mostimportant puranas are the Agni
Purana, Shiva Purana, Brahma Purana,
Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana,
Harivamsha, and Markandeya Purana.
For a general translation of stories from
puranic texts, see Cornelia Dimmitt and
J. A. B. van Buitenen, Classical Hindu
Mythology, 1978.
Purana Kassapa
In early Indian philosophy, philosopher
opposed to moral rules, whose views are
mentioned in Buddhist scriptures.
According to these texts, Kassapa
believed that there was no religious
merit in good acts, and no demerit in
evil acts—that neither of these had any
affect on the Self at all. Beyond this, very
little is known about him.
Purandaradas
(1480–1564) A devotee (bhakta) of the
god Vishnuwho was the founder of the
Haridasas, a sect of saint-composers in
the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
Aside from the literary merits of the
poetry Purandaradas wrote, the musical
structure of his songs is believed to have
laid the foundations for the Karnatic
school of Indian music, the predomi-
nant musical form in southern India.Purattasi
The sixth month in the Tamil solar year,
corresponding to the northern Indian
solar month of Kanya (the zodiacal sign
of Virgo), which usually falls within
September and October. The existence
of several different calendars is one clear
sign of the continuing importance of
regional cultural patterns. One way that
the Tamils retain their culture is by
preserving their traditional calendar.
Tamil is one of the few regional
languages in India with an ancient,
well-established literary tradition. See
also Tamil months, Tamil Nadu, and
Tamil language.Puri
City and sacred site (tirtha) on the Bay
of Bengal in the state of Orissa. Puri is
best known for its temple to the god
Jagannath, a local deity assimilatedPuriRath Yatra festival in Puri.