The Skanda Purana Pt. XVI (AITM Vol. 64)

by Prof. J.L. Shastri

It is the biggest among Puranas. Named after Skanda, son of Siva, this Purana expounds doctrines and worship of Siva. It also contains legends of Siva, especially his battles with Daityas and Danavs. There are section of Yoga, Dhyana (Meditation) and Jnana (Knowledge). It describes Siva temples in and around Varanasi. It is encyclopaedic in character and throws light on different topics of general interest.

This Purana is divided in to Seven Khandas: Mahesvara, Brahma, Vaisnava, Kasi, Avantya, Nagara and Prabhasa. While the first three include episodes related to Trinity, the last four deal with the holy places of pilgrimage, the meaning and significance thereof and the anecdotes illustrating the same. Skanda is the biggest among the Mahapuranas. It is in 23 parts and starts with 49 Volume of the series on Ancient Indian tradition and mythology. So far 17 parts have been brought out. Remaining parts are in different stages of processing. Each volume contains about 300-400 pages and uniformly priced.