brahmaaMDa puraaNa

In four paada-s or parts called prakriyaa paada, anuSaMga paada, upoodghaata paada and upasaMhaara paada, then followed by lalitoopaakhyaana in 40 chapters containing the famous lalitaa-sahasra-naama, a hymn endowed with mystical powers. Said to have been taught by brahma himself to the sages engaged in sattra yaaga in the naimiSa forest. Deals with topics such as creation of the world from brahmaaMDa (the cosmic egg), geography of the Earth and of bharata-varSa (India), the manvaMtara-s, distribution of veedic s'aakha-s among the pupils of vyaasa, s'raaddha (after-death rites), paras'uraama's exploits, descent of gaMga through efforts of bhagiiratha, the story of dhanvaMtari receiving the knowledge of ayurveeda (the science of health and longevity), etc. Future manu-s, kalpa praLaya (final dissolution of the world at the end of the cycle), description of the fourteen worlds, various types of hells, philosophical disquisition of brahma or paramaatma as beyond all logic and reasoning of the intellect are some of the other interesting topics discussed. The well known aadhyaatma raamaayaNa is sometimes considered to be part of this puraaNa. Scholars surmise that this puraaNa and vaayu puraaNa were earlier one, called, vayuviiya-brahmaaMDa puraaNa, until they got separated around 400 AD. A Balinese translation has been found in the Bali island of Indonesia.