The Puranas (Sanskrit: pura, "of ancient times") are ancient Hindu Vedic texts eulogizing various deities,

, primarily the divine Trimurti God in Hinduism through divine stories. Puranas may also be described as a genre of important Hindu religious texts alongside some Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.[1] Hindu Puranas have been classified in accordance with the three gunas or qualities as Sattva (Truth and Purity), Rajas (Dimness and Passion) and Tamas (Darkness and Ignorance), or according the three aspects of the divine Trimurti as Vaishnava, Brahma and Shaiva Puranas.[2] Puranas usually give prominence to a particular deity, employing an abundance of religious and philosophical concepts. They are usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another. The Puranas are available in vernacular translations and are disseminated by Brahmin scholars, who read from them and tell their stories, usually in Katha sessions (in which a traveling Brahmin settles for a few weeks in a temple and narrates parts of a Purana, usually with a Bhakti perspective Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata, is traditionally considered the compiler of the Puranas.[3] However, the earliest written versions date from the time of the Gupta Empire (third-fifth century CE) and much material may be dated, through historical references and other means, to this period and the succeeding centuries. The texts were probably written all over India.[citation needed] The date of the production of the written texts does not define the date of origin of the Puranas.[4] On one hand, they existed in some oral form before being written[4] while at the same time, they have been incrementally modified well into the 16th century.[4][5] An early reference is found in the Chandogya Upanishad (7.1.2). (circa 500 BCE). The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad refers to purana as the "fifth Veda",[6] itihsapura pacama vedn, reflecting the early religious importance of these myths, presumably then in purely oral form. Importantly, the most famous form of itihsapura is the Mahabharata. The term also appears in the Atharvaveda 11.7.24. [7][8] According to Pargiter,[7] the "original Purana" may date to the time of the final redaction of the Vedas. Gavin Flood connects the rise of the written Purana historically with the rise of devotional cults centring upon a particular deity in the Gupta era: the Puranic corpus is a complex body of materials that advance the views of various competing cults.[9] Wendy Doniger, based on her study of indologists, assigns approximate dates to the various Puranas. She dates Markandeya Purana to c. 250 CE (with one portion dated to c. 550 CE), Matsya Purana to c. 250500 CE, Vayu Purana to c. 350 CE, Harivamsa and Vishnu Purana to c. 450 CE, Brahmanda Purana to c. 350950 CE, Vamana Purana to c. 450900 CE, Kurma Purana to c. 550850 CE, and Linga Purana to c. 6001000 CE.[10] Common ideas are found throughout the corpus but it is not possible to trace the lines of influence of one Purana upon another so the corpus is best viewed as a synchronous whole.[9] The All India Kashiraj Trust, formed under Vibhuti Narayan Singh, the Maharaja of

Kashi, dedicated itself to publishing editions of the Puranas According to Matysa Purana,[12] they are said to narrate five subjects, called Pancha Lakshana pacalakaa ("five distinguishing marks", though some scholars have suggested that these are shared by other traditional religious scriptures):[13][14] Sarga: the creation of the universe. Pratisarga: secondary creations, mostly recreations after dissolution. Vama: genealogy of the gods and sages. Manvatara: the creation of the human race and the first human beings. The epoch of the Manus' rule, 71 celestial Yugas or 308,448,000 years. Vamnucaritam: the histories of the patriarchs of the lunar and solar dynasties. The Puranas also lay emphasis on keeping a record of genealogies, as the Vayu Purana says, "to preserve the genealogies of gods, sages and glorious kings and the traditions of great men."[15] The Puranic genealogies indicate, for example, that Sraddhadeva Manu lived 95 generations before the Bharata war.[16] In Arrian's Indica, Megasthenes is quoted as stating that the Indians counted from "Dionysos" (Shiva) to "Sandracottus" (Chandragupta Maurya) "a hundred and fifty-three kings over six thousand and fortythree years."[17] The list of kings in Kalhana's Rajatarangini goes back to the 19th century BCE

Mahapuranas
Of the many texts designated 'Puranas' the most important are the Mahpuras. These are always said to be eighteen in number, divided into three groups of six, though in fact they are not always counted in the same way. Combining the various lists Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen have collated twenty names, totalling 429,000 verses: [19] Pura na nam e Vers es num ber 15,4 00 vers es

Comments

Agni

Contains details of Vastu Shastra and Gemology.

18,0 Bhag 00 avata vers es 14,5 Bhav 00 ishya vers es

Indologist Ludo Rocher considers it to be the most celebrated and popular of the Puranas,[20][21] telling of Vishnu's ten Avatars. Its tenth and longest canto narrates the deeds of Krishna, introducing his childhood exploits, a theme later elaborated by many Bhakti movements.[22] Contains a record of prophecies. Portions of the extant text are drawn from the law book of Manu.[23]

Brah ma

10,0 00 vers es 12,0 00 vers es 17,0 00 vers es 19,0 00 vers es 16,0 00 vers es 17,0 00 vers es 11,0 00 vers es

Describes the Godavari and its tributaries. It is shortest of the Puranas.

Brah man da Brah mava ivart a Garu da

Includes Lalita Sahasranamam, a text some Hindus recite as prayer.

Describes ways to worship Devis, Krishna and Ganesha.

Describes death and its aftermaths.

Hari vams a

Is considered to be itihsa (epic poetry).

Kur ma

Ling a

Describes the magnificence of Lingam, symbol of Shiva, and origin of the universe. It also contains many stories of Lingam one of which entails how Agni Lingam solved dispute between Vishnu and Brahma.

09,0 Mark 00 ande vers ya es Mats ya 14,0 00 vers es 25,0 00 vers es

The Devi Mahatmya, an important text for the Shaktas, is embedded in it.

Narrates the story of Matsya, the first of ten major Avatars of Vishnu. It also contains genealogical details of various dynasties.[24]

Nara da

Describes the greatness of Vedas and Vedangas.

Pad ma

55,0 00 vers es 24,0 00 vers es 81,1 00 vers es 10,0 00 vers es 24,0 00 vers es 24,0 00 vers es 23,0 00 vers es

Describes the greatness of Bhagavad Gita. Hence, it is also known as gtmhtmya (lit. the majesty of Gita).

Shiv a

Describes the greatness of Shiva, greatness in worshiping Shiva and other stories about him. Describes the birth of Skanda (or Karthikeya), second son of Shiva. The longest Purana, it is an extraordinarily meticulous pilgrimage guide, containing geographical locations of pilgrimage centers in India, with related legends, parables, hymns and stories. Many untraced quotes are attributed to this text. [25]

Skan da

Vam ana

Describes areas around Kurukshetra in North India.

Vara ha

Describes various forms prayer and devotional observances to Vishnu. Many illustrations also involve Shiva and Durga.[26]

Vayu

Another name of Shiva Purana

Vish nu

Describes the many deeds of Vishnu and various ways to worship him.[27]