The Upapuranas

01Beside the eighteen

The Kurma Purana, after naming the eighteen Mahapuranas, says that other Puranas, the Upapuranas, were told by the munis who heard them, and names eighteen. Elsewhere it says that Vyasa told the eighteen and his disciples told the rest. Upa means near, beside. These are the Puranas that stand next to the great ones: many shorter, some longer, often given to a single deity, a single land or a single practice. They carry the same marks, creation, lineage and the rest, but the weight usually falls on worship. Temples, sampradayas and whole regions draw their rites from them.

02The Kurma's list

The Kurma's list runs: the Sanatkumara, the Narasimha, the Skanda told by Kumara, the Shivadharma told by Nandi, the Durvasas, the Naradiya, the Kapila, the Manava, the Aushanasa, the Brahmanda, the Varuna, the Kalika, the Maheshvara, the Samba, the Saura, the Parashara, the Maricha and the Bhargava. Other Puranas give lists of their own, and the names do not always agree; the Ganesha, the Mudgala, the Devi Bhagavata, the Kalki and the Vishnudharmottara appear in some lists and not in others. In another kalpa, the tradition says, the arrangement was told differently. Each list is honoured where it is read.

03The Devi Bhagavata

Twelve skandhas and 18,000 shlokas, told by Vyasa to Janamejaya, on the glory of Adi Parashakti. It tells of the Devi's victory over Mahisha, Shumbha and Nishumbha, of Vishnu on the banyan leaf hearing her voice, of the Manidvipa where she dwells, and in the seventh skandha it holds the Devi Gita, her teaching to Himavan: I alone was, before all this. Shaktas count it as the Bhagavata among the Mahapuranas, and Vaishnavas count Shrimad Bhagavata there; each tradition reads its own with reverence. In many homes and Devi temples it is recited over the nine days of Navaratri.

04Ganesha's Puranas

For the Ganapatya tradition two texts stand above the rest. The Ganesha Purana, in its Upasana and Krida khandas, tells the avatars of Ganesha in the four yugas and holds the Ganesha Gita, his teaching to King Varenya. The Mudgala Purana describes eight avatars of Ganesha, from Vakratunda to Dhumravarna, each overcoming an asura who stands for a fault of the mind: Matsara, Mada, Moha, Lobha, Krodha, Kama, Mamata and Abhimana. Pilgrims of the Ashtavinayaka circuit near Pune hear these kathas at the eight shrines, beginning at Morgaon.

05The Narasimha Purana

Counted second in the Kurma's list, the Narasimha opens with a salutation to the divine lion with hair like molten gold and eyes like blazing fire. Its heart is Prahlada. Hiranyakashipu, mocking his son, asks why the Vishnu who is everywhere cannot be seen in the pillar before him. Prahlada bows; the pillar splits. Around that katha the Purana gives creation, the avatars, the Solar and Lunar lines, and the worship of Vishnu, with Markandeya's victory over death among its other kathas. Narasimha temples from Ahobilam to Simhachalam honour it, and Vaishnava acharyas cite it.

06Kamakhya and the Kalika Purana

The Kalika Purana belongs to Kamarupa. It tells how Sati gave up her body at Daksha's yajna, how Shiva wandered carrying it, and how the places where her body fell became pithas, with Kamakhya on the Nilachala hill above the Brahmaputra the greatest of them. It gives the rites of Devi worship in detail, the Durga Puja of autumn among them, and much of the Shakta practice of Assam and Bengal looks to it. Pilgrims who climb Nilachala for the Ambubachi Mela in Ashadha are coming to the pitha this Purana praises above all others.

07Surya's Puranas, and Samba

The Samba Purana tells of Samba, son of Shri Krishna and Jambavati, struck by a skin disease through a curse, who was healed by worshipping Surya and built a temple to him beside the Chandrabhaga river. It gives the forms of Surya, his worship, and the priests brought to serve him. The Saura Purana, despite its name, is spoken by Surya and is chiefly in praise of Shiva; Surya teaches the worship of the Lord he himself adores. Both appear in the Kurma's list. The Bhavishya Purana's Brahma Parva shares much of Samba's katha, and the sun temples of Multan and Konark are linked to it by tradition.

08Kashmir, painting and the coming avatar

Some Upapuranas belong to a land or an art. The Nilamata Purana tells how Kashmir was the lake Satisar, how Kashyapa had it drained and the Naga Nila became its lord, and gives the festivals of the Kashmiri year; Kalhana used it for his Rajatarangini. The Vishnudharmottara, in three khandas of Markandeya's teaching to King Vajra, holds the Chitrasutra, among the oldest Sanskrit treatises on painting, with chapters on dance, music and image-making beside it. The Kalki Purana tells of the avatar to come at the close of the Kali Yuga, born at Shambhala and taught by Parashurama.

09How they are read

No one reads the Upapuranas as a set. A family hears the Devi Bhagavata in Navaratri; Ashtavinayaka pilgrims hear the Mudgala's avatars; a Kashmiri Pandit household keeps festivals by the Nilamata; a Shakta priest at Kamakhya follows the Kalika's rites; a student of Indian painting opens the Chitrasutra. Gita Press publishes the Devi Bhagavata in Sanskrit with Hindi, and the Venkateshvara Press printed several of the others. The Narasimha, the Vishnudharmottara and the Devi Gita are on the GRETIL digital library, from which the verses here are checked. Each lives where its devotees are.

What it contains

1. 1
   Devi Bhagavata देवीभागवतम्

   Twelve skandhas on Adi Parashakti, told by Vyasa to Janamejaya. The seventh skandha holds the Devi Gita, her teaching to Himavan. Shaktas count it among the Mahapuranas, and it is recited through Navaratri.

2. 2
   Ganesha Purana गणेशपुराणम्

   Two khandas, Upasana and Krida, on Ganesha's worship and his avatars in the four yugas. The Krida Khanda holds the Ganesha Gita, taught to King Varenya. It is the scripture of the Ganapatya sampradaya.

3. 3
   Mudgala Purana मुद्गलपुराणम्

   The eight avatars of Ganesha, Vakratunda, Ekadanta, Mahodara, Gajanana, Lambodara, Vikata, Vighnaraja and Dhumravarna. Each overcomes an asura who is a fault of the mind. Ganapatya teachers read it as a map of inner sadhana.

4. 4
   Narasimha Purana नृसिंहपुराणम्

   Second in the Kurma's list. The Narasimha avatar and Prahlada, with creation, the dynasties and Vishnu worship. Markandeya's katha is also told here.

5. 5
   Kalika Purana कालिकापुराणम्

   Sati, the pithas and the worship of Devi at Kamakhya, with the rites of Shakta puja and of autumn Durga Puja. It shapes Shakta practice in Assam and Bengal. It is in the Kurma's list.

6. 6
   Samba Purana साम्बपुराणम्

   Samba, son of Shri Krishna, healed by worshipping Surya, builds his temple by the Chandrabhaga. The forms and worship of Surya follow. Sun temples trace their traditions to it.

7. 7
   Saura Purana सौरपुराणम्

   Spoken by Surya, chiefly in praise of Shiva. Surya teaches the worship of the Lord he himself adores. It shows the Sun and Mahadev honoured together.

8. 8
   Vishnudharmottara विष्णुधर्मोत्तरम्

   Three khandas of Markandeya's teaching to King Vajra, Krishna's great-grandson. The third holds the Chitrasutra on painting, with dance, music and image-making. It is cited wherever the old Indian arts are taught.

9. 9
   Nilamata Purana नीलमतपुराणम्

   Kashmir: the lake Satisar drained by Kashyapa, the Naga Nila as lord of the land, and the festivals of the Kashmiri year. Kalhana drew on it for the Rajatarangini. Kashmiri Pandits still keep festivals it names.

10. 10
    Kalki Purana कल्किपुराणम्

    The avatar Kalki, to be born at Shambhala at the close of the Kali Yuga. Parashurama teaches him, and he restores dharma for the Krita age to return. It is read as the hope at the end of the age.

Famous verses

कापिलं मानवं चैव तथैवोशनसेरितम्। ब्रह्माण्डं वारुणं चाथ कालिकाह्वयमेव च॥

The Kapila, the Manava, and that told by Ushanas; the Brahmanda, the Varuna, and the one called the Kalika.Kurma Purana 1.1.19 (GRETIL ed.), from its list of the eighteen Upapuranas

अहमेवास पूर्वं तु नान्यत्किञ्चिन्नगाधिप। तदात्मरूपं चित्संवित्परब्रह्मैकनामकम्॥

The Devi to Himavan: I alone was in the beginning, O lord of mountains, and nothing else. That was my own form, pure consciousness, known by the one name Parabrahman.Devi Gita 2.2 = Devi Bhagavata 7.32.2 (GRETIL ed.)

तप्तहाटककेशान्त ज्वलत्पावकलोचन। वज्राधिकनखस्पर्श दिव्यसिंह नमोऽस्तु ते॥

You whose mane is molten gold, whose eyes are blazing fire, whose claws strike harder than the thunderbolt: divine Lion, salutation to you.Narasimha Purana 1.2 (GRETIL ed., Siddheswar Jena)

त्वयोक्तं स हि सर्वत्र कस्मात्स्तम्भे न दृश्यते। यदि पश्यामि तं विष्णुमधुना स्तम्भमध्यगम्॥

Hiranyakashipu to Prahlada: You said he is everywhere; why then is he not seen in this pillar? If I now see that Vishnu inside the pillar...Narasimha Purana 44.10 (GRETIL ed., Siddheswar Jena)