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 500 of: Studies in the Upapuranas
500 (of 598)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
THE LOST ŚĀKTA UPAPURĀṆAS 60 481 nama� śivāya' is praised, and the Siva worshippers are
given preference to other sectaries."¹ In his Caturvarga-
cintāmaṇi (III. ii, p. 691) Hemādri quotes from the 'Nandi-
p.' an extract in which Iśvara (i.e. Śiva) speaks on the result
of avoiding meat; 2 and in the Adbhuta-sāgara Vallālasena
quotes from the same Purāṇa seven metrical lines on Śiva's
burning of Tripura.63 So, the Saiva character of the
Nandi-p. is unmistakable. But as we have already seen that
the Matsya-p. describes the Nandi-p. as a work dealing with
the praise of Nandā, it seems that the Nandi-p. was originally
a Sākta work dealing with the praise of Nandā and that,
like the Nandikeśvara-p., it had also chapters on the praise
and worship of Siva, to whom Nandā was associated as his
Sakti. The prevalence of Saiva elements in this Upapurāṇa
must be due to the interfering hands of the Purāṇic Saivas,
who appear to have utilised this work for popularising Śiva-
worship. The Vaiṣṇava character of the Nandi-p. was most
probably the last stage in its change.
The Nandi-p. must not be taken to be the same as the
The distinct
Nandikeśvara-p. (also called Nandiśvara-p.) 64
character of these two Purāṇic works is shown by the follow-
ing facts. (1) In the list of the eighteen Upapurāṇas
given by Raghunandana in his Malamāsa-tattva there is
mention of a 'Vayaviya Upapurāṇa' (which we have already
found to be the same as the Nandi-p.) and the 'Nandikeśvara-
yugma' (i.e. the two Nandikeśvara-purāṇas, which the
commentator Kāśīrāma Vācaspati takes to mean the 'Bṛhan-
nandikeśvara-p.' and the 'Nandikeśvara-p'.); 65 (2) the Sabda-
kalpadruma quotes from the 'Kurma-p.' a few verses on the
list of the eighteen Upapurāṇas which includes the 'Vāyaviya'
6º Smṛti-tattva, I, pp. 130-1; Nirṇaya-sindhu, p. 243; Acāra-mayūkha, p. 95.
61 Aparärka's com. on the Yāj., p. 399; Dānasāgara, pp. 476-7.
62 For the verses of this extract see also Kṛtya-kalpataru, III, pp. 359-360, Kṛtya-
ratnākara, pp. 548-9, and Gṛhastha-ratnākara, p. 390.
*3 Adbhuta-sāgara, p. 485.
“In Viśvakoṣa, IX,pp.547 and 549 the Nandi-p. has been wrongly identified with
the Nandiśvara-p. or Nandikeśvara-p.
** Malamāsa-tattva (ed. Candicaraṇa Smṛtibhūṣaṇa with Kāśīrama Vācaspati's
commentary), p. 213 nandikeśvara-yugmam bṛhannandikeśvara-purāṇam nandi-
keśvara-purāṇam ca.
_
31
