ACKERMANAt a glance
History, context & interpretation
The text and its story
Twelve books on Vishnu's avatars, with the life of Krishna as its heart. It inspired centuries of art, dance and devotional movements.
Traditional attribution
Composed by Vyasa and narrated by his son Shuka.
Historical scholarship
Probably composed in South India by devotional (bhakti) authors.
Context and curiosity
It is the most-loved Purana of the Hare Krishna movement.
Chronology and transmission
This text belongs to Hinduism & Vedic India (India). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 800–1000 CE and original language or script as Sanskrit. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.
Sources and further reading
Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.
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