The Naradiya Purana or Narada Purana is one of the major eighteen Mahapurana

Mahapurana

Mahapurana may refer to:* one of the 18 major Hindu Puranas*Mahapurana , a well-known 9th century Jain text by Jinasena...

s, 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 deals with the places of pilgrimages. It is in the style of dialogue between 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 Sanatkumara

Sanatkumara

Sage Sanatkumara was one of the Four Kumaras, the four Manasputras or spiritual sons of Brahma according to Puranic texts of Hinduism, including the Bhagavata Purana, whose other sons were Sanaka, Sanatana, and Sanandana . Sanatkumara in Sanskrit means "eternal youth"....

. During the course of the dialogue between the two, Narada explains to Sanatkumara the major places of piligrimages, their location, and significance.

Contents

The printed editions of this text are divided into two parts. The first part, which incorporates the entire Brihannaradiya Purana consists 125 chapters. Chapters 92–109 contain detailed information regarding the contents of the eighteen extant principal Puranas. The second part consists 82 chapters.

Narratives from Narada Purana

Narada Purana contains some of the famous stories that are well-known and that occur in other puranas also. Some of the important stories narrated by Narada are:

Story of Markandeya

Markandeya

Markandeya

Markandeya is an ancient rishi from the Hindu tradition, born in the clan of Bhrigu Rishi. He is celebrated as a devotee of both Shiva and Vishnu and is mentioned in a number of stories from the Puranas...

 is a son of Sage Mrikandu, who is born with the grace of Lord Vishnu. He become as very great devotee of Lord Vishnu and composed a purana which goes by his name as Markandeya Purana

Markandeya Purana

The Markandeya Purana is one of the major eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of Hindu religious texts. It is written in the style of a dialogue between the ancient sage Markandeya and Jaimini, a disciple of Vyasa.-Contents:...

. Vishnu grants him a boon so that Markandeya lives eternally, so much so that he even survives the Pralaya (end of cosmic cycle).

This account as narrated in Narada Purana differs from the popular story (as it occurs in Linga purana) that Markandeya was a devotte of Lord Shiva and overcomes death with the grace of Lord Shiva.

Further reading

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

External links

• Synopsis of Narada Purana