Puran a short description

Different types of text-books in Hinduism.

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 Vyas Gufa or Cave in Mana Gaon, near Badrinath, Where Maharishi Ved-Vyas re-wrote all Purans
"Vyas Gufa" or "Vyas-Cave" in Mana Gaon, near Badrinath, Where Maharishi Ved-Vyas re-wrote all Purans, with the help of Lord Ganesha

Puran, Mirror of Hindu Iconography

The word Puran is a combination of two words, namely, "pura" and "an". It means something which is old or ancient. The word 'pura' means past, something that does not exist anymore, and the word 'an' means to say or to make aware of. Thus, Puran is a collection of texts that makes us aware of all the information, decisions, principles, teachings and incidents of the past. Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe was the first among all who had composed the oldest religious texts, known as the Purana. Purana includes a complete description of all the events from the beginning till the end of the process of creation and it is considered to be a pious and absolute source of knowledge. Since the initial phase of its composition, the Hindu religion has been based on the teachings and principles derived from the Purana. Purana, in reality, is a vast narration of the Vedas*( the holy text book of the Hindus). The Vedas had been composed in a very complicated language style that is quite hard for commoners to follow. Maharishi Vedvyas* (incarnation of lord Vishnu, a Sage) had written and re-written certain sections of the Purana. The ideas that have been written in a complex manner in the Vedas have been explained and narrated in a simple understanding way in the Purana. Since its inception, the Purana has shown the right path to the gods, the sages, and the human beings. Consequently, they can get a clear idea about their past, which help them to plan their future course of action. These holy texts have also explained the significance of various modes of worship, be it through worshiping the formless god, or through idol worship. The Puranas have narrated the ideas of virtue and vice, action and inaction, morality and immorality by keeping in front the examples set by the gods and goddesses. It also teaches us that in order to establish a well-developed and just society, certain humanitarian criteria, such as, love, devotion, sacrifice or dedication, tolerance and so on are essentially required. The Purana inspires us to inculcate such aspects within ourselves. The Purana also gives a detailed description of the nature of gods and goddesses. We can find elaborate description of certain vice present among the gods also from the Purana. But the principal idea behind composing the Purana was essentially to establish the truth and to develop good will among all.
While creating the Universe, Lord Brahma had composed only one Puran, which consisted around a billion Slokas* (hymn). It was huge in size and included such texts which were very hard to understand. At that time, Maharishi Vedvyas thought it important for the Purana to be simplistic and easy to understand. From this point of view, he divided the Purana into eighteen parts, which contained about four hundred thousand Slokas.
The eighteen divisions of the Purana and the number of Slokas in them as done by Maharishi Ved-Vyas
Vyas-Gufa or Vyas-Cave

The eighteen divisions of the Purana and the number of Slokas in them as done by Maharishi Ved-Vyas are as follows :

1. Brahma Puran

Lord Brahma
Lord Brahma (The Creator of Entire Universe)
It has ten thousand Slokas and contains the description of the method to worship Lord Brahma, existing in the form of an idol. It narrates the origin of the gods, demons, Prajapati Daksha* (Son of Lord Brahma and the ruler) and so on. There is also the detailed description of Sun god and his most famous ancestor, Lord Rama, who, in course of time, would cause the victory of good over evil. It also contains details about the dynasty of the Moon god along with the role played by Lord Sri Krishna to destroy the evil power. Details about all the islands or landforms of the earth, all the aeon since the Creation, all the partitions of the earth, namely, heaven, earth and hades, can be found in it. It describes the procedure to worship the Sun and also narrates the life history of Goddess Parvati (incarnation of Adhya-Shakti and the second spouse of Lord Shiva) including her birth, marriage and so on. The way to perform the last rites of our predecessors, along with the description of the hell has also been explained in detail. It includes narrations of the caste divisions found in Hinduism as well as of the Ashrama* (stages of life followed in ancient India) system . Last but not the least, it includes rendition of the "Vaishnava" faith, portrayal of the Ages and also the description of the final destruction.

2. Padma Puran

Lotus or Padma
Padma or Lotus is a very significant in Hinduism, its symbolized the Purity
It is the second largest branch of the Purana consisting of fifty-five thousand Slokas. It is one of the most famous Hindu religious text. It mainly contains details about ancient kings and famous personalities. The Padma Purana has been divided into five parts, namely, the Shristi Khand* (chapter related to the Creation), Bhumi Khand* (chapter related to land), Swarg Khand* (chapter related to the Heaven), Paatal Khand* (chapter related to the Hades) and Uttar Khand* (chapter in relation to the latter phase). The narratives of Nandi and Dhenu, King Bali and Baaman, the story of Tuladhar are some important sections of this Purana. Shristi Khand : This part contains the narratives of Savitri and Satyavan, Dharmamurti, Narakasur, Kartikeya, the slaughter of the demon Tarakasur by Kartikeya, and so on. Description of religious sites like Pushkar and others, the last rites to be performed for our predecessors, descriptions of all the mountains, islands, the seven seas, can be obtained from this part. The significance of Awala* (gooseberry) and that of Tulsi* (holy basil), how the presence of a tulsi plant in our house can prevent the existence of spirits and any kind of illness among us are some of the facts mentioned in this book. It also contains the praises of Ganga, Lord Ganesha and the Sun, and also mentions the significance of charity on certain auspicious occasions like Sankranti* (end of a Hindu month) etc.Bhumi Khand : The principles of celibacy, charity, human religion and Jainism has found place in this section. Some other important matters that are contained in this book are, the story of birth and the characterization of King Prithu, Lord Vishnu explaining the importance of appropriate time and place for charity to Wen, the narratives of Sukala, Shukar-Shukari* (pig and the sow), the penance done by Pippal concerning the pilgrimage site of fathers, the devotion of Sukarma towards his father, the significance of worshipping Lord Shiva, and the various stotras* (chants) through which one can please Lord Vishnu. Swarg khand : In this part, there are descriptions of the eminent Hindu religious sites like the Pushkar and those related to the river Narmada, the story of Shakuntala and King Dushyanta, significance of the positions of planets and stars in human life, characterization of God Narayana, King Harishchandra, King Mandhata and so on. We get to know about the creation of the Universe, importance of different religious sites, and the significance of Ekadashi Vrat* (the rituals observed on the eleventh day of every lunar phase). Paatal khand : It includes the narration of the events of Lord Rama after he won over the demon Ravana, the glory of Lord Shri Krishna and the religious sites related to him, the story of sage Narad assuming the role of a female, description of all the demons including Ravana, the gala and festivals celebrated every month, the geographical description of the earth, the roles played by Lord Vishnu in his appearances as Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. Uttar Khand : The most important topics discussed in this part are the stories of the demon Jalandhar, the epic saga of the suttee wife Tulsi Vrinda, significance of the religious sites Badrikashram, Haridwar, Prayag, Kashi, Gaya and the likes, and also the story of bringing the river Ganga from the heaven to the earth.

3. Vishnu Puran

Lord Vishnu
Lord Vishnu
It contains twenty three thousand Slokas and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It was composed by Sage Parashar, the grandson of Sage Vashishtha. This variation of the Puran elaborates the description of the real nature of the earth, astrology, history of the famous dynasties, characterization of Lord Krishna and so on. Vishnu Puran can be classified into six sections : the first part narrates the stories of Holika with Prahlad on her lap, the narration of Dhruv and Prithu, the origin of the Universe, the nature of Eternal Time etc.. In the second part, we can find the description about the three parts of the universe, namely, Heaven, Earth and Hades, the nine sectors of the earth, planets and stars, astrology etc.. The third part includes description of famines, explanation of the branches of the Vedas, the features of domestic life as well as the description of the funeral rites. The key points of the fourth part are the details about the dynasties of the Sun God and the Moon God. The fifth part of the Puran consists of the stories of Lord Krishna and his various activities. Finally, the sixth part gives us the essence of the ultimate destruction as well as salvation or Moksha.

4. Shiv-Puran

Five Haded, Shiva
Lord Shiva
It consists of twenty-four thousand Slokas and dedicated to lord Shiva. Shiv Puran mainly emphasizes on the devotion to Lord Shiva and suggests the ways in which its message can be spread among common people. Shiv Puran throws light on the life and character of Lord Shiva, along with the way of his behavior, his marriage and the origin of his ancestors. In this Puran, there are description of praising the glory of Lord Shvia in various ways. The key feature of this book is that it comprises of many tales which are educative in nature as well as is a storehouse of knowledge. According to this book, Lord Shiva has been termed as Swayambhu* (parthenogenesis); simultaneously, he has also been depicted as eternal, the highest entity, and most importantly, the basis of the worldly thinking's and universal existence. We can refer to this book for a detailed description of the different forms of Lord Shiva, his incarnations, the Jyotirlingas, his devotees and so on.
This Puran consists of six subdivisions :
1. Vidyeshwar samhita : Chapter related to supreme god of the world.
2. Rudra samhita : Chapter related to the Rudra* (anger form of lord Shiva).
3. Koti-Rudra samhita : Chapter related to the Crore or 10 Millions anger forms of shiva.

4. Uma samhita : Chapter related to Lord Shivas spouse, Uma or Pravati or Sati.
5. Kailash samhita : Chapter related to mount Kailash.
6. Vayu samhita : Chapter related to Air.

5. Srimad-Bhagwat Puran

Srimad Bhagwat, Lord Vishnu
Vishnuorator of Bhagwat Puran
The total number of Slokas in this Puran is about eighteen thousand. It is regarded as the most important religious book of the "Vaishnava" sect. The key feature of this book is the simplified documentation of the mysterious and complex theories discussed in the Vedas, Upanishadas, and the various other philosophical texts. It contains the wide array of theories such as fruitful and The most important descriptions mentioned in this book are the modes of work, which can be platonic or non-platonic, worship of knowledge, worship to attain salvation, devotion, honor, benignity, the dual and real traits, useful and useless as well as expressive and non-expressive thoughts and mysteries. The whole book has been roughly divided into twelve columns, which mostly contains the description of the different avataras (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu. Srimad-Bhagwat Puran fully acknowledges the existence of Varna-ashrama* (division of society according to caste); and at the same time, it imposes restriction upon the right of lower caste people, women and Shudras* (consider as the fourth and lower cast in Hinduism) to listen to the Vedas. Brahmins* (consider as the first and supreme cast in Hinduism) were given special position in the existing social structure. In the beginning, the main cause of restricting lower caste people from listening to the Vedas was that they were always not capable of memorizing the verses of the holy texts. But in the later stage, the Vedic sages got diverted from this concept and they made it a conventional rule that listening to the Vedas would only be restricted to the elites. Such restrictions gave birth to the baseless categorization among the people of the society. This part of the Purana also contains repeated description of the miraculous as well as divine features of Lord Krishna.

6. Narad Purana (also termed as Naradiya Purana)

Narad Muni or Sage
Dev-Rishi or the sage of Gods "Narad"
This Puran, composed by Sage Narad, is a "Vaishnav Puran" and contains around twenty two thousand Slokas. The key object described in this book is devotion towards Lord Vishnu. It has been classified into two main parts. It is believed that the mere listening of this Puran helps us to get rid of all our sins. According to this branch of Puran, sinners are those who commits the murder of brahmins, consumes alcohol, eats meat, visits a prostitute, enjoys a vindictive meal, and steals goods. The two sections of this Puran are the former part and the later part. There are four chapters in the former part and it contains details about the conversation between Suta and Shaunak, creation of the Universe and its dissolution, the birth of Sukdeva, the proper ways to chant the psalm, the different methods of worship, the details about the various vrat* (vows) to be observed during the different months of the Hindu calendar and their benefits. The second part contains the stories of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. As per this Puran, a guest should be treated equivalent to god. It also explains the significance of the four Varnas* (caste system prevailing in ancient India) and Ashramas* (stages of human life), and thus establishes the superiority of the Brahmins. This book is a bit partial in its treatment towards the two other sections of the society, namely, the Kshatriya* (the royal person) and the Vaishya* (the businessman), while looks down upon the lowest caste, the Shudras.

7. Markandeya Puran

Markandaye Rishi or Sage
Shiva protect Markandaye when he was child, with the god of death Yam-Raj
This Puran, containing around nine thousand Slokas, was narrated by sage Markandeya* (name of the sage) to Kraushtik* (name of the sage). The key points discussed in this book are the interpretation of the Sun, Agni* (the god of fire), Lord Indra and so on as per the Rig-veda (one of the oldest Hindu scripture among four), "Grihasth-Ashram" (the stage of life relating to family, in Hinduism life is divided into four stages according to age, grihastha is second one and it is considered to be within the age of 25 to 50 years, during which a person got married and led a family life), the daily schedule to be followed, the events occurring on a regular day, and so on. There are also certain other important things that can be found in this book, which is, "Durgasaptashati", which depicts the protection of the gods by Adya-shakti, the killings of the demons, namely, Shumbh and Nishumbh, Mahishasura, Raktabeej etc., which are much popular among the common people, the narration of King Harishchandra, the characterization of Madalasa, the story of Atri-Anasuya, the character depiction of Lord Dattatrey and many more such interesting incidents.
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8. Agni Puran

Agni Dev, Fire
Agni Dev or God of Fire
The number of Slokas in this Purana is about eighteen thousand. It holds a significantly remarkable position because of the enormous amount of knowledge contained within it. The Agni Purana describes the worship method of the three supreme gods, namely, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva as well as the Sun. It also contains the different tricks of black magic, abridged versions of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the tales of the avatars such as the Kurma* (the tortoise), the Matsya* (the fish) and so on, origin of the Creation, the methods of ordination, worshiping the architectural features of domestic residence, the holy chants relating to the worship of different gods and a whole array of other useful materials. It is presumed that Lord Agni himself narrated this Purana to Sage Vashishtha. There are two sections of this Purana.

9. Bhavishya Puran

The total number of Slokas contained in this Purana is about fourteen thousand five hundred. Sage Vedvyas had described in this book the events that would take place in the recent and far future much before their occurrence. In this book, Vedvyas had described the origin and development of the Christian and Islamic religion much before their beginning and preaching done by Jesus Christ and Muhammad respectively. We can find the detailed description of the history of modern India in this book. It contains important historic materials in the third and fourth episodes of its Pratisarg parv (an important portion of the book). There are mentions of the medieval hindu kings like Harshavardhan and others, the Islamic invaders such as Muhammad Tughluq, Taimur Lang, the Mughal rulers Babur, Akbar and their ancestors. The middle portion of the book comprises of the execution of all the activities.

10. Brahmavaivarta Puran

The number of Slokas in this Puran is about eighteen thousand. This Puran depicts Lord Krishna as the origin as well as the eternal spirit of the creation. In this book, we can find detailed description of the activities of Lord Krishna, a beautiful elaboration of the Golok-leela* (performance in empire of cows) as well as Avatar-leela (performance relating to incarnation) of Shri Radha, the significance and uniformity of various gods and also the different ways of worshiping them. This book is also the storehouse of a wide array of special hymns. The four main parts of this Puran are the Brahma-khand (Universe part), Prakriti-khand* (Nature part), Shrikrishna-khand* (part or lord Krishna) and Ganesh-khand* (part of lord Ganesha). This book considers Lord Krishna as the chief god and hence is described as the root cause of creation. The word Brahmavaivarta* means the transformation of Lord Brahma. In other words, the book which contains the rendition of the different after-effects of nature, is termed as Brahmavaivarta Puran. Some other branches of Puran also describe the topics such as incarnation of Lord Vishnu, mentioning of Lord Krishna and so on, but this particular Puran deals with such topics with a completely different viewpoint. For instance, the description of Shri Krishna Leela is remarkably different in Brahmavaivarta Puran as compared to Bhaagwat Puran. The approach of Bhaagwat Puran is literary and simplistic in nature, while Brahmavaivarta Puran treats it with much adornment.

11. Linga-Puran

Linga Puran, consisting of around eleven thousand Slokas, is very unique in nature in the sense that it reflects the glorious existence of the great, chief of all gods, Lord Shiva. The detailed description of the twelve Jyotirlingas* (where lord Shiva, always present in the form of Jyoti or as gleam) of Lord Shiva (which are spread all over the India), has found place in this book. Lord Shiva, who is also known as Maheshwar, is the primal man; the Shiv-linga, representing Lord Shiva, symbolizes the radiating power of the ultimate god. One of the key event narrated in this book is the appearance Lord Shiva in the form of Jyotirlinga for the welfare of the entire humanity. There are also certain incidents described here that had created wonder among the gods including Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and others. Finally, the various ways to worship Lord Shiva including prayers, yajnas or fire sacrifice with pious materials so that salvation can be attained easily, has been described here. In other words, this book can be considered as a complementary to the Shiv Puran.
Varna Bhed or Cast in society : Social community in Hinduism is divided into four parts. Its depends on work described for the community or cast.
First is named with Brahmana, This community is recognizes as the higher cast in Hinduism and got the rights or work of worship in temples and devotees home, teaching, all types of divine and holy works. Second is Chatriya, They got the rights to rule and protect over citizens, third is Vaishya, The got the right produce all materials for daily needs, like food, cloth etc. and the last and fourth is Sudra, The got the right to serve for all these other three cast according to their requirements.
Ashrams : its describes according to the stages of age or age based division of life and divided in four parts.
First is Named with Brahmacharya or Student life, it's followed from 5 to 25 years (still five years of age child is staying with his family), during this period child left home and stay with his teachers ashram or gurukul and learn his rights and work according to his cast. Second is Grihasta or home life it's followed from 25 to 50 years, during this period he stay in society and got married, work according to his cast, nourish his family. Third is Vanprastha retire life, in this period he left home and society and got to any jungle or in any tirtha* (holy places) and try to forget his family and concentrate on his deity and meditate. And the fourth and last is Sanyas, 75 to till death, during person completely left everything and only try to obtain moksha or salvation.

12. Varaha Puran

The number of Slokas in this book is about twenty four thousand. The main story of this book rotates around the Varaha Avatar* (incarnation in the form of a boar) of Lord Vishnu (also known as Sri Hari). This book also lets us know about various religious sites related to the Varaha Avatar,the methods to conduct fire sacrifices, charities,vows and so on.There are a lot of topics that has been dealt with in this book, among which the correct methods of worshiping Lord Narayana, the tales of Lord Shiva and his wife, Parvati, importance of the religious sites in relation to Varaha (boar incarnation), the playful nature of Lord Shri-Krishna and its impact on the entire Mathura and Vrajdhaam, origin and significance of the rivers giving us salvation and also the greatness of the tri-gods, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are worth mentioning.

13. Skanda Puran

This book is the largest among all the branches of Puran, containing around eighty-one thousand one hundred Slokas. "Skanda" was the name of "Kartikeya", the son of Lord Shiva. Kartikeya himself had composed this Puran. There are seven main chapters in this book, namely, Maaheshwar, Vaishnaava, Braahma, Kashi, Avanti (including the Tapti and Rewa sub-sections), Nagar and Pravas. There is also the detailed description of the holy religious sites of a devout Hindu, such as Badrikashram, Ayodhya, Jagannath Puri, Rameshwar, Kanyakumari, Pravas,Dwarka, Kashi, Kanchi, Utkal, Malwa etc. The most significant rivers flowing through India, such as, the Ganga, Narmada, Yamuna, Saraswati, their origin and glory also find place in this book. Other than this, there is also mention of the significance of the great epics like the Ramayana, Bhaagwat Puran etc., importance and the rituals observing various religious prayers, detailed description of Shivratri* (a specific lent related to Lord Shiva), Satyanarayan vrat* (a special lent dedicated to Lord Vishnu), the knowledge about temporal and ultra mundane theories, explanation of religion, good manners, yoga, devotion and many other relevant topics. Along with this, we can find the description of the characters of many famous religious saints. Even in present day India, devout Hindu people follow the rituals and ethics mentioned in this book. Some more relevant topics discussed in this book are the glory of Lord Shiva, characterization of his wife Sati, destruction of the fire-sacrifice program of King Daksha by Lord Shiva, the famous snake sacrifice, the wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvati, the birth of Kartikeya, killing of the notorious demon Tarakasura and so on.

14. Kurma-Puran

Kurma Puran has been described in seventeen thousand Slokas. It was believed to be composed by the "Kurma Avatar" (tortoise incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. In the beginning, the Tortoise narrated the Puran to King Indradyumna. Later, the same story was repeated by the Kurma incarnation to the King god Indra, the other gods, sage Narada and many other sages at the time of Churning of the Sea. For the third time, it was recited by Romharshan Suta in front of the eighty-eight thousand sages who had gathered at Naimisharanya (a forest) on the occasion of a twelfth yearly congregation. This Puran is named so as it was narrated by the Kurma incarnation. The main thing highlighted in this Puran is the oneness of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. There is also the mention of the eight thousand names given to Parvati. Morevover, the importance of the holy sites, such as, Kashi and Prayag, the different versions of the holy book the Geeta, namely, Ishwar Geeta, Vyas Geeta etc. also finds place in this book. Discussion about the Shaiva (related to Lord Shiva) and Shaakta (related to Lord Vishnu) features of Hindu religion can be found in this book. Most importantly, it contains the chronological listing of five identification features of a Puran, which are, Lakshmano-sarg (a section dedicated to the various syndromes), Vansh (heredity), Manwantar (famine) and Vanshanucharit (the characteristic features of family heredity).

15. Matsya Puran

Matasya Avtar
The word "Matsya" means Fish. This segment of Puran is based on the Fish incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the religious sites related to it etc, and contains about fourteen thousand Slokas. It also throws light on the vows, fire sacrifices, charities etc. Some important topics mentioned in this book are the devastating flood almost destroying the creation, the conversation between Sage Manu and the Fish incarnation of Lord Vishnu, description of Rajdharma (dutytowardsnation), significance of visiting a holy site aswell as of charity, importance of the holy places such as Prayag, Kashi, of the river Narmada and so on. Special focus can be seen on the significance of idol making, and also on the characteristics of Tri-dev or Tri-God (Lord Brahma,Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva). This book also narrates the story of the seven kalpas (eons), the story of birth of Lord Brahma along with the other gods and also the demons, the occurrence of Marudgana, description of the kingdom of king Prithu, the origin of sage Vaivasta Manu, the rule of observing Maartandshayan Vrat (a special vow), description of islands and places, setting up of temples and palaces and many more such topics. When the entire creation was about to be drowned in the ultimate devastating flood, Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of a fish and gathered all the animals about to be dead. Then he employed one particular sage to take cared of of all the animals. In return, Lord Vishnu would protect the boat of that sage.

16. Garuda Puran

This branch of Puran, containing around nineteen thousand Slokas, is considered to be a religious text of the Vaishnava sect and is related to ancient religion. Lord Vishnu is the chief god worshiped by them. Garuda Puran is believed to help people achieve salvation after their death. If read after death, this Puran has the benefit of. In this book, there is discussion about a varied range of topics ranging from devotion, knowledge, mortification, good manners, benefits of platonic work and so on. It also includes the different ways through which common people can be involved in fire sacrifices, charitable works, prayers, visiting religious sites etc. so that they can achieve temporal as well as otherworldly results. There is detailed description about Ayurveda, , etc. and also the rituals to be observed for a dead person. One more important matter that has found place in this Puran is the realization of the inner self of a person. This Puran also describes the different sections of hell as found in the kingdom of Dharmaraj or Yamraj (the god of death and justice), the level of sins according to which a person is assigned to a particular type of hell, the devotion to Lord Vishnu as well as twenty four forms of reincarnation of Him. To sum up, the main objective of this Puran is the explanation of the rituals to be performed after death, the ways through which the departing soul can be liberated and many other relevant matters.

17. Brahmand Puran

This Puran has twelve thousand Slokas in it. The matters like the detailed description of the entire universe, the ancient geography of the world, astronomical views, spiritual Ramayan etc. has been compiled in this book. Brahmand Puran is linked with the future aeons: there are four parts in it, namely, Prakriyapad (matters related to different processes), Anushpad, Upodghaat (exordiums) and Upasangharpad (the epilogue). The combined first two parts is the initial stage of the book, the third part is the middle stage, and the fourth part is the surpassing stage of this Puran. In the initial part, we can find advice related to our duties, the tale of Naimisha, the origin of Hiranyagarbha, folklores, eons as well as Manwantaras, awareness of people about origin of human beings, description of Rudra-shristi (creation of Rudra), the Priyavrat dynasty, the length and expanse of the earth, description of ancient India along with some other countries, identification of the seven famous islands including Jambudweep (former India), the types of hades, Bhurbhuva (the paternal origin), the heaven and other places lying above us, analyzing the planetary movements, description of Vedvyasan, portrayal of swayambhuv manwantar, narration of seshmanwantar, Prithvidohan chakshushu and also the description of the present manwantar. In the middle section, there is the description of the seven famous sages, derivation of the Prajapati dynasty, description of the ancestors of sage Kashyap, evaluation of the Rishi Dynasty, narration of Pitrikalp and Shraadhkalp, origin of sage Vaivashat, and his evaluation of the dynasty of the ancestors of sage Manu, description of the Ikshaku dynasty, portrayal of the Yadu dynasty, characterization of Kartavirjarjun and of Parshuram, the origin of King Sagar, the holy scripture composed by Shukracharya for Lord Indra, the tale of the demonic God Sangram, the significance of Lord Vishnu, evaluation of the Bali dynasty, and the character study of the people who would become kings in the Kalyug. Finally, the third and concluding portion includes the tale of Vaivashat manwantar in detail, which had been narrated in a shorter way previously. It also contains the description of types of hades one may have to visit caused by their sins, description of the abode of Lord Shiva, and the detection of the course of action of living beings in relation to sattva guna.

18. Vaaman Puran

The number of Slokas in this Puran is ten thousand. The key point discussed in this book is the divine existence and properties of Lord Vishnu. This Puran throws light on all the relevant matters in sync with the Vaaman (dwarf) incarnation of Lord Vishnu. There is also the mention of the worship of the Shivlinga (a specific black stone symbolizing Lord Shiva), the tale of Ganesh-Skanda, the marriage of Lord Shiva and Parvati. etc. In this Puran, there are interesting tales about the Dwarf incarnation, Nar- narayana (presence of Lord Vishnu among all human beings), description of the superiority of Bhagwati Durga (the mother goddess or adhya shakti), Bhakt Prahlad, (Prahlad the great devotee of lord Vishnu), Sridama and many more. Other than these, it also contains the varied natural activities of Lord Shiva, destruction of the fire sacrifice arranged by King Daksha, the burning of Kamdev by Lord Shiva, the unfair and unfortunate killing of sage Andhak, characterization of Goddess Lakshmi, narrations about the evil spirits, detailed study of various religious vows to be observed and relevant Stotras (chantings). This Puran ends with the teachings that we can seek from our devotion to Lord Vishnu.

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