Markandeya Purana - Sanskrit - English - - Hindi |

The most well-known of the eighteen Mahapuranas is the Markandeya Purana. There is a distinct character to this Purana compared to all the others. It lacks any religious overtones and has no sectarian spirit. The few prayers and invocations to deities that are included are mild and succinct. It talks very little about morality, rituals, or precepts. Its main characteristic is narrative; it offers an unbroken series of legends, the majority of which, when old, are enriched with new circumstances, and when new, they incorporate so much of the old spirit that they are merely arbitrary works of fiction with no specific purpose or recommendation of doctrine or observance.