40) The Agni Purana’s Virtues of the Purana

The last chapter of the Agni Purana describes three virtues of the Purana. The Agni Purana is most holy. It gives health and ends nightmares. It spreads happiness. Ill omens vanish from house where the Agni Purana is kept. A man who listens to the recital of the Agni Purana…

Continue reading

39) Agni Purana now recapitulates the essence of the Yama Gita

Yama Gita There  was  a  king  named  Vajashrava.  His  son  was  Nachiketa.  Vajashravas  arranged  for  a wonderful sacrifice at which he gave away all his wealth. Nachiketa asked, “Father, whom have you given me to?” His father did not reply, but Nachiketa kept asking again and again. At this, Vajashravas…

Continue reading

37) The Knowledge Of The Brahman – AGNI PURANA

 Brahma jnana is the knowledge of Brahman. This knowledge, which gives the ultimate bliss, is nothing but the sense that the individual  atman is identical with the universal Brahman or Paramatman. The physical body is not the atman. Nor are the senses the atman. The mind or intelligence is not…

Continue reading

36) Yoga, Pranayama & Dhyana in Agni purana

Yoga in puranas Yoga is the way to circumvent the miseries of life. True knowledge is that which informs one about the true nature of Brahman or Paramatman. The atman or jivatman is that which characteristics an individual. Yoga means union, it is the union of the jivatman with the…

Continue reading

35) Yama And Hell, Twenty Eight circles of hell – AGNI PURANA

Yama And Hell When human beings die, their physical bodies are given up. But they acquire new bodies that are known as  ativahika bodies.  In  these  bodies,  they are brought  to  Yama’s  abode  by Yama’s servants. Living beings other than human are not brought to Yama. Yama then decides whether…

Continue reading

34) Destruction – Periodically Pralayas

Periodically Pralayas

Periodically Pralayas (destructions) take place. A destruction comes at the end of four thousand yugas  on  earth.  For  a  hundred  years  there  are  no  rains  and  there  is  widespread  drought. Thereafter, Vishnu uses the rays of the sun to drink and dry up all the waters that there are on…

Continue reading

33) Medicine

Dhanvantari was the physician of the gods and he taught Sushruta the art of ayurveda (medicine). The Agni Purana now describes what the sage Sushruta had learnt, that is, the treatment for various diseases. This does not simply mean the treatment of human illnesses. There is a section known as…

Continue reading

30) Property – AGNI PURANA

What happens to a person’s debts when he dies? If he does not have any sons, the person who inherits the property also inherits the debts and had to pay them off. If there is a son, the son pays the debts off. But a woman is not to be…

Continue reading

31) Donating the Puranas

The Agni Purana now describes the benefits of giving alms along with the Puranas. The Puranas are to be donated together with cows. And in talking of the mahaPuranas, the Agni Purana also mentions most of their length, in terms of the number of shlokas (couplets) that each has. This…

Continue reading

29) Dhanurveda meaning – AGNI PURANA

 The section on Dhanurveda is on arms and weapons. There are five types of weapons that are used in war. The first category is that of yantramukta weapons, released from a machine (yantra). This machine may be a launcher or even a bow. The second category is that of panimukta…

Continue reading

27) King decides to go out to battle – AGNI PURANA

Once a king decides to go out to battle, seven days are needed for preliminaries. On the first day, Vishnu, Shiva and Ganesha have to be worshiped. On the second day the dikpalas (guardians of all the directions) are worshiped, the Rudras on the third day, the planets and the…

Continue reading

26) Omens and Signs – AGNI PURANA

Omens and Signs Meanings If one is about to go out of the house, one should take care of any bad omens that there might be. Such bad omens are cotton, dried grass, cow dung, coal, molasses, leather, hair, a lunatic, a chandala, a widow, a dead body, ashes, bones…

Continue reading

24) The King – AGNI PURANA

The king’s duties are many. He has to punish his enemies, ensure the prosperity of his subjects and arrange that his kingdom is ruled well. He has to protect the sages who perform tapasya inside the boundaries of his kingdom. A king should appoint a wise brahmana as his priest….

Continue reading

23) Gayatri Mantra Benefits in Puranas

Gayatri Mantra Benefits in Puranas Gayatri mantra is a very powerful incantation. The human body has many veins. Out of these, ten veins are important and their names are Ida, Pingala, Sushumna, Gandhari, Hasti Jihva, Pritha, Yasha, Alambusha, Huha and Shankhini. These veins bear the breath of life. The breath…

Continue reading

22) Giving Alms – AGNI PURANA

Giving alms is extremely important as means for achieving punya. Alms always have to be donated when one goes to visit a temple or a place of pilgrimage. The giver must always face the east and the receiver must always face the north when alms are being given. Such donations…

Continue reading

21) Vratas in Hinduism – AGNI PURANA

Vrata – Fourteen Depending on the tithi (lunar day), the day of the week, the nakshatras (stars), the month, the season and the position of the sun, certain specific religious rites and ceremonies have to be performed. These are known as vratas. Pratipada The first day of the lunar fortnight…

Continue reading

19) Manu’s Dharma – Varna Ashrama Dharma – AGNI PURANA

Manu’s Dharma All the Manus practised the precepts of dharma (righteousness). This meant non-violence, truthfulness, piety, going on pilgrimages donating alms, serving devas and brahmanas, tolerance of all religions and the following of the sacred texts. It also meant the practice of the system of the four classes (varna) and…

Continue reading

18) Manu Manvantaras – AGNI PURANA

Manu Manvantaras Each manvantara (era) is rule over by a Manu. The first Manu was Svayambhuva. Shatakratu held the title of Indra during this manvantara. The second Manu was Swarochish. Vipashchita held the title of Indra during this manvantara. Third Manu was Uttama and Sushanti was Indra then. The fourth…

Continue reading

17) Astrology

The Agni Purana next gives a lot of information on astrology. It states when marriages should take place and when they should not. For example, marriages are never to be held in the months of Chaitra and Pousha or under the signs of Libra or Gemini. If one is going…

Continue reading

16) Seven Dwipas in Veda

Seven Dwipas in Veda The world is divided into seven regions (dvipas. Their names are Jambu, Plaksha, Shalmali, Kusha, Krouncha, Shaka, and Pushkara. The seven dwipas are surrounded by seven oceans and the names of these oceans are Lavana, Ikshu, Sura, Sarpih, Dadhi, Dugdha and Jala. Right in the center…

Continue reading

15) Places Of Pilgrimage

Place of pilgrimage (tirtha) A visit to a place of pilgrimage (tirtha) brings the same punya that is obtained from performing a yajna. It is because people had not gone on pilgrimages or donated gold and cows in their earlier lives that they were born poor in their next lives….

Continue reading

13) Agni story Creation of Universe – AGNI PURANA

Agni story Creation of Universe Agni next told Vashishtha the history of creation. Vishnu is the Lord of creation, preservation and destruction. Before creation, it was only the Brahman that was everywhere. There was no day, night or sky. First Vishnu created the waters. And in the waters he sowed the…

Continue reading

12) Kalki Avatar of Vishnu in Kalyug – AGNI PURANA

Kalki Avatar of Vishnu in Kalyug Kalki The tenth avatara of Vishnu will be Kalki. Towards the end of the Kali era, all people will be dastardly. They will oppose the Vedas, become robbers and will be concerned only with wealth. The disbelievers will then become kings and these kings…

Continue reading

11) Buddha Ninth Avatar of Vishnu – AGNI PURANA

Buddha Ninth Avatar of Vishnu Many years ago, there was a war between the devas and the asuras in which the demons managed to defeat the gods. The gods went running to Vishnu for protection and Vishnu told them that Mayamoha would be born as Buddha, the son of Suddhodana….

Continue reading

10) Mahabharat agni kand as in AGNI PURANA

Mahabharat Agni kand The Pandavas were merely a pretext. Krishna used the Pandavas to rid the world of evil men. You have already learnt that one of Yayati’s sons was Puru. In Puru’s line were born Bharata and Kuru. One of Kuru’s descendants was the king Shantanu. Shantanu married Ganga…

Continue reading

9) AGNI PURANA – Hari Vamsa Puranam in English

Hari Vamsa Puranam in English As you have already been told, Brahma emerged from Vishnu’s navel. Brahma’s son was Atri, Atri’s son Soma, Soma’s son Pururava, Pururavas son Ayu, Ayu’s son Nahusha and Nahushja’s son Yayati. Yayati had two wives, Devayani and Sharmistha. Devayani had two sons, Yadu and Turvasu….

Continue reading

8) Lord Rama Story in English – Brief story of Lord Rama

Lord Rama Story in English Brahma came out of Vishnu’s navel. Brahma’s son was Marichi’s son Kashyapa, Kashyapa son Surya, Surya’s son Vaivasvata Manu, Manu’s son Ikshvaku, Ikskhvakku’s son Kakutstha, Kakutstha’s son Raghu, Raghu’s son Aja, Aja’s son Dasharatha, Dasaratha’s sons were Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Since Rama was…

Continue reading

7) AGNI PURANA – Parashurama Avatar Story

Parashurama Avatar Story The kshatriyas were the second of the four classes. It was their job to wear arms and protect the world. And rule. The brahmanas were the first of the four classes. It was their job to pray, study the sacred texts and perform religious rites. But the…

Continue reading

6) AGNI PURANA Vamana Avatara- Dwarf Incarnation

Vamana Avatar of Vishnu in English Prahlada’s grandson was Bali and Bali became very powerful. When he was the king of the asuras, there was a war between the devas and the asuras. The gods were defeated and were driven off from svarga. As always, the gods fled to Vishnu…

Continue reading

2) AGNI PURANA – Matsya Avatara – Fish incarnation

Agni told Vashishtha the story of the fish incarnation. Many years ago, the whole world was destroyed. The destruction in fact extended to all the three lokas (worlds) of bhuloka, bhuvarloka and svarloka. Bhuloka is the earth, svarloka or svarga is heaven and bhuvarloka is a region between the earth…

Continue reading

1) AGNI PURANA – Ten Avataras of Vishnu Detailed

Preliminaries In  the forest  that  is  known as  Naimisharanya,  Shounak and  the other rishis  (sages)  were performing a yajna (sacrifice) dedicated to the Lord Vishnu. Suta had also come there, on his way to a pilgrimage. The sages told Suta, “We have welcomed you. Now describe to us that which…

Continue reading

LITERATURE AND GRAMMAR OF AGNI PURANA

Thereafter, the Agni Purana has many chapters on literature and grammar. It describes the different types of chhanda (metres) that are used in poetry. Next it discusses the alphabet. There are sixty-four letters (varna) in the alphabet, of which twenty-one are vowels (svara varna). There are three tones (svara) in…

Continue reading