Puranas

The Puranas are the richest collection of mythology in the world. There are eighteen major Puranas and a few minor ones. Each of these Puranas is a book of hymns, stories, knowledge and instructions regarding sacred rituals and the way life should be led. It contains cosmic knowledge and how the universe affects our living.

The most important Puranas are the Vishnu Purana, Shiva Purana and Markendaya Purana (to the Goddess). The Bhagavata Purana is important to the worshippers of Krishna. Other Puranas are the Vayu, Agni, Skanda, Kalki, Linga. Major 18 Puranas are as follows

Agni: It contains information regarding the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Bhagavata: It contains  information on the practice of Bhakti Yoga, which helps in the realization of God.

Bhavishya: It contains information on the fact that past repeats itself in future. It is also called the Book of Prophecies.

Brahma: It contains information about the beginning of universe and cosmos.

Brahmanda: It contains the Lalitha Sahasranamam, a text recited as a prayer.

Brahmavaivarta: It describes the creation and purpose of life and the deeds of different Gods like Ganesha, Krishna, etc.

Garuda: It contains information about what happens after a person dies and kind of treatment he gets for his deeds on earth. It is similar to the concept of Judgment Day in Christianity.

Harivamsa: It contains information on the life of Lord Krishna.

Kurma: It contains information on the avatar of Lord Vishnu as a tortoise that came to be known as the Kurma avatar.

Linga: It contains information on the importance of the holy Linga and the origin of the Universe.

Markandya: It contains the dialogue between two ancient sages, Jamini and Markandya.

Matsya: It  describes the first avatar of Lord Vishnu as a fish.

Narada: It contains the description of major pilgrim places.

Padma: It contains information on the essence of religion and cosmos.

Shiva: It is completely dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Skanda: It is probably the longest Purana of all. It is dedicated to the life of Lord Shiva and Parvati's son, Karthikeya.

Vamana: It contains information regarding the Vamana avatar of Lord Vishnu.

Vayu: It is dedicated to the Wind God, Vayu.

Vishnu: It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

The Puranas are a combination of mythology and history . They are essentially narrative accounts of various gods, sages and ancient kings of immense repute.They also describe the process of creation and the struggle between the good and evil forces of the universe.

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