Vishnu Purana

One of the eighteen traditional puranas,
which were an important genre of smrti
texts, and the repository of much of traditional Indian mythology. The smrtis or
“remembered” texts were a class of literature that although deemed important,
were considered less authoritative than
the shrutis or “heard” texts. In brief, the
shrutis denoted the Vedas, the oldest
and most authoritative Hindu religious
texts, whereas the smrtis included the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the
dharma literature, the Bhagavad Gita,
and the puranas. The puranas are compendia of all types of sacred lore, from
mythic tales to ritual instruction to exaltation of various sacred sites (tirthas)
and actions. Most of the puranas are
highly sectarian, and as this one’s name
clearly shows, it is focused on the worship of Vishnu. It gives an exhaustive
account of Vishnu’s mythic deeds—
many of which have become the common mythic currency for many
traditional Hindus—as well as instructions for how, where, and when Vishnu
is to be worshiped.