Source recordAncient text
Bhagavata Purana
Attributed to Vyasa · c. 9th-10th century CE · Sanskrit
Ancient text
Bhagavata Purana
Attributed to Vyasa
Sanskrit Purana devoted to Vishnu, best known for its tenth book on the life of Krishna, and a major source for the avatars and the churning of the ocean.
About this work
Sanskrit Purana devoted to Vishnu, best known for its tenth book on the life of Krishna, and a major source for the avatars and the churning of the ocean.
Stories drawn from it
Retellings in the atlas that quote or cite this work.
Samudra Manthan - Churning of the OceanmythGods and demons cooperate to churn the cosmic ocean to obtain amrita (nectar of immortality). Various precious things emerge, including Lakshmi, before finally the nectar appears.
The Childhood of KrishnamythThe divine child Krishna grows up among cowherds in Vrindavan, performing miraculous feats: defeating demons sent to kill him, stealing butter from the village women, and revealing the entire universe within his mouth to his foster mother.
Narasimha and PrahladaadventureWhen the demon king Hiranyakashipu gains a boon that makes him nearly invincible, only his own son Prahlada remains devoted to Vishnu. The god appears as Narasimha, the man-lion avatar, to save the boy and destroy the tyrant.
About this record
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Dates and authorship follow standard scholarly references; for many ancient works both are approximate or disputed.