एवंलक्षणलक्ष्याणि पुराणानि पुराविद: । मुनयोऽष्टादश प्राहु: क्षुल्लकानि महान्ति च ॥ २२ ॥
evaṁ lakṣaṇa-lakṣyāṇi purāṇāni purā-vidaḥ munayo ’ṣṭādaśa prāhuḥ kṣullakāni mahānti ca
- evam
- in this way
- lakṣaṇa-lakṣyāṇi
- symptomized by their characteristics
- purāṇāni
- the Purāṇas
- purā-vidaḥ
- those who are expert in such ancient histories
- munayaḥ
- the sages
- aṣṭādaśa
- eighteen
- prāhuḥ
- say
- kṣullakāni
- minor
- mahānti
- great
- ca
- also
Sages expert in ancient histories have declared that the Purāṇas, according to their various characteristics, can be divided into eighteen major Purāṇas and eighteen secondary Purāṇas.