Read Brahma Purana Part 1 of 1 – Brahma Purana in English

Brahma Purana is considered to be the first Purana out of 18 Puranas, which are also called Mahapuranas.

Read Brahma Purana Part 1 of 1

There are 245 chapters in the entire Brahma Purana. There are about 10,000 verses in it.

What are the other names of Brahma Purana?

1. Brahma Purana is a text related to Lord Brahma who is equipped with Rajogun, therefore, this is also known as Rajas Purana.

2. Balambhatta has referred to it as Adi Purana (first Purana) in his commentary on the Mitakshara.

3. Also known as Saura Purana, because it includes many essential episodes related to Surya or the Sun God.

Brahma is the creator of the four Vedas. He is more popularly mentioned in the ancient Vedas and Puranas, and he is considered the main Vedic deity.

The hymns of the Vedas were created for the performance of the Yagyas.

Brahma Purana covers Cosmology, Mythology, Genealogy, Geography, Manavantara (Cosmic Time Cycles), & other topics such as the human race, deity, animal, earth, hell, heaven, temple, pilgrimage, etc.

In the Purana, the origin of creation, the origin of water, the appearance of Brahma, and the births of gods and demons have been described in detail.

The Purana also describes the Sun dynasty and the Moon dynasty. The description of the lineage of Yayati or Puru is also found.

The story of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna is also described by telling about the human race’s development from the Puru dynasty.

While describing the incarnation of Lord Rama-Krishna in the Brahma Purana, Avatarism has been explained.

The description of incarnations like Varaha Avatar, Vamana Avatar, etc. are found in this Purana.

Despite having written rich pieces of literature such as the Vedas, the Purāṇas and so on, Vyāsa felt an incompleteness at heart.

It was then that his guru Nārada Muni came to him and suggested that he write Brahma Purana in a way that bhakti yoga is repeatedly emphasized.

After writing the Purana, Vyāsadeva taught it to his son Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who later narrated it to King Parīkṣit in seven days.

Brahma Purana is named for the creator god Brahma, but he is barely mentioned. Some sources, though, believe he is one of the narrators of the text.

These Puranas on the basis of their language and material predate 3000 to 4000 years, and thus are relics of an ancient world, are full of wisdom and of religious rituals for those who follow the religion.

Not all Puranas are valued equally by different sects as Shaiva will value Shaiv Purana, and Vaishnav will value Vaishnav, but there are sects which overlap like Shaiv and Shakta among others.

The Translation of Brahma Purana in English was published in two parts by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, Delhi in 1955.

As you read, you will find The Brahma Purana comprise two parts: the Purvabhaga (Former Part) and the Uttarabhaga (Latter Part).

Out of 245 chapters, 18 chapters of the Purana cover Cosmology, Mythology, Genealogy, Manvantara (Cosmic Time Cycles) and topics that are required to make a text belong to the Puranic genre of literature.

Other chapters cover Sanskara (Rite Of Passage), a summary of Dharmasastra, its theories on the geography of the earth, a summary of Samkhya and Yoga theories of Hindu Philosophy, & other topics.

The Purana oscillates between being a work of geography with a focus on the holy sites of the River Godavari and being an encyclopaedic work of cosmology, genealogy and mythology.

Reading almost like a travel guide, it celebrates temples and sites related to Vishnu, Shiva and Devi as it focuses on places like modern-day Odisha and Rajasthan.

Brahma Purana is notable for dedicating over 60% of its chapters to the description of the geography and holy sites of the Godavari River Region.

These also include places in and around modern Odisha and tributaries of the Chambal River in Rajasthan.

These travel guide-like sections are non-sectarian and celebrate sites and temples related to Vishnu, Shiva, Devi and Surya.

This Purana also describes the Seven Continents (Sapta Dvipa) and sub-continents of the world, though some other land masses are not mentioned, those which are mentioned are called:

1. Jambu or Jambudvipa — It is the central one of the seven continents surrounding the Mountain Meru, so called either from the Jambu trees abounding it or from an enormous Jambu tree on Mount Meru visible like a standard to the whole continent.
2. Saka can be identified with Malaya, Siam, Indo-China and Southern China or the Southeastern corner of the land mass of which Jambudvipa occupied the centre.
3. Kusa contains Iran, Iraq and the southwestern corner of the land mass around Meru.
4. Plaksa is identified with the basin of the Mediterranean since Plaksa or the Pakhara tree is characteristic of warm temperate or Mediterranean lands identifiable with Greece and adjoining lands.
5. Puskara covers the whole of Japan, Manchuria and the south-eastern Siberia.
6. Salmala — the tropical part of Africa bordering the Indian Ocean on the West. It includes Madagascar which is the Hariṇa of the Puranas and the Samkhadvipa of some other writers who write similar scriptures.
7. Kraunca – Karunca is represented by the basin of the Black Sea.

Upadvipas (Sub-Continents):

1. Bharata
2. Kimpurusa
3. Harivarsa
4. Ramyaka
5. Hiranmaya
6. Uttarakuru
7. Ilavrta
8. Bhadrasva and
9. Ketumala

There are eight long mountain ranges which divide the island Jambu into 9 countries which look like nine petals of the lotus flower.

The two countries of the north and south extremities (Bhadra and Ketumala) are in a bow shape. The four of the remaining seven are longer than the rest. The central country is known as Ilavrta.

Out of 245 chapters, 18 chapters of The Brahma Purana cover the Cosmology, Mythology, Genealogy, Manvantara (Cosmic Time Cycles) and topics that are required to make a text belong to the Puranic genre of literature.

Other chapters cover Sanskara (Rite Of Passage), a summary of Dharmasastra, its theories on the geography of the earth, a summary of Samkhya and Yoga theories of Hindu Philosophy, and other topics.

While many chapters of The Brahma Purana praise temples and pilgrimage, chapters 38-40 of the text, a part of embedded Saura Purana.

These also present arguments that are highly critical of the theistic theories and devotional worship proposals of 13th-century Madhvacharya and Dvaita Vedanta sub-school of Hindu philosophies