VishnuPuranam
This approaches most closely to the definition of a Purana dealing with
essentially with the fivefold topic set forth in the definition. There is more
of unity and less of exaggerated emphasis on sectarian sacrifices and
ceremonies in this Purana than what we find in other Puranas. This fact makes
it probable that it is the earliest of Puranas. This fact makes it probable
that it is the earliest of Puranas. The epic is narrated by the sage Parasara
to his disciple in six books called xxxxx. The VishnuPuranam speaks of the
stories of ten Avataras of Vishnu besides the usual Puranic matter. Among the
18 Puranas this is second only to Bhagavadgita in its popularity and is quoted
more profusely than any other Purana by the great religious teachers like Sri
Shankaracharya and Sri Ramanajacharya. This Purana gives an account of the
Maurya Dynasty and therefore might have been composed about the 2nd century
B.C.
Bhagavata Puranam
This
is the most popular of all the Puranas and has found its way into the
literature of all spoken languages of our country. It seems to be based on the
VishnuPuranam for its matter. It is divided into 12 books called Skandas and
contains about 18000 verses. It deals at length with the stories of ten main
incarnations and many minor ones of Vishnu. The tenth Skanda is the most
popular section which deals with Lord Krishna’s exploits.
Kapila
and Buddha are spoken of here as incarnations of Vishnu and this denotes an age
when the animosity towards Buddhism had completely died down. In style it
approaches the Vedic texts in some places and the classical texts in others.
This Purana has numerous commentaries and renderings into the Indian languages.
Shankara and Ramanja did not mention this Purana nor do their works contain any
quotation from this. Anandatirtha or Madhva was the earliest Vedantin to quote
from this Purana.
Padma Puranam
The Padma Puranam has six The Padma Puranam
has six sections called Adikanda, Bhumikanda, Brahmakanda, Patalakanda,
Srshtikanda and Uttarakanda. The Purana is named after the lotus (padmam) from
which Brahma sprang.the second section makes a reference to Jainism and the
third to Radha, the consort of Lord Krishna. Besides containing information on
the observances sacred to the devotees of Vishnu, the Purana deals with the
lives of Rama and Sakuntala showing close resemblance to the poem Raghuvamsa
and the drama Abhij`nanasakuntalam of Kalidasa. Many scholars hold that these
portions in the Purana should have been composed under the influence of
Kalidasa’s works.
NARADA PURANAM
The Narada Purana (also Naradiya
Purana) follows the style of the Brihannaradiya Purana in the first
41 chapters of Purvabhaga, but the rest of the first part and second part
are encyclopedic covering a diverse range of topics. The encyclopedic
sections discuss subjects such as the six Vedangas, Moksha, Dharma,
Adhyatma-jnana (monastic life), Pashupata philosophy, a secular guide with
methods of worship of Ganesha, Narasimha, Hayagriva, Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, Shiva and
goddess Lakshmi.
The text also glorifies goddess Radha as the Mulaprakriti one
whose soul and love manifests all other Hindu goddesses.
The text's secular
description and verse of praises are not limited to different traditions of
Hinduism, but also other traditions. For example, chapter 1.2 extols Buddha. This
contrasts with Kurma Purana which is disdainful of Buddhism without
mentioning Buddha,
but similar to the praise of Buddha in other major Puranas such as chapter 49
of the Agni Purana, chapter 2.5.16 of the Shiva Purana,
chapter 54 of the Matsya Purana and various minor Puranas.
Chapters 92 through 109
of Purvabhaga are notable for summarizing the 18 major Puranas, one
entire chapter dedicated to each. This has been an important benchmark in
comparison studies, and as evidence that the Puranas were revised after the
composition of Naradiya Purana, since the summary in these 18 chapters is
significantly different than the extant manuscripts of the major Puranas. Other
topics covered in the verses of Uttarabhaga include flora and fauna, food,
music, dance, dress, jewelry, weapons and theories on war.
The Naradiya Purana also
contains Rukmangadacarita, a legend of king named Rukmangada, whose belief
in Vishnu is repeatedly tested by a temptress Mohini (a
female incarnation of
Vishnu), one that became subject of plays and dance arts in Indian culture. After Rukmangadacarita,
the text predominantly is a compilation of geographic Mahatmyas or
travel guides for pilgrimage along river Ganges starting with Haridwar, through Banaras (Kashi)
towards Bengal,
and nearby regions such as Gaya in
Bihar and Nepal.
GARUDA PURANAM
An
encyclopedia of diverse topics. Primarily about Vishnu, but praises all
gods. Describes how Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma collaborate. Many chapters are a
dialogue between Vishnu and the bird-vehicle Garuda.
Cosmology, Describes cosmology, relationship between gods. Discusses ethics,
what are crimes, good versus evil, various schools of Hindu philosophies, the
theory of Yoga, the theory of "heaven and hell" with "karma and
rebirth", includes Upanishadic discussion of self-knowledge as a means
of moksha. Includes
chapters on rivers, geography of Bharat (India) and other nations on earth,
types of minerals and stones, testing methods for stones for their quality,
various diseases and their symptoms, various medicines, aphrodisiacs,
prophylactics, Hindu calendar and its basis, astronomy, moon, planets,
astrology, architecture, building home, essential features of a temple, rites
of passage, virtues such as compassion, charity and gift making, economy,
thrift, duties of a king, politics, state officials and their roles and how to
appointment them, genre of literature, rules of grammar, and other topics. The
final chapters discuss how to practice Yoga (Samkhya and Advaita types), personal
development and the benefits of self-knowledge.
VARAHA PURANAM
The Varaha Purana (Sanskrit: वराह पुराण, Varāha Purāṇa) is a
Sanskrit text from the Puranas genre of literature in Hinduism. It
belongs to the Vaishnavism literature corpus
praising Narayana (Vishnu),
but includes chapters dedicated to praising and centered on Shiva and Shakti (goddesses
it calls Brahmi, Vaishnavi and Raudri).
The text exists in many
versions, with major sections lost to history. The text has been estimated
to have been first completed between the 10th and 12th centuries, and
continuously revised thereafter. The surviving manuscripts of this text
are notable, like Linga Purana, because they do not cover the
required Panchalakshana (five characteristics) expected in a Purana. Scholars
have questioned whether it really qualifies as a Purana, and whether the extant
manuscripts are merely a religious manual largely focussed on Vaishnava
practices, with sections that also praise Shiva, Shakti and other gods in
a secular way.
The Varaha Purana includes
mythology, particularly of the Varaha incarnation
(avatar)
of Vishnu rescuing the earth (Prithvi) at the time of a great flood. The text also
includes mythology of goddesses and Shiva, and a discussion of Karma and Dharma called Dharmasamhita. A
large portion of the text is dedicated to medieval geographic Mahatmya (tourist
guides) to temples and sites in Mathura and Nepal, but it curiously
lacks adoring Krishna in Mathura-related section of the type found in
other Puranas.
The printed editions of
this work, depending on the version, has 217 or 218 adhyāyas (chapters). The critical
edition (edited by Anand Swarup Gupta, and published by the
All-India Kashiraj Trust, Varanasi) has 215 chapters The Hindu tradition
and other Puranas claim that this text had 24,000 verses; however,
surviving manuscripts have less than half that number.
According to the Narada Purana,
this text has two parts: purvabhaga and uttarabhaga. While the
contents of the purvabhaga summarized in the Narada text generally
correspond to the extant manuscripts of the Varaha Purana, the uttarabhaga summarized
in the Narada text is not found in surviving Varaha manuscripts, and presumed
lost to history.
According to Rajendra
Hazra, the extant text has four distinct sections, differing in interlocutors
and general characteristics. These sections were likely composed in
different time periods, by different authors.
In the first section
(chapters 1 to 112), Suta is
the narrator and Varaha and Prithvi are
the interlocutors. In the second section (chapters 113 to 192), Suta narrates
what was told by Prithvi to Sanatkumara about
the dialogue between Varaha and herself. In the third section (chapters 193 to
212), Suta describes the conversation between the king Janamejaya and
the sage Vaishampayana. This section is also known as
the Dharma Samhita. In the final section (chapters 213 to end), Suta
narrates the conversation between Brahma and
Sanatkumara.
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