In the sacred assembly of sages, whose minds had been purified through study and contemplation, a deep yearning arose within their hearts—a longing to hear the ancient tales, the wisdom passed down from time immemorial. Their attention sharpened, and with reverence they addressed Romaharṣaṇa, the illustrious Sūta, renowned as a wise king among Shaivas and blessed with vast knowledge. “O Romaharṣaṇa, all-knowing sage,” they said, “by the greatness of our fortune, you have come to us today. You have directly received the entire knowledge of the Purāṇas from Vyāsa himself; thus, you are indeed the vessel of wondrous stories. Like the ocean, source of precious gems, you possess knowledge of all that has been, all that will be, and whatever else exists. Nothing in the three worlds is unknown to you. You have come here for our sake by unseen destiny—do not depart without doing some good; let your visit not be in vain. Therefore, let us hear the most auspicious Purāṇa, rich in noble stories and the essence of Vedānta. Recount it swiftly to us, for it is the fullness of wisdom.” Thus entreated by the sages, themselves versed in the Vedas, Romaharṣaṇa replied in gentle, well-reasoned, and auspicious words. “Honored and favored by you, how could I not properly narrate the Purāṇa revered by the sages? But first, let me offer salutations to Mahādeva, the Goddess, Skanda, Vināyaka, Nandin, and Vyāsa, the son of Satyavatī. Having done so, I shall speak the supreme and auspicious Purāṇa, in accord with the Vedas—an ocean of Shiva’s knowledge, which bestows the fruits of devotion and liberation. Adorned with sound reasoning and meaning, enriched by themes of passion, this Purāṇa was formerly narrated by Vāyu in the context of the Śvetakalpa. Listen as I recount all the sources of knowledge, the sequence of the Purāṇas, and the origin of this Purāṇa. The four Vedas, their limbs, the expanse of Mīmāṃsā and Nyāya, the Purāṇa, the Dharmaśāstra—these are fourteen branches of knowledge. To these are added Āyurveda, Dhanurveda, Gāndharva, and, in order, Arthaśāstra as the highest, making eighteen branches of knowledge recognized in all. Of these eighteen branches, each with its own path, the original creator and poet is directly Śūlapāṇi, as the scripture declares. He, the Lord of all worlds, desiring to create the universe, directly produced Brahma, his eternal son, at the beginning. To Brahma, the firstborn and source of all creation, the Lord gave these sciences for the purpose of creating the universe. Then, for the protection of the world, he gave Hari—the god Vishnu—the power of preservation; thus, Vishnu, the middle son, became the protector, even of Brahma. Having acquired knowledge and performing creation according to the prescribed method, Brahma first remembered the Purāṇa, the foremost of all scriptures. Immediately thereafter, the Vedas emerged from his mouths, and from his speech arose the activity of all scriptures. When the people on earth were unable to grasp the vastness of this knowledge, the Lord of the universe condensed its essence. At the end of each Dvapara age, Vishnu, the soul of the universe and mighty sustainer, descends to earth under the name Vyāsa. Thus, O twice-born, the Vedas were divided in every Dvapara age, and the Purāṇas and other texts were composed thereafter. Again, in this Dvapara, Vyāsa was born to Satyavatī in the forest, as one who offered oblations, known as Krishna Dvaipayana. This sage, having condensed the Vedas, divided them into four parts; because of this division, he is known in the world as Vedavyāsa. He also condensed the Purāṇas to a measure of four hundred thousand verses, though even today, in the realm of the gods, their extent is a hundred crores. A twice-born who knows the four Vedas with their limbs and Upanishads, but does not know the Purāṇa, is not truly wise. One should supplement the Veda with Itihāsa and Purāṇa; the Veda fears that, with little hearing, it will be crossed over by me. Creation, dissolution, genealogies, ages of Manu, and histories of lineages—these are the five characteristics of the Purāṇa. The Purāṇa is taught in ten and eight forms, distinguished as great and concise, by sages who know the truth. Brahma, Padma, Vaishnava, Shaiva, Bhagavata, Bhavishya, Naradiya, and Markandeya are the principal ones. Agneya, Brahmavaivarta, Lainga, Varaha, Skanda, Vamana, Kurma, Matsya, and Garuda are also included. Brahmanda is counted as well—this is the sacred sequence of the Purāṇas. Among them, the Shaiva is the fourth, and it accomplishes all purposes. This scripture, consisting of one hundred thousand verses divided into twelve sections, was composed by Shiva himself; therein, righteousness is established. By following the righteousness taught therein, people of all three social classes who seek liberation should take refuge in Shiva alone. Even the gods attain liberation only by taking refuge in him, and not otherwise. Now, listen as I briefly describe the divisions of this Shaiva Purāṇa, which has been declared to be in accord with the Vedas. These are: the Vidyeśvara, the Raudra, the excellent Vainayaka, the Auma, the Matri Purāṇa, and likewise the Rudra-Ekadashaka. The Kailāsa, the Shatarudra—also called Shatarudra—the Sahasrakoṭirudra, and then the Vāyaviya follow thereafter.” Thus, Romaharṣaṇa prepared to unfold the sacred narrative, honoring the sages’ request and setting forth the profound lineage and structure of the Purāṇas, especially the Shaiva, for the benefit of all who seek truth and liberation.