Markandeya Purana

The Markandeya Purana is one of the eighteen major Puranas in the sacred literature of Hinduism. A Purana is a popular, encyclopaedic collection of myth, legend, and genealogy. Puranas are in the category of ancient Hindi writings that is considered to be "Smriti" (remembered by ordinary human beings and attributed to an author). Other Hindu scriptures, such as the Vedas, are considered (in Hinduism) to have been heard and transmitted through direct knowledge by accomplished and enlightened sages and seers (called "rishis"); those texts are not "Smriti" but instead are categorized as "Śruti".

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