The place of Purans in Sanatan Dharma

पुराण संश्रिताः पुण्याः कथा वा धर्म संश्रिताः । इतिवृत्तम् नरेन्द्राणाम् ऋषीणाम् च महात्मनाम् ॥ (महाभारत-१-५-पर्व)-यद् उवक्थानृतम् जिह्वया वृजिनम् बहु । राज्ञः त्वा सत्यधर्मणो मुञ्चामि वरुणाद् अहम् (अथर्ववेद 1.10.3)-(ब्रह्मसूत्र=अन्तः तत् धर्म उपदेशात्-1.1.20) (ते खलु इमे एवम् एव पूर्वैः आचार्यैः प्रोक्ताः धर्माः – संहितोपनिषद्-ब्राह्मण-67.3.23)

Purans [Old Memories] are not authoritative texts to understand or to interpret the Sanatan Dharma. Purans are not also in the category of Kavya (Ramayan) or Itihas (Mahabharat). Though the Puranas are collection of several memories of the ages connected therewith. The Purans in present forms available in the libraries are not free from interpolation. Having said so nonetheless some Hindu sampradaya[School] put immense in some particular Puran. Such as Bhagabata Puran accepted by the Gouriya Vaishnavas for their theological pursuits and poetical value of some verses are laudable.  Again Devi Mahatyam in Markandeya Purana got huge prominence in the Bengali Sakta Spirituality. Garuda and Agni Puranas are encyclopedias in the old period. these two books tried to collect almost everything available in the society.  Vishnu Purana provides some historical facts.

Now fixing the time of Puranas could be difficult, linguistic approach to catch the time could lead nowhere but it is settled that most of the mainstream Puranas were written and published in the present form before CE 200.

Sankaracharya [ CE 600-800] mentioned about Vishnu Purana.

A translation of Shri Vishnu Purana in English has been made by H. N. Wilson,which is not free from defect, but most of the Indian Sanskrit scholars candidly read original Sanskrit Texts and could easily detect the defects made by the western indologists.

Swami Dayananda never accepted Puranas and maintained as they are not authentic.

The Puranas

1. Agni Purana
2. Bhagavata Purana
3. Brahma Purana
4. Brahma Vaivarta Purana
5. Brahmanda Purana
6. Garuda Purana
7. Kurma Purana
8. Linga Purana
9. Markandeya Purana
10. Matsya Purana
11. Narada Purana
12. Padma Purana
13. Shiva Purana
14. Skanda Purana
15. Vamana Purana
16. Vishnu Purana

The Upa Puranas

1. Devi Bhagavata Purana
2. Kapila Purana
3. Nandi Purana
4. Narasimha Purana
5. Nilamata Purana
6. Parasaropa Purana
7. Samba Purana
8. Saura Purana
9. Vishnudharma Purana