Edited By K.L. Joshi
Agni Purana, one of the most prominent Maha Puranas, is popular for its scientific tracts and is narrated by Suta (Lomaharsana), a disciple of Vyasa. The 16,000 stanzas distributed in 383 chapters are more a compendium of Sanskrit learning than the advocacy of any particular form of religion.
The chapters on materia medica, medicine and pharmacy are particularly fascinating, as are the ones on treating ailments in horses and elephants. It is practically an encyclopedia of Hinduism, covering a wide range of topics including cosmogony, religion, law, archery, medicine, rhetoric, prosody, and grammar. A Hindu would also consider history and geographic information, such as descriptions of different pilgrimage sites, to be valuable.