The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c24.3

v1.c24.3

Any old-world story may in fact be called a Purāṇa; but the term is specially applied to certain works which, in conformity with the classical definition, deal, or are supposed to deal, with the following five topics: (1) *Sarga*, the evolution of the universe from its material cause; (2) *Pratisarga*, the re-creation of the universe from the constituent elements into which it is merged at the close of each aeon (*kalpa*) or day in the life of the Creator, Brahmā; (3) *Vaṁça*, the genealogies of gods and rishis; (4) *Manvantara*, the groups of ‘great ages’ (*mahāyuga*) included in an aeon, in each of which mankind is supposed to be produced anew from a first father, Manu; (5) *Vaṁçānucharita*, the history of the royal families who rule over the earth during the four ‘ages’ (*yuga*) which make up one ‘great age.’