HISTORICAL KAVYAS IN SANSKRIT

  

         History as a separate subject has not been dealt with in Sanskrit literature. Indians as a class did not possess the historical sense as it is understood by the westerners. No doubt they have described the great exploits of their national heroes like Rama, Krishna, Arjuna etc. But they have not recorded faithfully the various events that took place in their lives. Yet there are some writers who have recorded some historical events in their works. But they have done it in their own way. Their main purpose was to write MahaKavyas according to the rules and praise their patrons, while historical events were treated only as secondary matter. Therefore the Mahakavyas which recorded historical can be said to be one of the sources of the history of ancient India. Many of these works do not give correct chronology of events. That was due the fact that many of the poets were patronised by the Kings and hence the poets wanted to please their patrons. The lack of historical sense among the Indians is also attributed to their philosophy of life as insignificant. The inscriptions such as those of ‘va%saBai+ Éd`Qaamana\ hirsaona: (Vatsabhatti, Rudradhaman, Harisena) and other authors record certain historical events. But most of these inscriptions belong to Gupta period. Among the writers of historical Kavyas Bana, Bilhana and Kalhana are popular.

Bana’s Harshacaritam:

         The first important work of a decidedly historical nature in Sanskrit literature is ‘hYa-cairtma\’ (Harshacaritam) of ‘baaNa:’ (Bana) belonging to the first half of the 7^th C.A.D. We have in the ‘hYa-cairtma\’ (Harshacaritam) a combination of history and romance so that we cannot take the work as purely historical. In the preface to the book Bana has paid his tribute to his predecessors in literature and left us a record of his literary antecedents. The historical value of Harshacaritam is attested by Hieun-Tsang, the Chinese traveller who had elaborated some of the details found in the course of his travels in India during the same period. Bana gives his autobiography and later describes an account of his ancestors. Then he describes the dynasty of Harsha tracing it from Pushpabhooti. It abruptly comes to an end with the rescue of princess Rajyasri. Some are of the opinion that Bana was snatched away by death before he could complete his book. But the most reasonable explanation is the defeat of Harsha by Pulakesin II later on, accounted for the discontinuation of the work. Though the total amount of historical material gathered from the book is meagre and though there is intermingling of fact and fancies the book is one of the important sources for the history of Harshvardhana of Kanauj.

Bilhana’s Vikramankadevacaritam

         ‘ivaËmaa=\kdovacairtma\’ is an important work in the field of historical Kavyas. It is Kashmir that has contributed substantially to the historical literature in Sanskrit through the great poets like Bilhana, Kalhana etc. Bilhana was a contemporary of the Chalukya king Vikramaditya the 6^th of Kalyan who lived between 1076 and 1127A.D. This Vikrama bestowed many gifts on the poet who in turn composed this work in 17 cantos describing the career of his patron. The poem treats elaborately with the fortune of the Chalukyas. It begins with a brief and stray account of some of the predecessors of the Chalukya Dynasty and then narrates the story of Vikrama’s accession to the throne after dethroning his older brother Someshwara and of his war with his own younger brother Jayasimha. The supernatural element plays a predominant role in the story and the intervention of Shiva in the affairs of the hero is of frequent occurrence. The historical material occupies only a portion while the bulk of the work is devoted to the description of seasons, the landscape and such other items of poetic interest. The poet’s style is fairly pleasing and he avoids long compounds. The poet is a master of graphic description of nature. Towards the close of the poem the poet has given an account of himself and his family. Bilhana has also written ‘caaOrpHcaaiSaka’(Chaurapanchasika) a lyric, and ‘kNa-saundrI’ (Karnasundari), a drama.

 

                                              Kalhana’s Rajatarangini

          ‘rajatri=\gaNaI’ is perhaps the greatest of historical Kavyas. Kalhana’s father ‘campk’ (Champaka) was a minister in the court of King ‘hYa-:’ of Kashmir. This enabled the historians to probe into the happenings of royal families. Like a true historian he has given dispassionate and complete account of the Kashmirian kings from the very early period. He had to rely on the local traditions for the history of early period and therefore much value cannot be attached to the dates given by him. But he gives an account on the contemporary Kashmirian kings and faithfully records the historical facts. But here too there are many episodes, which are not believable under ordinary circumstances. Gods and demons are frequently described as interfering in the affairs of Kashmir and in the fortune of its rulers.    Kalhana was a moralist. He wanted to present historical facts in such a way that they could educate the readers. He has faithfully recorded the drawbacks of kings and ministers.

            During his period he found the country not being ruled well. The soldiers were greedy and the priests were playing prominent roles and the people were pleasure loving. Kalhana has taken an unbiased attitude towards the happenings in the royal household. Hence his work is of very high historical value. Among the sources may be mentioned an early chronicle by name ‘naIlamazpuraNama\’ (Neelamatha Puranam) of Kashmirian history.

            He belongs to the 11^th century AD. He must have lived up to the 1^st half of the 12^th century AD as he describes the history of Kashmir up to the reign of Jayasimha of the 1^st half of the 12^th century AD. Poet Jona Raja and after him his student Shrivara continued the subject of Kalhana’s poem up to their own ages.

A BOOK REVIEW OF "THE MAP AND THE SCISSORS"

 

AUTHOR : AMIT MAJMUDAR

GENRE : LITERARY AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION

PUBLISHER : HARPER COLLINS INDIA

BOOK BUY LINK : https://www.amazon.in/Map-Scissors-Amit-Majmudar

AN extra ordinary efforts of an writer and his courage and guts to use the familiar and great personalities of the two nations of the world, one being the world’s largest democracy, is a task that definitely commands a huge appreciation.

Amit Majmudar, the first Poet Laureate of Ohio, and a challenging nuclear radiologist apart from award-winning poet, is the author of this book which is critically acclaimed with the historical facts of the two nations.

This book has been published by Harper Collins Publishers India, in this year 2022. The book has six parts totally making up to 330 pages.  Each part has an individual title along with the quotes from Plutarch’s Parallel lives which render the easy under-standing about the forthcoming chapters.

The theme or the plot of the novel only is a true thing or a factual evidence which made a remarkable turn in the life of the two nations and its people.

How all these happened or might have happened?   The answers we all search in our history, political science or more precisely in our civics books dealing with the politics or the Indian political issues.

An idea to develop a plot basing on a true incident has already finds place in the world of Literature.

With particular reference to Sanskrit Literature, there are many poets who have taken a part from a mythology, an Epic or Upanishads and have spun it around with developing various themes, morals, and other different dimensions to a particular theme or a concept.

This is termed as AITHIHASIKAM in Sanskrit. More of it is a value added or adding option to a vast composition with a twist or viewing or dealing it with another angle.

This concept is actually adopted in the south Indian film Industry where the films viz., Rama-Anjaneya Yuddham and Krishna-Arjuna Yuddham picturise the characters from Epics with  fictional anecdotes. Reading the book - THE MAP AND THE SCISSORS brings back and revives the old concept of Aithihaasikam.

This book makes a refreshing read with a political and historical issues dealt in a refining fashion. The novel throws light on the language, accent, and its pronunciations with regard to English, Hindustani, Gujarathi, and Urdu.

The impact of language, religion and caste on those times and how they managed to tackle issues like untouchability and superstition are delicately handled.

Studying abroad, learning a foreign language and having a command of on it and its effects and side effects in addressing gatherings and meetings during the freedom struggle is put forth in an elegant way.

The programs like Satyagraha, Dandi March, Non- cooperation movement  and the sudden decision to have a separate nation and how the germination of the word “partition” stems ups is thoroughly brought out in a professional way.

The novel takes the readers on travel to places like Paris, London, South Africa along with many parts of India. The communities and cultures of different people and its blend with the lives of the people of India makes a point to ponder.

The naming of the new nation as PAKISTAN and a reason behind its name and the meaning is finely coded by the author in a more justifying method.

The book deals with the bygone era of the two nations and the way they formed or split into two. The reasons behind it and the way the people managed to adjust to the changes and the role of characters like Gandhi, Jinnah, Fatima, Patel, Nehru and Iqbal are successful in keeping the readers hooked in.

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‘ चम्पू काव्यानि ’ (Champu Kavyani)

          

The origin of Champu Kavyas is traced by some scholars to the primitive prose style in which descriptive verses were introduced here and there. The tales of Buddhists in Pali language have artless prose lines mixed up with beautiful verses. In course of time the prose style was improved to match the beautiful verses and thus the Champu Kavyas must have come into existence.

Others traced the origin of Champu Kavyas to the simultaneous existence of the two types of literature prose and poetry, both dealing with the same kind of subject matter. These two types must have got mixed up at a later stage and such mixed works were treated in course of time as a separate branch of literature. It is also quite possible that some prose writers introduced beautiful verses in their works. Gradually more and more verses were introduced into the prose works and they were treated as a separate class called Champu Kavyas. ‘diNDna\’ (Dandin) of 7^th century A.D. defines Champu Kavyas as a mixure of prose and poetry in the following lines in his Kavyadarsha: ‘gaVpVmayaI kaicat\ campUir%yaiBaQaIyato’.He also refers to some Champu Kavyas but no Champu written during his period or earlier is now available.

‘i~ivaËmaBa+:’ (Trivikramabhatta): The ‘dmayantIkqaa’ (DamayantiKatha) or ‘nalacampU’ (NalaChampu) written by ‘i~ivaËmaBa+:’ (Trivikramabhatta) is the oldest Champu known to us. He is also mentioned as the author of ‘madalasacampU’. ‘i~ivaËmaBa+:’ must be assigned to the 10^th Century A.D. as he is known to have composed the inscription of Indra III – the Rashtrakuta King in 915 A.D. ‘dmayantIkqaa’ (DamayantiKatha) is an incomplete work. It consists of 7 chapters. There is a tradition concerning the origin of this work. When once the poet’s father ‘dovaaid%ya:’ (Devaditya) was absent from the court of his patron, a rival poet offered a challenge and ‘i~ivaËmaBa+:’ was asked to accept the challenge. Taking up the challenge he composed ‘nalacampU’ (NalaChampu) extempore with the blessings of Goddess Saraswati. As his father arrived in the middle he had to discontinue his work. This work suffers from the defects of long compounds and lengthy descriptions. He indulges in the play of double meanings. Hence this is not much appreciated by the scholars.

‘saaomadova:’ (Somadeva): ‘yaSaistlakcampU’ (Yasastilaka Champu) is known to have been written by ‘saaomadova:’ (Somadeva) in 959 A.D. The author was a Jain and he wrote the work with the definite purpose of upholding and spreading Jain Code of morality and ethics as the only road to salvation.‘maaird<a:’ (Maridatta), a sensual king on the advice of his priest performs a sacrifice in which a pair of each class of living beings is to be killed. Two ascetics – a boy and a girl, who are in fact the twin children of the King’s own sister, appeal before him and narrate how in the previous birth they sacrificed an effigy of a cock and how even for that they had to suffer untold miseries. On hearing this, the King shudders at the thought of his sacrifice and converts with all his relatives and subjects to the Jain faith.

There are plenty of moral and ethical sentiments in this work which makes it more a didactic composition than a literary work. It consists of 8 chapters.

‘Baaoja:’ (Bhoja: The ‘ramaayaNacampU’ (Ramayana Champu) or ‘BaaojacampU’ (Bhoja Champu) is popularly ascribed to the King Bhoja. The King is identified by a tradition with the King of Dhara who ruled between 1018 and 1063 A.D. There is an incredible tradition which connects Kalidasa as an associate author of this work with Bhoja. The story goes like this. Bhoja and Kalidasa are very good friends. Bhoja wanted to hear his Carama Sloka (a verse composed after the death of a person) from Kalidasa. But Kalidasa refused to do it as it would bring death to Bhoja and he disappeared from the scene. In order to see Kalidasa once again Bhoja spread a rumour that the King was dead. Immediately Kalidasa had surfaced and sang the Carama Sloka thinking the King to be dead. This really caused the King to lose his life. But before his he wanted to write a book along with Kalidasa. So they started writing ‘ramaayaNacampU’. Bhoja is said to have written the prose portions and Kalidasa the verse portions. This story created confusion as Kalidasa must have lived well before 6^th C.A.D. whereas Bhoja lived in 11^th C.A.D. In that case how can these two write a book together?

            Bhoja has composed only up to the end of Sundara Kanda. A later poet by name Lakshmana Kavi wrote the YudhaKanda. In this work Bhoja employs all varieties of metres and the prose version is full of long compounds. The verses are Vaidarbhi style. The poetic sentiments and the descriptions of nature are a feast to the scholars. This Champu is very popular among the lovers of Ramayana literature.

 ‘AnantBa+:’ (Anantabhatta): The ‘BaartcampU’ (Bharata Champu) of ‘AnantBa+:’ (Anantabhatta) of uncertain date is a work in 12 chapters summing up briefly the story of Mahabharatam. It has a fairly wide vocabulary and a great variety of metres, which have made it a popular book. The popularity of this Champu is also due to the fact that it is a handy work of the elaborate epic. The author has also composed a ‘BaagavatcampU’ (Bhagavata Champu) which he is supposed to have written to compete with one Abhinava Kalidasa, who also wrote a Champu of the same title. Narayana Bhattatiri of Kerala, who was the famous author of ‘naarayaNaIyama\’ (Narayaniyam) quotes frequently from Anantabhatta’s Champu. Therefore the age of Anantabhatta could not be later than the close of 15 the C.A.D. for Narayana Bhattatiri is said to have lived between 1560 A.D. and 1646 A.D.

TAMASIKA PURANAS THAT GLORIFY THE LORD SIVA

Siva, Agni, Linga, Skanda, Matsya and Kurma Puranas which expound the glory of Siva are called Tamaisakpuranas.

The Shiva Purana is one of eighteen major texts of the Purana genre of Sanskrit texts in Hinduism, and part of the Shaivism literature corpus.  It primarily revolves around the Hindu God Shiva and Goddess Parvati, but references and reveres all gods.

The Shiva Purana asserts that it once consisted of 100,000 verses set out in twelve Samhitas (Books), however the Purana adds that it was abridged by Sage Vyasa before being taught to Romaharshana.  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 10th- to 11th-century CE. Some chapters of currently surviving Shiva Purana manuscripts were likely composed after the 14th-century.

The Shiva Purana contains chapters with Shiva-centered cosmology, mythology, relationship between Gods, ethics, yoga, tirtha (pilgrimage) sites, bhakti, rivers and geography, and other topics. The text is an important source of historic information on different types and theology behind Shaivism in early 2nd-millennium CE. The oldest surviving chapters of the Shiva Purana have significant Advaita Vedanta philosophy, which is mixed in with theistic elements of bhakti.

The Agni Purana, (Sanskrit: अग्नि पुराण, Agni Purāṇa) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. The text is variously classified as a Purana related to Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism, but also considered as a text that covers them all impartially without leaning towards a particular theology.

The text exists in numerous versions, some very different from others. The published manuscripts are divided into 382 or 383 chapters, containing between 12,000 and 15,000 verses. The chapters of the text were likely composed in different centuries, with earliest version probably after the 7th-century, but before the 11th century because the early 11th-century Persian scholar Al-Biruni acknowledged its existence in his memoir on India.  The youngest layer of the text in the Agni Purana may be from the 17th century.

The published manuscripts are divided into 382 or 383 chapters, and ranging between 12,000 and 15,000 verses. Many subjects it covers are in specific chapters, but states Rocher, these "succeed one another without the slightest connection or transition". In other cases, such as its discussion of iconography, the verses are found in many sections of the Agni Purana.

The Linga Purana (लिङ्गपुराण, IAST: Liṅga-purāṇa) is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, and a Shaivism text of Hinduism. The text's title Linga refers to the iconographical symbol for Shiva.

The author(s) and date of the Linga Purana are unknown, and estimates place the original text to have been composed between the 5th-10th century CE. The text exists in many versions and was likely revised over time and expanded. The extant text is structured into two parts, with a cumulative total of 163 chapters.

The text presents cosmology, mythology, seasons, festivals, geography, a tour guide for pilgrimage (Tirtha), a manual for the design and consecration of the Linga and Nandi, stotras, the importance of these icons, a description of Yoga with claims of its various benefits.

The Linga Purana survives in many versions, consisting of two parts – the Purva-bhaga (older part, sometimes called Purvardha) with 108 chapters and Uttara-bhaga (later part, sometimes called Uttarardha) with 55 chapters.  However, the manuscripts of the text assert in verse 2.55.37 that the Uttara-bhaga only has 46 chapters, suggesting that the text was expanded over time.  Some scholars suggest that the entire Uttara-bhaga may be a later insertion or attachment to the older part.

 

The Skanda Purana (IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest Mukyapurana, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Kaumara literature,  titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati, who is also known as Murugan.  While the text is named after Skanda, he does not feature either more or less prominently in this text than in other Shiva-related Puranas. The text has been an important historical record and influence on the Hindu traditions related to the war-god Skanda.

The Matsya Purana (IAST: Matsya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major Puranas (Mahapurana), and among the oldest and better preserved in the Puranic genre of Sanskrit literature in Hinduism.  The text is a Vaishnavism text named after the half-human and half-fish avatar of Vishnu.  However, the text has been called by the 19th-century Sanskrit scholar Horace Hayman Wilson, "although a Shaivism (Shiva-related) work, it is not exclusively so"; the text has also been referred to one that simultaneously praises various Hindu gods and goddesses.

The Matsya Purana is also notable for being encyclopedic in the topics it covers.  Along with the five topics the text defines a Purana to be, it includes mythology, a guide for building art work such as paintings and sculpture, features and design guidelines for temples, objects and house architecture (Vastu-shastra), various types of Yoga, duties and ethics (Dharma) with multiple chapters on the value of Dāna (charity), both Shiva and Vishnu related festivals, geography particularly around the Narmada river, pilgrimage, duties of a king and good government and other topics.

The Kurma Purana (IAST: Kūrma Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, and a medieval era Vaishnavism text of Hinduism.  The text is named after the tortoise avatar of Vishnu.

 

The Kurma Purana exists in many versions, but all of them consist of two parts - the Purva-vibhaga (older part) and Upari-vibhaga (upper part).  The number of chapters vary with the manuscripts.  The critical edition of the different manuscripts contains fifty one chapters in Purva-vibhaga and forty four in Upari-vibhaga.

RAJASIKA PURANAS THAT GLORIFY THE LORD BRAHMA-THE CREATOR

The Brahma, Brahmaanda, Brahmavaivarta, Bhavishyat, Markandeya and Vamana which extol Brahma are classified as rajaisakpuraNa s.

The Brahma Purana (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मपुराण or ब्राह्मपुराण; Brahma-Purana) is one of the eighteen major Puranas collections of Hindu texts in Sanskrit Language. It is listed as the first Maha-Purana in all the anthologies, and therefore also called Adi Purana.  Another title for this text is Saura Purana, because it includes many chapters related to Surya or the Sun God. The Brahma Purana is actually just a compilation of geographical Mahatmya (Travel Guides) and sections on diverse topics.

The text is notable for dedicating over 60% of its chapters on description of geography and holy sites of Godavari River Region, as well as places in and around modern Odisha, and tributaries of Chambal River in Rajasth-an, these travel guide-like sections are non-sectarian, and celebrates sites and temples related to Vishnu, Shiva, Devi and Surya. The coverage of Jagan-nath (Krishna, Vishnu-Related) temples, however, is larger than the other three, leading scholars to the hypothesis that the authors of extant manuscripts may have been authors belonging to Vaishnavism. Its presentation of the Konark Sun Temple is notable.

 

The Brahmanda Purana (Sanskrit: ब्रह्माण्ड पुराण, Brahmanda Purana) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas, a genre of Hindu texts. It is listed as the eighteenth Maha-Purana in almost all the anthologies. The text is also referred in medieval Indian literature as the Vayaviya Purana or Vayaviya Brahmanda, and it may have been same as the Vayu Purana before these texts developed into two overlapping compositions.

The text is named after one of the cosmological theories of Hinduism, namely the "Cosmic Egg" (Brahma-Anda). It is among the oldest Puranas, the earliest core of text maybe from 4 century CE, continuously edited thereafter over time and it exist in numerous versions. The Brahmanda Purana manuscripts are encyclopedic in their coverage, covering topics such as Cosmogony, Sanskara (Rite Of Passage), Genealogy, Chapters On Ethics And Duties (Dharma), Yoga, Geography, Rivers, Good Government, Administration, Diplomacy, Trade, Festivals, A Travel Guide To Places Such As Kashmir, Cuttack, And Kanchipuram, And Other Topics.

The Brahmanda Purana is notable for including the Lalita Sahasranamam (A Stotra Praising The Goddess Lalita As The Supreme Being In The Universe), and being one of the early Hindu texts found in Bali, Indonesia, also called the Javanese-Brahmanda. The text is also notable for the Adhyatma Ramayana, the most important embedded set of chapters in the text, which philosophically attempts to reconcile Rama-Bhakti with Advaita Vedanta over 65 chapters and 4,500 verses.

The text is encyclopedic, it is non-sectarian and reveres all gods and god-desses, including Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Surya and Shakti.  The text's philosophy is a blend of the Vedanta, Samkhya and Yoga schools of Hindu Philosophy, woven in with Bhakti and some tantra themes.

The second part, which comprises chapters 5–44 of the third section, the Uttarabhaga is the Lalitopakhyana (Narrative Of Lalita). It describes the Goddess Lalita (An Incarnation Of Adi Parashakti) and her worship as well a discussion of Tantra. This part is written as a dialogue between Hayagriva and sage Agastya on the Goddess Lalita's emergence out of fire after which the king of gods Indra worshipped Devi (The Goddess Representing The Supreme Reality). It includes her war with the Asura Bhanda and her final triumph.

 

The Brahmavaivarta Purana (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मवैवर्त पुराण; Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa) is a voluminous Sanskrit text and a major Purana (Maha-purana) of Hinduism.  It is an important Vaishnavism text. This Purana majorly centers around the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. 

Although a version may have existed in late 1st millennium CE, its extant version was likely composed in the Bengal region of Indian subcontinent.  Later, it was likely revised somewhere in South India.  Numerous versions of this Purana exist and are claimed to be the part of manuscripts of the Brahmavaivarta Purana or the Brahmakaivarta Purana.

The text is notable for identifying Krishna as the supreme reality and asserting that all gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Ganesha are one and the same and in fact, all are the incarnations of Krishna. Goddesses like Radha, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Savitri are asserted to be equivalent and are mentioned as the incarnations of Prakruti in this text, with legends similar to those found in the Devi-Bhagavata Purana and the Devi Mahatmya. The text is also notable for glorifying the feminine aspect of god through Radha and its egalitarian views that all women are manifestations of the divine female, co-creators of the universe, and that any insult to a woman is an insult to goddess Radha.

The mythology and stories of Brahmavaivarta Purana, along with Bhagavata Purana, have been influential to the Krishna-related Hindu traditions, as well as to dance and performance arts such as the Rasa Lila.

In this Purāna, Radha (or Rādhikā), who is inseparable from Krishna, appears as the main goddess. She is the personification of the Mūlaprakriti, the "Root nature", that original seed from which all material forms evolved. In the company of the Purusha ("Man", "Spirit", "Universal soul") Krishna, she is said to inhabit the Goloka, which is a world of cows and cowherds far above the Vishnu's Vaikuntha. In this divine world, Krishna and Radha relate to one another in the way body relates to soul. (4.6.216).

 

The 'Bhavishya Purana' (Bhaviṣya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major works in the Purana genre of Hinduism, written in Sanskrit. The title Bhavishya means "future" and implies it is a work that contains prophecies regarding the future.

The Bhavishya Purana exists in many inconsistent versions, wherein the content as well as their subdivisions vary, and five major versions are known.  Some manuscripts have four Parvam (parts), some two, others don't have any parts. The text as it exists today is a composite of material ranging from medieval era to the modern era. Those sections of the surviving manuscripts that are dated to be older, are partly borrowed from other Indian texts such as Brihat Samhita and Shamba Purana. The veracity and authenticity of much of the Bhavishya Purana has been questioned by modern scholars and historians, and the text is considered an example of "constant revisions and living nature" of Puranic genre of Hindu literature.

The first 16 chapters of the first part of the Bhavisya Purana is called Brahmaparvam. It shows similarities to, and likely borrowed verses from some version of the Manusmriti.  However, some of the caste-related and women's rights related discussion in the Bhavishya Purana is egalitarian and challenge those found in the 19th-century published manuscripts of the Manusmriti.  The second part of the text, called Madhyamaparvan, is a Tantra-related work.  The "prophecy"-related third part Pratisarga-parvan includes sections on Christianity, Islam, Bhakti movement, Sikhism, Sultanate history, Mughal history, British rule, and others. This part is considered by scholars as a 18th– to 19th-century creation. The fourth part of the text called Uttaraparvam, is also known as Bhavishyottara Purana. This last part describes festivals related to various Hindu gods and goddesses and their Tithis (dates on lunar calendar), as well as mythology and a discussion of Dharma particularly vrata (vow) and dana (charity). The text also has many Mahatmya chapters on geography, travel guide and pilgrimage to holy sites such as Uthiramerur, and is one of the Tirtha-focussed Puranas.

The available versions of Bhavishya Purana are based on a printed text published during the British colonial era.

 

The Markandeya Purana (Sanskrit: मार्कण्डेय पुराण; IAST: Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa) is a Sanskrit text of Hinduism, and one of the eighteen major Puranas. The text's title Markandeya refers to a sage in Hindu History, who is the central character in two legends, one linked to Shiva and other to Vishnu. The Markandeya text is one of the Puranas that lacks a sectarian presentation of ideas in favor of any particular god, and it is rare to read any deity being invoked or deity prayers in the entire text.

The Markandeya Purana is probably one of the oldest in Purana genre of Hindu Literature, among the most interesting and important, states Ludo Rocher.  It is famous for including the Devi Mahatmya within it, the oldest known treatise on Devi (Goddess) as the Supreme Truth and Creator Of The Universe.  The text is considered as a central text of the Hindu Goddess-related Shaktism tradition, with an extraordinary expression of reverence for the feminine.  The Markandeya Purana's Devi Mahatmya is often ranked in some Hindu traditions to be as important as the Bhagavad Gita.

The extant manuscripts of this Purana have 137 chapters, of which chapters 81 through 93 is the Devi Mahatmya. Tradition and some medieval era texts assert that the Markandeya Purana has 9,000 verses, but surviving Manuscripts have about 6,900 verses.  2,100 verses were transferred to Devi Bhagavatam. The text presents a diverse range of topics, with socio-cultural information and symbolism for Vedic ideas and Metaphysical Thought.

 

The Vamana Purana (Sanskrit: वामन पुराण, IAST: Vāmana Purāṇa), is a medieval era Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism.  The text is named after one of the incarnations of Vishnu and probably was a Vaishnava text in its origin.  However, the modern surviving manuscripts of Vamana Purana are more strongly centered on Shiva, while containing chapters that revere Vishnu and other Hindu gods and goddesses.  It is considered a Shaiva text.  Further, the text hardly has the character of a Purana, and is predominantly a collection of Mahatmyas (travel guides) to many Shiva-related places in India with legends and mythology woven in.

The extant manuscripts of Vamana Purana exist in various versions, likely very different from the original, and show signs of revision over time and regions.  It has been published by All India Kashiraj Trust in two rounds.  The first round had 95 chapters, while the critical edition (edited by Anand Swarup Gupta, and published by the All-India Kashiraj Trust, Varanasi) published in the second round has 69 chapters plus an attached Saro-mahatmya with 28 chapters dedicated to temples and sacred sites in and around modern Haryana.  Both these versions lack the Brhad-vamana with four samhitas, which is mentioned in the text, but is believed to have been lost to history.

The text is non-sectarian, and its first version was likely created by the 9th to 11th century CE.