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 366 of: Studies in the Upapuranas
366 (of 417)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
SOME LOST SAURA AND VAIṢṆAVA UPAPURĀṆAS 349 verses relate to fasting on the EkÄdaśī Tithi, two to the religious
duties in the month of Magha (mÄgha-ká¹›tyÄni), and one to the
eatables in the Kamya-vrata; and there is one long extract, quoted
in Caturvarga-cintÄmaṇi, II. ii, pp. 552-7, which deals with the
SÅ«rya-vrata to be performed every month from MÄrgaśīrá¹£a by placing
a golden image of the Sun in a silver chariot. In the verses ascribed
to the Sauradharma in the VidhÄna-pÄrijÄta and the Caturvarga-
cintÄmaṇi there is mention of the Tulasi plant, of which three leaves
are to be eaten up by the persons observing the KÄmya-vrata and the
SÅ«rya-varta every month from MÄrgaśīrá¹£a.
2. THE SAURADHARMOTTARA
This work also, like the Sauradharma mentioned above, should be
regarded as an UpapurÄṇa, although no writer has called it so. It has
been drawn upon in GopÄla-bhaá¹á¹a's Haribhakti-vilÄsa (pp. 776, 808),
Raghunandana's Smṛti-tattva (II, p. 50), Candeśvara's Tithi-nirṇaya
(fols. 12a, 13a, 13b), HemÄdri's Caturvarga-cintÄmaṇi (III. ii, p. 249)
and JimÅ«tavÄhana's KÄlaviveka (pp. 432-3, 443, 444, 447). So,
it must have been written not later than 900 A. D.
The Sauradharmottara does not seem to have been rich in Smá¹›ti
materials. Only a few verses have been quoted from it in the Smá¹›ti
works, and all these verses relate to Ekadasi-upavÄsa.
3. THE SURYA-PURĀṆA
In his
his
Tithi-nirnaya (fol. 2a) Caná¸eÅ›vara quotes verse
(samkrÄntyÄm ravi-väre ca tathã cendu-pariká¹£aye, etc.), which he
ascribes to the 'Surya-purÄṇa'; Weber describes a Ms of the ‘Kṛṣṇa-
pañcami-Å›räddha-vidhi' which claims to belong to the 'Surya-purÄṇa';
and in the Berlin Ms of the Bhavisyottara there is a chapter on Putra-
kÄma-kṛṣṇa-pañcami-vrata which, in its colophon, names the 'Surya-
purÄṇa' as its source. As neither the said verse quoted by Caná¸eÅ›vara
nor the chapters on Kṛṣṇa-pañcamÄ«-Å›rÄddha-vidhi and Putra-kÄma-
3 See Weber, Berlin Cat. of 1853. No. 1127, p. 325 (colophon-iti
sÅ«rya-purÄṇe kṛṣṇa-pañcami-Å›rÄddha-vidhiá¸� samÄptaá¸�).
4 lbid., No. 468, p. 135 (see the colophon of chap. 50).
