The Purana Index v1.c3.s6.2

v1.c3.s6.2

Though the various Purāṇas existed, the late H. H. Wilson selected the Vishnu Purāṇa for translation into English as it treats of the five specific topics or pañcalakṣṇa, and as it was not sectarian in character The Purāṇa itself is divided into six books, the first devoted to the primary and secondary creation, the second to the legend of Bharata, the third to a description of the leading institutions of the Hindus, the fourth to the kings of lunar and solar dynasties of India, the fifth to the life of Krishna, and the sixth to the dissolution of the world in both its major and minor cataclysms We have been rather at length upon the material contained in each book of this Purāṇa to disillusion a section of the people who regard it as a Vaishnava Purāṇa and consequently sectarian in character. But the fact is otherwise. Its teachings were not intended solely for the Vaishnavas but appeal to all classes of people who regard the work as a sacred one expounding Vedic literature and Philosophy.