The holy Puranas are a vast treasure of literary and spiritual
knowledge that throw light on past, present and future. It is said that
the Puranas are the richest collection of mythological information in
this world. In totality, the Eighteen Puranas contain information about
ancient myths and folklores that pertain to some form of spiritual
knowledge. 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.
Traditionally, there are supposed to be 18 major Puranas. They are
listed below.
Agni: It contains 15,400 verses and has information regarding
the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Bhagavata: It contains 18,000 verses and contains information on
the practice of Bhakti Yoga, which helps in the realization of God.
Bhavishya: It contains 14,500 verses and contains information on
the fact that past repeats itself in future. It is also called the Book
of Prophecies.
Brahma: It contains 24,000 verses and has details about the
beginning of universe and cosmos.
Brahmanda: It contains 12,000 verses and contains the Lalitha
Sahasranamam, a text recited as a prayer.
Brahmavaivarta: It contains 18,000 verses and describes the
creation and purpose of life and the deeds of different Gods like
Ganesha, Krishna, etc.
Garuda: It contains 19,000 verses and has 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 16,000 verses and has information on the
life of Lord Krishna.
Kurma: It contains 17,000 verses and has information on the
avatar of Lord Vishnu as a tortoise that came to be known as the Kurma
avatar.
Linga: It contains 11,000 verses and it has information on the
importance of the holy Linga and the origin of the Universe.
Markandya: It contains 9000 verses and it contains the dialogue
between two ancient sages, Jamini and Markandya.
Matsya: It contains 14,000 verses and describes the first avatar
of Lord Vishnu as a fish.
Narada: It contains 25,000 verses and contains the description
of major pilgrim places.
Padma: It contains 55,000 verses and has information on the
essence of religion and cosmos.
Shiva: It contains 24,000 verses and is completely dedicated to
Lord Shiva.
Skanda: It contains 81,000 verses and is probably the longest
Purana of all. It is dedicated to the life of Lord Shiva and Parvati's
son, Karthikeya.
Vamana: It contains 10,000 verses and contains information
regarding the Vamana avatar of Lord Vishnu.
Vayu: It contains 24,000 verses and is dedicated to the Wind
God, Vayu.
Vishnu: It contains 23,000 verses and is dedicated to Lord
Vishnu.
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