Bhavishya Purana is a Hindu religious text and is one of the eighteen major
Indian Puranas. It has been written in the
Sanskrit language and is accredited to Rishi Vyasa, the compiler of the Vedas. The content of the work, as the very name Bhavishya Purana signifies, is all about prophecies of the future. The book is a treasure house of fourteen thousand verses and is considered to be Uttama (best) to gift this book (along with treacle) as a gift to a Brahmin on a full moon day in the month of Pausha (January).
It may be stated here that it is believed that the text which has come down to us in manuscript under this title is not the ancient work which is quoted in the Apastambiya Dharmasutra. The account of the Creation which it contains is borrowed from the law book of
Manu, which is also otherwise frequently used.
Content of Bhavishya Purana
Bhavishya Purana contains predictions about the future. There are certain portions of the text, which has been drawn from the law book of Manu. It contains the words of
Lord Surya told to Manu. It praises the worship of Surya or Sun, Agni or Fire and Naga or Serpent. It also contains glories of devotional service and prediction of Lord
Chaitanya. It is one of the several Puranas in which a list of the royal dynasties of the `past` has been followed by lists of kings envisaged to rule in the future. There are a total of 14500 verses contained in the book.
A large part of the work deals with the Brahmanical ceremonies and feasts, the duties of the castes, and so on. Only a few legends are related. A description of the
Nagpanchami feast, dedicated to the worship of snakes, gives an opening for an enumeration of the snake-demons and for the narration of some snake-myths. A considerable section deals with the sun-worship in "Sakadvipa" in which sun-priests named Bhojaka and Maga are mentioned.
The Bhavisyottara Turana is a sort of continuation of this Purana. Though it contains a few ancient myths and legends, it is more like a handbook of religious rites. There are numerous Mahatmyas and other modern texts which claim to be parts of the Bhavisya Purana, especially of the Bhavisyottara Purana.
