Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
The Description of the Index (Anukramaṇikā) of the Padma Purāṇa
पुलस्त्येन तु भीष्माय सृष्ट्यादिक्रमतो द्विज । नानाख्यानेतिहासाद्यैर्यत्रोक्तो धर्मविस्तरः ॥ ३ ॥
pulastyena tu bhīṣmāya sṛṣṭyādikramato dvija | nānākhyānetihāsādyairyatrokto dharmavistaraḥ || 3 ||
Mais, ô deux-fois-né, ce Purāṇa fut enseigné par Pulastya à Bhīṣma selon l’ordre requis, en commençant par la création ; et l’étendue du Dharma y est exposée au moyen de nombreux récits, histoires et traditions connexes.
Suta (narrator) addressing the assembled sages (dvijas)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It frames the text as a structured dharma-teaching tradition: beginning from cosmic creation and unfolding Dharma through instructive narratives and Itihāsa-style accounts, emphasizing that right living is learned through both doctrine and story.
While Bhakti is not named explicitly here, the verse signals the Purāṇic method: devotion and dharma are cultivated through sacred narratives and exemplars—stories that later support Vishnu-bhakti and righteous conduct within the broader Purāṇa.
The verse does not teach a specific Vedāṅga directly; it highlights the pedagogical framework—systematic sequencing (krama) and narrative exposition—by which Purāṇas contextualize Vedic principles for practice.