The
pūrvakhaņḑa and
madhyakhaņḑa of both the Asiatic Society and the Vangavasi edition have 30 chapters. While the
uttarakhaņḑa of the Asiatic Society edition comprises 14 chapters, the Vangavasi edition comprises 21 chapters and R. C. Hazra considers these additional 7 chapters (15-21) as the essential part of the text.
Pūrvakhaņḑa The
pūrvakhaņḑa begins at the
Naimisha Forest, with
Suta reporting to the sages assembled there about
Vyasa's discourse to
Jabali on
dharma and its constituent parts:
satya,
daya,
shanti and
ahimsa. In answer to Jabali's next question, Vyasa advises him about the
gurus (teachers) in general and particularly the
gurus occupying the highest position, one's parents. He illustrated his views on one's duty to his parents with a narrative of hunter Tuladhara and his advice to
brahmin Kritabodha. In chapters 5-30, Vyasa, in answer to another question of Jabali, describes the
tirthas (sacred places), reporting it as a conversation between goddess
Rudrani and her two associates, Jaya and Vijaya. The description starts with a song of praise to
Ganga and it includes the origin and sanctity of
tulasi (
Ocimum tenuiflorum) plant and the
bilva (
Aegle marmelos) tree. It also comprises descriptions on
kalatirthas (auspicious times), which include auspicious times for
Devi worship and studying religious texts.
Madhyakhaņḑa The
madhyakhaņḑa begins with Jabali's request for further information about Ganga. Vyasa answers his question in the form of a conversation between sage
Śuka and his disciple
Jaimini. The first chapter describes the creation as the
yoga (union) of
Brahma and the
prakriti of the three
guṇas of Brahma,
Vishnu and
Shiva. The second chapter has a brief description about
Daksha and his daughter
Sati. It is followed by a detailed narrative of Daksha, Shiva and Sati from the chapter 3 onwards, which ends in selection of
Kamarupa as his abode by Shiva after Sati's
yoni fell there, when her body was cut to pieces by Vishnu. In chapter 11, Sati appears before Shiva, who was in a meeting with Brahma and Vishnu and predicts that she will reincarnate as Ganga and
Uma. Chapters 12-28 deal with the narratives of Ganga from her birth as daughter of Himalaya and Mena. Chapter 14 describes about
Narayana's instruction of music to sage
Narada as a related story. These narratives related to Ganga are briefly interrupted in chapter 23, which describes the birth of Uma as the second daughter of Himalaya and Mena. Chapter 29 describes
Manus and
manvantaras and the kings belonging to solar and lunar dynasties. The last chapter (chapter 30) narrates the story of birth of
Ganesha and his acquiring the head of an elephant.
Uttarakhaņḑa The
uttarakhaņḑa starts with the discussion about
dharma. A general discussion on
dharma followed by the specific
dharmas to be followed by the people belonging to four
varnas during their various stages of life (
ashramas). This discussion includes a passage supporting the
practice of Sati which mentions that it is the obligation of a widow to follow her husband in death (Chapter 8, 8-10). The following chapters deal with a number of
vratas, hymns to the
Navagraha deities, the four
yugas and the narrative of
Vena which includes his creation of 36 mixed castes, whose members were later assigned specific trades by the Brahmins during the reign of Vena's son
Prithu. The chapters 15-21, which are only found in the Vangavasi edition describes the story of
Krishna's birth and the role played by Devi in it. They also comprise a description of
Kali Yuga. The text ends with a eulogy of the Purana, describing it as a
Vaishnava,
Shaiva and
Shakta shastra (21.5). == Editions and translations ==