What makes a text a Purana? Pancha Lakshana
Purana texts are story collections that adhere to a fixed literary format. However, each Purana may offer its unique moral stories, some semi-historical information, and guidance on Puja practices. Amarakosha, a famous grammar text from the fifth century, lists five mandatory requirements or Lakshanas for a story collection to be called a Purana. These Lakshana-requirements provide a deeper insight into the ingenuity of Vyasa in choosing the medium of stories to educate the masses. The following verse from the Amarakosha lists Pancha (5) Lakshana: Sarga, Pratisarga, Vamsa, Manvantara, and Vamsa Anucharita. Vyasa achieved a specific purpose with each Lakshana. This post reviews the purposes in the following paragraphs. सर्गस्च प्रतिसर्गस्च वंशो मन्वन्तराणि च |वंशानुचरितम् चैव पुराणम् पञ्च लक्शनम् || sargasca pratisargasca vaṃśo manvantarāṇi cavaṃśānucaritam caiva purāṇam pañca lakśanam Amarakosha on Purana Lakshana Purana Lakshana 1: Sarga Human beings have a physical body which is a part of material existence. In addition, everyone has an unseen mind-intellect complex. Similarly, the cosmos must have