ANCIENT HINDU MAHAPURANAS... In Hinduism/Sanatan Dharam there are eighteen major Puranas known as Mahapuranas. They are divided into six each of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva Puranas. They are so divided because Purana belonging to each section extols the virtues and supremacy of that deity. The divisions are somewhat arbitrary since many of the Puranas can easily be classified differently. There are equal numbers of corresponding minor Puranas called Upapuranas. All Mahapuranas must contain five topics: 1. Creation, 2. Destruction and recreation, 3. History of various kings all of whom were called Manu, 4. Geneology of various gods and rishis, and 5. Dynasties of legendary kings. Besides these all of them contain miscellaneous information on a variety of topics from rituals related to various festivals to descriptions of heavens and hells. Often many become well known for some of the minor information presented in them. It is not unusual to find contradictory information in Puranas. For example, Linga Purana mentions Markandeya as a Shiva devotee where as Narada Purana mentions him as a Vishnu devotee. Their size varies from 9,000 to more than 80,000 slokas. They became popular because they reconciled abstract knowledge and advocated devotion (Bhakti). Following is the brief notation on the 18 major Puranas, listed as six each of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva respectively. The numbers in the brackets refer to approximate number of slokas in thousands. 1. Brahma (24) - usually the first Purana listed and also known as Adi Mahapurana. The original text is considered lost. 2. Brahmanda (12) - usually listed last in Mahapuranas. Originally it contained entire Adhyatma Ramayana. The current version contains portions of it. It is best known for Lalita Sahasranama - a text containing 1000 names of the goddess Lalita (Parvati avatar). 3. Brahmavivarta (18) - best known for its story of Tulsi and other goddesses. 4. Markandeya (9) - contains Devi Mahatmayam, also known as Chandi Paath or Durga Saptashatee, an extremely popular text of 700 verses which sings praises of Shree Devi - a composite deity of all three Shakti goddesses Saraswati, Laxmi, and Parvati. Devi Mahatmayam is not to be confused with Devi Bhagavatam which is an Upapurana. 5. Vamana (10) - deals with Vamana Avatar of Lord Vishnu. 6. Bhavishya (14) - details the prophecies for the future and contains portions from Manu Smriti. 7. Vishnu (23) - This is also called Purana Ratna (Gem of Purana). It presents many of Vishnu Avatars. It is a dialogue between the Parashara and his student Maitreya. 8. Garuda (19) - This is a dialogue between Lord Vishnu and his carrier bird Garuda. The second half deals with life after death. It is a common practice to read it during mourning period. 9. Narada (25) - a dialogue between the Maharshi Narad and Rishi Sanat Kumar, best known for its description of various places of pilgrimage. 10. Bhagavata (18) - one of the most popular Purana describes various avatars of Lord Vishnu. Its tenth chapter is the longest singing praises of Lord Krishna. 11. Padma (55) - second largest Purana’s first section is a dialogue between Bhisma and Pulatsya. It is better known for its final section which is a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati. 12. Varaha (10) - details how Lord Vishnu rescues Prithvi (earth) from the demons as Varaha (a male boar). 13. Shiva (24) - There are many versions of this Purana, the most commonly accepted is the one containing 6 sections. It is in the form of a teaching by Vedavyasa’s disciple Romaharshana (or Lomaharshana). 14. Linga (11) - is also in the form of a teaching by Romaharshana and some parts as teachings by Lord Shiva and is best known for the rituals related to Linga worship. Both Shiva and Linga Puranas mention Shiva Sahasranama but differently. 15. Matsya (14) - the avatar of Lord Vishnu as Matsya (fish) is described here. 16. Kurma (17) - details the avatar of Lord Vishnu as Kurma (tortoise). The divine Kurma supports the mountain used by gods and demons for churning the celestial ocean to obtain Amrita, the nectar of immortality. This Purana contains Ishwar geeta known for its yoga techniques. 17. Agni (15) - recited by Lord Agni to Sage Vasishta and is the only Purana without any major sections and has the most number of chapters - 380. Most are short chapters dealing with rituals related to various worships. 18. Skanda (81) - the largest of all Puranas has many versions. It narrates the stories of Lord Skanda who is Kartikeya, the first son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. It is best known for its descriptions of Jyotirlingas and Satyanarayan Katha. Please SHARE :) Visit : www,lalkitab,pw ( #LalKitab ) https://facebook/photo.php?fbid=720721891275418&set=a.720721154608825.1073741865.320678847946393&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-frc1%2F603883_720721891275418_1673850856_n.jpg&size=580%2C388
Posted on: Fri, 04 Oct 2013 11:43:23 +0000