Bhavishya Purana

by Anonymous

Also known as: Bhaviṣya Purāṇa, Bhavishyottara Purana, Prophecy Purana

Bhavishya Purana cover
Culture:Indian, Hindu
Written:800-1500 CE
Length:4 books, 14,500 lines, (~35 hours)
Bhavishya Purana cover
A composite Sanskrit Purana attributed to Vyasa, the Bhavishya Purana interweaves cosmogony, dynastic lore, vratas and festival manuals, Saura (sun-worship) rites, ethical precepts, and pratisarga ‘future’ histories. Its layered compilation preserves ritual calendars and mythic narratives shaped across many centuries.

Description

The Bhavishya Purana is one of the Mahapuranas, notable for its combination of mythic cycles, vrata and festival prescriptions, and quasi-historical ‘future’ accounts (pratisarga). Structured in multiple parvas associated with creation, genealogies, and later additions, it preserves extensive tithi-based observances, monthly fasts, and Saura liturgies alongside narratives of gods and kings. The text catalogs rites such as Śivarātri, Navarātri, Ekādaśī fasts, and seasonal celebrations, embedding their origin-legends and ethical rationales. Genealogical passages align solar and lunar dynasties with cosmic cycles, while didactic sections address dharma, purity, almsgiving, and household conduct. A living compilation rather than a single authorial composition, its manuscript tradition reflects regional ritual practices and the continued growth of Puranic mythography.

Historiography

Manuscripts exhibit significant recensional variance, with sections—especially the Pratisarga and Uttara—showing late accretions and regional redaction. Modern scholars note uneven style, repeated material, and interpolations characteristic of evolving ritual handbooks. Printed editions often reorder or selectively include parvas. Commentarial attention focuses on ritual chapters and the text’s ‘future history’ genre, whose chronology and references are debated.

Date Notes

Composite Purana with stratified redactions; core materials likely medieval, with substantial accretions across the late medieval to early modern periods. The Prāti­sarga and Uttara sections are especially heterogeneous and debated.

Major Characters

  • Suta
  • Vyasa
  • Shiva
  • Vishnu
  • Surya

Myths

  • Prophecies of Future Kings and Ages
  • Hymns and Worship of Surya
  • Ritual and Dharma Instructions
  • Accounts of Future Yugas

Facts

  • Traditionally counted among the eighteen Mahapuranas.
  • Text emphasizes Saura (sun-worship) rites to an unusual degree for a Purana.
  • Ritual chapters organize fasts and festivals by lunar days and months.
  • Pratisarga materials present quasi-historical ‘future’ narratives of dynasties.
  • Later parvas incorporate regional ritual practices and local tirtha lore.
  • Genealogies align royal houses with solar and lunar dynasties.
  • Didactic sections teach household dharma, purity, almsgiving, and vows.
  • Manuscripts and prints vary in order, inclusion, and extent of parvas.
  • Scholarly consensus holds the text to be layered with numerous interpolations.
  • Uttara-related content is commonly regarded as among the latest strata.