PREFACE
The Purāṇas have been a source of inspiration and
illumination to the Hindus since almost the proto-Indian
period. A Purāṇa means an'ancient' lore-let it be in the
field of legend, mythology or folklore. A very vast number
of such Purāṇas must have been current amongst the
people of ancient India. It was Vyāsa and the genera-
tions of his great disciples, that collected together all
these floating traditions, gave them a colour and form, and
built up the magnificent edifice of the twice-eighteen
Purāṇas and Upa-Purāṇas.
The Purăņas are replete with philosophic, mystic and
material lore of the Hindus. Unlike the Iliad of Homer,
the Puranic Ganges has been growing evermore on account
of its confluence with various other smaller rivers, streams
and brooklets of thought.
The Puranas are not a dry piece of poetry, but the
emotional side of man has richly prevailed in them through-
out. The forest, the autumn and spring, the battle-field, the
beauty of nature and man, along with his æsthetic and
philosophical outlook and mystic experiences - all these
have made a direct appeal to the Puranic poets like
Vaisampayana, Markandeya, Agastya and others. Here and
there are found interspersed in the Puranic net-work the
general words of wisdom. In fact the Puranic poetry is
unique in its elegance, grace and eloquent style. With
their usual deeper insight of a poet and the vision of a
mystic, the Purāṇikas have kept before us marvellous
specimens of their varied composition. They have been a
source of inspiration to the five Great Ācāryas like Sańkara,
Madhva, Rāmānuja, Nimbārka and Vallabha; to individual
mystics and Schools of Mysticism like the Väarakaris of