Introduction by Sri Chinmoy “The Puranas are traditional stories
and teachings based on the spiritual philosophy of the Vedas and
the Upanishads. There are eighteen Puranas. Their author was the
great sage Vyasa who also dictated the Mahabharata. Millions and
billions of people have heard these inspiring stories, anecdotes
and parables. They deal mostly with the cosmic gods and
goddesses. Quite a few stories show how the gods and goddesses
used to curse each other in the twinkling of an eye. Other
stories, especially stories about Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva,
reveal their struggle for supremacy. “The major difference
between the Vedas and the Puranas is that the Vedic gods
represent the cosmic attributes of the One, while the Puranic
gods represent His human attributes. “The Puranas present
Hinduismin an easy, interesting, charming and convincing manner.
They contain none of the esoteric or philosophical content of
the older sacred works, the Vedas and the Upanishads. These
stories are funnier than the funniest.