Ādityapurāṇa

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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 :

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]

  1. Matsyapurāna 53.62
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore