The
Vishnu Purana is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and
medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the
Vaishnavism literature corpus. The manuscripts of Vishnu Purana have survived
into the modern era in many versions. More than any other major Purana, the
Vishnu Purana presents its contents in Pancalaksana format – Sarga
(cosmogony), Pratisarga (cosmology), Vamśa (genealogy of the gods, sages and
kings), Manvañtara (cosmic cycles), and Vamśānucaritam (legends during the
times of various kings). |