Description Set of three books containing Brahma, Padma, Vishnu, Shiva, Bhagavata, Narada, Markandeya, Agni, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta, Linga, Varaha, Skanda, Vamana, Kurma, Matsya, Garuda, Brahmanda, & Vayu Purana. The Puranas are texts sacred to Hinduism. You must have heard of the two great epics, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. The Mahabharata states that there are eighteen Puranas and also names three of them, The Markandeya Purana, The Vayu Purana and the Matsya Purana. Although the Ramayana does not mention any Puranas by name, The word Purana has is mentioned serval times. This means that the composer of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata were familiar with the Puranas. the Puranas are thus very ancient texts. The word Purana actually means very old or ancient. The two epics and the Puranas are referred to as Itihasa. the word Itihasa means ‘that is what happened’, that is history. Thus, the stories described in the two epics and the Puranas are believed to have happened in the past. Sometimes the Puranas are also referred to as the fifth Veda. The Vaya Purana states that the Puranas were originally recited by the great god Brahma and that one has to understand the Puranas if one is to appreciate the sacred texts of the Vedas and the Upanishads.
