Mani, Puranic Encyclopedia (PE)
PE is Vettam Mani's Puranic Encyclopedia (1975) — a comprehensive English-language
encyclopedia of Purāṇic and epic mythology: gods, sages, kings, places, and stories, each
with a narrative account and source references. Not a word dictionary but a reference
encyclopedia.
At a glance
| Code | PE (source in csl-orig/v02/pe; no separate repo) |
| Full title | Purāṇic Encyclopaedia |
| Author | Vettam Mani |
| Year / size | 1975 · ~922 pages |
| Type | Encyclopedia (English) |
| Source | csl-orig/v02/pe/ |
| Open | Basic · List · Advanced · Mobile |
| Data | Downloads |
| csl-doc | pe.rst |
When to use it
Reach for PE to read the story or identity behind a Purāṇic name in clear English. For
word meanings use Monier-Williams (MW); for terse Purāṇa references see the
Purāṇa Index (PUI).
Reading an entry
Each entry is a headword with an encyclopedic, narrative description in English. The first
entry (csl-orig/v02/pe/pe.txt):
<L>1<pc>001-a<k1>a<k2>a
A¦ ({#a#}). The first letter (Vowel) of all Indian languages.
According to the Nānārtharatnamālā this letter has the
following meanings:—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, tortoise, …
| In the source | Meaning |
|---|---|
A ({#a#}) | the headword |
| the running text | the encyclopedic description, in English, with cited sources |
See Data Formats for the markup reference.
What makes it distinctive
- Narrative encyclopedia. Tells the stories and identities, not just the meanings.
- Broad Purāṇic/epic coverage in accessible English.
See also
- The Purāṇa Index (PUI) — the terse reference index to the Purāṇas
- Monier-Williams (MW) · the full catalog
- csl-doc pe.rst