Agnimahapuranam: Sanskrit Text with English Translation

by K.L Joshi (Ed.)

Agni Purana occupies an important place among the most popular works in the Mahapuranas exceptionally for its scientific tracts. It is also called Agneya-Purana and is narrated by Suta (Lomaharsana), a disciple of Vyasa, who received it from Vasistha to whom it was communicated by Agni. It consists of sixteen thousand stanzas distributed in three hundred and eighty-three chapters.

The contents of this Purana clearly show that it has no sectarian leaning. It impartially treats of Vaisnava, Saiva and Sakta form of worship. It is more a compendium of Sanskrit learning than the advocacy of any particular form of religion. The early chapters of this Purana describe the Avataras and in those of Rama and Krishna, avowedly follow the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The chapters on medicine, material-medica and pharmacy as well as those on the treatment of elephants and horse diseases are highly interesting. It is a very interesting account and will prove highly useful to the readers. It can virtually be regarded as an encyclopedia of Hinduism, teaching as it does among others many subjects such as cosmogony, religion, law and much legendary matter etc. which, to a Hindu, assumes the value of history and geographical matter such as description of various places of pilgrimage. This Purana also teaches archery, medicine, rhetoric, prosody and grammar.