Published on Aug 03, 2020
The surviving manuscripts exist in many different versions and content, with one major version with seven books (traced to South India), another with six books, while the third version traced to the medieval Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent with no books but two large sections called Purva-khanda (previous section) and Uttara-khanda (later section). The two versions that include books, title some of the books same and others differently. The Shiva Purana, like other Puranas in Hindu literature, was likely a living text, which was routinely edited, recast and revised over a long period of time. The oldest manuscript of surviving texts was likely composed, estimates Klaus Klostermaier, around 4th to 2nd century BCE. Some chapters of currently surviving Shiva Purana manuscripts were likely composed after the 1st century CE.
According to a passage found in the first chapters of Vidyeśvara Saṁhitā and Vāyaviya Saṁhitā of these recensions the original Shiva Purana comprised twelve Saṁhitās, which included five lost Saṁhitās: Vaināyaka Saṁhitā, Mātṛ Saṁhitā (or Mātṛpurāṇa Saṁhitā), Rudraikādaśa Saṁhitā, Sahasrakoṭirudra Saṁhitā and Dharma Saṁhitā (or Dharmapurāṇa Saṁhitā). The number of verses in these sections were as follows:
• Vidyeshvara Samhita - 10,000
• Rudra Samhita - 8,000
• Vainayaka Samhita - 8,000
• Uma Samhita - 8,000
• Matri Samhita - 8,000
• Rudraikadasha Samhita - 13,000
• Kailasa Samhita - 6,000
• Shatarudra Samhita - 3,000
• Sahasrakotirudra Samhita - 11,000
• Kotirudra Samhita - 9,000
• Vayaviya Samhita - 4,000
• Dharma Samhita - 12,000
Several other Saṁhitās are also ascribed to the Śiva Purāṇa. These are the Īśāna Saṁhitā, the Īśvara Saṁhitā, the Sūrya Saṁhitā, the Tirthakṣetramāhātmya Saṁhitā and the Mānavī Saṁhitā.
Haraprasad Shastri mentioned in the Notices of Sanskrit MSS IV, pp. 220–3, Nos, 298–299 about another manuscript of the Śiva Purāṇa, which is divided into two khandas (parts), the Pūrvakhaṇḍa and the Uttarakhaṇḍa. The Pūrvakhaṇḍa consists 3270 ślokas in 51 chapters written in Nagari script and the Uttarakhaṇḍa has 45 chapters written in Oriya script. It was preserved in Mahimprakash Brahmachari Matha in Puri. The Pūrvakhaṇḍa of this manuscript is the same as the Sanatkumara Saṁhitā of the Vangavasi Press edition.
Al our Puranas are written versions of several oral traditions in various parts of the Country, and then woven into a common fabric with the Avatar concept to distinguish versions. It is possible and perhaps inevitable that references to some calamity of the recent past memory might have got incorporated into the newly written books.For example, the Devi Mahatmyam has a reference to the deity Sheetala Mata,, and the text says that as and when people in that region suffer from a horrible disease of heat (later interpreted as Small Pox), the Devi promised to take Avatar as Sheetala mata and cure them. A simple interpretation should be that the scourge of Small Pox that used to occur during during summer days can be tackled/prevented by using coolants. Similar references can be found for Devi Shaakambhari, as the one who feeds people with fresh vegetables when Dry famine deprives people of food grains. Vegetables are and will always remain a sustainable food during famine.
It is preposterous to say Corona Virus 19 , just identified three months back was defined and predicted in Shiva Purana which has an antiquity beyond Ramayana days.
Currently the app is in Beta version, but it is one useful resource that the government is trying to bring to and for the people of the nation.
The app makes users sign in using their phone number and uses the GPS to track their movement. While that could raise privacy concerns among the users, the app description suggests that the identity of a user will not be disclosed to anyone, including the government, the server or any third party client.
The app uses colour codes to figure out whether the user has come in contact with a COVID-19 carrier or not. While one colour will identify a user who has never come in contact with an infected person, another will indicate if a user is in close proximity.
The app’s description reads: “This app is being developed in public interest to give information and capture the outbreak of Coronavirus. The data will be used to conduct analysis and provide information about the active COVID 19 cases in India. Additional features are also added to track your breathing capacity and a survey form to keep a self check.”
Besides the Corona Kavach by MeitY, Niti Aayog, the government’s planning commission is also working on another coronavirus app called CoWin-20. With the help of mobile’s GPS (user will have to give access to permit location), CoWin-20 aims to stop the community spread of coronavirus. It will also ask for the mobile owner’s travel history, to decide whether he or she is at risk of getting COVID-19 and also ascertain the number of people the user may have come in contact with.
It will also display the location of the government health centerstew2q to get themselves tested for the coronavirus. Once cleared from bugs will the coronavirus app will be rolled out to the public on both Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Corona Kavach and CoWin-20, both of them will support English and all regional languages of India.
Corona Kavach comes with additional features that can track your breathing capacity and a survey form which lets you check symptoms and guides you to see a doctor if needed. It also includes government advisories and safety recommendations related to the novel coronavirus and provides auto-updates. The app asks for location access, after which you have to create an account through a simple mobile number verification.
Modi Government has designed this app to keep you updated about the COVID-19 virus spread. It can track the data on an hourly basis. If you happen to be near any Coronavirus infected people, this app will send alert signals to your device. It will be able to do that by tracking you and match the data with corona patients and indicate your proximity to them. App users can sign on to the Corona Kawach App through the mobile phone number. Then it will start tracking you through the GPS system and keep you updated about the above-mentioned information.
This app shows coronavirus infected persons around you through colour coding. There are two colours in this app that reflect the user has never come across a COVID-19 infected patient and the other reflects that the user has come across the COVID-19 infected patient. This Corona Kawach App has been designed to keep your privacy in mind – it ensures there is no breach in your privacy. That means your information stored in this app won’t be shared with any other person.
# Total number of passengers screened at airport : 15,24,266
# Total number of Confirmed COVID-19 cases across India * : 1,00,31,618
# Total number of Active COVID-19 cases across India * : 3,03,785
# Total number of Discharged/Cured COVID 2019 cases across India * : 95,79,658
# Total number of Deaths due to COVID 2019 across India * : 1,45,513
(*including foreign nationals, as on 20.12.2020)
State/UT |
Confirmed |
Active |
Recovered |
Deceased |
2,54,427 |
103,516 |
1,40,325 |
10,289 |
|
1,38,470 |
46,972 |
89,532 |
1,966 |
|
1,12,494 |
19,155 |
89,968 |
3,371 |
|
41,906 |
10,662 |
29,198 |
2,046 |
|
38,843 |
22,742 |
15,411 |
686 |
|
36,476 |
12,208 |
23,334 |
934 |
|
34,671 |
11,833 |
22,482 |
356 |
|
30,013 |
10,500 |
18,581 |
932 |
|
29,168 |
13,428 |
15,412 |
328 |
|
24,392 |
5,779 |
18,103 |
510 |
|
21,240 |
4,956 |
15,983 |
301 |
|
17,632 |
4,103 |
12,876 |
653 |
|
16,807 |
5,868 |
10,895 |
41 |
|
16,305 |
4,227 |
11,953 |
125 |
|
13,737 |
4,896 |
8,750 |
91 |
|
10,513 |
4,355 |
5,979 |
179 |
|
7,874 |
3,743 |
4,095 |
32 |
|
7,821 |
2,230 |
5,392 |
199 |
|
4,081 |
909 |
3,153 |
19 |
|
3,760 |
1,421 |
2,308 |
31 |
|
3,537 |
674 |
2,786 |
47 |
|
2,453 |
952 |
1,487 |
14 |
|
2,358 |
2,358 |
- |
- |
|
2,067 |
630 |
1,421 |
2 |
|
1,609 |
713 |
896 |
- |
|
1,418 |
661 |
739 |
18 |
|
1,213 |
274 |
916 |
10 |
|
1,086 |
157 |
928 |
1 |
|
845 |
518 |
327 |
- |
|
559 |
134 |
417 |
8 |
|
499 |
226 |
268 |
1 |
|
360 |
220 |
138 |
2 |
|
295 |
248 |
45 |
2 |
|
231 |
81 |
150 |
- |
|
164 |
70 |
81 |
- |
|
163 |
63 |
100 |
- |
|
Total India |
8,79,487 |
3,01,482 |
5,54,429 |
23,194 |
Although those infected with the virus may be asymptomatic, many develop flu-like symptoms including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Emergency symptoms including difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain or pressure, confusion, difficulty waking, and bluish face or lips; immediate medical attention is advised if these symptoms are present. Less commonly, upper respiratory symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, or sore throat may be seen. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea are seen in a minority of cases, and some of the initial cases in China presented with only chest tightness and palpitations. In some, the disease may progress to pneumonia, multi-organ failure, and death.
As is common with infections, there is a delay from when a person is infected with the virus to when they develop symptoms, known as the incubation period. The incubation period for COVID-19 is typically five to six days but may range from two to fourteen days
The disease is caused by the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), previously referred to as the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It is primarily spread between people via respiratory droplets from coughs and sneezes. The virus can remain viable for up to three days on plastic and stainless steel, and for three hours in aerosols . The virus has also been found in faeces, but as of March 2020 it is unknown whether transmission through faeces is possible, and the risk is expected to be low.
The lungs are the organs most affected by COVID-19 because the virus accesses host cells via the enzyme ACE2, which is most abundant in the type II alveolar cells of the lungs. The virus uses a special surface glycoprotein, called "spike", to connect to ACE2 and enter the host cell. The density of ACE2 in each tissue correlates with the severity of the disease in that tissue and some have suggested that decreasing ACE2 activity might be protective, though another view is that increasing ACE2 using Angiotensin II receptor blocker medications could be protective and that these hypotheses need to be tested. As the alveolar disease progresses, respiratory failure might develop and death may follow.
The virus is thought to be natural and have an animal origin, through spillover infection. It was first transmitted to humans in Wuhan, China, in November or December 2019, and the primary source of infection became human-to-human transmission by early January 2020. The earliest known infection occurred on 17 November 2019
Because a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is not expected to become available until 2021 at the earliest, a key part of managing the COVID-19 pandemic is trying to decrease the epidemic peak, known as flattening the epidemic curve through various measures seeking to reduce the rate of new infections. Slowing the infection rate helps decrease the risk of health services being overwhelmed, allowing for better treatment of current cases, and provides more time for a vaccine and treatment to be developed.
Preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection in locations with an outbreak of the disease are similar to those published for other coronaviruses: stay home, avoid travel and public activities, wash hands with soap and warm water often and for at least 20 seconds (proper hand hygiene and also the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday to You" twice.), practice good respiratory hygiene and avoid touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands. The CDC recommends covering up the mouth and nose with a tissue during any cough or sneeze and coughing or sneezing into the inside of the elbow if no tissue is available. They also recommend proper hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze. Social distancing strategies aim to reduce contact of infected persons with large groups by closing schools and workplaces, restricting travel, and canceling mass gatherings. Social distancing also includes that people stay 6 feet apart (about 1.80 meters), roughly the length of a full size bed/mattress
According to the WHO, the use of masks is only recommended if a person is coughing or sneezing or when one is taking care of someone with a suspected infection.
To prevent transmission of the virus, the CDC recommends that infected individuals stay home except to get medical care, call ahead before visiting a healthcare provider, wear a face mask when exposed to an individual or location of a suspected infection, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, regularly wash hands with soap and water and avoid sharing personal household items. The CDC also recommends that individuals wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the toilet or when hands are visibly dirty, before eating and after blowing one's nose, coughing, or sneezing. It further recommended using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, but only when soap and water are not readily available. For remote areas where commercial hand sanitizers are not readily available, WHO suggested two formulations for the local production. In both of these formulations the antimicrobial activity of ethanol or isopropanol is enhanced by low concentration of hydrogen peroxide while glycerol acts as a humectant. The WHO advises individuals to avoid touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands. Spitting in public places also should be avoided
Social Distancing is a non-pharmaceutical infection prevention and control intervention implemented to avoid/decrease contact between those who are infected with a disease causing pathogen and those who are not, so as to stop or slow down the rate and extent of disease transmission in a community. This eventually leads to decrease in spread, morbidity and mortality due to the disease. In addition to the proposed interventions, the State/UT Governments may prescribe such other measures as they consider necessary.