There are eighteen major Puranas or mahapuranas, the word 'maha', meaning great. There are also several other minor Puranas or upapuranas, the word 'upa' signifying minor. Amongst the eighteen mahapuranas, the Matsya Purana is number sixteen.

Duryodhan, the crest jewel of the Kaurava race, along with his younger brothers and warriors like Bhisma, Drona, Karna and others, breathed his last in the great Mahabharata war. On the other hand, the Pandavas and their wife Draupadi started for their eternal journey to the heavenly planets. In order to end the mal-administration, growing lack of discipline and anarchy of the past days and to re-establish religious truth, Lord Sri Krishna, the King of Dwaraka, destroyed His own race. Later, Sri Krishna was struck by the poisonous arrow of hunter Jara Savar.

Agni said: I will now describe the fruits of making temples for the residence of Vasudeva and other deities. He who attempts to erect temples for gods is freed from the sins of a thousand births. Those who think of building a temple in their minds are freed from the sins of a hundred births. Those who approve of a man's building a temple for Krishna go to the region of Acyuta [Vishnu] freed from sins.

The National Mission for Manuscripts completed its fourth year on 7 February 2007. Established by the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India, the Mission was established with the objective of creating a national resource base for manuscripts scattered across the country.

The Srimad Bhagavataof Vyasadeva is accepted by the majority of scholars as a famous Mahapurana of India. This great Sanskrit work consists of eighteen thousand slokas and those are divided into twelve cantos (skandhas). The scholars opine that this work was first written in south India in the seventh century AD.

The Nilamata is a Kashmiri Purana referred to by Kalhana as one of the sources of the ancient history of Kasmira. Buhler, whom goes the credit of saving its manuscripts, states on page 41 of his Report, "It great value lies therein that it is a real mine of information regarding the sacred places of Kashmir and their legends which are required to explain the Rajatarangini and that it shows how Kalhana has used his sources".

Recently a team comprised of delegates from the National Mission for Manuscripts and National Informatics Centre visited Majuli islands in Assam to attend a state level workshop on 'Manuscriptology & Preventive Conservation'. The purpose of the visit was to assess the ground realities for launching a digitization program of manuscripts kept in satras. Majuli has been an important religious and cultural hot spot of Assam for nearly five hundred years and a storehouse of a large number of manuscripts.

Om. O Supreme Personality of Godhead, may we hear auspiciousness with our ears. May we see auspiciousness with our eyes. May we perform yajnas with steady limbs. May we offer prayers. May we spend our lives employing these bodies in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Om. May the glorious Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme monarch, grant auspiciousness to us.

Om. O Supreme Personality of Godhead, may we hear auspiciousness with our ears. May we see auspiciousness with our eyes. May we perform yajnas with steady limbs. May we offer prayers. May we spend our lives employing these bodies in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Om. May the glorious Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme monarch, grant auspiciousness to us.

Hari Om. O Lord Hari, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I pray that by Your mercy my limbs, words, life-breath, eyes, ears, bodily strength, and all my senses may become strengthened and enlivened. I pray that I may never abandon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is described in the Upanishads, and who is the source of everything that exists. I pray that the Supreme Personality of Godhead may never abandon me.

Today we begin an eight-part series of the second section of Garuda Purana, translated by S.V. Subrahmanyam and E. Wood in 1911. Garuda Purana is one of the Vishnu Puranas, being comprised of a dialog between Lord Vishnu and Garuda, the King of Birds and Visnu's vahana (transcendental carrier).

Markandeya Purana, one of the 18 Vedic puranas, is comprised of a dialogue between the sage Jaimini and the sage Markandeya. This purana has no sectarian content, being essentially neutral to Vishnu, Shiva, and other aspects and expansions of the Lord.

It is said in the Uttara Khanda of the Padma, that the Puranas, as well as other works, are divided into three classes, according to the qualities which prevail in them. Thus the Vishnu, Naradiya, Bhagavata, Garuda, Padma, and Varaha Puranas, are Satwika, or pure, from the predominance in them of the Satwa quality, or that of goodness and purity. They are, in fact, Vaishnava Puranas.

brahma muraari suraarchita lingam
nirmala bhashita shobhita lingam
janmaja dukha Vinaashaka lingam
tat pranamaami sadaa shiva lingam

I bow before that Sada Shiva Linga, which is adored by Brahma, Vishnu and other Gods, which is praised by pure and holy speeches and which destroys the cycle of births and deaths.

Once upon a time the subduer of the Shakas went towards Himatunga and in the middle of the Huna country (Hunadesh - the area near Manasa Sarovara or Kailash mountain in Western Tibet), the powerful king saw an auspicious man who was living on a mountain. The man's complexion was golden and his clothes were white. The king asked, 'Who are you sir?' 'You should know that I am Isha Putra, the Son of God'. he replied blissfully, and 'am born of a virgin.'

This is one of the rare stotras written by Adi Sankara Bhagavat Pada identifying himself with Lord Shiva and clearly explaining his theory of non-dualism. It is mellifluous and has remarkable tempo. There is a story that one of his disciples started saying Shivoham like the Acharya without understanding its significance. The Acharya visited the black smith’s house and happily drank one tumbler of molten iron and ordered the disciple to do so. Naturally he was not able to do it. The Acharya told him that as for himself  the  molten iron or ice cold water are not different because he has realized that he is no different from Lord Shiva, And till  the disciple attains that state, there is no point in his repeating Shivoham i.e “I am Shiva”.

This brochure contains the essence of true Vaishnavism as revealed in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Geeta, the Bhagavata etc., and their teachings put into practice by Shri Chaitanya Deva.

A devout Hindu believes that if he reads Ramayana (The story of Rama) daily, he would be nearing God. He also would like to meditate on the name 'Rama', so that all his sins are washed off. Nama Ramayana is the story of Rama written for this purpose. Apart from condensing the story, it helps the devotees to meditate on the different sterling aspects of Rama. Here is a translation in English to help the devotees to do just that.

Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada was born at Kalady in Kerala in a Namboodiri Family. His mother was Aryamba and his father died very early. When he wanted to take up sanyasa very much against the will of her mother, she finally agreed with a condition, that He should be present near her death bed and also he should perform the obsequies. Sankara agreed for this and took up Sanyasa. When he was at Sringeri, he realized that his mother was nearing death and by the power given to him by God reached there immediately. He was near his mother at the time of her death and also performed the funeral ceremonies. It was at this time he wrote this five slokas which came out deep from his mind.

Mahalakshmi, who is the consort of Vishnu is worshipped as goddess of wealth by the Hindus. In the beginning of creation she took form from the left side of Vishnu and was later born again from the sea of milk, when the devas churned it for getting nectar. She resides on the chest of Maha Vishnu as 'Sri Vatsa'. It was she who took birth as Seetha and Rukmani. This very simple prayer is very ancient and has been chanted by generations for solving all their problems.