Vishnu Purana
The Vishnu Purana - This is one of the most important of all the Puranas. This contains the five technical divisions of the Puranas. This is divided into six adisas. This deals with the events of Varahakalpa and contains twenty-three thousand slokas. The theme is the ten incarnations of MahaVishnu. Vishnu Purana is the most ancient of all the Puranas and has got the name Puranaratna (gem of Puranas). The method of narration is in the form of teaching his disciple Maitreya by sage Parasara. The narrator himself states thus: "Vyasa an adept in the compositon of Puranas' composed this Puranasarirhita with akhyanas, Upikhyanas, githas and Kalpanirnayas. A Suta named Romaharsana was Vyasa's chief disciple. The broad-minded Vyasa gave that samhita to that suta. Romaharsana had six disciples named Sumati, Agnivarcas, Mitrayus. Sarhsapiyana, Akrtavrana, and Savarni.
Of these Akrtavrana, Savarni and 8 arirsapayana born in the Kasyapagotra have composed Puranasamhitas. There is yet another sarirhita composed by komaharsana which was the basis of the sarirhitas of his three disciples. I have composed Vishnupurana basing on the above four samhitas." If a man gives as gift a book of Vishnu Purana on the full moon day in the month of asadha (July) with Jaladhenu he will attain Vishnupada. Stories of various devotees; a description of varnasrama; the six angas of the Veda; a description of the age of Kali; description of Sveta-Varaha Kalpa, Vishnu dharmotara.
