skaMda puraaNa

Biggest of the extant puraaNa-s, skaMda puraaNa contains 81,000 verses in 1671 chapters spread across seven khaMDas called maahes'vara-khaMDa, vaiSNava-khaMDa, braahma-khaMDa, kaas'ii-khaMDa, aavantya-khaMDa, naagara-khaMDa and prabhaasa-khaMDa. Also available in another form divided into six saMhitaa-s called sanatkumaara-saMhitaa, suuta-saMhitaa, s'aMkara-saMhitaa, vaiSNava-saMhitaa, braahma-saMhitaa and saura-saMhitaa, of which only the first three saMhitaa-s have been printed so far. Taught by s'iva to paarvatii, parvatii to skaMda (SaNmukha, kaarttikeeya, subrahmaNya), skaMda to naMdi, naMdi to atri and atri to vyaasa. Includes many upaakhyaana-s or stories, places of pilgrimage such as kaas'ii, puri and ujjayini, advaita veedaaMta, aspects of Lord s'iva and his liMga-s, methods of meditation and worship, varNaas'rama-dharma, geographical details of ancient India. The popular satya-naaraayaNa vrata appears in the reeva-khaMDa part of aavaMtya-khaMDa. Works like sahyaadri-khaMDa, kaas'miira-khaMDa, ambikaa-maahaatmya and aruMdhatii-vrata-katha have originated from this puraaNa.