The Garuda Mahapuranam (Text and English Translation) 2 Volume set  (Hardcover, M.N. Dutt, Pushpendra Kumar)

The different works known by the name of Puranas (or old) areevidently derived from the myth heroic stage of Hindu belief. Thepuranas are commonly stated to be eighteen in number. It is saidthere are also eighteen Upa-Puranas but the names of all these arenot found. The principal eighteen Puranas are Brahma, Padma, Visnu,Siva, Bhagvata, Naradiya, Markandeya, Agni, Bhavisya, Brahma,Vaivarta, Linga, Varaha, Skanda, Vamana, Kurma, Matsya, Garuda andBrahmanda. All these Puranas are classed into three groupsaccording to the qualities, which prevail in them. The matsyaPurana remarks that those in which glory of Hari or Visnu prevailsare Sattvika those in which the legends of Agni of Sivapredominated are Tamasa and those which dwell most on the storiesof Brahma are Rajasa. The Garuda Puranam is a Vaisnava Purana andhence can be termed as Sattvika Purana. It is enumerated in all thelists available in the Puranas though these are not very ancientyet they show the popularity of the Garuda Purana in the Puranicliterature. Also the authors of Dharmasastric digests andphilosophical works quote extensively from the Garuda Purana thusit holds a unique place among the Puranas. The present Englishtranslation by M. N. Dutt translated into English many Puranas andthe Garuda Purana was one of them. It was first published in theyear 108. Then it was reprinted. Now publishing its Englishtranslation with Sanskrit Verses. It is a medium size Puranaconsisting eight thousand verses. According to M. N. Dutt the bookcomprise three Samhitas viz the Agastya Samhita the BrhaspatiSamhita ( Nitisara) and the Dhanvantari Samhita. Each one of thoseSamhitas would give it a permanent value and accord to it anundying fame among the works of practical ethics or Appliedmedicine. The Agastya Samhita deals with the names of the countriesfrom which our fore fathers used to collect these gems the cuttingpolishing setting and apprecising etc. of the several kind of gems