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Dikshitar, The Purāṇa Index (PUI)

PUI is V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar's The Purāṇa Index (1951) — a large reference index to the names of the major Purāṇas: each name gets a brief identification and precise references into the texts. The terse, locational complement to the narrative Purāṇic Encyclopedia (PE).

At a glance

CodePUI (source in csl-orig/v02/pui; no separate repo)
Full titleThe Purāṇa Index
AuthorV. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar
Year / size1951 · ~2232 pages
TypeName index (Purāṇas)
Sourcecsl-orig/v02/pui/
OpenBasic · List · Advanced · Mobile
DataDownloads
csl-docpui.rst

When to use it

Reach for PUI to find where a name occurs in the Purāṇas with a one-line identification. For the fuller story use the Purāṇic Encyclopedia (PE); for word meanings use Monier-Williams (MW).

Reading an entry

Each entry is a name (<k1>) with a short gloss and Purāṇa references. The first entry (csl-orig/v02/pui/pui.txt):

<L>1<pc>1-001<k1>aMkuSA<k2>aMkuSA
{%Aṃkuśā%}¦ — a Śakti on the Drāviṇikā mudrā.
<div n="P"/>Br. IV. 36. 76.
In the sourceMeaning
{%Aṃkuśā%}the name (search key <k1>)
— a Śakti on the Drāviṇikā mudrāthe brief identification
Br. IV. 36. 76the reference — Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa IV.36.76

See Data Formats for the markup reference.

What makes it distinctive

  • A locational index to the Purāṇas — name → identification → references.

See also