Puranas: The Origin Of Gods And Goddesses

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he Puranas are the simplification or demystiTheation of the Vedas. Many writers are atrib uted to writing them, in various periods of time, Vyasa being the chief compiler. Since it was a commentary on the Vedas, the writers added their own interpretations while translating and transmitting from one language to the other, from one region to the other.

Keeping aside all these factors, if we read the Puranas with an open mind, we find a goldmine of stories telling us about the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe, gods, goddesses and demons, the various dynasties of rulers, the social and cultural life, the arts and sciences, geography and history, astronomy and astrology, laws of governance, almost anything and everything that we can think of. They are the largest, the most extensive encyclopaedias of the world.

Going through the various available versions of the Puranas to understand them and then to create this book was quite a task, though a pleasant one. This little book (little because the Puranas run in tens of thousands of words) is like a glimpse into the huge collection of the main Puranas.

After introducing the Puranas, how they came about, and their salient features, I have talked about the individual Puranas. Each Purana has a story of its birth, a theme, and also some interesting stories within. In fact, there are stories within stories, which is a standard feature of all ancient Hindu scriptures. I have narrated a couple of stories from each Purana, depending on the theme of the said Purana.