viṣṇu—purāṇa or viṣṇu—purā°ṇaka, n. N. of one of the most celebrated of the 18 Purāṇas (it conforms more than any other to the definition pañca-lakṣaṇa [q.v.]; and consists of 6 books, the 1st treating of the creation of the universe from Prakṛti, and the peopling of the world by the Prajā-patis; the 2nd giving a list of kings with many curious geographical and astronomical details; the 3rd treating of the Vedas and caste; the 4th continuing the chronicle of dynasties; the 5th giving the life of Kṛṣṇa; the 6th describing the dissolution of the world), [IW. 517.]