Purana

[ poo-rah-nuh ]

noun

1. any of 18 collections of Hindu legends and religious instructions.

Purana

/ pʊˈrɑːnə /

noun

1. any of a class of Sanskrit writings not included in the Vedas, characteristically recounting the birth and deeds of Hindu gods and the creation, destruction, or recreation of the universe

Derived Forms

• Puˈranic, adjective

Other Words From

• Pu·ranic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Purana¹

1690–1700; < Sanskrit: of old

Word History and Origins

Origin of Purana¹

C17: from Sanskrit: ancient, from purā formerly

Example Sentences

Gandhi, center, visiting a camp for Muslim refugees at the Purana Qila in New Delhi.

From New York Times

I could not say I lived on a doorstep off the Purana Bazaar.

From Literature

Her writing here is similar in texture to stories from the Indian epics and Puranas, a great body of classical literature mainly in Sanskrit, which have at times been invoked to narrow political ends.

From Nature

India is no stranger to prominent figures citing ancient Hindu texts like the Puranas and Vedas as ironclad evidence of the country’s technological prowess.

From The Guardian

I’m sure this is not what the yogis and yoginis of the classical sanskrit of the Puranas intended all those years ago.

From The Guardian