Vayu Purana

The Vayu Purana (Hindi: वायु पुराण) is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu (the wind god), containing about 24,000 shlokas.

Date

Banabhatta refers to this work in his "Kadambari" and "Harshacharita". In the "Harshacharita" he says that this text was read out to him in his native villageHazra, R.C. (1962). "The Puranas" in S. Radhakrishnan ed. "The Cultural Heritage of India", Vol.II, Calcutta: The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, ISBN 81-85843-03-1, pp.253-5]

Alberuni (973 -1048), the noted Persian scholar, describes eighteen Puranas in his works and Vayu Purana is said to have ranked as a sacred scripture, even prior to 600 AD [ [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V02_307.gifIndian Empire] The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 2, p. 272.] .

Contents

The extant text is divided into four padas (parts): "Prakriya-pada" (chapters 1-6), "Anushanga-pada" (chapters 7-64), "Upodghata-pada" (chapter 65-99) and "Upasamhara-pada" (chapters 100-112). The "Gayamahatmya" (chapters 105-112), praising the Gaya tirtha in Magadha is not found in all the manuscripts of this work and also found sepaarately as an independent work.Hazra, R.C. (1962). "The Puranas" in S. Radhakrishnan ed. "The Cultural Heritage of India", Vol.II, Calcutta: The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, ISBN 81-85843-03-1, pp.253-5]

The Vayu Purana deals with the following topics: creation and re-creation of the universe; measurement of the "Kala" (time); Origin of Agni, Varuna and a number of gods; origin and descendants of Atri, Bhrigu, Angiras and some other sages, "daitya"s, "rakshasa"s, "gandharva"s and "pitr"s; origin of animals, birds, trees and creepers; genealogies of the ancient kings descended from Vaivasvata Manu and Ila and the kings of Kaliyuga ending with the Gupta dynasty; detailed geography of the earth divided into seven dvipas and further sub-divided into the "varshas"; accounts of inhabitants of different "dvipa"s; names and descritption of the seven "Patala"s (netherworlds); description of the solar system and the movements of the celestial bodies; description of the four yugas and fourteen manvantaras. It also contains chapters on music, various "shakha"s of the Vedas, Pashupata-yoga, duties of the people belong to different castes and funeral rites.Hazra, R.C. (1962). "The Puranas" in S. Radhakrishnan ed. "The Cultural Heritage of India", Vol.II, Calcutta: The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, ISBN 81-85843-03-1, pp.253-5]

Referneces

Further reading

*Mani, Vettam. "Puranic Encyclopedia". 1st English ed. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975.

External links

* [http://texts.00.gs/Vayu_Purana.htm The "Vāyu Purāna" text]