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18 Purana
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Bharma Purana contains two parts- Purva Bhaag and Uttar Bhaag. Purva Bhaag contains tales of creation, description of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna.
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Second among the eighteen Puranas, Padma Purana contains five parts- Srishti Khanda, Bhumi Khanda, Swarga Khanda, Patala Khanda and Uttara Khanda.
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Vishnu Purana contains six parts. First part narrates about the creation of the universe, Pralay and churning of the sea. Second part contains geographical description of earth divided into seven islands. Third part describes about the origin of Buddhism. Fourth part contains a description about the populating of the earth from the beginning. Fifth part is entirely devoted to the life and plays of Lord Krishna.
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Lord Shiva is reckoned among the Tridevas (trimity). Brahma is the creator, Lord Vishnu is the preserver and Lord Shiva is the destroyer. Shiva is the lord of Shakti also.
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Shrimad Bhagwad is regarded as a delicious fruit of Veda-Kalpa the period of four Yugas during which Vedas are supposed to be written. There is nothing abdicable in Shrimad Bhagwad. The Bhagwadkar (the orator of Shrimad Bhagwad) invites all the devotees in the world to relish this great scripture. Shrimad Bhagwad is a contemporary of Vedas; there is a profuse mention of Karm (action), Upasana (worship) and Gyan (knowledge) in Vedas, but Bhakti (devotion) could not find a place in Vedas.
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There are in all eighteen Puranas. Among them, Narad Purana is perhaps the most significant as it has been created by none other than the sage Narad.
Meaning- Narad Purana is what emerged from the lips of Maharshi Narad. Initially, it had a collection of about twenty-five thousand stanzas. But, the currently available version of Narad Purana contains not more than twenty-two thousand stanzas.
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Markandeya Purana begins with a question put forth by sage Jaimini. In reply to this question, sage Markandeya narrates what constitutes the subject matter of this Purana.
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The Agni Purana, disclosed to Vasistha by Agni deals with different subjects such as Cosmology, Genealogy, Geography, Astronomy, Astrology, Rituals from Marriage to Funeral, Omens and Portents, Art and Architecture, Poetics and Grammar. It describes all the incarnations of Visnu but those of Rama and Krsna in detail.
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The first part contains, greatness of the dates and worship of Lord Vishnu, Shiva and Surya. Second, third and fourth parts describe about the greatness of Shiva, Vishnu and Surya respectively. The fifth part contains a description of the heaven. Like other Puranas, Bhavishya Purana also contains a description of the ancient kings and Chandra and Surya dynasties. Interestingly, Bhavishya Purana contains a description of a game that resembles modern chess to a great extent. In all, the subject matter of Bhavishya Purana seems to be an attempt to prove and establish the supremacy of Brahma.
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It’s the twelfth Purana. It contains four parts- Brahma khand, Prakriti khand, Ganesh khand and Shri Krishna Janma khand.
In Naimisharanya Tirth, addressing a gathering of great sages like Shaunak etc., Sutaji has described this Purana as the marvelous creation. This Purana describes the plays of the Lord Krishna and Radha in considerable detail. Thus, it is a basic source of inspiration for all the subsequent treatises that depict the life of Radha. It is only Purana that exclusively describes the episodes from the life of Radha, the most beloved lady of Lord Shri Krishna.
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Once, sage, Narad arrived at Naimisharanya where he found many sages engaged in austerities. All the sages were delighted to see him. They eulogized him in reverence and offered him seat. Sage Narad narrated some amazing tales describing about the greatness of Linga Puran. This made the sages even more curious about Linga Puran. Right then, Sutji also arrived there and the sages requested him to narrate the tales of Linga Puran.
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Varaha Purana narrates the tale of rescuing of the earth from Rasatal by Varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
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Largest of all the Puranas. Contains eighty eight thousand and one hundred Shlokas (stanzas). Has seven parts- Maheshwar, Vaishnava, Brahma, Kashi, Avanti, Nagar and Prabhasa. Purana got its name from Skand (Kartikeya) the son of Lord Shiva. Birth of Skand; its reason and effects constitute the main theme. Kartikeya was the commander of the gods’ army and had killed the demon Tarkasura.
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Vamana Purana narrates the tale of Vaman avatar (incarnation) of God as a dialogue between the sage Pulastya and Narad.
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Lord Vishnu, in Kurm Avatar (tortoise incarnation), had first preached this Purana to Narad. In his turn, Narad narrated it to Sutji who later narrated this Purana to an assembly of the great sages. Initially, this Purana had four parts namely Bramhi Samhita, Bhagawati Samhita, Gauri Samhita and Vaishnavi Samhita. Presently, however, none of these Samhitas is available except Brahm Samhita. Present version too contains two parts-Purv and Uttar Parts.
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It’s the sixteenth Purana. During the period of Mahapralaya, Lord Vishnu had taken Matsya avatar (fish incarnation) to save the seeds of all lives and Manu. Matsya Purana contains a comprehensive description of Manu and Matsya avatar.
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Garuda was the son of Vinita, the daughter of Dakshaprajapati. His father was sage Kashyapa. Free from the wordly bondages and having all the knowledge, he was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. He was a vehicle for Lord Vishnu, he is also described in scriptures as his friend, server, flag, seat, bed and even the food. Vedas describe him as "SARVA VEDA MYA VIGRAHA" i.e. (a detached person having knowledge of all the Vedas).
At one place in Shrimad Bhagwad, it is mentioned that Brihadatta and Rathamtar these 2 divisions of Samveda are in fact his 2 wings. Thus when Garuda flew, his flapping wings produced the sound of rhythmic recitation of Samaveda.
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It is the eighteenth Purana. Presently available in separate pieces, Adhyatma Ramayana is also included in this Purana, but the present versions of Brahmand Purana do not contain Adhyatma Ramayan. It has four parts- Prakriya, Anushanga, Upotaghat and Upasamhar.
This Purana is said to be narrated by Sutaji on the bank of the river Drishdvati in Yaksh kshetra (identified with Sutlej in modern Himachal Pradesh). From his narration, it is clear that Sutaji had heard the Purana from Veda Vyasa who, in his turn, received it from Vayudev.
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