Quote: "Purana (; Sanskrit: पुराण, purāṇa; literally meaning "ancient, old")"
The collection of ancient Hindu mythological stories and legends that cover various aspects of Hindu religion and culture.
Introduction to Puranas: An overview of the Puranas, their significance, and their role in Hinduism.
Types of Puranas: An overview of the 18 Mahapuranas and the 18 Upapuranas, along with their respective subjects.
Origin of Puranas: A historical look at the origins of Puranas, their evolution and development over time.
Puranic Literature: An overview of the different types of literature within Puranas, such as stories, hymns, and prayers.
Mythology: Exploring the myths depicted in the Puranas, including creation stories, stories of gods and goddesses, and stories of heroes and demons.
Symbolism and Iconography: Understanding the deeper meaning of the symbols and icons used in the Puranas and their significance to Hinduism.
Puranic Cosmology: Understanding the Hindu concept of creation and the universe as depicted in the Puranas.
Vedic parallels: Examining the connections and similarities between the Puranas and the Vedas, the ancient Hindu texts.
Significance of Puranas: Exploring the cultural and religious significance of Puranas in Hinduism, such as their role in guiding ethical behavior and moral values.
Interpretation and Commentary: A look at the different ways Puranas have been interpreted and commented upon by scholars and practitioners over the years.
Puranas and Hindu festivals: Examining the role of Puranas in Hindu festivals and traditions.
Influence on art and literature: A look at the influence of Puranas on traditional Indian art, literature, and performing arts.
Women in Puranas: Examining the representation and portrayal of women in the Puranas.
Political and social implications: Looking at the role of the Puranas in shaping political and social structures in ancient India.
Puranic Vaishnavism: An examination of the Vaishnava Puranas and their significance to the Hindu sect of Vaishnavism.
Sattva Puranas: These are the Puranas that glorify Lord Vishnu and are considered to be in the mode of goodness. Six of them include Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Narada Purana, Garuda Purana, Padma Purana, and Varaha Purana.
Rajas Puranas: These are Puranas that are devoted to Lord Brahma and are considered to be in the mode of passion. These include Matsya Purana, Kurma Purana, Linga Purana, Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, and Agni Purana.
Tamas Puranas: These are the Puranas that describe the destruction and death of the universe and are considered to be in the mode of ignorance. These include Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Markandeya Purana, Vamana Purana, Bhavishya Purana, and Vayu Purana.
Quote: "Composed originally in Sanskrit and in other Indian languages"
Quote: "...several of these texts are named after major Hindu gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and Adi Shakti."
Quote: "The Puranic literature is encyclopedic, and it includes diverse topics such as cosmogony, cosmology, genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, grammar, mineralogy, humor, love stories, as well as theology and philosophy."
Quote: "The content is highly inconsistent across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts which are themselves inconsistent."
Quote: "There are 18 Mukhya Puranas (Major Puranas) and 18 Upa Puranas (Minor Puranas), with over 400,000 verses."
Quote: "The first versions of various Puranas were likely to have been composed between 3rd and 10th century CE."
Quote: "The Puranas do not enjoy the authority of a scripture in Hinduism, but are considered as Smritis."
Quote: "They have been influential in the Hindu culture, inspiring major national and regional annual festivals of Hinduism."
Quote: "Their role and value as sectarian religious texts and historical texts has been controversial"
Quote: "all Puranas praise many gods and goddesses and 'their sectarianism is far less clear cut' than assumed"
Quote: "The religious practices included in them are considered Vaidika (congruent with Vedic literature), because they do not preach initiation into Tantra."
Quote: "The Bhagavata Purana has been among the most celebrated and popular text in the Puranic genre"
Quote: "and is, in the opinion of some, of non-dualistic tenor."
Quote: "The Chaitanya school also rejects outright any monistic interpretation of the purana."
Quote: "The Puranic literature wove with the Bhakti movement in India"
Quote: "and both Dvaita and Advaita scholars have commented on the underlying Vedantic themes in the Maha Puranas."
Quote: "The Hindu Maha Puranas are traditionally attributed to 'Vyasa', but many scholars considered them likely the work of many authors over the centuries"
Quote: "in contrast, most Jaina Puranas can be dated and their authors assigned."
Quote: "The Puranas are known for the intricate layers of symbolism depicted within their stories."