Brahmanda Purana (Set of 2 Volumes)

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Among the eighteen classic Hindu texts called the Puranas, the Brahmanda Purana recounts the stories and lore associated with Brahma, the creator of the universe, who is part of the supreme divine trinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva. The composition of this Purana can be traced back to approximately 400 to 600 BCE, predating many other Hindu texts. Volume 1 is based on creation, cosmology and geography of the universe. It is interspersed with descriptions of lineages of rishis and shraddha rites, and ends with Parashurama's story. Translated from the original Sanskrit by Bibek Debroy, this annotated edition of the Brahmanda Purana is a precious and rare treasure that will be cherished by lovers of Hindu mythology and religion.

This is the sixth book in the Purana series the others include the Bhagavata Purana, Markandeya Purana, Brahma Purana, Vishnu Purana and Shiva Purana.

The word Puranam in conjunction with Itihasa (the Ramayana. and the Mahabharata). Whether Itihasa originally meant only the Mahabharata, with the Ramayana being added to that expression later, is a proposition on which there has been some discussion. But that's not relevant to our purposes. In the Chandogya Upanishad, there is an instance of the sage Narada approaching the sage Sanatkumara for instruction. Asked about what he already knows, Narada says he knows Itihasa and Purana, the Fifth Veda. In other words, Itihasa-Purana possessed an elevated status. This by no means implies that the word 'Purana', as used in these two Upanishads and other texts too, is to be understood in the sense of the word being applied to a set of texts known as the Puranas today. The Valmiki Ramayana is believed to have been composed by Valmiki and the Mahabharata by Krishna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa. After composing the Mahabharata, Krishna Dvaipayana Vedavyasa is believed to have composed the Puranas. The use of the word 'composed' immediately indicates that Itihasa-Purana are 'smriti' texts, with a human origin. They are not 'shruti' texts, with a divine origin. Composition does not mean these texts were rendered into writing.

**Contents and Sample Pages**