Ādityapurāṇa
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Swami Harshananda
Ādityapurāṇa literally means ‘purāṇa concerning Āditya or Sun-god’.
Purāṇas are a vast body of literature dealing with not only philosophical and religious subjects but also cultural and even mundane subjects. They are divided into two broad groups :
- The Mahāpurāṇas - the great, big or main purāṇas.
- The Upapurāṇas - the small or subsidiary purāṇas.
Ādityapurāna, a purāṇa dealing with the deity Āditya (Sun-god), is often mentioned in the latter group. The book itself is not available now, except for some quotations incorporated by the dharmaśāstra literature. These quotations concern the following subjects :
- Rājadharma - duties of the king
- Dāna - gifts
- Śrāddha - obsequial offerings
- Vrata - religious vows and observances
- Śauca - ceremonial purity
There is a reference about Ādityapurāṇa in Matsyapurāna[1] and Al-Biruni (A. D. 1030) mentioned this purāṇa.
References[edit]
- ↑ Matsyapurāna 53.62
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore