A Sloka to remember the names of 18 Maha-puranas

Sandhya Anand

There are 18 Maha-puranas and 18 Upa-puranas authored by Maharshi Vedavyasa. In the Devi-Bhagavata (1.3.2) Suta, the Pauranika says that he is quoting "exactly as he has heard" (यथाश्रुतानि) from sage Vyasa about the names of the Puranas. This sloka (verse) greatly helps us to remember the titles. It itemizes the 18 Maha-puranas numerically:

म-द्वयं भ-द्वयं चैव ब्र-त्रयं व-चतुष्टयम् ।
​​अ-ना-प-लिं-ग-कू-स्का-नि पुराणानि पृथक्पृथक् ॥*

ma-dvayam bha-dvayam caiva bra-trayam va-caustayam 

a-na-pa-lim-ga-ku-ska-ni puranani prthak prthak.

The 2 ma-s, the 2 bha-s, the 3 bra-s and the 4 va-s and 

a-nà-pa-lim-ga-ku-ska-ni -- are separate puranas. 

If the above sloka is decoded, we get the names of the eighteen Maha-puranas. 

ma-dvayam signifies two numbers, names of which start with 'ma'. 

They are: 

1. Matsya-purana 

2. Markandeya-purana 

bha-dvayam means two of them start with 'bha'. 

They are: 

1. Bhagavata-purana 

2. Bhavishya-purana

bra-trayam means three of them commence with 'bra'. 

They are:

1. Brahma-purana
2. Brahmanda-purana
3. Brahma-vaivarta-purana

va-caustayam means four names start with 'va'.

They are:

1. Varaha-purana

2. Vamana-purana

3. Vayu-purana

4. Vishnu-purana

a na pa lim ga ku ska are separate and reckoned to denote a Purana each respectively. 

1. Agnipurana

2. Naradapurana

3. Padmapurana

4. Lingapurana

5. Garudapurana

6. Kurmapurana

7. Skandapurana

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*Variant readings:

(a) ... पुराणानि कथ्यते । 

(b) ... कू-स्का-ख्यमष्टादशं पुराणकम् ।

(c) ... लिं-कू-स्कां गारुडमेव च ।

(d) ... पुराणानि प्रचक्षते ।