Puranas

The Puranas ('ancient lore') are the encyclopedias of Hindu tradition — they take the philosophical truths of the Vedas and Upanishads and bring them to life through stories of gods, kings, sages, and cosmic cycles. The 18 Mahapuranas and 18 Upapuranas cover creation, genealogies of deities, cosmology, geography, temple traditions, and dharmic conduct. Many Gitas in the tradition are embedded within Puranic narratives — the Devi Gita lives in the Devi Bhagavata Purana, the Ganesha Gita in the Ganesha Purana.