Hindu Puranas By R. Harishankar

RESEARCH JOURNAL Hindu Puranas

By R. Harishankar

The details of the 18 Puranas are as follows: The Agni Purana, is one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. The text is classifi ed as a Purana related to Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism, but also considered as a text that covers them all.

Bhagavatam , is one of Hinduism's eighteen Puranas. It is composed in Sanskrit and also in all major Indian languages, it promotes bhakti to Krishna. The Bhagavata Purana is a revered text in Vaishnavism. The Brahma Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas in Sanskrit language. It is also called as Adhi Purana. Another title for this text is Saura Purana, because it includes many chapters related to the Sun god. The Brahma Purana contains several passages from Mahabharata and Puranas such as the Vishnu, Vayu, Samba, and Markandeya. The Brahmanda Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas.It is listed as the eighteenth Maha-Purana. It is one among the oldest Puranas. The Brahmanda Purana includes the Lalita Sahasranamam, which tells the glory of Goddess Parvathi. The Brahmavaivarta is a Sanskrit text and a Maha-purana of Hinduism. It features Krishna and Radha,and is a Vaishnavism text. The text identifi es Lord Krishna as the supreme reality, and asserting that all gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Ganesha,Muruga are the incarnations of Lord Krishna.

The Garuda Purana is one of 18 Mahapuran in Hinduism. It is a part of Vaishnavism literature, primarily centering around Hindu god Vishnu and also praises all other gods. The text contains relationship between gods, good versus evil, the theory of "heaven and hell" with "karma and rebirth" and ancestral rites.

The Kurma Purana is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas. The text is named after the tortoise avatar of Vishnu. The Padma Purana categorizes Kurma Purana as a Tamas Purana. The Linga Purana is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, and a Shaivism text of Hinduism. The text tells us the worship of Linga, and is mainly focussed on Shiva as a Supreme God. However, along with the worship of Lord Shiva, the Linga Purana includes the importance for Vishnu and Brahma.

The Markandeya Purana is a Sanskrit text of Hinduism, and is one of the eighteen major Puranas. The

text's title Markandeya refers to a sage in Hindu mythology, who is the central character in two legends, one linked to Shiva and other to Vishnu. The Markandeya text is probably one of the oldest Puranas in Hinduism. The Matsya Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas, and among the oldest puranas in Hinduism. The text is named after the halfhuman and half-fi sh avatar of Vishnu. A history written with fi ve characteristics is called a Purana, states

Matsya Purana. The Naradiya Purana, are two Sanskrit texts, one of which is a major Purana of Hinduism, while the other is a minor Purana. The Naradiya Purana is notable for dedicating eighteen chapters on other Puranas. The Naradiya Purana consists of two parts, with the fi rst called Purvabhaga and second called Uttarabhaga. The Padma Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas, a classifi cation of texts of Dharmic religions. It is named after the lotus in which creator god Brahma appeared, and includes large sections dedicated to Vishnu, as well as signifi cant sections on Shiva and Shakti. The Shiva Purana is one of the eighteen Puranas in Hinduism, and part of the Shaivism. It primarily focuses on the Hindu god Shiva and goddess Parvati, and also tells the importance of all other gods. The Skanda Purana is the largest Mahapurana, is part of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati, who is also known as Kartikeya and Murugan. The text is named after Skanda. The text has been considered as an important one in hinduism and relates to the god Skanda. This Mahapurana, like others, is attributed to the sage Vyasa. The Vamana Purana , is one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. The text is named after one of the incarnations of Vishnu and it was a Vaishnava text in its origin. The Varaha Purana is a ancient literature in Hinduism. It belongs to the Vaishnavism praising Narayana who took the form of varaha for safeguarding the earth goddess “Bhoomi Devi” from the demon Hiraniyakshan, and also praises on Shiva & Shakti. The Vayu Purana is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. Vayu Purana is mentioned in Mahabharata and other Hindu texts, and it is considered that the text is oldest among the puranas. The 'Vishnu Purana’ is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, It is an important Pancharatra text in Vaishnavism. It primarily tells the importance of the Hindu god Vishnu and his avatars such as Krishna, and also praises Brahma and Shiva and quotes that they are one with Vishnu. Vishnu Purana, like all major Puranas, attributes its author to be sage Veda Vyasa. CONCLUSION : By reading all these 18 puranas, we will get enlightenment in our life. We will get a great punyam(Good Karma), and will fi nd positive vibrations in our life. Our needs will get fulfi lled, and all sorts of diffi culties and problems in our life will get eliminated by reading these divine texts. Let us pray to the gods and the compiler of the puranas -“The Great Guru Sree Veda Vyasa” and chant their holy names and be blessed.