95 - The Vāyu Purāņa: The table of contents 

God Brahmā said: 

1. O Brāhmaṇa, listen; I shall describe the Vayaviya Purāņa1 on hearing which one attains the abode of Rudra,2 the Supreme Soul 

1. This is called Väyu as god Vāyu is the chief interlocutor. The Mt. P. (ch. 53) declares that herein Väyu proclaimed dharmas pertaining to Shveta-Kalpa. This Purāņa is published by Venkateśhvara Press Bombay, Asiatic Society Calcutta, Anandaśhram Poona and Guru Mandal Grathmålă Calcutta (to mention a few). 

2. This Purāņa belongs to the Shaiva group and is characterised by the glory of Rudra as Mt. P. puts it. The elucidation of Påśhupata Yoga and the emphasis on Shiva Māhātmya made NP declare the attainment of Rudra’s abode as the fruit of listening to this Puraņa.

2. This Purāņa is reputed to comprise of twenty-four thousand3 verses. In the context of Shvetakalpa, holy rites (dharmas) have been described herein by the wind-god. 

3. Though Vayu, Mt. P., Bh. P and NP declare 24000 as the total number of verses in the Vayu, AP gives the 14000 as the number of verses, while according to the Devibhagavata it is 24,600 verses. 

Actually the Anandāśhrama edition contains 10,991 verses. It appears that sections like Revă Mähátmya and other Mähatmyas which were originally in the Vayu P. when the NP wrote this chapter, later got separated as independent works (Pusalkar - Studies in Epics and Puranas (SEP).-P. 7a). Pusalkar opines that thc Väyu is a Mahåpurăņa while the Shiva Purana is an Upa-Purana (ibid 77). 

3-6. This Vayaviya Purana has two sections. (In the first section) the characteristics of creation etc. are mentioned in details. Kings and their dynasties in different Manvantaras have been recounted. The killing of the demon Gaya4 described in detail. The importance and glory of (different months and of) the month of Māgha in yielding (religious) merits is mentioned. The merit accruing from charitable gifts and the duties of the kings have been described in detail. The precise description of the beings wandering over the Earth, nether worlds, quarters and the firmament is made therein and all the holy vows and observances etc. are mentioned. Thus the first Section has been stated in brief. 

4. Kane (HD, vii p 906) and other scholars regard this Gaya Mähatmya as a later addition to counter-balance the Shaiva bias in such chapters as 20.31-35, 24.91-165 (Sarva Stotra), 101. 215. 33 etc. 

7-9. In the latter section, there is the description of the holy river Narmadā.1 O leading sage, Shiva’s Samhită (compendium) is mentioned in detail. The eternal Deity who is inscrutable to all the Devas stays perpetually on the banks of Narmadā wholeheartedly. The waters of Narmadă are identical with Brahma, Hari, himself, the great Hara, the formless Brahman and the Kaivalya (salvation) itself. 

1. VV 7-15: The Printed Texts (both Anandăśhrama and Guru Mandal (GM) editions) do not give the chapters pertaining to the Revå Måhåtmya which might have been there when the NP was written. Instead of the division Púrvardha and Ultarardha as given in thc NP (of the Vayu-Puraņa) the Vayu itself (in ch. 103.44) states that it has four sections (Padas) viz. (1) Prakriya (2) Anuşhanga (3) Upodghåta and (4) Upasamhara and it calls the Purāņa as Four-tooted Puraņa narrated by Väyu’ in the next verse (ibid 103.45) 

The Anandáśhrama edition gives the following division of chapters: 1. Prakriya (chs 1-6) (2) Anuşhanga (chs. 7-64) 3. Upodghita (chs. 65-99) (Upasamhåra (chs. 100-112) 

The contents given in the NP are to a great extent different from those in the Printed editions of the Vayu P. 

10. Verily Revā, (this Narmadā) is a certain Shakti in the form of a river which has been brought forth from his own body by Shiva for the benefit of the worlds. 

11. Those who live on its northern bank are the followers of Rudra. Those who reside on the Southern bank go to the world of Vişhņu. 

12. Beginning with Omkāreśhvara and ending with the Western ocean, there are thirty-five confluences with other rivers that destroy sins. 

13. There are eleven confluences on the Northern bank (the northern side) and twenty-three in the Southern bank (from the south) and the confluence of Reva with the ocean is the thirty-fifth. 

14. Together on both the banks of Revā, there are four hundred famous holy centres inclusive of the confluences. 

15. O leading sage, there are sixty crores and sixty thousand holy centres at every step on both the banks of the Revā. 

16. This Samhità (compendium) of Shiva the great Atman, is very meritorious. In this the story of the river Narmadā has been detailed by Väyu. 

17-18a. He who writes this Purāņa and gives the manuscript with great devotion to a Brāhmaṇa householder on the full moon day in the month of Śhrāvana along with jaggery and a cow, lives in the world of Rudra as long as fourteen Indras rule over the Heaven. 

18b-20. The man who narrates this Vāyaviya Purāņa or listens to this, regularly, restricting his diet to cooked rice consecrated with ghee, is undoubtedly Rudra Himself. He who listens to or reads this index (or the contents of this Purāņa) shall obtain the benefit of listening to the entire Purāņa.