1-Brahm Puraan,  2-Padm Puraan,  3-Vishnu Puraan,  4-Shiv Puraan,  5-Bhaagvat Puraan,
6-Naarad Puraan,  7-Maarkandeya Puraan,  8-Agni Puraan,  9-Bhavishya Puraan,
10-Brahm Vaivart Puraan,  11-Ling Puraan,  12-Varaah Puraan,  13-Skand Puraan,
14-Vaaman Puraan,  15-Koorm Puraan,  16-Matsya Puraan,  17-Garud Puraan,  18-Brahmaand Puraan
 

4-Shiv Puraan

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Introduction-1

The Shiv Puraan contains 24,000 Shlok. These are divided into six Sanhitaa or sections. The names of the sections are Gyaan Sanhitaa, Vidyeshwar Sanhitaa, Kailaash Sanhitaa, Sanat Kumaar Sanhitaa, Vaayaveeya Sanhitaa and Dharm Sanhitaa. Each Sanhitaa is further subdivided into chapters (Adhyaaya). Gyaaan Sanhitaa contains 78 chapters, Vidyeshwar Sanhitaa contains 16 chapters, Kailaash Sanhitaa contains 12 chapters, Sanat Kumaar Sanhilaa contains 59 chapters, Vaayaveeya Sanhitaa contains 30 chapters and Dharm Sanhitaa contains 65 chapters. The Shiv Puraan was recited by Ved Vyaas' disciple Romharshan Jee (or Lomharshan Jee).

One published version of the Shiv Puraan [Vangavasi Press Edition] contains six Sanhitaa (books) :
(1) Gyaan Sanhitaa
(2) Vidyeshwar Sanhitaa
(3) Kailaash Sanhitaa
(4) Sanatkumaar Sanhitaa
(5) Vaayaveeya Sanhitaa
(6) Dharm Sanhitaa

This version of the Shiv Puraan is divided into 290 chapters and contains roughly 12,000 verses, and was published based on manuscripts found in eastern India.

The other published version of the Shiv Puraan [Venkatesvara and Pandit Pustakalaya Editions] contains not six, but seven Sanhitaa :

(1) Vidyeshwar Sanihtaa
(2) Rudra Sanhitaa
(3) Shata Rudra Sanhitaa
(4) Koti Rudra Sanhitaa
(5) Umaa Sanhitaa
(6) Kailaash Sanhitaa
(7) Vaayaveeya Sanhitaa

This version of the Shiv Puraan is divided into 451 chapters and contains roughly 24,000 verses, and was published based on manuscripts found in northern and southern India.

Clearly the first version is much shorter than the second. And perhaps more importantly, not even the lists of Sanhitaa from the two versions coincide with one another. Why is this? Some say that the answer to this riddle is in the Shiv Puraan itself. Within the text of the Vidyeshwar and the Vawyaveeya Sanhitaa, both of which are common to both versions, it is explained that the original Shiv Puraan contained 12 Sanhitaa totaling 100,000 verses. Furthermore, the Vidyeshwar (II : 49-56) and Vaayaveeya Sanhitaa list the names of 12 Sanhitaa and the original number of verses in each :

(1) Vidyeshwar Sanhitaa (10,000)
(2) Rudra Sanhitaa (8,000)
(3) Vainaayak Sanhitaa (8,000)
(4) Umaa Sanhitaa (8,000)
(5) Maatri Sanhitaa (8,000)
(6) Rudra Ekaadash Sanhitaa (13,000)
(7) Kailaash Sanhitaa (6,000)
(8) Shata Rudra Sanhitaa (3,000)
(9) Sahastra- Koti Rudra Sanhitaa (11,000)
(10) Koti Rudra Sanhitaa (9,000)
(11) Vaayaveeya Sanhitaa (4,000)
(12) Dharm Sanhitaa (12,000)

Glancing back at the list of Sanhitaa in the currently available published versions, we find that all but the Vinaayak, Maatri, Rudra Ekaadash and Sahastra Koti Rudra Sanhitaa are available in one version or another. So, presumably these aforementioned Sanhitaa have been lost with time.

Now, the other lingering questions that come to mind are : Whence were the Gyaan and Sanat Kumaar Sanhitaa added to Shiv Puraan, because neither is listed as part of the original text; and why different collations of Sanhitaa are found in different areas? The only rational answer to these questions is that the Shiv Puraan has been growing and changing since the text was first put into writing. In different areas, different Sanhitaa were written down, but never were all the books collated to form one complete version. It may also be true that there might be many more Sanhitaa in existence before, which were lost over time. But as some were lost, others were being recovered or created.

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