Studies in the Upapuranas
by R. C. Hazra | 1958 | 320,504 words
This book studies the Upapuranas: a vast category of (often Sanskrit) literature representing significant historical, religious, and cultural insights of the ancient Indian civilization. These Upa-Purana texts provide rich information, especially on Hinduism covering theology, mythology, rituals, and dynastic genealogies....
Chapter 9.4 - The Ausanasa-purana (study)
This [ausanasa-upapurana] has been mentioned in all the lists of eighteen Upapuranas, except those contained in the Ekamrap. and the Brhaddharma-purana In some of these lists it is
mentioned as 'Ausanasa', 47 in most of them it is called 'Usanaserita' (i.e. the Purana spoken out by Usanas), 48 and in one it is named as 'Ausanasa-prokta'.49 In those lists of eighteen Upapuranas which Mitra-misra and Gopaladasa derived from the 'Brahma-vaivarta', this Ausanasaupapurana is called 'Saukra'. 50 The mention of this Upapurana in almost all the lists of eighteen Upapuranas shows that it was a fairly early work and must have been written before 800 A.D. But unfortunately not a single Smrti or non-Smrti work is found to draw upon or refer to it. It is probable that either this Ausanasa-upapurana became extinct at an early date, or it became unpopular with the authors of Smrti and other works from the tenth century A.D. The Ausanasa-upapurana must not be taken to be the same as the Brhad-ausanasa-upapurana, which was a much later work. For this Brhad-ausanasa-upapurana see below.
47 See Nityacara-pradipa, p. 19 (which derived its list from the 'Kurma-purana'), Devi-bhagavata I. 3. 13-16. 48 For these lists See Volume I, pp. 4-10 and 12. See Volume I, p. 10. 3º See ibid., p. 12. Sukra and Usanas are names of the same person.