Kurma Purana
Encyclopedia
The Kurma Purana
The Kurma Purana ' onMouseout='HidePop("17456")' href="/topics/Puranas">Mahapurana
, a genre of Hindu
religious texts. It is believed to have been directly narrated by the Lord Vishnu
to the sage Narada
, and it contains the details about the Kurma
Avatar
. Narada is believed to have stated the contents of this Puranas to Suta, who narrated this Purana to an assembly of great sages.
According to the tradition, the originally consisted of four s (sections): the , the , the and the . The extant text would correspond to the .
The (I.106. 1-22) gives a brief overview of these four sections. According to this work, the consisted of 6,000 s (verses) and its contents agrees completely with the extant . The consisted of 4,000 s and was divided into five s (sub-sections). It was also known by the sobriquet the . This section had dealt with the duties of the Brahmin
s, Kshatriya
s, Vaishya
s, Shudra
s and the mixed castes. The had 2,000 s and was divided into six s. This section had dealt with the six magic acts: , , stambhana, , and . The had 5,000 s and was divided into four s dealing with .
The Kurma Purana ' onMouseout='HidePop("17456")' href="/topics/Puranas">Mahapurana
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
, a genre of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
religious texts. It is believed to have been directly narrated by the Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
to the sage Narada
Narada
Narada or Narada Muni is a divine sage from the Vaisnava tradition, who plays a prominent role in a number of the Puranic texts, especially in the Bhagavata Purana, and in the Ramayana...
, and it contains the details about the Kurma
Kurma
In Hinduism, Kurma was the second Avatar of Vishnu. Like the Matsya Avatar also belongs to the Satya yuga.-Samudra manthan :...
Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
. Narada is believed to have stated the contents of this Puranas to Suta, who narrated this Purana to an assembly of great sages.
Contents
The printed editions of this text are divided into two s (parts), the and the . The has 53 chapters and the has 46 chapters.According to the tradition, the originally consisted of four s (sections): the , the , the and the . The extant text would correspond to the .
The (I.106. 1-22) gives a brief overview of these four sections. According to this work, the consisted of 6,000 s (verses) and its contents agrees completely with the extant . The consisted of 4,000 s and was divided into five s (sub-sections). It was also known by the sobriquet the . This section had dealt with the duties of the Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s, Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
s, Vaishya
Vaishya
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...
s, Shudra
Shudra
Shudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
s and the mixed castes. The had 2,000 s and was divided into six s. This section had dealt with the six magic acts: , , stambhana, , and . The had 5,000 s and was divided into four s dealing with .
Further reading
- Mani, Vettam. Puranic Encyclopedia. 1st English ed. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975.