Devipurāṇa
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Sometimes transliterated as: Devipurana, DevipurANa, Devipuraana
The Devīpurāna is an Upapurāṇa belonging to the Śakti sampradaya, which mainly deals with the exploits of the Devī, especially as Vindhya-vāsinī. Devipurāṇa was probably composed in Bengal in the seventh century A. D.and the printed edition available now, is only a part of a much bigger original version. The method of the worship of the Devī mentioned in Devīpurāna is very different from that followed in present-day Bengal.
Content of Devīpurāna
The topics dealt by Devīpurāna include:
- Dexterity of Devī Vindhya-vāsinī
- Various stories connected with Devī’s incarnations
- Devī’s relationship with Śiva and other gods
- Śākta iconography
- Śākta vows
- Some cults of Śiva, Viṣṇu and Gaṇapati
- Construction of towns and forts
- Different Vedic schools
- The science of medicine
- Holy places
- Giving gifts
- Customs and usages of people
References
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore