Purana – Set Of 12 Books

This set includes 12 volumes – Puranas translations by Shri Bibek Debroy Ji :

1. Vishnu Purana
2. The Markandeya Purana
3. The Brahma Purana (Vol 1 & 2)
4. The Bhagavata Purana (Vol 1, 2 & 3)
5. The Shiva Purana ( Vol 1,2 & 3)
6. Brahmanda Purana ( Vol 1 & 2 )

Details:

• The Vishnu Purana is part of a series of eighteen sacred Hindu texts known collectively as the Puranas. It occupies a prominent position among the ancient Vaishnava Puranas which recount tales of creation and the many incarnations of Lord Vishnu. It describes the four classes of society, the four stages of life, and key astronomical concepts related to Hinduism.
• A marvellous amalgam of mythology and metaphysics, the Markandeya Purana unfolds as a series of conversations, in which the sage Markandeya is asked to answer some deeper questions raised by events in the Mahabharata. These illuminating exchanges evolve into a multi-faceted exploration of the core concepts of Hindu philosophy-from an excellent exposition of yoga and its unique attributes to a profound treatise on the worship of the goddess, the Devi Mahatmya, which also includes the popular devotional texts known as ‘Chandi’ or ‘Durga Saptashati’.
  Brimming with insight and told with clarity, this luminous text is also a celebration of a complex mythological universe populated with gods and mortals, and contains within its depths many nested tales like that of Queen Madalasa and her famous song.
  Bibek Debroy’s masterful translation draws out the subtleties of the Markandeya Purana, enabling a new generation of readers to savour its timeless riches.
• The Brahma Purana is the first of a series of eighteen texts known collectively as the Puranas. These are counted amongst the foundational texts of Hinduism. The holy trinity of Brahma as the creator, Vishnu as the preserver and Shiva as the destroyer constitutes the central deities of this series and features in its narratives. Sometimes referred to as Adi Purana, Brahma Purana oscillates between being a work of geography with a focus on the holy sites of the River Godavari, and being an encyclopaedic work of cosmology, genealogy and mythology.
  Reading almost like a travel guide, it celebrates temples and sites related to Vishnu, Shiva and Devi as it focuses on places like modern-day Odisha and Rajasthan. Brimming with insight and told with clarity, this luminous text is a celebration of a complex mythological universe populated with gods and mortals, providing readers with an opportunity to truly understand Indian philosophy.
• A seamless blend of fable and philosophy, the Bhagavata Purana is perhaps the most revered text in the Vaishnava tradition. It brings to life the legends of gods, asuras, sages and kings-all the while articulating the crucial ethical and philosophical tenets that underpin Hindu spiritualism.
  The narrative unfolds through a series of conversations and interconnected stories. We are told how the sage Vyasa was inspired by Narada to compose the Bhagavata Purana as a means to illumine the path to a spiritual life. We learn of the devotion of Prahlada, the austerity of Dhruva, and the blinding conceit of Daksha. Also recounted are tales of the many incarnations of Vishnu, especially Krishna, whom we see grow from a beloved and playful child to a fierce protector of the faithful.
• The Shiva Purana is the fifth book in an eighteen-part series on the sacred Hindu texts known collectively as the Puranas. Translated with great rigor and precision, Bibek Debroy recounts the tales of creation and the many myths that surround Lord Shiva in twenty-four thousand shlokas and an introduction that simplifies the myth and history of the Puranas.
  Brimming with insight and clarity, this translation presents readers with an opportunity to truly understand classical Indian texts. Previous translations by Bibek Debroy include the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, the Brahma Purana, and the Vishnu Purana.
• Brahmanda Purana (Vol 1 & 2) : Among the eighteen classic Hindu texts called the Puranas, the Brahmanda Purana recounts the stories and lores associated with Brahma, the creator and one of the trinities of the supreme divinity along with Vishnu and Shiva. A relatively early Purana, its composition can be traced back to approximately 400 to 600 BCE, predating many other Hindu texts. Volume 1 of the two-volume set tells stories on creation, cosmology, and geography, with lineages of rishis and shraddha rites, ending with Parashurama’s story. Translated and annotated from the original Sanskrit by Bibek Debroy, this edition of the Brahmanda Purana is a precious and rare volume for the lovers of Hindu mythology and religion.

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