Essay name: Studies in the Upapuranas
Author: R. C. Hazra
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 texts provide rich information, especially on Hinduism covering theology, mythology, rituals, and dynastic genealogies.
Page 355 of: Studies in the Upapuranas
355 (of 417)
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338
STUDIES IN THE UPAPURĀṆAS
"Being propitiated by the wise Märkandeya, Acyuta, the lord of
the world, granted (him) a boon to compile a Purana-samhita".
172 A comparison of the description of the conduct of the people and the
activities of the PÄá¹£aṇá¸as in the Kali age, as given in Bá¹›hannÄradÄ«ya-p.,
chap. 38, with that occurring in Viṣṇudharma, chap. 105, shows
that the account of the former work is clearly based on that of the
latter, from which it derives a good number of peculiar verses.
It is cognisant of Visnu's Sakti and says that this Sakti permeates the
whole world and effects its creation, preservation and destruction, and
that she is identical with UmÄ, Laká¹£mi, DurgÄ and others and also
with Praká¹›ti and MÄyÄ (or MahÄmÄyÄ) which subjects all creatures
to rebirths. Thus, the Bá¹›hannaradiya-p. records a developed Sakti
theory, which points to a date posterior to that of the JayÄkhya-
samhita 173 and not earlier than about 550 A. D. By its statements
that even AjÄmila, a sinner and drunkard, earned freedom from sins
and attained the highest region by simply uttering the
NÄrÄyaṇa'174 (which was given to his youngest son) and that the
great elephant (gajendra) got free from the clutch of the crocodile
by praising the god Visṇu-NÄrÄyaṇa, 175 the Bá¹›hannaradiya-p. clearly
name
Rasis, which, therefore, appear to have been unknown ro the Indians down to
the beginning of the second century A.D.
The earliest dated mention of a week-day has been traced in the Eran
inscription of 484 A.D. (See Fleet, Gupta Inscriptions, pp. 88-89).
172 See, for instance, Bnär. 38. 52, 54-58, 64b, etc., for which, as occurr-
ing in the Visnudharma, see foot-note 108 on pp. 149-150 above.
We have already seen that the date of composition of the Viṣṇudharma is
to be placed between 200 and 300 A.D. (See p. 143 above).
173 This Samhita is dated about 450 A.D., and in it Laká¹£mi, JayÄ, Kirti
and Maya are called Visnu's Sakti but are not said to play any part in creation.
174 BnÄr. 2. 44â€�
surÄparo 'pi yannÄma kirtayitvÄ hy ajamilaá¸�/
prapede paramam sthÄnam
Also 11. 29
.11.
ajÄmilo 'pi pÄpÄtmÄ yan-nÄmoccÄraṇoddhá¹›tah/
prÄptavÄn paramam dhÄma
175 Ibid., 2. 28-yan-nÄma-samkirtanato gajendro grÄhogra-bandhÄn
mumuce sa eva],
***
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