Puranas The Puranas tell about the gods and goddesses of India They are chiefly concerned with the divine order of the world, which is told in stories These stories are often theogonies, cosmogonies, and cosmologies that explain the origin of the gods and the world They also include legends about ancient kings, saints, and royal dynasties Some sections are devoted to law, science, history, medicine, dance, and religious discussions on iconography and astrology They form the basis of Hindu mythology The Puranas are central to bhakti (devotion) in Hindu religious development and practice They are the central scriptures for the worshipers of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva (Siva) The Puranas have been organized into Bhramana-Puranas, Vishnava-Puranas, and ShaivaPuranas In the Puranas the Trimurti (three modes of the one ultimate) of Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (destroyer) are presented in ways that related to the common people This enabled them to develop a vital spirituality There are six Brahmana-Puranas: Brahma-Purana, Brahmavaivarta-Purana, Vamana-Purana, BrahmandaPurana, Markandeya-Purana and Bhavishya-Purana The six Vaishnava-Puranas are Vishnu-Purana, Bhagavata-Purana, Padma-Purana, Narada-Purana, GarudaPurana, and Varaha-Purana The six Shaiva-Puranas are Matsya-Purana, LingaPurana, Skanda-Purana, Kurma-Purana, Shiva-Purana, and Agni-Purana The devotees of each of the three Trimurti separated themselves into sects of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva However, almost everyone who became a devotee chose either Vishnu or Shiva The oldest Purana is the Vayu-Purana Some scholars believe that it originated in the 500s Most Puranas developed between the 500s to the 1300s The Vayu-Purana is substituted for the Agni-Purana on occasions The most famous of the Puranas are the Vishnu-Purana and the 335 Bhagavata-Purana The Bhagavata-Purana (10th century) was written in south India It tells the story of Krishna In it he declares that devoted hearts move him more than yoga, brilliant logic, Vedic chanting, ascetic practices, or brilliant logic It has been of enormous importance in the religious development of India The Puranas are set in the Kali Yuga or post-Vedic age, tradition said began in 3102 b.c.e The Puranas assume that it is a period of degeneration Human spirituality has reached a low ebb; however, the gods (devas) give mercy to humanity through devotion (bhakti) Most of the Puranas have five characteristics (pancha-lakshana) or themes The themes are creation, destruction, and renewal of the world; genealogies of gods and heroes (vamsa); the deeds of various gods and heroes (vamsyanucarita); the rule of the various Manus during the various stages of human development, and the life and works of the descendants of the Manus (manvantara) Some Puranas, however, not carry this form Many of them are like encyclopedias—filled with a mass of material on a variety of subjects In addition to the Puranas and the Upa-Puranas there are a number of Sthala-Puranas The Sthala-Puranas are associated with the history and spiritual power of sacred sites (sthala) Further reading: Pusalker, Achut Dattatraya Studies in the Epics and Puranas Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1963; Rocher, Ludo The Puranas Wiesbaden, Germany: O Harrassowitz, 1986; Vettammani, X Puranic Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975; Wilson, H H The Vishnu Purana: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition Calcutta: Punthi Pustak, 1961 Andrew J Waskey