Who has not heard of Sri Krishna who delivered the message of the Bhagavad Gita and whom the Bhagavat calls 'God Himself?

From the earliest days that my memories can go back to, Sri Krishna has been, in a sense, dominating my imagination. In my childhood, I heard his adventures with breathless amazement. Since then I have read of him, sung of him, admired him, worshipped him in a hundred temples and every year on his birthday at home. And day after day, for years and years, his message has been the strength of my life.

Unfortunately, his fascinating personality, which could be glimpsed in what may be called the original Mahabharata, has been overlaid with legends, myths, miracles and adorations for about three thousand years.

Wise and valorous, he was, loving and loved, far- seeing and yet living for the moment. gifted with sage-like detachment and yet intensely human; the diplomat. the sage and the man of action with a personality as luminous as that of a divinity.

The urge, Therefore, came upon me. time and again, to embark upon a reconstruction of his life and adventures by weaving a romance around him.

It was an impossible venture. but like hundreds of authors in all parts of India for centuries. I could not help offering him whatever little of imagination and creative power I possessed. feeble though they were.

I have called the whole work Krishnavatara, The Descent of the Lord. This, the First Part. which ends with the death of Kamsa, has been named 'The Magic Flute". for it deals with his boyhood associated with the flute. which hypnotized men. animals and birds alike. sung with such loving tenderness by innumerable poets.

I have named the Second Part. which ends with Rukmini Haran. The Wrath of an Emperor, as the central theme is the successful defiance by Sri Krishna of Jarasandha, the Emperor of Magadha. The Third Part is entitled The Five Brothers and ends with Draupadi's Swayamvara. The Fourth Part is entitled The Book of Bhima and the Fifth Part is entiled The Book of Satyabhaama. The Sixth Part, which is now being serially published in the Bhavan's Journal; is entitled The Book of Vyaasa. the Master.

I hope to carry forward the series till the episode when, on the battle-field of Kurukshetra. Krishna reveals himself as the Eternal Guardian of the Cosmic Law-Saashvata Dharma Gopta-to Arjuna, if it is His will that I should do so.

I have followed the technique since 1922 to reconstruct the episodes connected with Chyavana and Sukanya in Purandara Parajaya (a play). Agastya and Lopamudra, Vasishta and Vishwamitra, Parashurama and Sahasrarjuna in Vishvaratha (a romance), Deva Didheli (a play), Vishwamitra Rishi (a play), Lomaharshini (a romance) and Bhagavan Parashurama (a romance), and now Sri Krishna and the heroes and heroines of Mahabharata in these volumes of Krishnavatara.

Time and again, I have made it clear that none of these works is an English rendering of any old Purana.

In reconstructing Sri Krishna's life and adventures. I had, like many of my predecessors, to reconstruct the episodes inherited from the past. so as to bring out his character, attitude and outlook with the personality-sustained technique of modern romance. I had also had to give flesh and blood to various obscure characters referred to in the Mahabharata.

In the course of this adventure. I had often to depart from the legend and myth. for such reconstruction by a modern author must necessarily involve the exercise of whatever little imagination he has. I trust He will forgive me for the liberty I am taking, but must write of Him as I see Him in my imagination.

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Gita Press, Gorakhpur
• By : Hanuman Prasad Poddar
• Cover : Hardcover
• Language : Hindi
• Edition : 2013
• Pages : 852
• Weight : 1.7 Kg
• Size : 11 INCH X 7.50 INCH
• ISBN-10 : 8129300990
• ISBN-13 : 978-8129300997

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Rasbihari Lal & Sons
• By : Purnaprajna Dasa Vedavyasa
• Cover : Paperback
• Language : English
• Edition : 2009
• Pages : 194
• Weight : 500 kg.
• Size : 9 x 5.8 inches
• ISBN-10: 8184030703
• ISBN-13: 978-8184030709

DESCRIPTION:

From the Jacket: The eighteen major Puranas are the Brahma, Padma, Visnu, Siva, Linga, Garuda, Narada, Bhagavata, Agni, Skanda, Bhavisya, Brahma-vaivarta, Markandeya, Vamana, Varaha, Matsya, Kurma and Brahmanda Puranas. The Brahma Purana consists of ten thousand verses, the Padma Purana of fifty-five thousand, Sri Visnu Purana of twenty-three thousand, the Siva Purana of Twenty-four thousand and Srimad-Bhagavatam of eighteen thousand.

The Narada Purana has twenty-five thousand verses, the Markandeya Purana nine thousand, the Agni Purana fifteen thousand four hundred, the Bhavisya Purana fourteen thousand five hundred, the Brahma-vaivarta Purana eighteen thousand and the Linga Purana eleven thousand. The Varaha Purana contains twenty-four thousand verses, the Skanda Purana eighty-one thousand one hundred, the ‘Vamana Purana ten thousand, the Kurma Purana ten thousand, the Kurma Purana seventeen thousand, the Matsya Purana fourteen thousand, the Garuda Purana nineteen thousand and the Brahmanda Purana twelve thousand. Thus the total number of verses in all the Puranas is four hundred thousand. Eighteen thousand of these, once again, belong to the beautiful Bhagavatam.

It is known that of the eighteen major Puranas, six are for those in the mode of goodness, six are for those in the mode of passion, and six are for those in the mode of ignorance. Although there may be different opinions as to which Puranas belong to which group, Srila Prabhupada writes as follows in a purport of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta:

The Rg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Atharva Veda, Mahabharata, Pancaratra and original Ramayana are all considered Vedic literature. The Puranas (such as the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Naradiya Purana, Visnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana) are especially meant for Vaisnavas and are also Vedic literature.

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Rasbihari Lal & Sons
• By : SRILA KRSNA DVAIPAYANA VYASADEVA (Author), PURNAPRAJNA DASA (Editor)
• Cover : Paperback
• Language : English
• Edition : 2009
• Pages : 326
• Weight : 750 gm.
• Size : 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• ISBN-10: 8184030711
• ISBN-13: 978-8184030716

DESCRIPTION:

From the Jacket: The eighteen major puranas are the Brahma, Padma, Visnu, Siva, Linga, Garuda, Narada, Bhagavata, Agni, Skanda, Bhavisya, Brahma-vaivarta, Markandeya, Vamana, Varaha, Matsya, Kurma and Brahmanda Puranas. The Brahma Purana consists of ten thousand verses, the Padma Purana of fifty-five thousand, Sri Visnu Purana of twenty-three thousand, the Siva Purana of twenty-four thousand and Srimad Bhagavatam of eighteen thousand. The Narada Purana has twenty-five thousand verses, the Markandeya Purana nine thousand, the Agni Purana fifteen thousand four hundred, the Bhavisya Purana fourteen thousand five hundred, the Brahma-vaivarta Purana eighteen thousand and the Linga Purana eleven thousand. The Varaha Purana contains twenty-four thousand verses, the Skanda Purana eighty-one thousand one hundred, the Vamana Purana ten thousand, the Kurma Purana seventeen thousand, the Matsya Purana fourteen thousand, the Garuda Purana nineteen thousand and the Brahmanda Purana twelve thousand. Thus the total number of verses in all the Puranas is four hundred thousand, Eighteen thousand of these, once again, belong to the beautiful Bhagavatam.

It is known that of the eighteen major Puranas, six are for those in the mode of goodness, six are for those in the mode of passion, and six are for those in the mode of ignorance. Although there may be different opinions as to which puranas belong to which group, Srila Prabhupada writes as follows in a purport of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: The Rg Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Atharva Veda, Mahabharata, Pancaratra and original Ramayana are all considered Vedic literature. The Puranas (such as the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, Naradiya Purana, Visnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana) are especially meant for Vaisnavas and are also Vedic literature.

Back of the Book: Sri Brahma-vaivarta Purana is one of the eighteen principal Puranas, as stated in the Twelfth Canto of the Bhagavatam: Sages expert in ancient histories have declared that the Puranas, according to their various characteristics, can be divided into eighteen major Puranas and eighteen secondary Puranas.

In Brahma-vaivarta Purana, many very interesting details of familiar stories are found that are not seen elsewhere. There are many stories that explain the circumstances leading up to well-known occurrences, as well as previous lives of well-known personalities, shedding light on how they came to be in that condition. There is also a description of the marriage of Radha and Krsna, performed by Brahma.

Purana consists of four parts-Brahma-khanda, Prakrti-khanda, Ganapati-khanda, and Krsna-janma-khanda. The Krsna-janma-khanda is the largest, comprising about half of the entire work. Although the Vrndavana pastimes are narrated in this khanda, they are briefly described in comparison with what is found in Srimad-Bhagavatam. There are interesting details not found elsewhere, however, including the previous lives of many prominent characters. This volume presents the Brahma-vaivarta Purana in story form, condensed so that the reader’s interest will be held.

Specification:

• Publisher : Gurjar Prakashan
• By : Harish Varan
• Cover : Hardcover
• Language : Gujarati
• Edition : 2012
• Pages : 751
• Weight : 1.17 kg.
• Size : 1.6 x 7.5 x 9.8 inches
• ASIN : B00K57QVBA

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Diamond Books
• By : Vinay
• Cover : Paperback
• Language : Gujarati
• Edition : 2013
• Pages : 160
• Weight : 300 g.
• Size : 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• ISBN-10: 8128839802
• ISBN-13: 978-8128839801

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Diamond Books
• By : Vinay
• Cover : Paperback
• Language : Gujarati
• Edition : 2018
• Pages : 128
• Weight : 200 g.
• Size : 8.5 x 5.5 inches
• ISBN-10: 8128839519
• ISBN-13: 978-8171822089

SPECIFICATION:

• Publisher : Pravin Prakashan
• By : Anonymus
• Cover : Hardocer
• Language : Gujarati
• Edition : 2009
• Pages : 250
• Weight : 1.9 kg.
• Size : 10 x 7.8 x 1.6 inches
• ISBN-10: 8177903284
• ISBN-13: 978-8177903287

The saints and sages in our Puranas have left a rich spiritual and moral legacy as to how to cultivate devotion, acquire spiritual knowledge and become true devotees of the Lord of the universe by self-sacrifice, adherence to truth, justice, equality, compassion and love towards all living being irrespective of caste and creed and mild or wild animals. Why should we read books like The Great Men and Women of Puranas? Because as Dr S. Radhakrishnan, the great philosopher, statesman and former president of our country has observed: “We do not realize adequately to what extent out mind are moulded by the books we read especially in youth. When we read classics, our minds become dyed to their thoughts. Great books foster the psychological health of the reader. They induce in us largeness of mind and normative vision. They give us moral contentment.” Details of lives of great men and women of Puranas which are scattered in the eighteen Puranas and the great Epic, the Mahabharata, are culled and knit together in these biographies. Printed Pages: 131.

The present book attempts to supplement the work of Pargiter on the Cultural plane. Pargiter was concerned with the dynastic records of the Puranic texts while this book aims to interpret "cultural history" from the Vayu Purana. The work is divided into ten chapters arranged systematically. The first five chapters contain facts of intellectual culture and the last five of material culture. The presentation of material has involved a great deal of translation and interpretation of the Puranic text. The work has two appendices and a critical introduction. Appendix A identifies the places and tribes. Appendix B describes the centres of pilgrimage. Introduction surveys the previous research on the Puranas, on the Vayu particularly. It discusses the antiquity of the Vayu, its value for the cultural history and the method followed in the present investigation. It also gives an outline of political history as found in the Vayu Purana. This book is valuable not only for Indian Culture, but also for a critical edition of Vayu, and consequently of other Purana material.

Brahmavaivartapurana figures as the tenth in the traditional list of the Puranas. It is divided into four parts called khandas, comprising 267 chapters. The khandas are: Brahmakhanda: 30 chapters, Prakrti-Khanda: 67 chapters, Ganapatikhanda: 46 chapters and Srikrsnajanmakhanda: 133 chapters.

It is well known that the Brahmavaivarta is a Vaisnavite Purana and the sole objective of the work is to glorify the life and achievements of Sri Krsna, an incarnation of Visnu and his Sakti Radha. Many episodes and topics have been interwoven to embellish the main theme of the work. In this Purana, Krsna is not simply an incarnation, he is far superior to and even creator of Prakrti. He is God above all gods.

Part I, i.e., Brahmakhanda deals with the creation of the universe including the gods and animate and inanimate beings by Brahman, the creator God, who is, according to this Purana, none other than a manifestation of Krsna and acts under the guidance of the latter.

Part II, i.e., Prakrtikhanda deals with Prakrti, the primordial matter. According to this Purana, Prakrti is not inert as she is conceived by the Sankhya philosophy, but is intelligent; she is the primary goddess of creation. In compliance with Krsna's desire, she is manifested as the five goddesses, viz., Durga, Radha, Laksmi, Sarasvati, and Savitri. Many stories about these deities have been narrated and rituals for their worship described in this part.

Part III, i.e., Ganapatikhanda narrates many legends about Ganesa, the elephant-headed god, widely worshipped throughout India and even outside. Though named Ganapatikhanda, this part deals with the birth and life of both sons of Siva, viz., Ganesa and Skanda Karttikeya. According to this Purana, Ganesa is also a manifestation of Krsna. Hence, there is no mention of Ganapatya sects who worshipped Ganesa as the Supreme Godhead. The variations in the images of this deity, found in literature and on icons find no mention in the Purana.

Part IV, i.e., Srikrsnajanmakhanda is the most important of all books of this Purana. It deals not only with the birth of Krsna, as signified by the title, but also his whole life, especially his battles and love dalliances with the cowherdesses (gopis), in particular, with Radha. Radha, who is not even mentioned in the major Vaisnava Puranas like Bhagavata, Visnu, and Harivamsa, has risen in this Purana, to a great importance. It is interesting to note that she is depicted here as a married wife of Krsna.

This is the first part of the Padma Purana in English translation and the thirty-ninth volume in the series on Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology. It comprises the first thirty-three chapters of the first section called Srstikhanda or the Section on Creation of the Purana which is very huge in size. This Purana, as it appears in the Venkaesvara edition which this translation follows, consists of seven big sections or Khandas, namely, Srsti, Bhumi, Svarga, Brahma, Patala, Uttara and Kriyayogasara and is said to contain 55000 verses, though the actual number is much less. The translation of the whole Purana is planned to run into as many as ten volumes of the present size and may take some years for its completion.

The Padma Purana takes its name after the Primordial Lotus from which god Brahma, the Creator, was born. Dr. Deshpande has given a brief Khanda wise summary of the Purana in his Introduction which appears in this volume. As the 'Contents' show, the reader will find herein and enjoy some very interesting accounts and stories, such as that of the churning of the ocean by the gods and demons, the destruction of Daksa's sacrifice by god Siva, the chopping-off of Brahma's fifth head by the same god, the drinking-up of the ocean by the sage Agastya and so on. A very amusing story appears in Chapter 13, of how Brhaspati, the preceptor of gods, impersonates Sukra, the preceptor of demons, and how he corrupts and demoralizes the latter by preaching heretical doctrines to them with a view to make the gods who were very often defeated by the demons in war, victorious over them. A good portion of this Part is also devoted to the glorification of Pukara as a sacred place of pilgrima.

ISBN: Part-I: 9788120804791, Part-III:9788120806245, Part-IV:9788120806634, Part-V:9788120807013, Part-VI: 9788120807419,

Part-VII:9788120807686, Part-VIII:9788120808072, Part-IX:9788120808812, Part-X:9788120808973

The Purana is a class of literature that treats of ancient religion, philosophy, history, sociology, politics and other subjects. It is an Encyclopaedia of various branches of knowledge and ancient wisdom. It has been defined as a class of literature that contains material on the topics of Creation, Dissolution of Manus, Ages of Manus, Genealogies and the History of glorious kings. For dealing primarily with these subjects it has been called Pancalaksana a little that was incorporated in the Puranas themselves and had become popular by the Fifth Century A.D., for it was included by Amarasimha in his lexicon 'Amarakosa'. But as the process of interpolation continued, the Pancalaksana definition was found inadequate. The Puranic redactors adopted a Dasalaksana definition that suited the contemporary text. Still the dynamic forces were at work and the process of insertion, modification and abridgement went on and it was soon discovered that the Dasalaksana definition too fell short of an actual fact. It was found that the puranas contained certain aspects that were not covered by any of the five or ten characteristics. Besides some of the characteristics covered by the Pancalaksana or Dasalaksana definition were not found in certain Puranas. In fact the Purana as a class represents the different phases and aspects of life of diverse ages. It is impossible to adopt a standard definition for the class of literary composition that contains heterogeneous phases and aspects. Moreover, a definition framed on the numerical basis of points is bound to be imperfect. The Puranas are divided into two classes the Mahapuranas and the Upapuranas. Each class consists of eighteen puranas. Thus the number of the Puranas is thirty six.

Editorial Reviews

Prapathaka 5 of the Taittiriya Aranyaka in the Andhra recension is an ancient commentary on the Pravargya ritual. This commentary, the Pravargya Brahmanaí, is here translated and annotated. The Introduction contains a study of the Pravargya ritual, which is 'One of the few rituals that has been explicitly referred to in the Rgveda (usually under the name "Gharma"). "The abstract and spiritual nature of what is probably the main purpose of the ritual - the participants should acquire the lustre of the sun ñ the simple means by which it can be performed and the way the main implement, the pot which is heated red-hot, is worshipped, give it a special place in the vast assortment of Vedic rites. The Sanskrit text of the Pravargya Brahmana of the Taittiriyas has been given along with the translation. The present work was prepared under the guidance of Professor Dr. H.W. Bodewitz (Utrecht), and is an elaboration of an essay written by the author in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of 'doctorandus' at the University of Utrecht, 1987.

About the Book

Brahmavaivartapurana figures as the tenth in the traditional list of the Puranas. It is divided into four parts called khandas, comprising 267 chapters. The khandas are: Brahmakhanda: 30 chapters, Prakrtikhanda: 67 chapters, Ganapatikhanda: 46 chapters and Srikrsnajanmakhanda 133 chapters.

It is well known that the Brahmavaivarta is a Vaisnavite Purana and the sole objective of the work is to glorify the life and achievements of Sri Krsna, an incarnation of Visnu and his Sakti Radha. Many episodes and topics have been interwoven to embellish the main theme of the work. In this Purana, Krsna is not simply an incarnation, he is far superior to and even creator of Prakrti. He is God above all gods.

Part I, i.e., Brahmakhanda deals with the creation of the universe including the gods and animate and inanimate beings by Brahman, the creator God, who is, according to this Purana, none other than a manifestation of Krsna and acts under the guidance of the latter.

Part II, i.e., Prahrtikhanda deals with Prakrti, the primordial matter. According to this Purana, Prakrti is not inert as she is conceived by the Sankhya philosophy, but is intelligent; she is the primary goddess of creation. In compliance with Krsna’s desire, she is manifested as the five goddesses, viz., Durga, Radha, Laksmi, Sarasvati, and Savitri. Many stories about these deities have been narrated and rituals for their worship described in this part.

Part III, i.e., Ganapatikhanda narrates many legends about Ganesa, the elephant- headed god, widely worshipped throughout India and even outside. Though named Ganapatikhanda, this part deals with the birth and life of both sons of Siva, viz., Ganesa and Skanda Karttikeya. According to this Purana, Ganesa is also a manifestation of Krsna. Hence, there is no mention of Ganapatya sects who worshipped Ganesa as the Supreme Godhead. The variations in the images of this deity, found in literature and on icons find no mention in the Purana.

Part IV, i.e., Srikrsnajanmakhanda is the most important of all books of this Purana. It deals not only with the birth of Krsna, as signified by the title, but also his whole life, especially his battles and love dalliances with the cowherdesses (gopis), in particular, with Radha. Radha, who is not even mentioned in the major Vaisnava Puranas like Bhagavata, Visnu, and Harivamsa, has risen in this Purana, to a great importance. It is interesting to note that she is depicted here as a married wife of Krsna.

Introduction

It is believed that the study of the Puranas is beneficial to the knowledge of the vedas. As the Mahabharata states, the veda should be supplemented with the Itihasa and Purana, for the veda is afraid of being hurt by a person who is not well versed (in the mythological and traditional lore). The traditionalists take the word Purana to mean the Puranic texts like Matsya, Kurma, etc. and attach to them great authority and veneration. They hold that the Puranic texts are repositories of very ancient knowledge because they have been referred to in the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad. Modern Scholars dispute this claim and say that not the extant Puranic texts but some parts of the Vedas which preserve very old traditions, alluded to in other places of the vedas, are referred to in the. Brhadaranyaka Upanisad, as the Purana. They quote, in support of their thesis, Sankaracarya’s interpretation of the said passage of the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad: "Mythology, such as "The universe was in the beginning unmanifest etc."

The present work is based on an extensive and critical study of the legends connected with Holy water-places. Mythological, historical, geographical and scientific study of the legends is interesting and thought provoking. The Skanda Purana (1000 AD to 700 BC) has been made the basis of this topic most elaborately and covers almost all the tirthas referred to in various texts. Most of the legends have been studied critically and a comparative study has been done from the Vedas, Brahmanas, Upanisads, Epics and other Puranas. Various other mythologies such as Egyptian, Iranian, Greek, North American, African, Babylonian, Roman, Mexican etc. have also been compared to. The imminent purpose of the talks has been studied under various motifs. The author's psycho-scientific method of analysis and interpretation makes the work extremely fascinating and informative. The author has also drawn attention to the medical analysis of various water-tirthas. The work is a valuable addition to the Pauranic and mythological literature.

About the Author :Dr. Mrs. Savitri V. Kumar is a lecturer of Sanskrit in Shri L. N. Hindu College, Rohtak. On the present work, she has been awarded a Ph. D. Degree from Bombay University.

About the Book : Besides its gigantic size and encyclopaedic and eclectic nature of its content the Puranic corpus stands apart from, the earlier Brah-manical literature in many significant ways; not the least of them being the fact that whereas the Vedas and the Dharmasastras had been meant for self study and were for the exclusive religious edification of the members of the upper stratum the puranas were required to be recited in popular gatherings and were generally projected as the scriptures of the masses. Their popular base and mass appeal can be judged from the fact that Puranic lore like that of the Epics has over the centuries become deeply ingrained in popular psyche. But what is really intriguing is the extraordinary nature of exigency which compelled the Brahmanical leaders to give up their former elitist and almost inflexible stance and not only take notice of the substratum of society but also seek to win them over through a genre of literature specially composed for them. Perhaps what is even more surprising is that though so much has been made provide as written about the Puranas in the past century and a half yet no serious attempt has been made to provide as completely convincing and wholly viable rationale for their composition and subsequent proliferation. The present work aims at removing this lacuna and establishing the purposive nature of the Puranic texts. It also seeks to underline the dialectical nature of relationship that existed between the processes of their composition and the forces of acculturation that became activated and more visible during Gupta/Post – Gupta times due to the amounting demands and pressures of an emergent socio economic order based on agricultural expansion.

About the Author : Dr. Vijay Nath is a Reader in Jankidevi College Delhi University. She secured her Master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Delhi. Her articles focusing on socio economic and religious history of ancient India have appeared in a number of well known journals. She is the author of the book Dana; Gift System in Ancient India: A Socio economic Perspective. She has been elected president of ancient Indian History section of the sixty first session of India History Congress.

The Puranas are infallible source of information of Indian history of religion, philosophy, culture and civilisation, polity of society, arts and crafts, architecture and inconography besides royal dynasties and period of their rule. It was long felt that a comprehensive Index of the Puranas was a desideratum. We have an Index to Vedic literature by Macdonell and Keith; we have also one to the Mahabharata by Sorensen; then why not a similar Index to all the eighteen major and an equal number of the minor Puranas which constitute an important branch of Indian literature?