The Agni Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas and is one of the Puranas meant for those in the mode of goodness. This is clear from the fact that on practically every page, the fact that Lord Visnu is devadeva, or the Lord of all other lords. He is the supreme objective of all spiritual practices, and devotion unto Him is the practice that qualifies one for liberation from material existence. This is especially evidenced by how the Agni Purana talks about the pastimes of Lord Ramacandra and Lord Krsna. And at the end, there is a nice summary of the Bhagavad-gita spoken by Lord Krsna.
In this Purana, there are very few stories, unlike the other Purana which are full of stories. Because of this, you will find a few stories in this telling of the highlights from the Agni Purana. Instead of innumerable histories, in this Purana, there are vast descriptions of countless holy places of pilgrimage and the practices to be engaged in while visiting them. And there are very extensive treatises on astrology, dreams, Sanskrit grammar and pronunciation, military science, and medicine. Considering this, those who might be interested in astrology or Ayur-veda could consult the original texts if they can also find someone to accurately translate them.
There is an elaborate story about the origin of the celebrated holy place, Gaya, which is situated in the present Indian state of Bihar, a story which I have not encountered in any other Purana. There is also a very technical description of the Astanga-yoga system and the cakras within the subtle body. The original text could also be consulted by those who are interested in such things.
For those who are interested in the interpretation of dreams, there is a long section from which I have taken just a few interesting examples. There is a description of how bows and arrows should be made, and I did not include that in this text.
Although there are not many histories related here, there are ample words of wisdom on a great variety of moral issues that certainly make this book of interest.
My dear readers, this book was taken from a translation which did not appear in any bona fide disciplic succession, and so it is certainly far from perfect. Still, I have presented everything in such a way that it never clashes with the teaching of the authorized acaryas.
Vedas (1261)
Upanishads (526)
Puranas (643)
Ramayana (783)
Mahabharata (388)
Dharmasastras (174)
Goddess (545)
Bhakti (252)
Saints (1881)
Gods (1324)
Shiva (419)
Journal (181)
Fiction (71)
Vedanta (395)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist