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
| Code | PUI (source in csl-orig/v02/pui; no separate repo) |
| Full title | The Purāṇa Index |
| Author | V. R. Ramachandra Dikshitar |
| Year / size | 1951 · ~2232 pages |
| Type | Name index (Purāṇas) |
| Source | csl-orig/v02/pui/ |
| Open | Basic · List · Advanced · Mobile |
| Data | Downloads |
| csl-doc | pui.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 source | Meaning |
|---|---|
{%Aṃkuśā%} | the name (search key <k1>) |
— a Śakti on the Drāviṇikā mudrā | the brief identification |
Br. IV. 36. 76 | the 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.
Headword key conventions
<k1> = <k2> = SLP1 (Purāṇic name). Page references use vol-page format. Each entry gives a brief identification then Purāṇa text references.
| Convention | Marker / form | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search key | SLP1 (name) | aMkuSA | k1 = k2 |
| Body form | IAST italic {%…%} | {%Āṃkuśā%} | The printed name form |
| Page reference | <pc>vol-page | <pc>1-001 = vol. 1, p. 1 | Two-volume set |
| Citation | Purāṇa abbreviation + locus | Br. IV. 36. 76 | Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa book, chapter, verse |
Abbreviations
No machine-readable abbreviation list yet; the legend lives in the scanned front matter. View front matter →
See also
- Purāṇic Encyclopedia (PE) — the narrative companion
- Monier-Williams (MW) · the full catalog
- csl-doc pui.rst