94 - The Vişhņu Purāņa: The Table of Contents 

Shri Brahmä said: 

1.    O dear child, listen. I shall narrate the great Purāņa of Vişhņu.1 It contains twenty-three thousand verses.2 It is destructive of all sins. 

1. Probably this is the only Purāņa which conforms to the Panchalakshana definition of a Puraņa. May be due to its being Pro-pancharatra. Ramanuja regards it as an authoritative text. Though I have seen the Venkateśhvara Press edition and that of Gopal Narayan & Co. with the comm, Vishnuchitti and Ratnagarbha’s Vaishnava-küta-Chandrika, I use here the Gita Press edition (Gorakhpur Samvat 2026) 

2. Though the NP. and some other Puraņas such as the Väyu, Matsya, Bhagavata and Brahma-Vaivarta state that VP consists of 23000 verses, the printed editions give only 6000 verses. 

The Gita Press edition has 6373 verses. It appears that the NP in in verses 17b-18, regards VP and Vişhņudharmottara Purana as one book while Shankara (800 A.D.) regards them as two separate works (PJ VIII 94-96) showing thereby that the present NP. was settled before 800 A.D. 

2. In the first section, six divisions have been made by the descendant of Shakti i.e. Parāśhara. In the first division the introduction to the Purāņa is made to Maitreya. 

3. The primordial causal creation, the origin of the Devas and others, the narrative of the churning of the ocean, the family-race of Daksha and others. 

4. The story of Dhruva, the anecdote of Pruthu, the narrative of Prachetas, the story of Prahlada.3 

3. In this verse the NP, mentions topics discussed in VP I. 11-22 

5-6. The narration of the separate rulership and administration. These are the topics in the first division. 

(The second division.) The narration of the family of Priyavrata, the review of the continents and the sub-continents, the narration of the nether worlds and hells; the review of seven heavens; the narration of the day of the week like Sunday and others along with their separate characteristics. 

7. Then the story of Bharata, which points out the path of salvation, the dialogue between Rubhu and Nidagha-these are topics in the second division.1 

1. This verse refers to topics contained in VP Aṁsha II chs. 1-7, 12-16. 

8.2 (The Third Division.3) The enumeration of the Manvantaras; the incarnation of Vedavyāsa; thereafter, the rite that lifts one up from hell is mentioned. 

2. VV 8-10 mention topics described in VP Amsha II chs. 1-3, 8-9, 13-16, 17-18. 

3. It appears that the NP is unaware of the chs. 21-24 which describe the future kings, in the IV Amśha of the VP. 

9. The review of all the religious duties (Dharmas) in the dialogue between Sagara and Aurva; then Śhrāddha Kalpa (The rituals connected with Shraddha) is recounted; the classification of the castes and stages of life. 

10. The conduct of life of the good is described; then the story of delusion due to Mayā; thus the third division that destroys all sins has been explained. 

11. (The Fourth Division.) The holy story of the solar race, the narration of the lunar race. Along with that there are stories of different kings. O excellent sage, these are the topics in the fourth division. 

12-15. (The fifth division.) The query about the incarnation of Krişhņa; then the story of the family of cowherds; the death of Putanā during his infancy; the slaying of Agha, etc. in the course of his boyhood days; killing of Kamsa during the youth; the story of his life in Mathură; then in the course of his prime of youth his sports at Dvārakā, the killing of all Daityas, the different marriages, staying at Dvåraka, the Lord of the Universe, Krişhņa, the Lord of Masters of Yoga removed (lightened) the burden of the Earth through killing etc. of the enemies; the narrative of Ašhtavakra. The fifth division is thus recounted.1 

1. VV 12-15 summarize the topics in Lord Krishna’s life and form the basis for the X Skandha of the Bh. P. 

16-17a. The story of Kali is mentioned, the four types of dissolution. The Knowledge of Brahman reviewed by Keśhidhvaja (for the benefit) of Khāņdikya. So the sixth division is recounted. 

17b-18. Hereafter, the perpetual virtues called Vişhņu dharmottaras are mentioned by Sūta on being respectfully asked by Shaunaka and others. Many holy stories, holy rites, observances, and restraints were also described by him. 

19-20. Dharma-śhästra (Code of Laws), Arthaśhästra (Political economy) Vedanta (Metaphysics), Jyotisa (Astronomy and Astrology), the narration of the races, hymns according to the context; and dynasties, Manvantaras (or Manus); different vidyās (lores) that are beneficial to the worlds are described. This is verily the Vişhņu Purăņa which is a succinct collection of all the topics of sacred scriptures. 

21-23. In this, the events of the Vārāha Kalpa2 have been narrated by Vyása. 3 He who reads this with devotion and he who listens to it with respect goes to the world of Vişhņu. Both of them enjoy all pleasures there. This Purāņa must be written and given to a devotee of Vişhņu who knows the meaning of the Purana on the full moon day in the month of Aşhādha along with ghee and a cow. O Brāhmaṇa, he who does so goes to the abode of Vişhņu through an aerial chariot as refulgent as the sun. 

2. The device to explain different versions of the same story is to attribute it to a different Kalpa. 

3. In VP., Vyása is not the interlocutor. It is a dialogue between Paråshara and Maitreya. 

It appears that the major portion of the present day VP is known to the NP and hence it obviously precedes NP in date. 

24. O Brāhmaṇa, he who hears the contents of the Vişhņu Purāņa shall attain the benefit of the Purāņa itself.