Name of the Purāṇas

The number of Purāṇas has been considered eighteen since ancient times. The names of these ‘Aṣṭādaśa Purāṇa ’ (eighteen Purāṇas ) are usually available in each Purāṇa.

Devī Bhāgavata (Skanda 1, chapter 3, śloka 21) has written the instruction of the eighteen Purāṇas in this miniature Anuṣṭupa with the instruction of the primitive alphabets.

madvayaṃ bhadvayaṃ caiva bratrayaṃ vacanuṣṭayam |
anāpadlliṅga-ku-skāni purāṇāni pṛthaka-pṛthaka ||

By ‘ma ’ (Ma) two Purāṇas –Matsya and Mārkaṇḍeya , by ‘bha ’ (Bha) two Purāṇas –Bhāgavata and Bhaviṣya , by ‘bra (Bra) three Purāṇas –Brahma, Brahmavaivarta and Brahmāṇḍa , by ‘va ’ (Va) four Purāṇas –Vāmana, Viṣṇu , Vāyu and Varāha , by ‘a ’ (A)–Agni Purāṇa , by ‘na ’ (Na)–Nārada Purāṇa , by ‘pad ’ (Pad)–Padma Purāṇa , by ‘li ’ (Li)–Liṅga Purāṇa , by ‘ga ’ (Ga)–Garuda Purāṇa , by ‘ku ’ (Ku)–Kūrma Purāṇa and by ‘ska ’ (Ska)–Skanda Purāṇa.

The direction of these Purāṇas in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (3/6/20–24) and Bhāgavata (12/13/3–8) etc. are according to a specific sequence and the same sequence and name are also available in other Purāṇas—

1. Brahma,
2. Padma,
3. Viṣṇu,
4. Śiva,
5. Bhāgavata,
6. Nāradīya,
7. Mārkaṇḍeya,
8. Agni,
9. Bhaviṣya,
10. Brahmavaivarta,
11. Liṅga,
12. Varāha,
13. Skanda,
14. Vāmana,
15. Kūrma,
16. Matsya,
17. Garuda,
18. Brahmāṇḍa.

According to the Maharṣi Vyāsadeva—

brāhmaṃ pādmaṃ vaiṣṇavañca śaivaṃ bhāgavataṃ tathā |
tathānyannāradīyaṃ ca mārkaṇḍeyaṃ ca saptamam || 
āgneyamaṣṭamaṃ caiva bhaviṣyaṃ navamaṃ tathā |
daśamaṃ brahmarvaivartaṃ laiṅgamekādaśaṃ smṛtam ||
vārāhaṃ dvādaśaṃ caiva skāndaṃ cātra trayodaśam |
caturdaśaṃ vāmanakaṃ kaurma pañcadaśaṃ tathā || 
mātsya ca garuḍaṃ caiva brahmāṇḍañca tataḥ param |
mahāpurāṇānyetāni hyaṣṭādaśa mahāmune ||
  Viṣṇu Purāṇa (3/6/21–24).

These names also are in the same sequence in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Ch-12/7/23–25). In other Purāṇas there are a few variations. In the list, the Kūrma Purāṇa omits the Agni and exchanges with Vāyu .^[1] The Agni Purāṇa exchanges the Śiva Purāṇa with the Vāyu leaves out the Garuda and Brahmāṇḍa and substitutes the Vāyu and Narasiṃha . Like Viṣṇu and Bhāgavata Purāṇa , the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa omits the Vāyu . The Matsya Purāṇa also omits the Śiva Purāṇa as Agni Purāṇa . All the aforesaid Puāṇas are considered as the Mahā Purāṇas or Major Purāṇas . And from Mahā 31

Purāṇas the eighteen Upa-Purāṇas or Minor Purāṇas are originated.

According to the Matsya Purāṇa—

aṣṭādaśabhyastu pṛthakapurāṇaṃ yat pradiyate |
vijānīdhvaṃ dvijaśreṣṭhāstadetebhyovinirgatam ||
  Matsya Purāṇa (53/68)

There are also eighteen Upapurāṇas . We get the sequence of Upapurāṇas in many Purāṇas .

According to the Kūrma-Purāṇa—

ādyaṃ sanatkumāroktaṃ nārasiṃhamabhāparam |
tṛtīyaṃ skandamuddiṣṭaṃ kumāreṇa ca bhāṣitam ||
caturthaṃ śivadharmāravyaṃ sākṣāntandīśabhāṣitam |
durvāsasoktamāścarya nāradīyamaḥ param ||
kapila vāmanaṃ caiva tathaivośanaseritam |
brahmaṇḍaṃ vāruṇaṃ cātha kālikāhvayameva ca || 
māheśvaraṃ tathā śamvaṃ sauraṃ sarvārthasacayam |
parāśaroktamaparaṃ mārīcaṃ bhāskarāhvayam |

So the names of Upa-Purāṇas are according the above śloka–Ādi, Sanatkumāra, Narasiṃha, Skanda, Śiva, Durvāsa, Nāradīya, Kapila, Vāmana, Auśanasa, Brahmāṇḍa, Varuṇa, Kālikā, Māheśvara, Śāmva, Saura, Pārāśara, Mārīca and Bhāskara . This name sequence is also in the Devī Bhāgavata , Skanda, Matsya, Garuda Purāṇa . But on the other side there are another sequence of name in the Vṛhatviveka . The sequence is–Sanatkumāra, Nāradīya, Vṛhannāradīya, Āditya, Sūrya, Nāndikeśvara, Kourma, Bhāgavata , Vasiṣṭha, Bhārgava, Mudgala, Kalki, Devī, Mahābhāgavam, Vṛhaddharma, Parānanda, Vanhi, Harivaṃśa.

In Sanskrit literature, the number eighteen is considered very sacred, comprehensive and glorious. The number of episodes of the Mahābhārata are eighteen, the number of chapters of the Śrīmadbhāgavatagītā are eighteen and the number of verses of Śrīmadbhāgavata are eighteen thousand. Similarly, the number of Purāṇas are also unanimously eighteen. Scholars believe that these numbers of Purāṇas are not unhelpful but are tolerable and to show this intention, many scholars have shown many causes in their texts.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Matsya Purāṇa–53/67, 68