Free Download of Skanda purana in English

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V Subrahmanian

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Feb 19, 2021, 1:33:21 AM2/19/21
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https://holybooks.com/the-skanda-purana-vol-i-xx/   Free download

Writes the Uploader, of the efforts:

The Skanda Purana is a huge compilation of ancient Hindu scriptures. They were discovered in a library in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1898 by Haraprasad Shastri and Cecil Bendall. The manuscripts were written on palm leafs, the oldest one dated to 810 CE. However, earlier versions are likely to have existed. Parts of the text have also been found in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India, indicating that the Skanda Purana has been an important and widespread corpus of texts. The complete Skanda Purana covers many topics. Parts of it describes pilgrim routes and serves as travel guides for monks to important temples and monasteries all over India. Other parts are more devotional and discusses theology, dharma and the absolute. The mythology also takes up large parts of the book,  the name Skanda Purana refers to the war God Skanda (Kartikeya) son of Shiva.

The Skanda Purana consists of 20 books, here they are in the English translation. This version is the first edition of the English translation published in India in 1950. I have  removed blank pages from the scanned books to make the file size smaller and punished my CPU for 14 hours by running OCR. This means that you can do research by text search in the books now with Adobe PDF reader, copy and paste to other formats etc. Download the free PDF e-books here (large files up to 60MB and 600 pages each):




regards
subrahmanian.v

Nagaraj Paturi

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Feb 19, 2021, 2:01:53 AM2/19/21
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Thanks, Subbu avare for sharing.

Best part of it is 

I have  removed blank pages from the scanned books to make the file size smaller and punished my CPU for 14 hours by running OCR. This means that you can do research by text search in the books now with Adobe PDF reader, copy and paste to other formats etc. Download the free PDF e-books here (large files up to 60MB and 600 pages each):

Magnanimous of the uploader to have provided this free to download. 

We are all indebted to him. 

🙏🙏 

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Nagaraj Paturi
 
Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.


Director,  Inter-Gurukula-University Centre , Indic Academy
BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra
BoS, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Veliyanad, Kerala
BoS Veda Vijnana Gurukula, Bengaluru.
Member, Advisory Council, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam, Bengaluru
BoS Rashtram School of Public Leadership
Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Studies in Public Leadership
Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies, 
FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education, 
Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.
 
 
 

A K Kaul

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Feb 19, 2021, 6:23:12 AM2/19/21
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Shri Subrahmanianji,
Jai Shri Ram!
Many thanks indeed for making Skanda-Purana---English translation---pdf. all the volumes---available for free download.
I was feeling quite handicapped for reproducing some references for lack of its availability.
Many thanks once again!
With regards and Jai Shri Ram!
A K Kaul

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David and Nancy Reigle

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Feb 21, 2021, 9:12:09 PM2/21/21
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Dear Vidvans,

Does anyone know who made this English translation of the Skanda Purana that was first published 1950-1960? I was not able to find any original volumes at Archive.org, etc., nor was I able to find a listing of it in Puranic bibliographies.

Thanks,

David Reigle
Colorado, U.S.A.

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Ajit Gargeshwari

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Feb 23, 2021, 12:15:19 AM2/23/21
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Namaste David Ji
Are you referring to the One with English Translation published by MLBD Please see this link I donot Know if they different from  The AITM series published bu MLBD.
The Volumes are also available at archive.org
Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari

David and Nancy Reigle

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Feb 25, 2021, 11:04:02 AM2/25/21
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Namaste Ajit Ji,

My apologies for the late reply, as I was away from email for the last three days. Yes, the translation of the Skanda-purana that I am inquiring about is the one that has more recently been published by Motilal Banarsidass in their Ancient Indian Tradition and Mythology series. The front matter in these volumes show dates from 1950-1960, as when it was originally published, but they do not say who translated it. I wondered if the original 1950-1960 publication showed the name of the translator. I have not been able to find these original volumes. 

The more recent AITM volumes, by the way, comprise 23 volumes altogether (AITM vols. 49-71), rather than just the 20 volumes available for free download at the holybooks.com site, presumably from Archive.org, and ultimately from Digital Library of India.

Best regards,

David Reigle
Colorado, U.S.A.

K S Kannan

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Feb 25, 2021, 11:19:18 AM2/25/21
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A good many publishers of Sanskrit books have not shown good care in
recording publication history - in order to conceal, possibly, info wrt copyright.
Authorship is sometimes attributed even to "A Board of Scholars"
also perhaps for the same reason.

Sometimes their publication history commences with :
First Indian Edition: xxxx etc.
Many lack even the year of publication. In some only the Foreword has the date!

It is sad that even some famous publishers have resorted to such ruses.
There should be some Publishers' Association that sets proper norms for these,
or an appropriate Govt. body should set norms for the requisite details and their sequence
in the Technical Page/Copyright Page as it is called.

Lack of uniformity shows in Western publishers also, incldg university publications.

A universal standard format is thus a desideratum, which should also facilitate proper citation.



--
Dr. K.S.Kannan  D.Litt.

​Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Chair Professor, IIT-Madras.

Senior Fellow, ICSSR, New Delhi.

Academic Director, Swadeshi Indology.

Member, Academic Council, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthana.

Nominated Member, IIAS, Shimla.

Former Professor, CAHC, Jain University, Bangalore.

Former Director, Karnataka Samskrit University, Bangalore.

Former Head, Dept. of Sanskrit, The National Colleges, Bangalore.

Ajit Gargeshwari

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Feb 25, 2021, 12:45:36 PM2/25/21
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It might also be an author or editor of a work can remain anonymous  only the place or publication and publishers or printers address are needed to be disclosed by law. Many write using pen names and for skanda Purina if I publish reading skanda purana books or manuscripts I have how can another be prevented from printing another edition arriving at roughly the same contents.

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Ajit Gargeshwari

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Feb 25, 2021, 12:59:55 PM2/25/21
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It is Sanskrit book printing tradition from than 150 years or so almost all books including Khemraj, ,nirnaya,vani Vilas ,chowkambha print books without giving clear information  where they source their original Sanskrit text from and no one asks or questions. School and college text books are made often but no  states where do they state where they take their text from which edition what correction, enhancement and simplification  they have made.

Ajit Gargeshwari

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Feb 25, 2021, 1:05:44 PM2/25/21
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People upload scanned books which are out of copywrite but many don't acknowledge the original scanner .I have not seen many thanking DLI, googlebooks uploafers  on archives who upload free of cost for scholars or readers to read. All want services for nothing but when their work has been quoted without acknowledgement many authors make a big fuss.

K S Kannan

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Feb 25, 2021, 6:32:44 PM2/25/21
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You have given a fuller picture, Gargeswari-ji.

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