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…
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…
Krishna lesson to arjun about Atma Krishna had taught Arjuna the lessons of the Gita on the plains of Kurukshetra. The Agni Purana now relates the essence of the Gita. If physical body is alive, that is no reason for rejoicing. Just as, if the physical body is dead, that…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Brahma was born from Vishnu’s navel. Brahma’s son was Mariachi, Marichi’s son Kashyapa and Kakshyapa’s son Vivasvan. From this line was descended Pururava and Pururavas descendants were the kings of the surya (solar) dynasty. Brahma also had a son named Atari and Atari had a son named Soma. Soma performed…
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…
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…
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…
Rama had once taught Lakshmana about the duties of a king. The Agni Purana now relates these precepts of Rama’s. The duties of king are fourfold. Firstly, he has to earn wealth. Secondly, he has to increase it. Thirdly, he has to protect it. And fourthly and finally, he has…
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…
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…
Some dreams are bad omens. In fact, they are nightmares. Examples are: dreams about grass or trees growing on one’s body, dreams in which the dreamer is shaven-headed or is wearing shabby clothes or dreams in which one is falling form above. It is also bad to dream of marriages,…
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….
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…
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…
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…
Prayashchitta If one commits a sin, one has to atone for it. This is known as prayaschitta. If one does not atone for the sins that one has committed, it is the king’s duty to punish the sinner. If one drinks from a well where the dead body of an…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
Agni story on how to Pray & Build Temples and Idols The Agni Purana next has several chapters on how to pray and on how to build temples and idols. The techniques of praying to Vishnu, Shiva, Surya and the other gods and goddesses are described, including the special mantras…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
Narasimha Avatar story in English Hiranyaksha had a brother named Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was furious to learn that his brother had been killed and the resolved to kill Vishnu. But this could not be done unless h e himself became powerful land invincible. Hiranyakashipu, therefore, began to pray to Brahma through…
Varaha Avatar of Vishnu Vishnu’s next incarnation was in the form of a boar. The sage Kashyapa and his wife Diti had a son named Hiranyaksha. He became the king of the asuras. Hiranyaksha meditation pleased Brahma and Brahma granted him the boon that he would be invincible in battle….
Kurma Avatar of Vishnu Many years ago there was a war between the devas (gods) and the daityas (demons) and the gods lost this war. They prayed to Vishnu to rescue them from the oppression of the demons. Vishnu told Brahma and the other gods that they should have a…
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…
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…
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…