Narratives from the Vishṇu Purāṇa
The Vishṇu Purāṇa holds many narratives. The pages below retell them one by one in simple English, each with the chapters it comes from.
The Earth laughs at kings who each say 'this earth is mine'. Her song closes the Vishṇu Purāṇa's long account of royal dynasties.
Jaḍabharata UpākhyānaBharata, son of Ṛshabhadeva, is born as a deer and then as the silent brāhmaṇa Jaḍabharata, and teaches King Rahūgaṇa the truth of the ātmā.
Kalmāshapāda UpākhyānaKing Mitra-saha, also called Saudāsa, is under Vasishṭha's śāpa for twelve years, burns his own feet, and later has a son, Aśmaka.
Kaṃsa Vadha in the Vishṇu PurāṇaThe Vishṇu Purāṇa tells how Kṛshṇa and Balarāma went to Mathurā, killed Kaṃsa, freed their parents, restored Ugrasena, and studied with Sāndīpani.
Keśidhvaja and KhāṇḍikyaTwo enemy cousins of the Janaka line teach each other: Khāṇḍikya gives an expiation rite, and Keśidhvaja gives the teaching of yoga.
Khaṭvāṅga MokshaKing Khaṭvāṅga helped the devas in battle, asked only how long he had to live, learned it was one muhūrta, and in that time joined his ātmā to Vāsudeva.
Māyāmoha and the RākshasasBhagavān Vishṇu sends Māyāmoha from his own body to turn the rākshasas from the Veda, so that the devas can defeat them.
Pārijāta Haraṇa (Vishṇu Purāṇa)Kṛshṇa takes the Pārijāta tree from Svarga for Satyabhāmā, defeats Indra, and plants it in Dvārakā.
Pracetas, Kaṇḍu and MārishāThe ten Pracetas do tapas in the ocean, Kaṇḍu loses 907 years to Pramloca, and Mārishā is born and becomes the mother of Daksha.
Purūravas and Urvaśī (Vishṇu Purāṇa)King Purūravas and the apsarā Urvaśī live together for twenty-one years, part, meet again, and the three sacred fires are set up.
Ṛbhu and NidāghaṚbhu visits his disciple Nidāgha twice and, at a royal procession, shows him the teaching of advaita through the king and the elephant.
Śatadhavān and ŚaibyaKing Śatadhavān is born seven times as an animal after speaking with a heretic, and his wife Śaibya follows him through each birth until he is freed.
Śiśupāla MokshaOne ātmā is born as Hiraṇyakaśipu, Rāvaṇa and Śiśupāla, and finds moksha only in the third birth, when his mind never leaves Kṛshṇa.
Varāha Avatāra (Vishṇu Purāṇa)Bhagavān Vishṇu takes the form of the boar Varāha, lifts the submerged earth on his tusks and sets her in place at the start of the Vārāha Kalpa.
Vishṇu Purāṇa Pañcamāṃśa and ShashṭhāṃśaChapter-by-chapter guide to the last two portions of the Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa: the life of Bhagavān Kṛshṇa, then Kali Yuga, pralaya and moksha.