The word Purana literally means ancient,  and it is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends  and other traditional lore. The Puranas are known for the intricate layers of symbolism depicted within their stories. Composed primarily in  #Sanskrit, but also in Tamil and other Indian languages . Several of these texts are named after major #Hindu deities such as #Vishnu,  #Shiva, #Brahma and #Shakti.  The Puranic literature is encyclopedic, and it includes diverse topics such as cosmogony, cosmology, genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings,  heroes, sages, and demigods, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, grammar, mineralogy, humor, love stories, as well as  theology and philosophy.The content is highly inconsistent across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts  which are themselves inconsistent.  #Vyasa, the narrator of the #Mahabharata, is hagiographically credited as the compiler of the Puranas. The ancient tradition suggests that  originally there was but one Purana. #Top5indianpodcast #indiapodcast #ashishpmishrapodcast #puranas #hinduculture #sanatandharma  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ashish-p-mishra/support