The Puranas are any one of eighteen sacred books of Hinduism, attributed to Vyasa, which elaborate and popularize the spiritual truths of the Vedas by means of illustrations from the lives of divine incarnations, saints, kings, and devotees, whether historical or mythological.

Separate and distinguished from the Puranas are the two great epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, both listed separately. The epics are much older than the Puranas.