is why it is called Rakshaa.
(5) In whatever time there are these six things - Manu, Devta, Manu's sons, Indra, Sapt Rishi and Bhagavaan's Ansh Avataar, that duration of period is called Manvantar.
(6) Whoever kings are born from Brahmaa Jee, the description of those kings and their descendents, is called Vansh.
(7) The description of those people's lives, is called Vanshaanucharit.
(8) This Brahmaand ends in Pralaya, and Pralaya is of four types - Naimittik, Praakritik, Nitya and Aatyantik, they are called Sansthaa.
(9) This Jeev is Hetu [cause=Kaaran] because this is the cause of Sarg and Visarg. Under the influence of A-Vidyaa (ignorance) he has involved himself in Karm.
(10) Jeev's Vritti (nature) is of three types - conscious, sub-conscious, and unconscious. Whosoever is beyond this Vritti, he becomes free from Karm Pravritti and is called Brahm or Apaashraya.

When somebody goes out of the limits of Karm (Karm Nivritti or has finished his Karm or beyond Karm) through Yog Abhyaas (practice), then he is released from this world's cycle of birth and death. 

There are 18 Puraan - short and large, with these characteristics:

(1) Brahm Puraan,  (2) Padm Puraan,  (3) Vishnu Puraan,  (4) Shiv Puraan,  (5) Shree Mad-Bhaagvat Puraan
(6) Naarad Puraan,  (7) Maarkandeya Puraan,  (8) Agni Puraan,  (9) Bhavishya Puraan, 
(10) Brahm-vaivart Puraan,  (11) Ling Puraan,  (12) Vaarah Puraan,  (13) Skand Puraan,  (14) Vaaman Puraan, 
(15) Koorm Puraan,  (16) Matsya Puraan,  (17)  Garud Puraan, and (18) Brahmaand Puraan."