The Puranas aren't to be taken TOO literally.

After some research of our scriptures, I've got some clarity which a lot of Hindus lack. The Puranas were written after the Vedas and Itihasas (Valmiki Ramayan and Mahabharat). And they do a fantastic job of portraying a singular Ishwar in different forms and personalities interconnected by a family tree. They help evoke a lot of bhakti in their readers. They wonderfully reveal vedic knowledge in the form of interesting stories. They also symbolically describe celestial phenomena that science has discovered over the years. However, taking the Puranas too literally is a trap. It can be detrimental to believe that making small mistakes in your worship and not strictly adhering to the prescribed lifestyle will give you thousands of years in hell. The Puranas do tend to exaggerate certain things. Another drawback is that people get into sectarian fights over who is the "supreme form of Ishwar". Because different Puranas call different forms supreme so that their readers consider their Ishta Devata second to none. But you will never find any truly enlightened Hindu saint claiming that their form of God is superior to others. For the UNFILTERED truth of Hindu spirituality, one should read the 4 Vedas (alternatively, podcasts of scholars like Rupa Bhaty). And for Indian history, the 2 Itihasas (or podcasts of scholars like Yashodeep Deodhar & Nilesh Oak). And for knowledge of the lore and tattva your Ishta Devata, their specific Puranas (or podcasts of scholars like Vinit Agarwal). Times have changed, and a lot of scriptural knowledge can be gained in a short time, thanks to the internet and technology. Let's not keep it limited to just one book. Peace 🙏🏻