The Puranic Tradition

· Ali, S.M. The Geography of the Puranas, Peoples Publishing House, Delhi, 1966.

This work is a VERY thorough look at the geographical material which is contained within the Puranas and to some extent the epics. The author is primarily a geographer, and so the text itself suffers from physics envy and the information is (regrettably) not developed beyond the level of mere cataloguing. Nevertheless, a useful piece for anyone interested in spatial conceptions.

· Brown, C. Mackenzie, Triumph of the Goddess; The Canonical Models and Theological Visions of the Devi Bhagavata Purana, SUNY, Albany, 1990.

This work is a close analysis of the Purana, in an attempt to address the central issues of Canonicity, comparative studies, and the female conception of the divine. The work is focused upon the image of the Goddess. The author concludes that while Devi is dominant, both genders must be recognized in the ultimate if it is to be considered truly ultimate.

· Doniger, Wendy Ed. Purana Perennis, SUNY, Albany,1993.

This is THE central text for current scholarly studies of the Puranas. It is a collection of essays by such notable scholars as Shulman, Ramanujan, and Cort. It is largely a discussion of the relationship between the "Great Puranas" of the Sanskrit tradition and other vernacular traditions. This work represents a seminal text in the field of Puranic Studies.

· Jha, Umesh, The Geographical Information in the Skanda-Purana, Mithila Institute if Post-Graduate Studies and research, Maheshnagar, 1979.

This work is a very useful, encyclopedic, look at the Tirtha information in the Skanda Purana. It is an index of all of the Tirthas which are mentioned in this Purana. It is somewhat superficial, but a good resource for beginning work.

· Mani, Vettam, Puranic Encyclopedia, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1975.

This work is an excellent collection of issues, ideas, figure, etc. in the Puranic and Epic literature. The citations are a useful starting point for further research and often contain scriptural references where additional information can be found. However, the primary work of this volume is a dictionary type representation of the material.

Ramanujan, A.K. "Where Mirrors are Windows: Toward an Anthology of Reflections," History of Religions, 28:3, 1-30, Feb 1989.

Sadasiv, Ambasdas Dange Encyclopedia of Puranic Beliefs and Practices, Nadarang, Delhi, 1988.

This piece is an exceptionally useful work for scholarly investigation of the Puranas. It contains references to the majority of issues addressed in the Purana. In these citations, there is not only an explanation of the concepts, (sometimes superficial) but also scriptural references.

· Shastri, JL Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology, 50 Volumes Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1970-.

This collection of translated texts is really THE major source for scholarly work in our library on the Puranas. It contains all of the translated Puranas that we have here at CU Boulder. It contains translations of the Siva Purana, Linga Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Garuda Purana, Naranda Purana, Kurma Purana, Brahmananda Purana, Agni Purana, Varaha Purana, Brahma Purana, Vayu Purana, Padma Purana, and the ever-impressive Skanda Purana.

Sheridan, Daniel, The Advaitic Theism of the Bhagavata Purana, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1986.