Puranas
The Puranas were written to popularise the religion of the Vedas. They contain the essence of the Vedas. The aim of the Puranas is to impress on the minds of the masses the teachings of the Vedas and to generate in them devotion to God, through concrete examples, myths, stories, legends, lives of saints, kings and great men, allegories and chronicles of great historical events. The sages made use of these things to illustrate the eternal principles of religion. The Puranas were meant, not for the scholars, but for the ordinary people who could not understand high philosophy and who could not study the Vedas.
| Maha-Puranas (18) | ||
| Brahma Puranas: | Vaishnava Puranas: | Shaiva Puranas: |
| 1. Brahma Purana | 1. Vishnu Purana | 1. Shiva |
| 2. Bhavishya | 2. Narada (Naradiya) | 2. Linga |
| 3. Agni Purana | 3. Vamana | 3. Kurma Purana |
| 4. Brahma Vaivarta | 4. Matsya | 4. Markandeya Purana |
| 5. Brahmanda | 5. Garuda (Suparna) | 5. Skanda Purana |
| 6. Padma Purana | 6. Srimad Bhagavata | 6. Varaha |
| 18 Main Upa-Puranas: | ||
| 1. Adi (Aditya) Purana | 7. Kapila Purana | 13. Shvamba Purana |
| 2. Bhargava Purana | 8. Maheshvara Purana | 14. Surya Purana |
| 3. Brihannaradiya Purana | 9. Nandikeshvara Purana | 15. Usanas Purana |
| 4. Devi (Devi Bhagavata) Purana | 10. Narasimha Purana | 16. Varuna Purana |
| 5. Durvasa Purana | 11. Parashara Purana | 17. Vashishta Purana |
| 6. Kalika Purana | 12. Siva-Dharma Purana | 18. Vayu Purana |
| Additional Upa-Puranas: | ||
| 1. Asamavya Purana | 11. Mahabhagavata Purana | 21. Saura Purana |
| 2. Aunasa Purana | 12. Manava (Manu) Purana | 22. Siva Purana |
| 3. Basava Purana | 13. Marica Purana | 23. Siva Rahasya Purana |
| 4. Bhanda Purana | 14. Medasani-vari Purana | 24. Sthala Puranas |
| 5. Brihaddharma Purana | 15. Mudgala Purana | 25. Swayambhuv Purana |
| 6. Ganesh Purana | 16. Nandi Purana | 26. Tula Purana |
| 7. Hamsa Purana | 17. Nilamata Purana | 27. Vaisakha Purana |
| 8. Harivamsha Purana | 18. Periya Purana | 28. Vashishtha |
| 9. Kalki Purana | 19. Samba Purana | 29. Vinayaka Purana |
| 10. Magha Purana | 20. Sanatkumara Purana | 30. Vishnu-Dharma Purana |
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