Wilson, Hh - Hindu Mythology And Tradition Vol 3

JAN SO1955

V.

Sect

0LI135 .P6A3

ae4 V.

3

WORKS BY

THE LATE

HORACE

II

AY MAN WILSON,

M.A., F.R.S., MKMBEU OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, OF THK ASIATIC SOCIETIES OF CALCUTTA AND PARIS, AND OF THE ORIENTAL SOCIETY OF GERMANY; FORErON MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE;

MEMBER OF THE IMPERIAL ACADEMIES OF

ST.

PETERSBURGH AND VIENNA,

AND OF THE ROYAL ACADEMIES OF MUNICH AND BERLIN; PH.D. BRESLAU;

MARBURG, ETC.;

M. D.

AND BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT

VOL.

IN

THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.

VIII.

LONDON: TRUBNER &

CO., GO,

PATERNOSTER ROW.

1866.

/

T

v..

/

(

THE

VISHNU PURANA: A

SYSTEM OF

HINDU MYTHOLOGY AND TRADITION TRANSLATED

FROM THE ORIGINAL SANSKRIT, AND

ILLUSTRATED RY NOTES DERIVED CHIEFLY FROM OTHER PURANAS, BY THE LATE

H. H.

WILSON,

BODEN PliOKESSOR OF SANSKRIT

M.A., F.R.S., THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD,

IN

ETC., ETC.

EDITED BY

FITZEDWARD HALL. VOL.

Ill

LONDON: TRtfBNER &

CO., 60,

PATERNOSTER ROW.

1866.

VISHNU PURANA. BOOK

III.

CHAPTER

I.

Account of the several Manus and Manwantaras. Swarochisha, the second

Manu

:

the Indra,

the divinities,

of his period, and his sons.

the seven Rishis,

Similar details of Auttami, Taniasa,

Raivata, Chakshusha, and Vaivaswata. as the preserver, in each Manw^antara.

MaITREYA.— The disposition

The forms of Vishnu, The meaning of Vishnu,

of the earth and of the

ocean, and the system of the sun and the planets, the creation of the gods

and the

rest,

the origin of the

Rishis, the generation of the four castes, the production

of brute creatures, and the narratives of

Dhruva and

my

Prahlada, have been fully related by thee, able preceptor.

the series of

of those

all

who

I

am now

vener-

desirous to hear from you

the Manwantaras, as well as an account

preside over the respective periods, with

Sakra, the king of the gods, at their head.

Parasara.

—

I will

order, the different past,

repeat to you, Maitreya, in their

Manwantaras,

— those

which are

and those which are to come.

The

first

Manu was Swayambhuva; then came Swa-

rochisha; then, Auttami;* then, Tamasa; then, Raivata;

Some III.

lut

of

my MSS.

have Uttama.

See note 2

at p. 5, infra. 1

VISHNU PURANA.

2

then, Chakshuslia: these six Maniis

The Manu who which

the present (period),

is

have passed away.

presides over the seventh Manwantara, is

Vaivaswata, the son

of the Sun.

The period

of

Swayambhuva Manu,

in the

begin-

ning of the Kalpa, f has ah'eady been described by me, together with the gods, Rishis, (and other personages)

who

then flourished.^

now, therefore, enumerate

I will t

the presiding gods, Rishis, and sons of the Manu, in the

Manwantara

of Swarochisha.^

The

deities of this

period (or the second Manwantara) were the classes

The gods were

'

said to be the

Yamas

(Vol.

p. 109)

I.,

;

the

f

Rishis were Marichi, Angiras, &c. (Vol.

I.,

p. 100,

sons were Priyavrata and Uttanapada (Vol.

the

The

adds, to the

Vtiyii

former,

observes,

it

Yamas,

sacrificial

the Ajitas, offerings.

note 2); and

I.,

pp. 107, 108).

who share with the The Matsya, Padma,

Brahma Puranas, and Hari Variisat substitute, for the Agnidhra and the rest grandsons, of Swayambhuva,

—

pp

sons, the

(Vol.

II.,

101, 102).

This Manu, according

"^

kai'ideya Purai'ia, §

was

to the

legend of his birth in the Mar-

the son of Swarochis, so

named from

who was the The text, Gandharva Kali.

splendour of his appearance, when born, and the

nymph

Varuthini, by the

other place,

||

makes him a son of Priyavrata.

the

son of in an-

IT

* Compare the Laws of the Mdnavas, L, 61, 62. t The present Kalpa, the Varaha, from vardlia, 'boar'.

See Vol.

I.,

pp. 58, 59.

415.

1^1.

:

§ Chapter LXIII. I

II

^f I.,

find Kala.

See

19,

p. 11,

note

+,

infra.

According

Swarochisha was son of Agni.

to the

Bhdgavata-purdna,

VIII.,

BOOK

CHAP.

Iir.,

3

I.

called Paravatas and Tushitas;^"^' and the king of the gods was the mighty Vipaschit.f The seven Rishis^

The Vayu

'

gives the

names of

classes, consisting, each, of twelve.

two nomen-

the individuals of these

It furnishes,

also, the

clature of all the classes of divinities, and of the sons of the

Manwautara.

nus, in each

Ma-

According to the same authority, the

Tushitas were the sons of Kratu

:

I

the

Bhagavata

calls

them the

sons of Tushita by Vedasiras. § The divinities of each period are, according to the Vayu, those to whom offerings of the Soma juice ^

sons,

and the like are presented

collectively.

The Vayu describes the Rishis of each Manwantara or, in some cases, the descendants, in a direct line,

as the

of the

seven sages, Atri, Angiras, Bhrigu, Kasyapa, Pulaha, Pulastya,

and Vasishtha: with some inconsistency; for Kasyapa, did not appear, himself, until the seventh Manwantara.

present series,

Kasyapa Dattoli

;

is

In the

the son of Vasishtha; Starabha springs

from Prana, from Bhrigu ; Rishabha descends from Angiras the son of Pulastya; Nischara springs from Atri; and

Arvarivat

[

is

the son of Pulaha.

is

Vamsa f have

We

Urja

at least,

a rather different

Vol.

read,

"These, who,

in

II.,

the

The Brahma Puraiia and Hari

list,

or,

Aurva, Stambha, Kasyapa,

after an enumeration of twelve names: p. 27, Chakshusha Manwantara, were the gods called

Tushitas, were called the

twelve Adityas, in the Manwantara of Vai-

But our text, Manwantara, not in the

now

vaswata."

as

sixth:

appears, places the Tushitas in the second see p. 12, infra.

Nor, according to the

Vdyu-purdna, were they Vishnu, Sakra, &c. t The Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., I., 20, gives Rochana as the Indra of the second Manwantara or Patriarchate. +

Tushita,

our text,

p.

according to the same authority, was their mother, as in 17, infra.

Bhdgavata appears to imply: VIII., I., 21. seems to have followed, here, his own MSS. of the Vdyu-purdna, exclusively; and they must differ greatly from those to which I, after him, have access. Instead of Urja occurs, in these MSS., what looks like a corruption of Turya or Urva for Prana, Drona § So, rather, the II

Professor Wilson

;

for Dattoli, Dattatri;

f

for Nischara, Nischala

;

and, for Arvarivat, Dhavat.

^l. 417.

I*

VISHNU PURANA.

4

were Urja, Stanibha,* Prana, Dattoli,f Rishablia,

Nis-

Prana, Brihaspati, Chyavana, and Dattoli:t but the origin of part of this difference

Vayu

the

is

first,

Aurva and Stambha, being spe-

of Vasishtha and the descendant of Kasyapa,

as the son

cified

nothing more than an imperfect quotation from

Puraiia; the two

and then the parentage of the

rest being omitted: to complete the

Kasyapa becomes one of them. Some other errors of this nature occur in these two works, and from the same a blundering citation § of the Vayu, which is named as cause,

seven, therefore,

—

their authority:

A

They are The Brahma Purana

curious peculiarity, also, occurs in these mistakes. eight Manwantaras.

confined to the

first

omits

of the last six; and the Hari Vaiiisa inserts them

all details

and correctly, agreeably to the authority of the Vayu. looks, therefore, as if the compiler of the Hari Vaiiisa had

fully

lowed the Brahma, as

far as

recourse to the original

it

Vayu

It

fol-

went, right or wrong, but had had Puniria,

when

the

Brahma

failed

sometimes written Dattoni andDattotri; and the

him.

Dattoli

latter

appears to have been the case with the copy of the Hari

Van'isa

is

employed by M. Langlois, who

jj

makes one of

the Rishis

He is not without counPadma Purjina changes the

of this Manwantara, "le penitent Atri,"

tenance in some such reading; for the

name

to

Dattatreya,

treya, however,

is

no doubt suggested by Datta-atri.

the son of Atri; whilst the

son of the text the son of Pulastya.

*

Stamba

is

an equally

common

Vayu

Datta-

calls the per-

There can be no doubt,

reading in

my MSS.

f So read three of my MSS. Variants are Dattoni, Dattori, Dattobli, See, further, Vol. I., p. 154, Dattokti, Dantoli, Dantobhi, and Dambholi. note I

l-

In

MSS.

of the

Brahma-purdna

I

find

Stamba and Dattoni.

The

Calcutta edition of the Harivaihsa has Stamba, Kasyapa, and Dattoni. § In II

SI.

Vol.

418. I.,

p. 38.

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

5

I.

chara,* and Arvarivat;f and Chaitra, Kiiiipunisha,

and others were the Mann's sons.* In the third period, or

Manwantara of Auttami,^ Su-

therefore, of the correct reading; for the son of Pulastya

(Vol.

toli. :

I.,

is

Dat-

p. 154.)

The Vayu agrees with the text in these names, adding seven § The Bhagavata has a different series. The Padma has

'

others.

|i

other names: Nabha, Nabhasya, Prasriti, Bhavana.,

four

Brahma has names of the four

and several of the

the Rishis of the tenth Manwantara.

The Matsya has Manu, and gives

names of

the

names of

Padma

for the sons of the

to the third

Miirti,

Apas, Jyotis, Aya, Smrita

the Brahma), as the seven Prajapatis of this period,

and sons of Vasishtha.

The sons

of Vasishtha, however, belong

Manwantara, and bear

There

different appellations.

no doubt, some blundering, here,

is,

The

these,

seven others, Havindhra, Sukrita, (the

two of

ten names, including

in all the

books except the

Vayu and those which agree with it. The name occurs Auttami, Auttama, and Uttama. The Bhagavata If and Vayu agree with our text (p. 11, infra), in making him a descendant from Priyavrata. The Markaiideya calls him the son of Uttama,** the son of

Uttanapada;ff and

this

appears

be the correct genealogy, both from our text and the Bhagavata. ++

to

*

One MS.

gives Nischira.

t The much more frequent lection known to me is Urvarivat. + There is, I incline to think, room for very grave doubt as these §

I

See note f in p. 4, supra. do not count so many; and those that

to

both

points.

I

find

are very corruptly

written. II

At

I 20, it says there were seven, but names only Urja and Burnouf melts these two names into one. It calls him Priyavrata's son: VIII., I., 23. LXXII., 39. Auttama is the grandson's name, in the Mdrkandeya-

VIII.,

,

Stambha.

% **

purdna.

tt LXXIX.,

3.

Suruchi

is

there said to be Uttama's mother.

same parentage, see Vol. I., p. 159, of the present work. Sec note If, in ++ Not from the Bhagavata, certainly. to our text, see note + at p. 11, infra.

For the

this page.

As

VISHNU Pl'RANA.

was the Indra, the king of the gods; the orders were the Sadhamaiis,f Satyas, Sivas, Pradar-

santi*

of

whom

sanas,+

and Vasavartins;^§ each of the twelve

sisting of

five orders con-

The seven sons

(divinities).

sishtha were the seven Rishis;^ and Aja,

of VaParasu,t

|1

The Brahma and Hari Variisa** have, in place of these, Vayu and Markandeyaff concur with

'

the the

Bhanus; but the

to furnish a different series, also; or

according to the French translation: tara parurent,

comme

d'Ourdja.

The

The meaning

text

||||

Saptarchis, les

appeles Vdsichthas^ les

tara)

'Dans

fils

le

even a

troisieme

third,

Manwan-

de Vasichtha, de son

nom

fils

d'Hirariyagarbha, et les illustres enfans

is

"There were

is:

of which

:

seven celebrated sons of Vasishtha,

*

Brahma and Hari

All the authorities agree in this; but the

^

Vanisa§§ appear

were sons of Brahma

(i. e.,

Satyajit, according to the

(in the first

who

Manwantara)

(in the third

Manwan-

Rishis), the illustrious posterity

Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII.,

I.,

24.

t Five MSS. have Swadhamans. * Pratardanas represents the reading of two MSS. § Three MSS.

exhibit

Vaiiisavartins.

Professor Wilson put "Vasa-

vertis". II

MSS.

In three

HA

single

Prajas occurs.

MS. reads Parabhu.

** SI. 825.

tt In

my

three

MSS.

stead of Pradarsanas.

has Swadhamans, for

I

find Pratardanas, as in the Calcutta edition,

The Calcutta Sudhamans.

edition, at variance with

II The BJidgavaia-purdria, VIII., I., and Bhadras. Also see note * at p.

§§ nil

^^

24,

I.,

p. 38.

The Calcutta

edition reads

^^J.

in--

copies,

names the Satyas, Vedasrutas,

17, infra.

^l. 422.

Vol.

my

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

r.

Divya, and others were the sons of the Manu.^

The

Sariipas,* Haris, Satyas,

classes of

gods

,

and Sudhis^f were the

each comprising twenty-seven, in the

period of Tamasa, (the fourth Mann).''

We

of Urja.

p. 155),

have already seen that Urja was the wife of Va-

by

whom

in

the

sishtha,

again, as the

was the

Sibi+

she had seven sons, Rajas," &c. (see Vol.

I.,

Swayambhuva Manwantara; and these were born Rishis of the third period. The names of these per-

sons, according to the

Matsya and Padma,

are,

however, very

ferent from those of the sons of Vasishtha given in Vol. or, Kaukuiidihi, Kuruiidi,

dif-

p. 155,

I.,

Dalbhya, Sankha, Pravahita, Mita, and

Sammita. §

The Vayu adds ten other names to those of the text. The Brahma gives ten altogether different. The Bhagavata and Padma '

|1

have, each, a separate nomenclature.

Of

^

these the

tyas; the

Brahma and Hari VamsalT

notice only the Sa-

Matsya and Padma have only Sadhyas.

The Vayu,

Bhagavata,** Kiirma, and Markarideyaff agree with the

He

^

is

the son of Priyavrata,

Vayu, &c. The Markandeya§§ has a legend of

*

One MS. has

*

Sikhi

is,

in

text.

according to the text. his birth

It

the

by a doe;

f Swadhis is the reading of one MS. MSS., almost as common a lection. And herewith

Swariipas.

my

agrees the MdrkaMeya-purdna,

LXXIV.,

the Bhagavata-purdiia, YIII.,

28.

1.,

58.

Trisikha

is

the

name

in

The § I have put Dalbhya for "Dalaya", on manuscript authority. Bhdgavata-purdna VIII., I., 24, names only Pramada, out of the seven; and he is not of the family as detailed in IV., I., 41, 42. See Vol. I., ,

155, note 3.

p. II

t *•

VIII.,

I.,

23: Pavana, Srinjaya, Yajnahotra, and others

unnamed.

SI. 427. I

find

— VIII.,

I.,

tt LXXIV., 57. ++ See p. 11, note §§ Chapter

LXXIV.

28, 29

+,

— the

Satyakas, Haris, Viras, and Vaidhi'itis.

infra; also, p. 17, text and notes +

and

§.

VISHNU PURANA.

8

Indra, also designated by his performance of a hundred sacrifices, (or

named

The seven

Satakratii^').

Rishis

were Jyotirdhaman, Prithu, Kavya, Chaitra, Agni, Vanaka,f and Pivara/ The sons of Tamasa were the

mighty kings Nara, Khyati, Santahaya,+ Janujangha,

and others.^ and, from his being begotten in dark tempestuous weather (f!??^), his name. § Severally, according to the Vayu, the progeny of Bhfigu,

he derives '

Kasyapa, Angiras, Pulastya, is

Atri, Vasishtha,

and Pulaha. There Thus, the Matsya

considerable variety in some of the names.

has Kavi, Prithu, Agni, Akapi, Kapi, Jalpa,

H

The Hari

Dhimat.

Varhsat has Kavya, Prithu, Agni, Jahnu, Dhatri,** Kapivat, Akapivat. For the two last the Vayu reads Gatra and Vanapitha. The son of Pulaha is in his place (Vol. I., p. 155, note 1),— Arvarivat or Vanakapivat. Gatra is amongst the sons of Vasishtha (Vol. I., p. 155). The Vayu is, therefore, probably, most correct,

although our text, in regard to these "two denominations,

admits of no doubt rff ^^srf^^^^^^T Tfl"^T^ tt 2 The Vayu, &c. agree with the text; the Vayu naming eleven. I

The Brahma, Matsya, and Padma have

a series of ten names,

Sutapas, Tapomula, &c., of which seven are the Rishis of the twelfth Manwantara. §§ This parenthesis was supplied by the Translator. MdrkaMeyat Five of my MSS. read Varada. Two of my MSS. of the purdna have Vaiiaka; the third, Varuiia. The Calcutta edition, LXXIV., *

59, gives Valaka. +

In one MS.

is

Santihaya; and, in one, Santihavya.

§ The Bhdyavata-purdiia, VIII.,

I.,

27,

represents

him

as

brother

of

Uttama. II

*

Corrected from the printer's "Salpa".

The Calcutta

edition has

t

SI. 426.

Janyu and Dhaman.

ft See, however, note f in this page. I., 28, names Jyotirdhaman only. \X The Bhdgavata-purd/ia, VIII., Agreeably to the Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., I., 27, they were ten in §§

number, of

whom

it

specities

Prithu, Khyati, Nara, and Ketu.

BOOK In the

fifth niterval,

III.,

CHAP.

the Manii

y

r.

was Raivata;^ the

In-

dra was Vihhu; the classes of gods, consistmg of fourteen each, were the Aniitabhas, Abhutarajasas, * Vaikunthas, and Siunedhasas;^f the seven Rishis were Raivata, as well as his three predecessors,

'

as a descendant of Priyavrata.

ally,

long legend of his birth, as the son of

Revati, sprung from the constellation Revati,

Muni, caused

to

fall

is

regarded, usu-

The Markarideya§ has a King Durgama by the nymph t

whom

Ritavach, a

Her radiance became

from heaven.

a lake

on Mount Kumuda, thence called Raivataka; and from it appeared the damsel, who was brought up by Pramucha Muni. Upon the marriage of Revati, the Muni, at her request, restored the aster-

ism to

its

place in the skies.

The Brahma

^

inserts, of these,

Two MSS. have

only the Abhutarajasas, with

Abhiitaramas; two, Abhiitarayas; both which words

look very like depravations of the reading in

The ordinary reading

Abhiitarajas.

wit,

term

of

all

the

my line

other copies, to-

containing this

is:

That the first two names must be taken as welded into embodying Abhiitarajas is attempted to be shown in note

;|

a

compound

in the next

f p. 17, infra. And hence the "Abhutarajasas" Abhutarajases- of Professor Wilson may be open to correction, Moreover, on the assumption that his MSS. as regards its first syllable. were like mine, he has substituted the longer ending of the word for See, further, note

page.

-i.

,

e.,

II., p. 101, note *; and p. 107, notetscholar will have noticed, that, other considerations permitting, the line just quoted might yield Bhutarajas. The reading, unquestionably, of the Bhdgavata-purdna VIII., V., 3, omits the vowel

the shorter.

See Vol.

The Sanskrit

,

at the beginning. it,

It is

as to its y, such

rdna,

LXXV.,

71,

as

Bhiitarayas; and

we have

has,

which, as could be shown,

in

my

may

it

involves a corruption,

in Abhiitarayas.

I

take

The Mdrkmdeya-pu-

three MSS., Abhiitanayas or Bhiitanayas,

easily have

grown out

of Abhiitarajas.

The

Calcutta edition exhibits Bhiipatis! in reading Susamedhases. t In the singular, Sumedhas. Three MSS agree Ehdyavata-purdna, VIII., V., 2, calls him uterine brother of \ The

Tamasa. §

And

Chapter

see p. 11, note

LXXV.

X,

infra.

VISHNU PURANA.

10

f

Hiranyaroman, Vedasri,* Urdbwabahu, Vedababu,f Sudbamaii,+ Parjanya, and Mabamuni/§ Tbe sons of were of

the remark, that 'they

i.

like nature (with their name):'||

they were exempt from the quality of passion. M. Langlois,!

e.,

passage of the Hari Vamsa,** has con-

in rendering the parallel

founded the epithet and the subject: 'dont

depourvus de colere

Pracritis,

loss

what

to

dieux furent les

les

He

de passion.'

et

also, at

is,

do with the terms Pariplava and Raibhya,

a

in the

following passage, XlTtTg"^"^' T'^'^jtt asking: 'Qu'est-ce que PaIf he had had the commentary

riplava? qu'est-ce que Rebhya?'

would have been unnecessary: they are

at hand, these questions

there said to be

There

'

*

two

is less

classes of divinities

variety in these

Devasri, according to a single

:

XITf^^^

names than

T^^

usual. §§

^^cTT-

Vedabahu

MS.

t In three MSS., Devabahu. \ Two MSS. have Swadhaman. §

The Bhugavata-purdita,

VIII.,

V.,

3,

says

that

they

were,

with

Hiranyaroman, Vedasiras, and (jrdhwabahu. The Sanskrit allows us to take the word as Abhiitarajases; meaning, perhaps, 'endowed with activity - ra^as - as far as that possessed by the others, II

Bhiitas.'

See Vol.

I.,

p.

83; and Vol.

The Vdyu-purdtia speaks For, jnst below this,

On now comparing it will

of the

my •[[

p. 74,

note

2.

has the line:

it

note

* in

the last page with note

^

at p.

17, [infra,

be seen, that the gods under discussion were characterized by their

possession, not want, of activity. all

II.,

Amritabhas and Abhiitarajas:

Professor Wilson's MSS.,

own, ^^Jcft

Vol

** SI.

I

,

p.

TT^^'j

In the latter passage here referred

including those now

^^ e^^e ^^jJcfT

at Oxford,

to,

have, like

^'T^t-

39.

432:

tt ^l. 432. t+ Of the gods of the

fifth

Manwantara the Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., * and Vaikin'it'has only. See note

v., 3, 4, particularizes the Bhiitarayas in the preceding page.

§§ See the MdrkanHeya-purdna,

LXXV.,

73, 74.

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

11

I.

RaivatawereBalabanflhiu Susaiiibhavya,* Satyaka, and other valiant kings, f These four Maniis, Swarochisha, Auttami,+ Taniasa,

and Raivata, were,

all,

descended from Priyavrata, who, Vishnu by his devo-

consequence of propitiating

in

obtained these rulers of the Manwantaras for

tions, §

his posterity.

Chakshusha was the Manu of the sixth period,^

is

in

read Devabahu; Sudhaman, Satyanetra; and Mahamuni, Muni, According to the Vayu, those

Yajus, Vasishtha, and Yadudhra. of the text are, respectively,

Vasishtha, Pulastya,

Chakshusha, according

from Dhruva (see Vol. gend of

and Kasyapa.

names of the Manu's

siderable variety in the '

of the lineage of Angiras, Bhrigu,

Atri, Pulaha,

the best authorities,

to

is

con-

descended

Markandeya has a leson of a Kshattriya named Anamitra; of

1.,

his birth as the

There

sons.

p. 177):

but the

at his birth, for the son of Visranta Raja,

his being exchanged,

and being brought up, by the prince, as his OAvn; of his revealing the business, when a man, and propitiating Brahma by his devotions, in consequence of which, he

former

birth,

became a Manu.

In his

he was born from the eye of Brahma, whence his

name, from Chakshus,

'the eye.'

||

* Saiiibhavya is the reading offiveMSS.; Swasaiiibhavya, that of one. t Only Arjuua and Balivindhya are named in the Bhdgavata-purdna,

VIll., v., 2. X

itself,

pada. p.

0,

The Vishnu-pur aria is at odds is here a variant. here derives Auttami from Priyavrata,-not from UttauaSee Vol. I. p. 159: also, p. 5, note U; p. 7, note 3; p. 8, note §;

Uttama, as before,

with

note

if it

X,

supra.

"Descended from Priyavrata" his posterity",

'^ITW^lT^T'l^

•

translates ^^^^

fTT^WfTT^^*;

°^^y render:

"one

^n^l

"^o^^

in lineage with

Priyavrata"; but hardly, considering the context, "as his kindred", instead of "for his posterity". §

Tapas, 'austerity'.

Uttanapada and Priyavrata were brothers. Compare ihQ Bhdgavata-furdna,^\\l.,^;'^j|

VISHNU PURANA.

12

which the Indra was Manojava:* the five classes of godsf were the Adyas, t Prastutas, § Bhavyas, Prithiigas,|| and the inagnanunous Lekhas, eight of each: ^H Suinedhas, Virajas, Havishmat, Uttama, Madhu,^"^' AbhinainaD,ft and Sahishhn were the seven sages. ^ The kings of the earth, the sons of Chakshusha, were the

'

authorities agree as to the number, but differ as to the

The

names; reading,

Adyas, Aryas and Apyas;tt for Prastutas,

for

Prabhutas and Prasiitas; for Pfithugas, Prithukas and Prithusas; and, which is a more wide deviation, Ribhus for Bhavyas. M. Langlois§§ omits the latter,

meaning

Prasi'itas,

'divinities,' is

and inserts Divauliasas; but the

only an epithet.

The Hari

Variisa

||

||

has:

^T^:

TTfftT

^H^: ^^TTg

f^^^Ni^:

I

^^

The comment adds f^^'t^W jf^ ^"W^t f^^^WI The Viiyu reads Sudluiman, *** for the lirst name; Unnata, for Uttama; and Abhimana, for Abhinaman.fff The latter occurs :

I

'^

*

Mantradruma: Bhdgavata-purdria, *

t See note I

One MS. has Aryas.

§ This reading rest,

^

VIII., V., 8.

at p. 3, supra.

is

in

none of

my MSS.

Prasiitas.

See

p.

3,

it

note

*,

Two have

Prasritas;

all

the

Three MSS. have Prithagas.

supra.

**

Maru is in one MS. tt Every one of my MSS. has Atinaman. n The B/tdgavata-purdna names the Apyas

only, of all the gods of this

Patriarchate. §§ Vol. II

II

%^ ***

I.,

p. 39.

SI. 437.

The Calcutta

And

edition has

so does the

•^T"RIT^ "'T^'fTT:, and

Harivamsa,

si.

^^^t.

435.

ttt The iVdrkaiHleya-purdna, LXXVI., 54, has, in one of my three MSS., Unnata, as against Uttama in the other two; and so has the Calcutta edition, with which they all concur in reading Atinaman.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

I.

1

3

powerful Uru,* Purii,f Satadyumna, and others. +

The Marin

of the present period

is

the wise lord of

obseqnies,§ the illustrions offspring of the Sun. deities are the Adityas,

sovereign

is

!|

The

Vasus, and RudrasrII their

Purandara. Vasishtha, Kasyapa, Atri, Ja-

madagni, Gautama, Viswamitra, and Bharadwaja are the seven Rishis; and the nine pious sons of Vaivas-

wata Manu are the kings** Ikshwaku, Nabhaga,ff Dhrishta,n Saryati, §§ Narishyanta, Nahhanidishta,|||| also

*

Abhinamin(Matsya) and Atinaman (Hari Van'isalflf). The

Here

t Para

— as is

in Vol.

I.,

p.

177

Those named

§

II

in the

twoMSS.; and

See Vol.

I.,

Bhdgavata-purdna,

p.

p.

as

many have

Piiru,

177, note f. are Paru,

VIII., V., 7,

Sraddhadeva; often taken as a proper name.

Pu-

Vaivaswata

is

intended.

supra.

2,

See Vol.

^ Add **

have corrected the Translator's "Uru".

Sudyumna.

rusha, and

See

1

the worthless reading of

the ancient form of the name. t

—

latter

II.,

27, for their

p.

And

'etc'

names.

see p. 15, note

+.

infra.

See Book IV., Chapters I.-V., wjiere

I

return to these kings,

ft Three MSS. have Nabhaga. As will be seen further on, this king should seem to bear another name, that of Ni'iga, which word several of

my

++ is

copies give here, as the reading.

In two MSS., Dhrishfu; in one, Vishnu; the former of which lections

of no account

§§ Here

I

correct

the "Sanyati" of the original edition.

Half

my MSS.

have Saryati, nil

Not one of

now

my MSS.

has this reading.

Six — like two of Professor

Oxford— give Nabhaga and Disht'a; Arishfa; one, Nabhaga and Disht'a; one, Nabhaga and and Disht'a, &c. Moreover, it is shown, in the next one of the commentators understands two kings to And there is strong ground for believing that herein

Wilson's,

at

two,

Nabhaga and Nabha

Disht'a; one,

page, that at least

be here spoken

he

is

of.

right.

name — to which there is nothing, in any MSS. he used, nearer than •TT^ %f^H.> occurring in one of them must have been suggested by the Nabhanedisht'ha of the Rigveda and other ancient writings, to whom he refers in a note to Book IV., Professor Wilson's choice of

of the

Chapter

I.

^^

SI. 436.

VISHNU I'URANA.

14

Karusha, Prishadhra, and the celebrated Vasumat.^* The unequalled energy of Vishnu, combining with reads, f no doubt incorrectly, Bhrigu,

Uttama, Madhu, and Havishmat.

of Chakshuslia are enumerated in Vol.

The sons There

'

*

no great variety of nomenclature

is

The Vayu

tara.

The

On

text

this it is

That

is

p. 177.

I.,

in this

to the deities, the Sadhyas,

adds,

for

Manwan-

Viswas, Ma-

as follows:

remarked, in one of the commentaries, the other being silent:

to say,

is

Nabha, and Vivaswat,

t

the

"Vasumat"

of the text

an epithet of Prishadhra,

is

denoting 'fortitudinous'. thus evident

It is

how

the commentator here

makes out the exact

tale

of nine kings.

Discordantly, the Bhagavata-purdita, Vlll., XIII.,

shadhra, and Vasumat,

made,

in the sequel,

2,

3,

has Ikshwaku,

Narishyanta, Nabhaga, Disht'a, Kanisha, Pri-

Dhi'isht'a, Saryati,

Nahhaga,

— ten,

to IX.,

as I.,

it

distinctly

states.

Reference will be

See, for nine sons of Vaivaswata,

12.

MdrkaMeya-purdna, LXXIX., 11, 12. At present, it need only be added, that the Vdyu-purdna, professing to name but nine sons of the reigning Mann, makes Prailisu the last, and says nothing of Vasumat as one of his brothers. Later Puranas than the Vdyu have manipulated its statements with a very free hand. the

For instance, the

first line

is

Book

and hence the

in

my

creation, there, of

Vasumat.

annotations, that which

designated as the smaller becomes,

III.,

speaks of the sixth

thus expressed:

Of the two commentaries adduced hitherto

it

Rishis, served, pretty certainly, as the type

of the quotation given above;

This stanza

which

of the stanza in

and seventh of Vaivaswata's

considerably the ampler.

From

shall, till further notice, distinguish it as

I

have

here at the beginning of

this point,

not to mislead,

I

B; the other being called A.

t SI. 435. I

Havishmat and Viraka, and these only, are spoken of

gavata-purdna, VIII., V.,

8.

in the

Bhd-

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

r.

15

^

the quality of goodness, and effecting the preservation of created things, presides over

all

the Manwantaras,

form of a divinity.^' Of a portion of that divinity Yajna was born, in the Swayambhuva Manwantara, in the

The Bhaga-

and gods sprung from Bhrigu and Angiras.f

ruts,

vata+ adds the Ribhns;§ and most include the two Aswins, as a class.

Of

the Maruts, however,

the Hari

Vamsa

remarks, that

they are born in every Manwantara, seven times seven (or fortynine); that,

in

each Manwantara, four times seven (or twenty-

up by

eight) obtain emancipation, but their places are filled

sons reborn in that character.

pei'-

So the commentator explains the

passages

and

?t;^^^ ^f7TsfiT% ^^TT-

^H^^^T

^H^ TWT

U^^tl^TlTtil^rTt ^^T: TTfTTTr?^^^

:

I

^

^^t^

%^t fr^ ^WTT- ^F^T ^^TNl[frT TT^:

mentary. mentary.

It

may be

suspected,

I

I

however, that these passages

have been derived from the simple statement of the Matsya, in

all

the Manwantaras, classes

ComCom-

of Rishis appear

that,

by seven and

seven, and, having established a code of law and morality, depart to felicity

The Vayu has a

rather different

list

of the seven Rishis:** or,

Vasumat, the son ofVasishtha; Vatsara, descended from Kasyapa;

TT;^^^^^^ ^W^Tf^^fTT

II

f With this enumeration corresponds that in the Mdrk.-pur., LXXIX., 1. 4, it adds, to the Adityas, Vasus, and Rudras, the I At VIII., XIII Viswe devas, Maruts, Aswins, and Ribhus. ,

§

Vol. II

**

For these gods, see Professor Wilson's Translation of the Kigveda, I.,

p. 46,

note

SI. 444.

a.

t

SI. 445.

In this order: Viswamitra, Jamadagni,

Vasumat, Vatsara.

Bharadwaja, Saradwat. Atri,

VISHNU PURANA.

16

When

the will-begotten progeny of Aki'iti.^*

the Swa-

Viswamitra, the son of Gadhi, and of the Kusika race; Janiailagni,

son of Kuru,f of the race of Bhrigu; Bharadwaja, son of

Brihaspati; Saradwat, son of Gotama,

of the family of Utathya;§

+

and Brahniakosa or Atri, descended from Brahma. autliorities agree

H

Tiie nominal

'

All the other

||

with our text. father being the patriarch Ruchi. (See Vol.

I.,

p. 108.)

^*^

*

On

TffT

^-RT^^^nT^

^sr^:

two conimentaiies remark:

this the

^T^m

^^•fl^l

^% i^

fRI

^TcTfr

rT"^ f^Ulft

^^^'^ ^f^^

I

iH'T

f«^

f

^% ^^M^:

tj^^-

^?TJ

I

I

According to this, "From a portion of him Yajna was born, in the Swayambhuva Manwantara, ofAkiiti; or, in this first Manwantara, yajna Hence the term 7oas born fruni Ruchi, a god will-begotten of Brahma."

mdnaaa must be taken

Brahma

in

the

to

allude to Ruchi,

husband, born from

Akiiti's

Mdnasa

epoch of the Swayambhuva Patriarchate.

first

cannot be applied to the child of a virgin.

Males,

females, had

not

will-begotten offspring.

t

I

find i'ru; also,

Kusa.

See Book IV., Chapter VII.

"Gautama". Saradwat's patronymic. See Book +

§

Corrected from

is

Chapter XIX.

IV.,

"Utatthya".

from

Corrected

importing 'son of Gotama',

This,

Vol.

In

I.,

note 2,

153,

p.

have

I

amended "Uttathya". In Professor Wilson's Translation of the Rigveda, Vol. pears "Uchatthya"-rec<e, Uchathya — as is

added, in a note:

"The reading

"Utatthya" occurs

i/nd.,

p.

83,

Puranas

of the

note

II.,

and

it

invariably, Uttathya."

is,

These spellings, which

6.

ap-

p. 63,

father of Dirghatamas;

I

have

never met with, must be incorrect; as the etymology-wcAaf/ja, 'praise'— of the Vaidik form of the name, Uchathya, clearly evinces.

These great

and

suchlike

Sanskrit

minutia'

Dictionary

are

of Messrs.

not

purposeless, seeing

copiously, as variants, transformations of proper

existence

to

mere inadvertence, but the

cannot be judged of II

Swayambhuva,

in

and Roth

Boehtlingk

reality

that the

inserts

names which owe or

unreality

of

so

their

which

the absence of manuscripts.

in the original,

^

But see note

* in this

page.

BOOK

CHAP.

IK.,

17

I.

rochisha Manwantara had arrived, that divine (Yajna) as Ajita, along ^Yith the Tushita gods, the

was born

sons of Tushita.

In the third Manwantara,* Tushitaf

was again born of Satya,

as Satya, along with the class

In the next period, Satya

of deities so denominated.

became

Hari,t along with the Haris, the children of

Hari.§ The excellent Hari was again born, in the Raivata Manwantara, of Saihbhuti,

||

as Manasa, along with

the gods called Abhutarajasas. t

In the next period, Vishnu** was born of Vikunthi,ff as Vaikuntha, along Bhagavat then appeared as Satyasena, along with the Satyavratas,

*

according to the Bhdgavata-purdiia, VIII.,

name

t Here a

Son

+

I.,

25.

of Vishuu.

of Harii'ii

and Harimedhas, says the Bhdgavata-purdria,

VIII.,

30.

I.,

The

§

Harya

original has the locative ^'ifT^tj which supposes

for the

nominative.

Bhagavat manifested himself as Ajita, son of Vairaja and Saiiibhiiti, Manu, Chakshusha, according to the BhdgavataWe read, in this page, that Vishnu appeared as purdria, VIII., v., 9. II

in the time of the sixth

His epiphany then was as Vibhu, son

Ajita, in the age of Swarochisha.

of Vedasiras and Tushita, declares the Bhdgavata-purd/ia, Vlll., 11

my MSS.— except

All

concur

that four of

them have

^TT^»

for

I.,

21.

XTH^t —

in reading:

'In the Raivata pa
Rajasas

— originating

with the deities called

'.

no inappropriate name for a deity associated with the Raas manas — with it, indnasam — the same the change of termination required to express male personification. See

Manasa

Vol.

is

We

jasas.

I.,

appear to have, in

p. 35, note *.

Saiiibhviti

**

+t

See Vol. I., p. 153. Also see the at p. 10, supra. and note

had a son Pauriiamasa.

note immediately preceding

this,

|l,

In the original, Purushottama.

We

must read Vikunt'ha.

The Sanskrit presents

Vikunt'ha's husband was Subhra, alleges the III.

the locative case as

Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., 2

18

VISHNU PURANA. In the present

with the deities called Vaikui'ithas.*

Manwantara, Vishnu was again born as Vamana, the son of Kasyapa by Aditi.f With three paces t he subdued the worlds, and gave them, freed from all embarrassment, to Purandara.

There

'

no further account of

incarnation in the Vishnu

this

Fuller details occur in the Bhagavata, Kiirnia, Matsya,

Purai'ia.

V,, 4.

is

These are the seven persons

^

But, according to that

authority, Vikuiit'ha appeared in the fifth

Patriarchate, not, as here, in the sixth. *

That these gods appeared under Raivata, not under Chakshusha, we

read in p.

f Hence

Vol

9,

supra.

Vamana was

,

brother

Also see

p. 27.

II.,

He

supra.

*,

and

Adityas

the

of

note

p. 3,

born of the Adityas, in the Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., XIII., I

On

the three strides of Vishi'ui, by reason of which ho

the

p.

Texts, Part pp.

xxxiv.

II.,

;

and Vol.

IV.,

note

p. 17,

and 214-216; Part

pp. 187

:

IV.,

last-

6. is

called Tri-

vikrama, see Professor Wilson's Translation of the Riyveda, Vol. troduction,

See

Tiishitas.

called

is

I.,

In-

Oriyinal Sanskrit

also,

Chapter

II.,

especially

54-58, and pp. 118, 119.

Dr Muir,

Mataparikshd,

in his

— and

of the English,

Part

I.,

— p.

twice in pages, just

105 of the Sanskrit,

referred to,

of his

p.

Tcvts,

16

has

quoted and translated a curious relevant passage from Durga Acharya

on Yaska's Nirukta. version of

It

subjoined, together with

is

Ti^ t^^T'f

^

:

I

IT riTn^ci:

^ini^'ttT

^t

^f^fTT

"Vishiiu

the

sun [Aditya].

is

I

I

^*nftl% ^^^f^TTf ^^^T^^ t^^

How

the firmament, and in the sky', fire,

in

the

e.,

is

in,

Because [the hymn] says; plants

this

according to

he strides over, abides

of lightning,

so? i.

Where, then,

planting with his steps.

the shape

Muir's latest

^f^^T*T^fT% f^^f^ HT^-

'In three places he planted his step';

restrial

Dr.

it

his

step,

[makes] a

'On the earth, in Becoming terSakapiiui. done?

whatever there

is

on earth; in

firmament; and in the form of the sun,

BOOK

by whom,

in the several

have been protected.

CHAP.

III.,

19

r.

Manwantaras, created beings

Because

Vishnu, from the root Vis,

whole world has

this

been pervaded by the energy of the

deity,

'to enter',

he

is

entitled

or 'pervade'; for

the gods, the Manus, the seven Rishis, the sons of

all

the Manus, the Indras the sovereigns of the gods,

all

are but the impersonated might* of Vishnu.^

The

and Vamana Puraiias. 15

— 23)

relates the

of these

first

penance and

(Book

VIII., Chapters

son of Viro-

sacrifices of Bali,

chana, by which he had overcome Indra and the gods, and obtained supreme dominion over the three spheres.

request of the deities,

was born

as a dwarf,

Vishiiu, at the

Vamana,

Aditi by Kasyapa; who, applying to Bali for alms,

the son of

was promised,

by the prince, whatever he might demand, notwithstanding Sukra, the preceptor of the Daityas, apprised him whom he had to deal with.

The dwarf demanded

at three steps, and,

as

much

space as he could step over

upon the assent of

Bali,

enlarged himself to

Being wor-

such dimensions as to stride over the three worlds.

shipped, however, by Bali and his ancestor Prahlada, he conceded

them the sovereignty of Patala. See the same etymology in Vol.

to

'

I., p. 4,

note

2.

As it is said (in the R. V., X., 88, 10): 'They made him become threefold'. Auri'iavabha Acharya thinks [the meaning is] this: 'He plants one foot on the saindrohaita (phice of rising), when mounting

in the sky. to

^

over the

hill

of ascension;

sky; [a third], on the *

"

[another],

gayasiras\ the

VibhutayaK, 'potencies'.

on the hill

'

vislimipada', the meridian

of setting".

CHAPTER or

the seven future Maiuis

Chluiya, wives of the Sun.

Manu.

II.

Savarni, son of Clilulya, the eighth

His successors, with the

divinities, &c. of their respec-

Appearance of Vishnu

tive periods.

Story of Sanjna and

and Manwantaras.

in

each of the four Yugas.

MAITREYA.— Yoit

have recapitulated to me, most Brahman, the particulars of the past ManwanNow give me some account of those which are

excellent taras.

to come.

Parasaea.— Sanjna, the daughter of Viswakarman, was the wife of the Sun, and bore him three children, the Manu (Vaivaswata), Yama, and the goddess Yami (or the

Yamuna

Unable

river).

of her lord, Sanjna gave

and repaired to the cises. *

'

endure the fervours

to

him Chhaya,

^

The Sun, supposing Clihaya

That

her shadow, or image.

is,

It also

handmaid,

as his

forests, to practise

devout exer-

to be his wife

means

'shade.'

The

Bhagavata, f however, makes both Sanjna and Chhaya daughters of Viswakarman. According to the Matsya, Vivaswat, the sou of

Kasyapa and

Raivata, by

Aditi,

whom

had three wives

:

Rajni, the daughter of

he had Revanta; Prabha, by

whom

he had

Prabhata; and, by Sanjna, the daughter of Twashtii, the Manu,

and Yama, and Yamuna.

The

story then proceeds

much

as in

the text.

*

"Devout exercises" renders

a third wife, theless,

tapas.

it adds, that some give the Sun The commentator, Sridhara, identifies her, neverwith Sanjna, who is said— VI., VI., 38-to have been transformed

t VIII., XIII

,

8.

Vadava

into a vn&rQ— vadava.

In the next stanza

BOOK Sanjna, begot,

by

CHAP.

in.,

21

ir.

her, three other children, Sanaischara

(Saturn), another Manii (Savarni*), and a daughter,

Tapati (the Taptee river). Chhaya, upon one occasion,

being offended with Yama,^ the son of Sanjnc4, denounced an imprecation upon him, and, thereby, revealed to Yama, and to the Sun, that she was not, in truth, Sanjna, the mother of the former, f Being further informed, by Chhaya, that his wife had gone to the

wilderness, the tion,:

engaged

Sun beheld

by the eye of medita-

self into a horse,

he rejoined

— the

mare,

Kuru §). Metamorphosing him-

(in the region of Uttara

other children,

her,

in austerities, in the figure of a

and begot three and Revanta, — and

his wife,

two As wins

|[

then brought Sanjna back to his own dwelling. To diminish his intensity, Viswakarman placed the lumi-

nary on his

lathe, to grind off

and, in this manner, reduced

Yama, provoked

'

abused Chhaya, and

him

to

have

at

lifted

his effulgence,

an eighth: for more

her partiality for her

up

his leg affected

to eat the

Yama, afterwards

Not named,

I

Samddhi.

children,

She cursed

worms and remove

the

propitiating Mahadeva, obtained

the rank of Lokapala, and sovereign of Tartarus.

*

own

his foot, to kick her.

with sores and worms: but his father

bestowed upon him a cock, discharge; and

some of it

II

here, in the original.

§ This parenthesis, as usual, II

is supplied by the Translator. See Professor Wilson's Translation of the Rigveda, Vol.

duction, pp. XXXV., xxxvi., and p.

8,

note a; also. Vol.

p. vni.

^

See the Mdrkarideya-purdna, Chapter LXXVII.

II.,

I.,

Intro-

Introduction,

VISHNU PURANA.

22

The

than that was inseparable.^

parts of the divine

Vaishiiava splendour, residing in the sun, that were filed off

by Viswakarman,

fell,

down upon the them the discus the weapon^ of the

blazing,

earth; and the artist constructed of

of Vishnu, the trident of Siva,*

god of wealth, f the lance of Karttikeya,t and the weapons of the other gods: all these Viswakarman fabricated from the superfluous rays of the sun.^ The son of Chhaya, who was called, also, a Manu, was denominated Savarni,^§ from being of the same caste (Savarha) as his elder brother, (the

'

The Matsya

in the feet, the

Manu

Vai-

trimmed the Sun everywhere except

says, he

extent of which he could not discern.

quently, in pictures, or images, the feet of the

Conse-

Sun must never

be delineated, under pain of leprosy, &c. -

The term

commentator

is

Sibika,

which properly means 'a

calls it Astra, 'a

litter'.

The

weapon'. |[

^

This legend

portance,

in

is

the

(Swarga Kharida), *

with some variations of no great im-

told,

Matsya, in the

The Mcirkandeya, **

Markarideya,

and

Padma

Puriinas

Bhagavata, and Hari Van'isa, IF &c. whilst

it

admits Savarrii to be the son

of the Sun, has a legend of his former birth, in the Swarochisha

Manwantara, as Suratha Raja, who became a Manu by having then propitiated Devi.

It

was

to

him

that the

Durga Mahatmyaff

or Charidi, the popular narrative of Durga's triumphs over various

demons, was narrated.

•

Substituted, by the Translator, for Rudra.

t This

is

+

The

§

Savarna

II

to translate

original has

Dhanada, one of the names of Kiibera.

Guha.

a variant,

is

So both the commentators

^

Chapter IX.

»•

Chapter

LXXXI.

tt Or Devi-mdhdtmya.

call

it.

BOOK

He

vaswata).

Manwantara,* lowing,

I will

CHAP.

in.,

23

II.

presides over the ensuing, or eighth, tlie

now

and the

particulars of which,

fol-

In the period in Mdiich Sa-

relate.

varhi shall be the Manu, the classes of the gods will be theSutapas, Amitabhas, and Mukhyas; twenty-one f of each. The seven Rishis will be Diptimat, Galava,

Rama,: Kripa,§ Drauni, the sixth) and the seventh

my

||

;

son Vyasat

(will

will be Rishyasringa.

^

be

The

Indra wall be Bali, the sinless son of Virochana, who, through the favour of Vishnu, is, actually, sovereign

'

The Vayu has Jamadagnya

(or Parasurama), of the

race; Galava, of that of Bhrigu;**

Dwaipayana

the family of Vasishtha; Kripa, the son of Saradwat;

descended from Atri; Rishyasringa, from Kasyapa

Kusika

(or Vyasa),

of

Diptimat,

and Aswatthaman, the son of Droiia, of the Bharadwcija family. The Matsya and Padma have Satananda, in place of Diptimat.

*

Called Savaniika or Savavuaka, in the Sanskrit.

t

My MSS.

And The X

say 'twenty'; since they read:

both the

commentaries

Vdyu-purdna,

LXXX.,

;

observe: f^'^T^

has twenty;

too,

J

and so the

|

f^Ijf?f ^^Tefi

^

I

MarkaiiUeya-purdiia,

5.

Otherwise known as Parasurama.

§ Droi'ia's brother-in-law. II

/, e.,

Three of

LXXX.,

son of Droua

namely, Aswatthaman. See Book IV., Chapter XIX. have Droni, as has the printed Mdrkandeya-purdna., This form sins against grammar. ;

my MSS. 4.

%

Distinguished as Badarayaiia.

**

My MSS.

here differ from the text, in reading:

That is to say, Galava was a Kausika, and Jamadagnya, a Bhargava. See pp. 14 16, note 1 and p. 16, note f, supra. Also see Professor Max Miiller's History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 380; and p. 418,

—

note

1.

;

VISHNU PURANA.

24

The

of part of Patala.*

royal progeny of Savarni will

be Virajas, Arvarivat,f Nirmolia,t and others. § The nmth Manu will be Daksha-savarni.MI The Paras, t Marichigarbhas, and Sudharmans will be the The

'

four following Savaniis are described,

in

the Vayu,

named

as the mind-engendered sons of a daughter of Daksha,

(Vayu) or Priya (Brahma), by himself and the three gods, Brahma, Dharma, and Rudra, to whom he presented her on Mount Meru; whence they are called also Meru-savariiis. either Suvrata

They

are termed Savariiis, from their being of one family or caste:

According it

appears that

details

same

to the

of this

Manu

this

is

and

Hari Vamsa, **

also called Rohita.

and the following Manwantaras

the Matsya, Brahma,

Bhagavata++

authority, followed by the

Most of

are

Padma, and Markahdeyaff Puraiias. The give the same as our text; and the

Kurma

Vayu, which agrees very nearly with

f^^^^f fJ%^t ^f%fT^

it,

§§

is

Hf^^rf^

followed, in most

II

Variants

t The "Arvarivas" of the former edition was an oversight. •which I find are Urvarivat, Urvaravat, and Arvariyat. + Two of my MSS. have Nirmoka; one, Nirmogha. §

According

to the

Bhdgavata-purd/ia,

will be the Sutapas, Virajas,

Savariii will be II

All

the

omitted in

VIII., XIII.,

and Amiitaprabhas

;

11, 12,

the

gods

and among the sons of

Nirmoka and Virajaska.

my MSS.

have Dakshasavariia.

The ninth Manu

will

be son

of Varuiia, according to the Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., XIII., 18.

%

Three MSS. give Paras.

*• SI.

468.

as it contains a full exhibition tt This Parana should here be omitted, See its chapters XCIV. and C. of the details referred to. *4 It will be seen, from my notes, that its agreement with our text is

not of the closest. §§ If

widely.

my I

therefrom very five MSS. are to be trusted, it deviates have recorded only a few specimens of these deviations.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

25

ir.

three classes of diviiiities; each consisting of twelve: their powerful chief will be the Indra Adbhuta. Sa-

Bhavya,* Vasu, Medhadhriti,t Jyo-

vana, Dyutimat, tishmat,

and Satya

will

Dhrita-

be the seven Rishis.

Panchahasta, Niramaya,

ketu,: Diptiketu,§

Prithu-

||

srava,t and others, will be the sons of the Mann.** In the tentti Manwantara, the Manu will be Brahma-

savarhiiffthe gods will be theSudhamans,Viriiddhas,:t andSatasankhyas: the Indra will be the mighty Santi:§§ by the Hari Varhsa. The Matsya and Padma are peand nomenclature of the Manus themselves: the ninth, Rauchya; tenth, Bhautya; eleventh, Meru-sa-

respects,

culiar in their series

calling

son of Brahma;

varrii,

twelfth,

Ritu;

thirteenth,

and fourteenth, Viswaksena. The Bhagavata Manus Deva-savariii and Indra-savarni.

calls

Ritadhaman; the

two

last

* Of three MSS. the reading is Havya; and one has Sahya. " Medhatithi", which I find nowhere. Two of t Professor Wilson had my MSS. have Medhamriti, a bad lection for what all the rest give, the

name *

§

A

in the text.

In a single MS.

The former

plurality

of

is

edition

Dhi'itiketu.

had " Dfiptiketu ",

my MSS.

read,

like

the

for

which

have Diptaketu and two, Dasaketu. It seems very hkely that we here have niramaya, In the Vdyu-purdna, as an epithet of Panchahasta. five

I

find

no authority.

Vdyu-purd/ia, as above; while

;

'free

from disease',

II

names preceding it. The Vdyu-purdna reads

it

qualifies,

in the

plural,

^ "

Prithu.sravas.

Of the sons of this Manu the Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., XIII., 18, names only Bhiitaketu and Diptaketu. original of the end of ft He is called Brahmasavarna, also, as in the this

paragraph

He

will be son of Upasloka, according to the

Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII.,

XIII., 21. ++

§§

One MS. gives Visuddhas. Sambhu: Bhdgavata-purdna,

VIII., XIII., 22.

VISHNU PURANA.

26

the Rishis will be Havlsliiiiat, Sukriti, miu'ti, NabliJiga,

Satya,"''

Apam-

Apratimaujas, and Satyakettiif and

the ten sons of the

Mann

will

be Snkshetra, Uttamau-

Hanshena,t and others. In the eleventh Manwantara, the Manu will be Dharma-savarni:§ the principal classes of gods will be

jas,

and Nirmanaratis, II each thirty in number;^ of whom Vrisha** will be the Indra: the Rishis will be Nischara, Agnitejas, Vapushmat, Vishhu,tf Aruhi,:: Havishmat, and Anagha: §§

the Vihano'amas, Kamaiiamas,

Hence

'

the

Vayu

with nights; and the

*

of

Four

identifies third,

my MSS,

of

||

|I

the

!!

first

with days; the second,

with hours. ITl

have Sahya; and two others have corruptions

it.

t Saptaketu appears in three MSS. * Four MSS. have Bhurishei'ia and this is the reading of the Vdyupurdi'ia, and of the Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., XIII., 21. § In the original we have the elongated form, Dharmasavarnika. In the Vdiju-purdna, Kamajas (or Vihangamas) and Manojavas. ;

II

^ The that

we

Vdyu-purd/ia, by twice beginning a line with this word, proves are not to read Anirmanaratis, 'of measureless enjoyment'; for

— which, by the by, in none of my MSS. has -f^nTT'T'* might, otherwise, be taken to combine the names of the second and third

the original

classes of gods into a

Two

copies

compound, thus:

have Nirvanaruchis,

like

the

Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII.,

XIII., 26.

" Vaidhrita: Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., XIII., 26. ft One MS. has Vfishni; one, Dhriti. II

Four MSS.

exhibit Varuni,

the

lection

of the

reading of the Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., XIII., 26, in §§ nil

A nay a, I

differ,

^^

in three of

Vdyu-purdna.

my MSS.

adjustment of these identifications: but perhaps, from those used by Professor Wilson.

tind

a difl'erent

Muhiirta.

The

Arui'ia.

my MSS.

BOOK

IIT.,

CHAP.

27

II.

the kings of the earth, and sons of the Manu, will be

Sarvaga,* Sarvadharman, Devanika, and others. In the t\Yelfth Manwantara, the son of Rudra, Savarni,twillbe theManu: Ritadhamant will be the Indra: and the Haritas, Lohitas,§ Sumanasas, and Snkar-

be the classes of gods, each comprising Tapaswin, Sutapas, Tapomiirti, Taporati, Tapodhriti, Tapodyuti,1I and Tapodhana will be the and Rishis:'''' and Devavat, Upadeva, Devasreshtha,

mans

||

will

fifteen.

others, will be the

Manu's sons, and mighty monarchs

(on the earth).

Manu

In the thirteenth Manwantara, the

be

will

the classes of gods, thirty-three in each,

Rauchyar'tt

The son of the Prajapati Ruchi (Vayu, &c.), by the nymph Manini,:: the daughter of the Apsaras Pramlocha (Markarideya). 1

•

The "Savarga" In two of

sight.

of the former edition

my

thirteen MSS.,

lowing being Sudharmatman.

the

must have been

name

is

a

mere over-

Sarvatraga; that

fol-

The Vdyu-}>urdna has Sarvavega, followed

by Sudharman. eleventh According to the Bhdgavata-purdila, VIII., XIII., 25, the Manu will engender Satyadharman and nine other sons. in

copies.

Savari'ia,

*

"Ritudhama", the name

graphic error, to

my

I

I

take

it,

in

the

first

edition,

as to its second syllable.

was simply a typoof my MSS. seems

One

Similarly as in all my MSS but one, Ritadhathe reading of the Bhdgavata-purdna, VIII., XIII., 29. single MS. has, like the Vdyu-purdna, Rohitas.

have Kshatadhaman.

man § II

is

A A

fourth class of gods

is

here omitted.

Taras; one, Suriipas; one, Surapas;

rdna seems

f

This

to

name

Ten

of

my MSS.

and one, Suparas,

call them The Vdyu-pu-

have Suparvas. is

implied, not expressed in full; the original being:

Of the Rishis under the twelfth Manu the Blmjavata-purdiia, names only Tapomiirti, Tapaswin, and Agnidhraka. tt Devasavanu: Bhdgavata-purdna, VIIL, XIII., 31. Calcutta edition, XCVIII., \X Malini, in some MSS., as In the **

VIII.,

XIII,, 29,

may

be a Bengal corruption.

5.

It

28

VISHNU PURANA. be the Sutramans,* Sukarmans, and Sudharmans;f

will

their Indra will

moha,+

be Divaspati: the Rishis

will

Nishprakampa,

Tattwadarsin,§

be Nir-

Nirutsuka,

Dhritimat, Avyaya, and Sutapas: and Chitrasena, Vi-

and others,

chitra,

will

be the kings.

In the fourteenth Manwantara, Bhautya

Manu;^ Suchi, the Indra: the

||

will

five classes of

be the

gods

will

be the Ghakshushas, the Pavitras, Kanishthas, Bhrajiras,t

andVachavriddhas:** the seven Rishis ff

Agnibahu,++

'

Sukra, Magadha,§§

Suchi,

Son of Kavi, by the goddess Bhuti, according

will

be

Gridhra,||||

to the

Vayu

but the Markai'ideyalfH makes Bhuti the son of Angiras, whose pupil, Santi, having suffered ter's

the holy

absence, prayed to Agni,

fire

to

go out

in his

mas-

and so propitiated him, that he

not only relighted the flame, but desired Santi to demand a further

* For the "Siulhamans" of Sutramans is the name in the Susarmans. t These are not recognized in + One of my MSS. shows this

of the Bhdgavata-purdna,

the

former

edition

Vdyii-purdna.

find

I

Two

of

no warrant.

my MSS.

have

the Bhdgavata-purdiia, VIII., XIII., 32.

name

written over Nirmoka, the reading

VIII., XIII., 32.

§ Tattwadarsa, the reading of the

Bhdgavata-purdna,

VIII., XIII., 32,

occurs in a single copy. I]

Indrasavanii: Blidgavata-purd/'ia, VIII., XIII., 34.

^ The *" is

This

Vdyu-purdiia has Bhajiras or Bhajaras. is

the

reading of the

in the old edition:

but

Vdyti-purdna, likewise.

looks like

it

"Vavriddhas"

an inadvertence only.

Two

of

my MSS.

have Vachavrittas. Agnibahu, Suchi, Suddha, Magadha, and others, •j-f They are said to be in the Bhdgnvata-purd/ia, VIII., XIIL, 35. *l

Agnivayu

§§ In two of

is

in

one MS.

my MSS.

is

what looks

like

the meaningless

madha. Such is the lection of two of my MSS.; while all the !!]| Agnidhra,-as has the Fat/M-^wra/ia,- or 'corruptions thereof

tt

Chapter

XCIX.

name Marest

have

BOOK

lU.,

CHAP.

29

II.

Yukta,* and Ajita:f and the sons of the UrLi,t

Gabhira,§ Bradhna,

kings,

and

i|

and

others,

IF

Manu who

will

be

will

be

^ over the earth.

will rule

At the end of every four

there

ages""'*

pearance ff of the Vedas; and

it is

is

a disap-

the province of the

seven Rishis to come down upon earth, from heaven,

them currency

to give

boon.

was

Scinti

In every Krita age,

accordingly solicited a son for his Guru; which son

Bhiiti, the father of the

Manu Bhautya.

Although the Puranas which give an account of the Man-

'

wantaras agree

in

ones, they offer

These

chiefly

few individual

two

selves in

some of

many

the principal details, yet, in the

varieties,

regard the

first

some of which have been

six

and from

Vayu,

and Markarideya; and the other, the Matsya, Variisa.

The

agrees precisely with the Vishnu in it,

in a

arrange them-

to

one comprehending the Vishnu,

classes;

Padma, Brahma, and Hari from

seem

minor

noticed.

Except

and the eighth.

peculiarities, the authorities

Ki'irma, Bhagavata,

it

again, tt

all,

Markai'ideya, although

its

nomenclature, differs

in devoting a considerable

pages to legends of the origin of the Manus,

number of

its

of which are,

all

evidently, of comparatively recent invention, and several of which

have been, no doubt, suggested by the etymology of the names of the Manus.

•

Two MSS.

have Mukta.

t Arjita is the lection of two MSS. * Urn, in a single copy.

MSS. give the synonymous Gambhira. One MS. has Budhna; one, Budhnya; one, Randhra.

§ Six II

^ will

These sons, agreeably

to

the

Bhdgavata-purdna,

be Urubuddhi, Gambhirabuddhi, and others.

VIII., XIII.,

34,

The Vuyu-purdria

has,

apparently, Ojaswin, Subala, and Bhautya.

*

Yuga.

f\ Viplava. XX

Compare the Mahdbhdrata, Sdnti-pdrvan,

lated in Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

III.,

st.

7660, quoted and trans-

p. 90.

VISHNU rURANA.

30 the

Mann

(of the period)

body of

of the

is

the legislator or author*

law, the Smriti; the deities of the dif-

ferent classes receive the sacrifices during the

Manwan-

which they severally belong; and the sons of the Manu themselves, and their descendants, are the sovereigns of the earth for the whole of the same taras to

term.

The Manu,

the seven Rishis, the gods, the sons

who

are the kings, and Indra,t are the

of the Manu,

beings

who

preside over the world during each

Man-

wantara.

An

Brahman,

entire Ka]pa,t

said to comprise

is

a thousand ages,§ or fourteen Manwantaras ^ and it is succeeded by a night of similar duration; during which ;

who wears

he

the form of Brahma, Janardana, the

all, and creator of and having swallowed all, involved in his serpent Sesha, upon the sleeps spheres, three the up

substance of

all

things, the lord of

own

Being, after that, awake, he,

amidst the ocean. ^

'

A

illusions,

thousand ages of the gods and fourteen Manwantaras are

not precisely the same thing,

(See Vol. ^

I.,

p, 51,

The order

sleeps

note

but,

sleeps in

the

if

it is

intervals

as

has been

already

would imply,

this

as

that,

Brahma, he variance with

Vishnu or Narayaiia

that the deity

of dissolution.

is to

as

is at

be intended,

it

The commentator

cordingly qualiiies the phrase Brahmanipadhara

"Legislator or author"

explained.

2.)

of the text

upon Sesha:

the usual legend, that

*

who

||

ac-

(W^ ^M'tJT) ^y

txanslaXe pranetri, 'promulgator*.

I Sakra, in the original. of twenty-eight Kalpas, as enumerated in the VdyuI For the names purd/ia, see Dr. Aufrecht's Cataloyus, &c., pp. 51, 52. § II

To render yuga. Rather, both the commentators.

BOOK is

CHAP.

111.,

the universal soul, again creates

were

31

II.

all

things, as they

before, in combination with the property of foul-

ness (or activity)

:

and, in a portion of his essence, as-

sociated with the property of goodness, he, as the Manus, the kings, the gods, and their Indras, as well as the seven Rishis,

is

the preserver of the world.

what manner Vishnu, who

is

characterized

In

by the

at-

tribute of providence* during the four ages, effected their preservation, I will next, Maitreya, explain.

In the Krita age, Vishnu, in the form of Kapila and other (inspired teachers), assiduous for the benefit of In the all creatures, imparts to them true wisdom.

Treta age, he restrains the wicked,

in the

form of a

universal monarch,^ and protects the three worlds. In

Dwapara

the

age, in the person of Veda-vyasa,

vides the one

Veda

into four,

and

distributes

he it

di-

into

innumerable! branches;: and, at the end of the Kali (or fourth age), he appears as Kalki, and reestablishes the iniquitous in the paths (of rectitude). In this man-

Diva (f^^T) 'Vishnu wears the form of Brahma by day; by night, he sleeps on Sesha, in the person of Narayana:' This, however, may be ^?ft^TT^^^^^ ^^T#r ^^

the term

=

TTm

''

I

suspected to be an innovation

upon an older system;

for,

in

speaking of the alternations of creation and dissolution, they are always considered as consentaneous with the day and night of

Brahma As ^

*

alone.

a Chakravartin.

Sthiti.

\ Literally, 'hundreds of, sata, I

For a more

literal

rendering of this paragraph, down to this point,

see Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

III., p.

20.

VISHNU PURANA.

32 ner the universal destroys,

all

spirit preserves, creates, and, at last,

the world.*

Thus, Brahman,

I

have described

nature of that great being sides

whom

there

is

who

is

to

all

no other existent

you the true

things,

and be-

thing,

nor has

there been, nor will there be, either here or elsewhere. I

have, also, enumerated to you the Manwantaras, and

those

who

to hear?

preside over them.

What

else

do you wish

CHAPTER Division of the

Veda

Meaning of

MAITREYA. — I order,

how

by a Vyasa,

into four portions,

in

every

List of the twenty-eight Vytisas of the present

Dwiipara age.

Manwantara.

III.

this

Brahma.

the w^ord

have learned from you,

world

is

Vishnu, (how

it is)

in

in

due

Vishnu,

(how it is) from Vishnu: nothing further is to be known. But I should desire to hear how the Vedas were divided, in diiferent ages,* by that great being, in the form of Veda-vyasa; who were the Vyasas of their respective eras; and what were the branches into which the Vedas were distributed.

Pakasara.— The branches of the

(great) tree of the

Vedas are so numerous, f Maitreya, that it is impossible to describe them at length. I will give you a

summary account of them. In every Dwapara (or third) person of Vyasa,

in

age,

Vishnu, in the

order to promote the good of

mankind, divides the Veda, which is (properly, but) one, into many portions. Observing the limited perseverance,

energy, and

makes the Veda pacities;

application

fourfold,

to

adapt

of mortals, it

to

he

their ca-

and the bodily form which he assumes, in is known by the

order to effect that classification,

name

•

of Veda-vyasa. I

Of

the different Vyasas in the

Yuga, rendered by "eras", just below,

t Literally, 'by thousands', sahasrasaK.

III.

3

34

VISHNU PURANA.

present Manwantara/

and the branches which they

have taught, you

have an account.

shall

Twenty-eight times have the Vedas been arranged, Rishis, in the Vaivaswata Manwantara in Dwapara age;* and, consequently, eight and twenty Vyasas have passed away; by whom, in their respective periods, the Veda has been divided into four. In the first Dwapara age, the distribution was made by Swayambhu (Brahma) himself; in the second, the arranger of the Veda (Veda-vyasa) was Prajapati

by the great

the

(or

Man u);

haspati;

in the third,

the

in

fifth,

Usanas;

Savitri;

in

in

the fourth, Bri-

the sixth, Mrityu

(Death, or Yama); in the seventh, Indra; in the eighth,

Vasishtha; in the ninth, Saraswata; in the tenth, Tri-

dhaman;

in the eleventh,

Bharadwaja;t

in

Trivrishan;f

(in

the twelfth),

the thirteenth, Antariksha;

in

the

fourteenth, Vapri van; § in the fifteenth, Trayyaruha;^||

The

'

text has:

'Hear, from me, an account of the Vyasas

of the different Manwantaras'

But

this is inconsistent

tion

is

This name occurs as that of one of the kings of the solar

^

Vishnu *

with what follows, in which the enumera-

confined to the Vaivaswata Manwantara.

A

is

here called "the

more exact

enemy

of

Madhu."

translation of Parasara's reply, breaking off here, will

be found in Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

III.,

pp. 20, 21.

t Three MSS, have Trivi'isha; and so has the Kurma-purdna. I I find Bharadwaja in six MSS.; and this lection seems best, as the nineteenth Vyasa §

Vajrivan,

now II

is

called Bharadwaja.

So read seven of

my

MSS.; while two give Vamrivau, and others, Professor Wilson's "Vapra", have nowhere met with.

Vyaghrivan, Vapovan, &c. &c.

discarded,

I

Trayyaruni, in two MSS.

Is the

name Traiyaruua,

or Traijaruiii?

BOOK in the sixteenth,

CHAP.

in.,

Dhananjaya;

35

III.

in the seventeenth, Krit-

the eighteenth, Rinajya;* (in

anjaya;

in

teenth),

Bharadwaja;f

(in the twentieth),

the nine-

Gautama; t

Uttama, also called Ilaiyatman

in the twenty-first,

who

Vena, §

the twenty-second).

is

likewise

(in

;

named

Rajasravas;! (in the twenty-third), Saumasushmayana,t also Tfihabindii;** (in the twenty-fourth), Riksha,ff

who

the descendant of Bhriou

name Valmiki; dynasty,

*

rant.

and

is

known

is

(in the twenty-fifth),

included,

my

also

by the

father, Sakti,^

by Mr. Colebrooke, amongst the per-

The Translator has "Riiia", for which my MSS. furnish uo warSix of them exhibit Rinajya; two, this, with Riiiadya written over;

three, Kritin; others, Riiiavya

and

Rii'iin.

t

A

I

Substitnted for Professor Wilson's

single

MS. has Bharadwaja.

See note

I

in the last page.

"Gotama", which none

of

my

MSS. countenances. § II

Exchanged for "Vena", which Almost as common a reading

gives Vajasravas;

in but

commentary

"of the

line of

one of

Rajasravas:

is

my MSS.

and

one of

my MSS.

Again, three of them, including

another, Vajasrava.

those accompanied by

^^T^^T^^:,

is

B, have,

instead of

'^flf^^'f^ ^;,

Vajasrava."

^ Eight MSS. have Somahsushmayaua; two, SomaKsushmapaua; others, Somayushmayana, Somoyushmapana, and Somasushmai'iaya. The Translator put "Somasushmapana". My conjectural Saumasushmayai'ia would be descendant of Somasushma, mentioned in the Sataputha-bruhinai'ia, XI., and elsewhere. That the Kurma-purdna was compiled

IV., 5,

corrupted, as to the

name

in question,

after

our Puraiia had become

might be inferred from

my

MSS.,

which read: **

According

to the

Kurma-purdna, Triuabindu was the twenty-third Vyasa, See note § in the next page.

Ushmapai'ia being the twenty-second.

tt In one MS., Rikshya; in another, Daksha. II

Three MSS.

have

In

Saktri.

Vol.

I.,

p. 8,

the

Translator,

after

speaking, in a note, of "Sakti, the son of Vasisht'ha," and father of Parasara, calls I

him "Sakti

or Saktri;"

there hastily observe-. "This

is

touching the

hardly the

name

first

of which,

of a male.

3*

Sakti,

The

right

VISHNU PURANA.

36

was the Vyasa; I (was the Vyasa of the twenty-sixth Dwapara), and was succeeded by Jatukarna;* the Vyasa (of the twenty-eighth), who followed him, was These are the twenty-eight Krishna Dwaipayana. elder Vyiisas, by whom, in the preceding Dwapara In the ao'es, the Veda has been divided into four. next Dwapara, Drauhi (the son of Droha) will be the Vyasa, when my son, the Muni Krishna Dwaipayana,

who

is

the actual Vyasa, shall cease to be (in that

character)/

sons of royal descent

A

'

similar

word seems

who

are mentioned

list

of Vyasas

to be Saktri."

On

this observation Dr. Kerii,

words: "F, E. Hall remarks that Sakti a male were intended!

if

hymns

of

Sakti

is

in his meri-

comments the name of

in these

p. 31,

'hardly

t

Kurma§ and Va-

given in the

is

torious edition of the Brihat-saiithitd, Preface,

As

as authors

Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII., p. 383.

in the Rig-veda. f

a male.'

the heavenly power of Indra-Agni."

is

Assuredly, a male

is

intended; and Saktiputra, as Parasara

the Mahdbhdrata,

is

not

is

called in

be rendered, as by Dr. Kern, "the son of

to

strength",— but "son of Sakti,"— unless we bute of strength as offspring

consent to regard the

of Vasisht'ha.

For Parasara,

as

attri-

son of

and grandson of Vasisht'ha, see Wig^ Anukramanikd to ihQ Rigveda, And the Rigveda itself- VII., XVIII., 21 -makes mention of Parasara, no less than of Vasisht'ha, as if he were anything Sakti,

on

I.,

LXV., &c. &c.

Further, Sakti, as "the heavenly

but a myth. so far as I *

This

am

is

Jatiikarnya, I

power of Indra-Agni,"

the reading of eleven of

which seems

to

my

MSS.; and the other two have Hence of the Vdyu-purdna.

be the lection

have displaced Professor Wilson's "Jaratkaru." t See the Anukramanikd to the Rigveda, on

ex. I

§

The Vaidik form

of the

name

Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

The list stands Swayambhuva.

I.,

is

V.,

Tryaruila.

p.

23.

there as follows 4.

Brihaspati.

2.

Prajapati.

5.

Savitii,

3.

Usanas.

6.

Mrityu.

1.

is,

at present informed, altogether a novelty.

XXVII., and

IX.,

BOOK

The

syllable

syllabic

Om

Brahma.

is

III.,

CHAP.

37

III.

defined to be the eternal

The word Brahma

^

is

yu* Puranas. Many of the individuals appear as authors of

hymns and prayers

Vedas; and

in the

the greater portion,

if

not

all

being the framers, or teachers, before a complete ritual '

this

We

v^^as

different portions

describes

Brahma.

is

it,

identified

a real existence

of the religion of the Hindus,

compiled.

I.,

p. 1,

note

1),

which ordinarily com-

of the Vedas, and

which, as the text

with the supreme, undefinable deity, or

So, in the Bhagavad-gita f :

'Repeating

Om,

me

;

to

of them, had

difterent

very possible that

have already had occasion to explain the sanctity of

monosyllable (see Vol.

mences

is

it

mono-

derived from

mind

'

the monosyllable,

which

is

which

is

Brahma, and

not exactly the same idea that

calling is

con-

Monosyllabum mysticum OM pronuntiando numen adorans, mei memor;' where 'numen adoveyed by

7.

Schlegel's

version, §

'

VISHNU PrRANA.

38

the rootBrih (to increase); because

and because

it

is

it is

infinite (spirit),

the cause by which the Veclas (and

Glory to Brahma, who is things) are developed. addressed by that mystic word, associated eternally with the triple universe,^ and who is one with the ""

all

Glory to Brahma, wdio, alike and renovation of the world, is

four Vedas!

in the de-

truction

called the

great and mysterious cause of the intellectual principle (Mahat); who is without limit in time or space, and

exempt from diminution or decay; nected w^th the property runs', although

it

may

notions.

w^hom

nor

In one of the

MSS. employed,

and has, therefore, altered the

is

compatible with the transcriber

has, evidently, been afraid of desecrating this sacred lable,

(as con-

originates

be defended as necessary to the sense,

not expressed by the words of the text,

Hindu

in

darkness)

of

monosyl-

text, writing it

instead of

'

The

mula, Orii

daily prayers bhi'ir

of the

bhuvali swar:

Brahman commence with 'Om,

earth,

the for-

These

sky, heaven.'

are the three mystical terms called Vyahiitis, and are scarcely

of less sanctity than the Pranava

itself.

Their

efficacy,

and the

order of their repetition, preceding the Gayatri, are fully detailed in

Manu, II„ 76

—

81.

In the Mitaksharaf they are directed to

be twice repeated mentally, with On'i bhuvah',

the lips and nostrils:

*

Om

prefixed to each;

Om

bhuh,

Ora swar; the breath being suppressed by closing

wi W.

^

-^^:

^ '^fj^ ^^TTT^'^-

^f T^TT jfw^rrw fff:§wfwV^

Brahma and Brahiua

are similarly

I

etymologized in the Vdyu-purdna

and Linga-jnirdna, respectively. See Vol. I., f Commenting on the Ydjnavalkya-smriti,

p. 30, note *. I.,

23.

BOOK worldly illusion; and

III.,

in

(fruition or liberation),

CHAP.

whom

39

III.

resides the end of soul

through the properties of light

goodness and foulness)! He is the who are versed in the Sankhya philosophy; of those who have acquired control over their thoughts and passions. He is the invisible, imperish-

and of

activity (or

refuge of those

able

Brahma; varying

stance;

in

form,

invariable

in

sub-

who is who is inTo that

the chief principle, self-engendered;

said to illuminate the caverns of the heart; divisible,

radiant,

undecaying,

multiform.

supreme Brahma be, for ever, adoration. That form of Vasudeva, who is the same with supreme spirit, which is Brahma, and which, although diversified as threefold,

is

by those

conceived,

is

identical,

is

of the Rig-, Sama-, and Yajur-Vedas,

spu'its.

he

is

the soul of

same embodied

at the all

and divides them, by many sub-

divisions,

into branches: he

branches:

he

is

the eternal lord, '

is,

He, distinguished as consisting of the Vedas,

creates the Vedas,

The form

the author* of those

is

those aggregated branches: is

for he,

the essence of true knowledge, ^f

or sensible type of Vasudeva

be the monosyllable Om, and which

to

who

He, composed

creation, to be distinct in all creatures.

time, their essence, as

the lord

that contemplate variety in

is

is

here considered

one with the three

mystical words, Bhuh, Bhuvah', Swar, and with the Vedas. sequently, the Vyahritis and the

Vedas

are, also,

deva; diversified as to their typical character,

Con-

forms of Vcisubut,

essentially,

one and the same. •

Pranetri, 'promulgator.'

t For another rendering of the Sanskrit graph, see Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

of the latter half of this para-

III.,

pp. 11, 12.

CHAPTER

IV.

Dwapara

Division of the Veda, in the last

by the Vyasa

age,

r

Krishna Dwaipayana. Paila made reader of the Kich Vaisampayana, of the Yajus; Jaimini, of the Saman; and Sumantu, of the Atharvan. Suta appointed to teach the historical poems. ;

Origin of the four parts of the Veda. San'ihitas of the llig-veda.

PARASARA.

— The

original Veda, in four parts,*

consisted of one hundred thousand (stanzas); and from ^ the accompUsher of all deit sacrifice of ten kinds, sires ^

In the twenty-eighth

(proceeded).

Dwaparaf

According to the Grihya portion of the Sama-veda, there

are five great sacrificial ceremonies:

Agnihotra, burnt-offerings,

1.

or libations of clarified butter on sacred fire;

masa,

new and

sacrifices at

every four months;

4.

horse or animal; and,

moon

full

2.

Pasuyajna or Aswamedha, 5.

Darsapaurria-

Chaturmasya,

3.

;

sacrifices

sacrifice

of a

Soma-yajna, offerings and libations of

the juice of the acid asclepias.

These, again, are either Prakrita,

'simple', or Vaikfita, 'modified',

and, being thus doubled, con-

t

stitute ten. §

f In the original, antara,

*

Chatushpdda.

X

Rather,

§

The commentary says: -Sr^:

'

i.

e.,

Manwantara.

normar and 'supplemental'.

^1[T ^lfr#:

T7W^%:

*

*

^"f^ft'^^^W*^ \*i'^\ fj^"

^f ^^f^^^^'l

I

Five sacritices-but not said

belong to the Sdmavcda ceremonial -are, thus, named, but not defined. The pa.^M of this nomenclature is, more usually, called pasubdanha or nirukhapaiubandha. It is not to be confounded with the aswamedha.

to

To

the five sacrifices

the five mentioned

These

five others

in question,

the Grihya,

in

— the

IX. of

this

Book.

revert to this

note.

the ten

of the

if

to be

and brahiuayajiia.

For the

we add

text are completed.

mahdyajnas of the Sdmaveda ritual- are

Asaditya's Karmapradipabhdshija, pitriyajna, devai/ajna,

remarks the commentator,

said, in

the bhutayajna, manttshyayajna^

They

are referred to in Chapter

sacrifices generally, see

Chapter XI., where

I

BOOK

my

age,

Veda

III.,

CHAP.

41

IV.

son Vyasa separated the four portions of the

into foiu' (Vedas).

In the same

Vedas were arranged by him, they divided,

(in

manner

as the

as Veda-vyasa, so

were

former periods), by all the (preceding)

Vyasas, and by myself; and the branches into which

subdivided by him were the same into which they had been distributed in every aggregate of the four ages. * Know, Maitreya, the Vyasa called Kj'ishha Dwaipayana to be the deity f Narayana: for who else on this earth could have composed the Mahabharata? Into what portions the Vedas were arranged by my magnanimous son, in the Dwapara age, you shall hear. When Vyasa was enjoined, by Brahma, to arrange the Vedas in different books, he took four persons,

they were

^

well read in those works, as his disciples.

He

ap-

pointed Paila reader of the Rig-;^ Vaisampayana, of The composition of the Mahabharata is always ascribed to Vyasa named Krishna Dwaipayana, the contemporary of the The allusion in the text establishes the events there described. priority of the poem to the Vishnu Puraha. * The expression is: Or, rather, 'he took Paila as teacher,' Rigvedasravakam Pailara jagraha sa mahamunih '

the

Sravaka means, properly, 'he who causes 'a preacher;' although, laity

of the Buddhists and Jainas,

commentator, read

•

as in the case of

however,

^I^^T'^^,+ Yuga.

observes,

'one

it

to hear,' 'a lecturer,' its

applicability to the

denotes a disciple.

that

the

text

who had gone through

is

The

sometimes

the Rig-veda,'

t Prahhu.

But the more ordinary reading is the one found in the Vdyu-purdna, from which work our text seems to be taken, largely, hereabouts. X

42

VISHNU PURANA.

the Yajur-; and ;Jaimini, of the Sama-veda: and Su-

mantu, who was conversant with the Atharva-veda,*

was

He also who was named Lomaharshana,f as his

also the disciple of the learned Vyasa.

took Suta,

1 +

pupil in historical and legendary traditions.'

So, in the preceding

vei'se, it is said

:

'

He

took four persons, well

read in the Yedas, as his disciples:'

And

again

veda,

was

is

it

said: 'Suraantu,

his disciple *

*

*

*

therefore,

It is clear,

conversant with the Atharva-

:

*

*

TT^^T^^t^t^

that the

Vedas were known,

works, before Krishna Dwaipayana; and

how

stand rate,

he earned his

title

as

difficult to

distinct

under-

At any prayers and hymns of

Paila and the others were rather his

consist,

coadjutors than disciples

it is

of arranger, or Vyasa.

in undertaking to give order to the

which the Vedas

I

;

and

it

seems probable, that the traof which the

dition records the first establishment of a school,

Vyasa was

the head,

and the other persons named were the

teachers. '

The

Itihasa and

Puraiias; understanding,

legendary and traditional narratives.

by the this it is

•

Itihasa, the

poem

is

Mahabharata

is

It is

by the former,

usually supposed, that,

especially meant.

But, although

ascribed to Krishna Dwaipayana, the recitation of

not attributed to his pupil, Romaharsharia or Lomaharsharia:

The Samhitds thus disposed

of are said,

XII., VI., 52, 53, to be called, respectively,

in the

Bhdgavata-purdna,

the Bahwficha, the Nigada,

the Chhandoga, and the Atharvangirasi.

This statement occurs in the passage referred to in Vol. p.

I.,

Preface,

XLIV. t All *

my MSS.

have Romaharshaua. Also see p. 64, 65, infra. far, will be found retranslated in Original Sanskrit

This chapter, thus

Texts, Part

III.,

pp. 21, 22.

BOOK

in.,

CHAP.

43

IV.

There was but one Yajur-veda; but, dividing this Vyasa instituted the sacrificial rite that administered by four kinds of priests: in which it

into four parts, is

was the duty (Yajusas,

— or

Adhwaryu

of the

to recite the prayers

direct the ceremony); of the Hotri, to

hymns (Richas); hymns (Samans); and,

repeat the

of the Udgatfi, to chant

of the Brahman, to pronounce the formulae called Atharvans. Then the M uni, having collected together the hymns called Richas, compiled the Rig-veda; with the prayers and directions termed Yajusas he formed the Yajur-veda; with those called Samans, the Sama-veda; and with the Atharvans he composed the rules of all the ceremonies suited to

other

kings,

and the function of the Brahman agreeably to

practice.^*

it

was

first

narrated by Vaisampayana, and, after him, by Sauti,

the son of Lomaharsharia. '

it

From

this account,

which

appears, that the original

is

repeated in the

Veda was

Vayu

Puraria,

the Yajus, or, in other

words, was a miscellaneous body of precepts, formulae, prayers,

and hymns, for

sacrificial

ceremonies; Yajus being derived, by

the grammarians, from Yaj (inT

of the

Vayu

Puraiia, however,

),

is

'to worship.'

from Yuj,

The

derivation

'to join,'

'to

em-

ploy;' the formulae being those especially applied to sacrificial rite,

or set apart, for that purpose, from the general collection:

Again

The commentator on

the text, however, citing the former of these

Yathd-sthiti, 'according to a fixed rule.'

44

VISHNU PURANA. This vast original tree of the Vedas, having been

divided,

by him,

into

four principal

branched out into an extensive

soon

stems,

In the

forest.

first

and gave the two

place, Paila divided the Rig-veda,

Samhitas (or collections of hymns) to Indrapramati*

and

to Bashkali.f

Bashkali^+ subdivided his Saiiihita

which he gave

into four,

passages from the Vayu, reads

confining the derivation

Baudhya,

to his disciples, §

it:

to Yaj,

'to

worship.'

The concluding

passage, relating to the Atharvan, refers, in regard to regal cere-

The

monies, to those of expiation, Santi, &c.

Brahman (W^t^

*

"'ST^Tf^f^)

is

function of the

not explained; but, from the

preceding specification of the four orders of priests sacrifices, portions of the several

the one that

'He

is

Vedas,

it

who

repeat, at

relates to the office of

termed, specifically, the Brahman. So the

constituted the function of the

Brahman

Vayu has

at sacrifices, with

the Atharva-veda. ^

Both

in our text,

and

in that of the

both Bashkala and Bashkali.

and Bahkali.

*

Two

of

Vayu,

this

name

Mr. Colebrooke writes

it

occurs

Bahkala

Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII., p. 374.1

||

my MSS.

have,

here and below, Indrapramiti, a reading of

no value. t

My MSS.

X

Two MSS.

all

here give Bashkala.

But see

p. 49,

note

§,

infra.

here have Bashkala.

§ They are called, in the Vaya-purdna, Bodhya, Agninavara— in three MSS., by corruption, perhaps, of the Agnimat'hara of two others,— Parasara, and Yajnavalkya. The Bhdgavata-furdna, XII., VI 55, has Bodhya, Yajnavalkya, Parasara, and Agnimitra. Strictly, Bahkala and Bahkali, as translettering the ungrammatical ,

II

mislections '^TI«li^ and '^Xi^f^-

^

Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol,

I.,

p.

14.

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

45

IV.

Agnimathara,* Yajnavalkya, f and Parasara; and they taught these secondary shoots from the primitive branch. Indrapramati imparted his Sanihita to his son

Maiidukeya;t and

thence descended through suc-

it

cessive generations, as well as disciples. ^§ (called also) Sakalya,

he divided

it

amongst

many

as

The Viiyu

'

he distributed

into five Samhitas, M'hich

named, severally, Mudgala,

disciples,

supplies the detail.

writes, Markai'uleya,

H

Vedamitra,

studied the same Samhita; but

|j

Manclukeya,

or, as

one copy

taught the San'ihita to his son Satyasra-

The

vas; he, to his son Satyahita; and he, to his son Satyasri.

had three pupils: Sakalya, also called Devamitra**

latter

(sic in

MS.); Rathantara;ff and another Bashkali, called also Bhara-

The Vayu has a legend

dwaja.

quence of

his

a sacrifice celebrated

*

of Sakalya's death, in conse-

being defeated, by Yajnavalkya,

Agnimachara,

a disputation at

in

by Janaka.

the lection

two MSS.,

of

and Agniiuatura, that of

one, scarcely deserve noting.

t Professor Wilson had " Yajaawalka". + The Translator put "Mandukeya", as the name

my

of

thirteen

MSS.

See

III.,

8,

of the

is

Prdtimkhya

written of the

in

five

Rigveda,

edited by M. Regnier.

II

According

to the

Bhdgavata-purdna, XII., VI., 57, as explained by

Sridhara, Sakalya was son of Maudiikeya.

^ to

This

is

the reading

of all

the copies

of the

Vdyu-purdiia

known

me. **

And

As gives

so reads the

Bhdgavaia-purdna, XII.,

the Vishriu-purdna

ghes

^^frr"^^ ^T=Ii^^

;

VI., 56.

^^f^"^^ ^T'^^-)

'^^'^

we

hei'® *^^^e>

of Sakalya, or, at most, his secondary appellation,

tt See note ft

in the next page.

so the

Vdyu-purdna

probably, only an epithet

VISHNU PURANA.

46

Vatsya,f

Gokhalii,*

made

puriu+

a

(Nirukta), constituting a fourth.

These names,

'

Matsya,

11

Sisira.

Saka-

^

of the original

division

three portions, and added a glossary

into

San'ihita

and

Saliya,

different §

in the

The

^

three Sanihitas

Vayu, are Mudgala, Gohika, Khaliya,

||

Saisireya.

The commentator, who is here followed by Mr. Colebrooke, he was a pupil of Indrapramati but, from the Vayu, appears, that Sakapiirrii was another name of Rathantara, the ^

states, that it

;

pupil of Satyasri, the author of three Samhitas (or glossary)

Yaska.

;

and a Nirukta

whence Mr. Colebrooke supposes him the same with

Asiatic

Researches, Vol. VIII.,

p.

Vayu may

be

probable, that the text of the

of the Vishnu, in this place, which

is

375.**

made

It

is

highly

to correct that

inaccurate, notwithstanding

They read:

the copies agree.

Probably it was from being misled by a smudged T§, that Professor Wilson deciphered "Goswalu", which I have corrected. Five of my MSS. one, into Yohave the word in the text; two corrupt it into Gobkala khalu; and four give Gomukha; one, Galava. The Bhdgavata-purdna, ;

XII., VI., 57, has Gokhalya.

Sanskrit Literoture,

t

A

X

Thus

single

serts, that

Sakapmii."

See, further, Professor

135, note

2,

and

p.

368, note

Max

Miiller's

Ancient

6.

MS. has Sankha.

in four of

Professor

p.

my

MSS., while the other nine have Sakapuni. Sanskrit Literature, p. 153, note -as-

Max MnWer — Ancient

"there can be no doubt that Sakapiirni is the same name as The former has much the air of being a corruption of the

due to popular etymology. The MSS. of the Vdyu-purdt'ia almost everywhere have Sakapuni; and so has Yaska. latter,

§ II

See note ff

in

Two MSS. have

my MSS.

this

page. others, Khalaya,

Khaliya;

All

*•

Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

Professor

by Yaska.

Khalaya, and Swaloya.

give Matsya.

1

I.,

p.

15.

Ro\h- Nirukta, p. 2'2'J - points The former cannot, therefore,

tt The bulk of MSS.

at

my

out, that

Sakapuni

is

quoted

be identical with the latter.

disposal read

I[T^^tWT:^ffT« Cs

5

^"^ ^^^

BOOK

III.,

Here, Sakapuri'iir atha-itaram

the necessary construction; but

should not be Sakapiirni Rathantarah'.

if it

passage in the Viiyu

Now,

is

47

IV.

Krauncha, Vaitalaki,*

to his three pupils,

were given

quere,

CHAP.

The

parallel

is:

Rathantara was named

in describing the pupils of Satyasri,

clearly enough:

HT^^: •5r^^%^t

r[^T^5?sfr

t^t^t:

' i

it would seem to be implied, that was the author of the Saihhitas; and Rathantara,

kali

Bash-

this

In another passage

of the Ni-

rukta only

resulting sense

"Now,

is:

forementioned lection, with

awkwardly

The

introduced

fact that the

another,'

'now,

the more ordinary one, lends considerable support to Professor Wilson's

suggestion, that the text *

in

its

a triad of Samhitds,

a fourth loork."

for

is

made

another, Sakapiiiii,

and made, likewise, a glossary,

Bad readings

are:

here depraved.

is

Yaitalaki, Vaitaliki,

Taluki,

and Paitalaki; each

one manuscript. t

X

my MSS.

All

Such

here give

here, the prevailing lection

is,

§ In the original, this II

is

''^'«H"fI'^:

0"®

ot:^?!^*-

:

of Professor Wilson's has

but "^^rf?;: occurs, also.

passage precedes that quoted just above.

the reading here, in

all

my

five

MSS., and so

in

every

one of Professor Wilson's. Rathantara

^fWT^VfTT'.

is,

>

without question, corrupted from Rathitara, the reading of every one of

my

MSS.,-see note

As ?|T^f,

above-

but impossible compound name, and as the person intended is read called, elsewhere in the Vuyu-paru/ia, Rathitara simply, we must Sakapuni, that is to say, Rathitara.' Sakapuiii thus is'an

all

'

'JTTein^Wl"

T^<1T'7

comes%ut

a patronymic of

See

Pai'iini,

IV.,

I.,

95.

I

believe.

two of the three passages adduced,

above,

Sakapuna,-a

In

fact hitherto unnoticed,

VISHNU PURANA.

48

and Balaka;* and a fourth, (thence named) Nirukta-

However

may

this

be,

being

his

of the Nirukta

author

the

him with Sakapurni, and makes

identifies

it

two

that the

likely,

names should come in juxtaposition, in our text, as well as in the Vayu. It must be admitted, however, that there are some rather inexplicable repetitions in the part of the Vayu where this

account occurs,

although two copies agree in the reading.

That a portion of the Vedas goes by the name

we have name

is

seen (Vol.

I.,

but, as far as

p. 84);

hymns of

confined to different prayers or

The

of the Sama-veda.

text of

different explanation regarding

the

the

Uhya Gana

Vishnu also admits of a

work

the

of Rathantaraf

yet known, the

is

of Sakapurni; and, in-

may

the passage

stead of a threefold division of the original,

mean, that he composed a third Sahihita. t So Mr. Colebrooke says: "the Vishnu pur ana omits them [the Saklias of Aswalayana

from the Vdyu-purdna, we find, similarly, mention of 'Bashkali, Bhae., sprung from Bharadwaja. i.

radwaja',

We

to understand,

then,

are,

red to in the Bh'haddevatd,

that one and the

where

it

See Indische Studien, Vol. I., p. 105. rare work just named

tara.

same person

is

refer-

speaks of Sakapuni and of Rathi-

Of the exceedingly

there

is

a

MS.

in

the

Bodleian Library, wittingly misrepresented, in Dr. Aufrecht's Catalogue, as the gift of Mr.

William Walker.

Instead of this, the Bhdgavnta-purdna, XII., VL, 58, says, that Ja-

*

disciple

tiikaniya,

of Sakalya,

digested a Samhitd

and

One Jatukarnya succeeded, Upanishad,

f For on

1.

9,

Yaska.

Brihad-dranyaka

11.,

p.

343; supplementary note

iMd.

^f^fnf^fT^j

all

a teacher,

as

VI., 3; IV., VI., 3.

the passage so called, see Vol.

p. 295, +

of

II.,

and The com-

a Nirukta,

gave them to his disciples, Balaka, Paija, Vaitala, and Viraja. mentator explains that he divided his Samhitd into three.

the reading

of all

my

MSS., and

also, apparently,

seen by the Translator, can mean, in good Sanskrit, only 'three

Saihhitds\-not 'third Saihhitd\

It

would he interesting

to

know whether

Colebrooke was acquainted with a different lection; as he very rarely trips in a matter of

grammar.

See

Pai'iini,

V.,

II.,

43.

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

49

IV.

had the glossary.^* In this way branch sprang from branch, f Another + BashkaH^§ composed three kflt,

and Sankhayana], and intimates, that Sakapurni, a pupil of Indrapramati, gave the third varied edition from this teacher.

The Vayu, however,

is

in ascribing

clear

''||

or

three Sariihitas,

Sakhas, to Sakapurni. In the Vayu, the four pupils of Sakapurni are called Ke-

'

nava,

tator,

As this

*

%

Dalaki, ** Satabalaka, and Naigazna.

may

This Bashkali

^

either be,

ff the pupil of Paila,

the

commentary

stanza with

The

— who,

observes,

commen-

some MSS. begia the second

tJ^^T fM^ftiirWTT

original,

according to the

in addition to the four Saiiihi-

line

of

I

unsupplemented by the commentary, does not discrimi-

nate this Bashkali from the one before mentioned:

See note ff in §

We

this page.

read, in the

Bhdgavata-purdna, XII., VI., 59:

Bashkala had before been mentioned is

said,

tcfl^^

by Sridhara, XC^',

It I

is

to

;

and the Bashkali here spoken of

in

stated,

Sanihitd, called Valakhilya, from

tliis

all

stanza,

II

TV^

MiscellaMous Essays, Vol.

^ Two MSS. **

gloss on

I.,

,

that

^^TW^

I

Bashkali

W\-

compiled a

the aforesaid Sdkhds; and that Ba-

layani (sic), Bhajya, and Kasara accepted the commentator's

^T^T^'

have been his son:

it,

namely,

— or

read

fTTTT^^'

it,

I

according to

'^VT'JT'^'fTI

I

p. 15.

have Kaijava.

One MS. has Dwalaki; and

intend Uddalaki.

Uddalaka,

two,

Vamana.

son of Aruiia,

is

Two, again, seem

to

a well-known Vaidik per-

sonage.

ft The commentary remarks:

III.

^T^f^I ^HfUJ^:

^cT^* ^ff"

I

4

50

VISHNU PURANA.

other Sainhitas, which he taught to his disciples, Ka"^'

and Kathajava.^f These are they Gai'gya, by whom the principal divisions of the Rich have been promulgated. + layaiii,

"

previously

tas

compiled

noticed,

him a

of Satyasri,

disciple

thantara, and adds the '

the fellow-pupil of

name or

title

may

or he

three others;

another Bashkali, a fellow-pupil of Sakapiirni.

be

The Vayu makes Sakalya and Ra-

Bharadwaja. §

In the Vayu, they are called Nandayaniya, Pannagari,

jj

and

Arjava. '*

Both the Vishnu and Vayu Puranas omit two other prin'

cipal divisions

'

r

of the Rich, those of

Aswalayana and Sankha-

yana (or the Kaushitaki). Asiatic Researches, Vol. There

is

no

of the Rich, in our

text,

or in the Vayu;

eighteen, including the Nirukta;

or,

other words, Bashkali, disciple of Paila,

But there was a

theu three others.

are

left

to

ascertain

they desci'ibe

but

states,

redacted four Samhitds, and

different Bashkali, Sakalya's fellow-

student; and his disciples were Kalayani and the

We

IT

Sariihitas

Colebrooke

as Mr.

first

VIII., p. 375.

number of

of the aggregate

specification

rest.

on what authority seven Sdmhitas are im-

posed on a single Bashkali. * Son of Balaka, mentioned a little before. See brdhmana UpanisJiad, IV., 1. t One of my MSS. exhibits Ajava, which looks like

of the

the

a

KausMtaM-

mere misscript

Vdyu-purdikiH Arjava. :

T^^ ^I^t:

"These, by

whom

iftWT: ^TfrTT

t: ir^f^m:

i

the Swhkitds have been promulgated, were denomi-

nated Bahwrichas."

Bahwricha §

note II

^

is

a general

name

for a teacher of the

Rigveda.

See the second and third extracts from the Vdyu-purd/ia 2,

supra.

In two MSS., Pannagani.

Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

I.,

p.

15.

at p. 46,

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

51

IV.

sixteen (Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII., p. 374*); that the

two portions

Kurma

Purai'ia states

on the to five.

of the

study

of

the

the

original

number

Vedas

as

divided

+

is,

omitting

Paila.

The

twenty-one ;f but treatises reduce the Sakhas of the Rich at

+

Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. t But

by

it

does not

I.,

p. 14.

name them.

The Sakalas, Bashkalas, Aswalayanas, Sankhayanas, and So says the Charana-vyuha.

yanas.

4»

Maucliika-

CHAPTER

V.

Story of Yajnavalkya

Divisions of the Yajur-veda.

give up what he has learned: picked up by

the

Yajnavalkya worships

Taittiriya-yajus.

communicates

to

PARAS ARA. — Of the the

pupil

of Vyasa,

which Vaisampayana, and taught to (as

compiled,

Amongst

disciples.^

The Vayu

'

who

tree of the Yajur-veda there

twenty- seven branches,

nine,

forming

sun,

the

him the Vajasaneyi-yajus.

are

many)

forced to

:

others,

these,

Yajnavalkya, the

divides these into three classes, containing, each,

and discriminated as northern, middle and eastern:

^{\^i *T>2i^T^ Trr^T%^ Of these

the chiefs were,

Analavi

(or

Alarabi*).

same authority

states,

^T^rfj^^rr:

i

Syamayani

severally,

Arurii

,

,

and

With some inconsistency, however, the and gave that Vaisampayana composed ,

his disciples, eighty-six Sariihitas.f

to

*

My MSS.

have

this reading,

t The Vdyu-purdna declares:

^^iftfci^ %^ftwT

^frn

^ffTf ^pn:

v^fim'^ trTTfSiwt ^stttt^''^^ ^fTrrtn:

Then

follows the line quoted above,

Syamayani, &c. These verses are thus

edited,

from

Aufrecht's Caialogus, &c., p. 55; and are of no

passage, as

ii

ii

and the names

of the

Professor Wilson's

my

five copies of the

disciples,

MSS., in Dr.

Vdyu-purdna

towards mending them into something probable. The stands, is, in part, ungrammatical and unintelligible; and it

help it

would be venturesome

to guess at its full

meaning, in

its

unamended

state.

BOOK

CHAP. V.

III.,

53

son of Brahmarata,* was distinguished for piety and

obedience to his preceptor. It

had been formerly agreed, by the Munis, that any

one of them who,

at a certain time, did not join

assembly held on mount Meru should incur the of killing a

Brahman

Vaisampayana alone

an

guilt

within a period of seven nights. failed to

and, consequently, killed,

^

keep the appointment,

by an accidental kick with

He

his foot, the child of his sister.

then addressed

and desired them to perform the penance expiatory of Brahmanicide, on his behalf. Without any hesitation,! Yajnavalkya refused, and said: "How shall I engage in penance with these miserable and

his scholars,

inefficient

On

Brahmans?"t

which, his Guru, being

commanded him to relinquish all that he had learned from him. "You speak contemptuously," incensed,

he observed, "of these young Brahmans: but of what "I is a disciple who disobeys my commands?" spoke," replied Yajnavalkya, "in perfect faith :§ but.

use

'

The

parallel passage

agreement was

*

to

in the

Vayu

rather implies

,

that the

meet within seven nights:

One MS. has Devarata; and

so

reads the Bhdgavata-purdria, XII.,

Devarata would be a violent synonym of Brahmarata. Moreover, Daivarati— patronymic of Devarata -is a name of Janaka, Yajna-

VI., 64.

valkya's patron.

t These words should end the preceding sentence.

*

He

§

Bhaktau, "out of devotion

says: 'I will perform this sacred office': to

thee/'

The

original runs

^ft^i^ff^T^

Wrf^^

I

VISHNU PURANA.

54

what I have read from yon, I have had enough: no more than this—" (acting as if he would eject from his stomach); when he brought up the texts

as to it is it

He

of the Yajus, in substance stained with blood.

The other

departed.

then

scholars of Vaisampayana, trans-

forming themselves to partridges (Tittiri), picked up the texts which he had disgorged, and which, from that circumstance, were called Taittiriya;^ and the disciples

Charaka professors* of the Ya-

called the

p.

376 f),

is

more

occurs

the

in

yana taught

it

Veda

Black Yajus.

for

It

who

to Yiiska,

and

itself;

accounted

rationally

Index, of the

taught

whence the term matical rule explains it to mean, 'The

was

what

•Rtli^^l^ then,

I

said

repeated

or

tf^ft^T:

I

the

of this legend,

Vol. VIII.,

it

term Taittiriya

Anukramaiii,

the

in

there

is

became a teacher; read

notice

(Asiatic Researches,

Mr. Colebrooke observes

as

No

Also called the Black Yajus.

'

.

were

said,

that

Tittiri,

to

Taittiriya:

who,

for

also,

gram-

a

Taittiriyas are those

by

Tittiri:'

Panini, IV., III.,

102.

or

Vaisampa-

who

fJTflTfTWT

The

legend,

appears to be nothing more than a Paurahik invention,

suggested by the equivocal sense of partridge,

Much

t

of that of the Greeks and

was not Creuzer

Tittiri,

a proper

name

,

or a

of the mythos of the Hindus, and, obviously,

Romans,

originates in this source.

It

confined, at least amongst the former, to the case that specifies,

—

" Telle

ou

telle

expression

d'etre

cessa

comprise, et Ton inventa des mythes pour eclaircir ces malenten-

dus,"

— but

understood, It

may be

was wilfully perpetrated, even where the word was when it afforded a favourable opportunity for a fable.

suspected

,

in the present instance

,

that the legend

posterior, not only to the Veda, but to the grammatical rule; it

would have furnished Panini with a •

Charakddhivaryu.

+

Compare Professor Max

rature, p. 174, note.

different etymology.

f Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. Miiller's

is

or

I.,

p. 16.

History of Ancient Sanskrit Lite-

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

55

V.

from Charana, ('going through' or 'performing'

jus,

the expiatory rites enjoined by their master).**

Yajnavalkya, who was perfect in ascetic practices, addressed himself strenuously to the sun, being anxious of the

recover possession

to

Yajus.

of the

texts

"Glory to the Sun," he exclaimed, "the gate of

libera-

the fountain of bright radiance, the triple source of splendour, as the Rig-, the Yajur-, and the Sama-

tion,

vedas

Glory to him, who, as

!

fire

and the moon,

is

one

cause of the universe: to the sun, that

M'ith the

is

charged with radiant heat, and with the Sushumnat ray, (by which the moon is fed with light): to him

who

is

one with the notion of time, and

of hours, minutes, and seconds :§ to

*

This

is

divisions is

to be

another specimen of the sort of Paronomasia

The Charakas

plained in the preceding note. a

all its

him who

Sakha so denominated from

searches, Vol. VIII., p. 377

its

teacher Charaka.

So, again, Pariini,IV.,

II).

ex-

are the students of (Asiatic III., 107:

Re'The

^'?^«T is said by Charaka are Charakas Charaka has no necessary connexion with Char, jfXW '^T^T* The Vayu states, they were also called Chatakas, from 'to go.' Chat (^), 'to divide;' because they shared amongst them their 'Those pupils of Vaisampjiyana were called master's guilt. :

readers of that which

'

I

Chatakas by

whom

Charakas, from

•

its

the crime of Brahmanicide

was shared; and

departure:'

See the Translator's third note on Book IV., Chapter XXI. "suppression of breath", It is correctly rendered

t Prdndydma. Vol. X

II.,

p. 89.

See Vol.

II.,

p. 297,

note

*

.

See Vol. I., p. 47. Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. L, II

p. 17.

in

56

VISHNU PURANA.

meditated upon as the

(visible)

impersonation of the mystic

form of Vislmn, as the

Om:*

to

him who nour-

moon who feeds the Pitris with nectar and ambrosia, f and who nourishes mankind with rain; who pours down, or absorbs, the waters, in the time

ishes the troops of the gods, having filled the

with his rays:

of the rains, of cold, and of heat! t Glory be toBrahma,§

the sun, in the form of the three seasons:

alone

is

which he in the

him who

II

the dispeller of the darkness of this earth, of is

the sovereign lord!

To

the god

who

is

clad

raiment of purity be adoration! Glory to the sun,

until whose rising, man is incapable of devout acts, and water does not purify; and, touched by whose

rays, the

world

is fitted

for religious rites

:

him who

to

the centre and source of purification!!

is

Savitri, to Siirya, to

to the first-born of gods or demons.**

WWf <^T g wtWT ^TWmT^:

*

I

^HT:

adore the eye

lift

In the original, paramdkshara, "the supreme syllable.

f Sudhamrita.

See Vol.

Glory to

Bhaskara, to Vivaswat, to Aditya,

II.,

p.

"

300, note *

§ Vedhas, in the original, li

**

Kdla.

"Or demons"

tt The halves of

represents ddi, 'etc' this stanza are

here transposed,

if

my MSS.

are correct.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

57

V.

of the universe, borne in a golden car,

whose banners

scatter ambrosia."*

Thus eulogized by Yajnavalkya, the

sun, in the

form

(appeared to him, and) said: "Demand To which the sage, having proyou desire." what strated himself before the lord of day, replied: "Give of a horse,

me a knowledge (even)

my

of those texts of the Yajus with which

preceptor

Accordingly,

unacquainted."

is

the sun imparted to him the texts of the Yajus called Ayatayama (unstudied), which were unknown to Vai-

sampayana: and, because these were revealed by the sun, in the form of a horse, the Brahmans who study this portion of the Yajus are called Vajins (horses).f Fifteen branches of this school sprang from Kahwa

and other pupils of Yajnavalkya.^ The Vayu names the fifteen teachers of these schools, Kanwa, Vaidheya, Salin, Madhyandina, Sapeyin,t Vidagdha, '

Uddalin,§ Tamrayani,|| Vatsya, Galava,! Saisiri,** Atavya,tt Parria, Virana, It and Samparayaria, §§ who were the founders of

no fewer than Colebrooke

101 branches of the Vajasaneyi, or

specifies several

yanas, Tapaniyas, &c. *

VI.,

Yajnavalkya's

hymn

will

be found in the Bhagavata-purdiia, XII.,

t See, for a translation of nearly the whole of

Two

hymn of

§ This, as II

1

my MSS. I

this chapter,

excepted. Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

III.,

Yajna-

pp. 32, 33.

have Sapemin, a reading of no value, all my MSS., is an error for Uddala.

judge from

Similarly, this seems an oversight for

Golava

is

a variant.

ft At'evin

is

the

**

All

Tamrayana.

my MSS.

have

most common reading; but At'avin and

are found.

§§ The lection of four MSS. nil

Baudha-

Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII., p. 376. |||

67-72.

valkya's I

White Yajus. Mr.

of these, as the Jabalas,

tt is

Viranin

is

in all

^tJ^J'^RT^ '^^^

Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

I.,

p. 17.

Saishiri.

At'avin, also,

my MSS.

Parayaiia.'

CHAPTER

VI. Four Paurariik

Divisions of the Sama-veda: of the Atharva-veda.

Names

Samhitas.

of the eighteen Puraiias.

ledge.

Classes of Rishis.

YOU

shall

now

hear, Maitreya,

Branches of know-

how Jahnmi,

the

pupil of Vyasa, divided the branches of the Sama-veda.

The son of Jaimini was Sumantu; and his son w^as Sukarman who, both, studied the same Saiiihita under Jaimini \ The latter* composed the Sahasra Saihhita ;

(or compilation of a thousand

hymns,

&c.),

which he

—

taught to two disciples, Hiranyanabha, also named Kausalyaf (or, of Kosala),— and Paushyinjil: Fifteen disciples (of the latter)

were the authors of

as

many

Samhitas: they were called the northern chanters of

The Vayu makes Sukarman

the grandson of

Sumantu;

his

son being called Sunwat. § * Some copies read Paushpinji. text,

but alludes to a legend of

The Vayu agrees with our Sukarman having first taught a

thousand disciples; but they were,

killed

all,

by Indra,

on an unlawful day, or one when sacred study

*

is

for reading

prohibited.

Sukarman, namely.

t One of

my MSS.

has Kaisilya.

•which looks less likely than

Kausalya

The Vmju-purdnn

reads Kausilya,

be correct.

to

my MSS.

have Paushpinji. Paushyinji, a reading of no account, The Bhdgavata-purdna— of the Vdyu-purdnn. see p. 59, note •, infra, -has Paushpanji, a patronymic of Pushpanja. The meaning of Paushpinji is not evident but it is, probably, the origi*

All

occurs

in

some

copies

;

nal name. §

See

p. 60,

note

||,

infra.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

As many more,

the Saman.*

59

VI.

the disciples of

also,

^^^rit^it: f^^T%«i: ^W^T^

^ffr:

ii

tlT'^i^TvjTTn^^: ^ffcTT Irf^wrTrt: ^ft(TT%^fxT ^-=51^ xTf%t: in^^mT^'n: i

The corresponding passage

ii

of the Blidgavata-purdna,—Xll., VI.,

76-78,—

runs thus

¥Tf^ ^ffTTT^^ ^% ^T^t rT
I

II

th"^^55n^^iW^^TftT ^Rtf^f5(T^T55r^^^

II

mean, that Hiraiiyanabha, Paushpanji, and

Sridhara explains this to

Avantya had, between them, five hundred disciples, first called northern, and, some of them, in time, eastern. It seems possible that the name Avantya grew out of a misreading of /rtuaft/rt^',— which some of my MSS. corrupt into tnvantyali,- i\nd the suggestion of Kausalya; both which words stand only two lines apart, quoted from the Vishnu-purdna. Avantya does not appear

in the verses

Vdyu-purdria, an older work than either the Vishnu or the Bhd-

in the

gavata

:

fll^T f^T'SiT^T^^ ^fTT% and his hundred Sai'nhitds

Sai'nhitds; five

Sridhara tries Vishnu-purdiia;

RT^^TTIT:

II

have taught half a thousand disciples were called northerners: Hiranyanabha had

Here, distinctly, Paushpinji

to

;

and

is

said

to

his disciples

were known as easterlings.

harmonize with the text he

quoting from

it,

in

is

place of the

editing that of the

fourth verse adduced

above

The reading cT'^

is

seen,

at

once, to

be incomparably better than

VISHNU PURANA.

60

Hiranyanabha, were termed the eastern chanters of the Saman,

founding an

number

equal

of schools.

Lokakshi,* Kuthumi,f Kusliidin,t and Langali were the pupils of Paushyinji; and

many

by them and

other branches were formed:

their disciples

whilst another

named Kriti,§ taught twentymany) pupils; and by them, was the Sama-veda divided into numerous

scholar of Hiranyanabha,

four Saiiihitas to (as again,

branches/!

'

the

The Vayu list

named

is

in

Lokakshi,

specifies

than the Vishnu; but

many more names Amongst the

descendants of those

rather confused. the text, is

Rayaiianiya

(or Ranayaniya), the

the author of a Samhita

son, was the author of three Samhitas

'five

"fifteen".

By

:

and Saligotra, a son

hundred', as the Vdyu-purd/ia shows, has to displace only thirty Samhitas are disposed of,

the ordinary text,

out of the thousand.

my

of

Parasara, the son of

:

Kuthumi, compiled and taught six Samhitas

%«j:; and

son

extant; Saumitri, his

still

Both these better lections are in a single one of Vishnu-piirdna; but the commentary adopts,

thirteen copies of the

uninquiringly, and without demur,

what are now made out

to be

cor-

ruptions. *

Three MSS. have Laugakshi; one has Laukakshi.

these readings seems to be the best of

The former

of

all.

t Scarcely worthy of mention are the variants Kuthami and Kusumi. prevailing lection; while three MSS. have Kusidin; I This is the two, Kusidi; two, Kuchidi; one, Kusadi.

The Vdyu-purdna seems

to g[\Q

some MSS.; in others, Kusin. § Two MSS. exhibit Krita; and this, according to the copies of it known to me, is the name, in the Vdyu-purdna. The history of the transmission of the Sdmaveda is briefly told as Jaimini had a follows, in the Bhdgavata-purdiia, XII., VI., 75—80. son, Sumantu, whose son was Sunwat; and to each of them he gave a Saihhitd. Sukarman, another disciple of Jaimini, divided the Sdma-

Kusiti, in

II

veda into a thousand parts. panji,

and

Avantya;

His disciples were Hiranyanabha, Paush-

and their disciples

were,

in

all,

five

hundred.

BOOK

now

I will

CHAP.

III.,

61

VI.

give you an account of the Sarhhitas of

The

Muni Sumantu Kabandha, who made it twofold, and communicated the two portions to Devadarsa* and to Pathya. The disciples of Devadarsa were Maudga,f Brahmabali, Saulkayani,+ and PippalaAtharva-veda.

the

taught this

Veda

illustrious

to his pupil

of Langali, established, also,

six schools.

§

was

Kfiti

of royal

descent fftTt

He

ffT^^snnH^

fwt

Iff?!:

^Traiw:

i

and Paushyinji were the two most eminent teachers of the

Sama-veda.

Paushpanji's disciples, to-wit, Laugakshi, received, each,

Kukshi,

hundred

a

Mangali, Kulya, Kusida, and

Samhitds

;

Hiranyanabha's

disciple,

and Avantya's disciples, the rest. We are not told who, or how many, these last were. They must have taken four hundred and seventy-six Samhitds, to make up the thousand into which the Sdmaveda was partitioned by Sukarman.

Krita,

twenty-four;

The

*

Vdyu-purdiia has

Vedasparsa.

Bhdgavata-furdna, XII., VII.,

1,

Sridhara,

commenting on

the

quotes a portion of our text, and reads

Vedadarsa. t One MS, has Maunda. The name, in the Vdyu-purdna, One MS. has Saulkyayani. + § to

I

do not find that Ranayaniya

have been only his disciple.

is

Nor

is

Moda.

called son of Lokakshi: he is

seems

Saumitri represented as son of

Ranayaniya; and no writings are credited to him. Ranayaniyi-son of Ranayaniya- and he are merely stated to have been conversant with the

Sdmaveda.

The Sanskrit runs:

Again, instead of "Parasara, the son of Kuthumi," I meet with Parasarya Kauthuma and with Kauthuma Parasarya, which perhaps intend Parasarya, son

of

Kuthumi.

Once more, the kinship

Salihotra,— a better reading than Saligotra of them,

As

we

—

is

left

of Langali

and

unspecified; and each

are told, published six Samhitds:

to this line, at least,

my MSS.

of the

Vdyu-purdna must

those which were consulted by Professor Wilson.

differ

from

VISHNU PURANA.

62

Pathya had three pupils, Jajali, Kumudadi,f and Saimaka; and by all these were separate branches instituted. Saunaka, having divided his Samhita into two, gave one to Babhru, and the other to Saindhavayana; and from them sprang two schools, the Saindhada.*

The

vas and the Munjakesas.^+ in

difference §

*

for

Saihhitas

principal subjects of

Atharva-veda

of the

According to the commentator, Munjakesa is another name Babhru; but the Vayu seems to consider him as the pupil

of Saindhava

:

but the text

t^^r^

*

the

corrupt

^^ f^T ^^:

though occurring in

Pishpalada,

copies of the

is

^^iTT^ f^^1

live

of

my

I

II

MSS., and

some

in

Vciyu-purdna, can be nothing hut a clerical error.

f Kumudahi is the reading of two MSS.; Kumudari, of one. The account of the Atharvaveda given in the Bhdgavaia-purdi'ia, XII., I Sumantu had two disciples, Pathya VII., 1 3, is, in substance, this. and Vedadarsa. The disciples of the latter were Saulkayani, Brahmaand those of the former -were Kubali, Modosha, and Paippalayani; muih, Sunaka, and Jajali. Sunaka had two disciples, Babhru -son of

—

Angiras,

— and

Saindhavayaiia;

and these were succeeded by

the

Sa-

van'iyas and others. I

have availed

myself of Sankara's supplementations,

here

and in

in p. 60, supra.

note II

One MS. has, for Modosha, Modasha; another, Mediya. All my MSS., and likewise the printed editions, have the ungrammatical Pippalayani, which I have corrected to Paippalayani. The Bhdgavata-kathd-sangraha gives, in my incorrect copies of it, Saunakayani, Brahmabali, Maudgaladi,

and Pippalayani, as the disciples of Vedadarsa.

§ "Subjects of difference" is the rendering of vikalpakdK, II

Just before this line

we

read,

'divisions.'

almost in the words of the

Vinhnu-

purdna, as follows:

It

is

now patent why

the Translator pronounced

the text corrupt.

Saindhavayana and Saindhava cannot denominate the same teacher. former must have been a descendant of the latter.

The

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

63

VI.

(or ceremonials): the Nakshatra

are the five Kalpas

Kalpa, (or rules for worshipping the planets);

the

Vaitana (Kalpa), (or rules for oblations, aecording to the Vedas generally); the Samhita (Kalpa), (or rules for sacrifices, according to different schools); the Angi-

rasa (Kalpa),

(incantations

struction of foes

and the

and prayers for the deand the Santi Kalpa,

like)

;

(or prayers for averting evil).^*

Accomplished in the purport of the Puranas, Vyasa compiled a Paurahik Samhita, consisting of historical and legendary traditions, prayers and hymns, and sacred chronology, ^f '

He had

a distinguished disciple,

The Vayu has an enumeration

the different Vedas; respects,

but

of the

12,000;

Yajus,

the

of which

verses contained in

very indistinctly given,

The Rich

especially as regards the Yajus.

comprise 8,600 Richas:

Vyasa,

is

it

as

originally

the Vajasaneyi

in is

many

said to

compiled

by

contains 1,900 Richas

and 7,600 Brahmanas; the Charaka portion contains 6,026 stanzas; and, consequently, the whole exceeds 12,000 verses. The stanzas of the

Saman

5,980.

Mr. Colebrooket states the verses of the whole Yajus to

are said to be 8,014

;

and those of the Atharvan,

Brahmana

be 1,987; of the Satapatha§

of the

same Veda,

7,624;

and, of the Atharvan, 6,015. ^

Or, of stories (Akhyanas) and minor stories or tales (Upa-

The Translator consulted, for his intercalative explanations, those of commentary; and this understands, by the second and third kalpas, the Brahmanas of the Atharvaveda, and its mantras. the

t *

^T^i%^TT5Mi<^HJn^Tf*r: ^fi^^gf^f^:

Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

I.,

§ "Salapalka"' was, of course,

i

pp. 54, 60, 89.

an error of the press, in the

first edition.

VISHNU PURANA.

64

him the great had six scholars, Sumati, Agniv^archas, Mitrayu* Samsapayana,f Akritabrana, t (who is also called Kasyapa§), and Savarni.f The three last composed three fundamental Siita, also

termed Romaharshana; and

Muni communicated the Puranas.

to

Siita

khyanas); of portions dedicated to some particular divinity, as the

* One MS. has, here and below, Mitrayu, a reading which is seen in some copies of the Vdyu-purdna, as well. f In one MS. is Saiiisapayani. * One MS. has Kritabraua but the reading is, perhaps, to be rejected. :

however, renders the line which

Akritabrana,

What

conclusive,

is

—

if

the

MSS.

are

begins hypermetrical:

it

not corrupt,

— the

Vdyu-pxtrdna

has the line

It is

Sumati

proved hereby, moreover, that Akritabrana sprang from Kasyapa. is here called descendant of Atri, too.

For the reading

Ki'itavrata, see note

§ In the Sanskrit,

Kasyapa

is

not

||

in this page.

named

here,

but in the following

sentence, which the translation abridges. II

"Six persons received the Puraiias from Vyasa, and were

his pupils.

Their names are Suta, Lomaharsha, Sumati, Maitreya, Siiiisapayana, and The Translator thus renders a passage from the Ayni-purdna, Suvariii."

Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. I., p. 84. Compare Professor Wilson's Essays, Analytical, Critical, &c., Vol. I., p. 88. Burnouf in his edition of the Bhdgavata-purdna, Vol. I., Preface, in the

—

pp.

XXXIX., XL.— quotes

translates

and annotates

it,

the original of the passage thus rendered, and as follows:

irtn^T^pTT^'^rgii: ijTTWT^t

WTWT^f^ "Lomaharchaua le

reste,

eut

le

six

^ ^ff
^TTTint^ ffCft^T

Suta,

apres

disciples,

avoir

savoir:

recju

ii

I

de Vyasa les

Sumati,

Puranas

Agnivartchas,

et

Mitrayu,

BOOK

&c.

Bhagavad-gi'ta,

nombre de dix-huit

En

Ilari.

dans

eftet,

periods

the

et les autres iirent

est le pre-

menie qui

n'est autre

nomme VAgncya,

grand Parana

le

a

Bnvhma

le

c'est la science

;

of

(^am^apayana

Les Puraiias, dont

des collections des Purauas.

que

himself compiled

and accounts

;

(^am(japayana, Kritavrata et Savarni

mier, sout au

65

VI.

and Romaharshaiia

Saiiihitas;

Siva-gita,

CHAP.

III.,

Hari

existe sous la forme de la science.'

"M. Wilson

*

•

»

*

ait

eu sous

les

Mais

de I'origine des Puraiias.

yeux un texte

different

son

d'impression se soit glissee dans de Suta et

comme remarquable

a cite ce texte qu'il regarde

ce qui touche a la question

de LomabarcLai'ia,

et

du notre,

travail,

ne

il

nomme

en

qu'il

que quelque faute deux personnages

soit fait

il

soit

pas Kritavrata.

Au

que donne egalement le Vaichnava, M. Wilson lit Smsapdyana, comme le Bhagavata, et Mditreya au lieu du Mitraiju Ces differences vieaneut probablement de ou Mitrdyu du Vaichiiava. I'inattention des copistes qui ont compile les index dont s'est servi de (^dihgapayana,

lieu

M. Wilson pour crois plus sur de

ses

analyses; quelle qu'en soit d'ailleurs la cause,

m'en

tenir

au texte que

je

sous les yeux, que de

j'ai

deux personnages de Suta et de Lomaharchaun. Mais je dois en remarquer le peu d'accord qui se trouve entre les trois autorites originales dont je rapporte le tcmoignage, le Bhagavata, le Vaichiiava et I'Agueya. Les noms de Trayydruni et de Hdrita, dounes faire

meme temps

par

le

Bhagavata, ne reparaissent plus dans le Sumati, VAgnivartchas

le

neya; d'autre part,

dans

derniers ouvrages ne se trouvent pas ce

dernier Puraiia contient

faire

d'ailleurs

deux personnages de Ka(jyapa

dire plus bas,

Kd^yapa),

(qu'il

indiens,

peut-etre resoudra-t-on ces difficultes,

Mitrdyu de ces deux

La

Bhagavata.

le

un vice

et d'Akritavraiia.

un plus grand nombre de textes

Vaichiiava ni dans I'Ag-

et le

faut

lire,

liste

consiste

qui

radical,

comme

je

vais

de a le

Quaud on pourra comparer et

de commentaires,

surtout

comme on

pent

le faire

en ce qui

touche Akfitavraria, qu'un commentateur nous apprend avoir ete surnom-

me Kdpyapa, a cause sans doute de la famille a laquelle il appartenait; ainsi, le nom de Trayydruni, qui est patronymique, cache probablement Trayydruni rappelle le le nom propre de Sumati ou d'Agnivartchas. Trayyaruna

qui

figure,

selon

Colebrooke,

parmi

rois

les

hymnes du Rigveda {Miscell. Essays, t. I., p. nom d'un sage, auteur d'un Dharmavastra qui est

quelques est le

par KuUiika

Bhat't'a,

For Tryaruiia, the

dans sou Commeutaire sur Maiui real

Vaidik

name, see

Atreya, the patronymic of Sumati, p

lU.

p. 36,

64, note

I,

",

auteurs

23);

et

de

Hdrita

quelquefois cite etc.

note f, supra; for

supra.

6

According to

VISHNU PUR ANA.

66 fourth,

Romaharshanika;* the substance of is collected into this (Vishnu

called

which four

Saiiihitas

Purana). f

The first of all the Puranas is entitled the Brahma. Those who are acquainted with the Puranas enumerate eighteen, or, the Brahma, Padma, Vaishnava,+ Saiva, Kalpas,

called

as

Brahma Kalpa,

the

Varaha Kalpa, &c. §

Bbaradwaja is Agnivarchas's patronymic; Vasisht'ha, and Sanmadatti, Savarui's. The originators of the Puraiias are thus enumerated in the BhdgavataVdyu-purdiia,

the

Mitrayu's

;

•purdna, XII., VII., 5

tlT^qT4|«t^l<\f^ So

One

read, of

all

^1 ^TTfW^ T^

but consentaneously,

them has Akritavrata,

for

five

the

name,

in the

I have examined. and one has -like the Vaisampayana. Saiiisapayani

Akritabrai'ia;

Bhdyavata-kathd-sangraha-Shiiiap^jiinix, for is

II

MSS. which

Vdiju-purdna.

ttTf^^ ^mwi f7\wm ^^1t^

II

"Kasyapa was compiler of a Samhitd; and so was Savarni, and so Samsapayana: and the Romaharshanikd was another Samhitd, the root of the three just

specified.''''

The Vdyu-purdna says the same, in effect. t The original of this paragraph, the scholia on it, and a translation of both, will be found in Burnoufs edition of the Bhdgavata-purdna, Vol.

Preface, pp.

I.,

XXXVII.— XXXIX.

f^^^-^Tn" ^ llf^^lj^f^ ipf%^We learn, S^I^fiT(2ITf^f^^R^^T2I^/^TW^^ ^T^T^% X

From

the

commentary

:

I

from

this,

that

the

Vishnu-purdria

has been variously reputed as con-

and of six thousand. most moderate estimate. It is a great reduction from twenty-three thousand. See Vol. I., Preface, p. XXXIV., note 2, extract from the Matsya-purdna. § Most of this note is taken from the commentary, which remarks as sisting of ten thousand stanzas, of eight thousand,

The

scholiast accepts the

follows

:

^^T^f^: ^f jTTW^ff

fTT

^%i ^n^ J^

^: w^ i

BOOK

Bhagavata, Naradiya, vishyat,

Brahma

CHAP.

III.,

67

VI.

Markandeya,

Agneya,

Bha-

Vaivarta, Laiiiga, Varaha, Skanda,

Vamaiia, Kaurma, Matsya, Garuda, Brahmarida. creation of the world, and

its

the genealogies

patriarchs and kings),

(of the

The

successive reproductions,

the

periods of the Manus, and the transactions of the (royal) dynasties, are narrated in

This Purana which is

all

these Puranas.*

have repeated to you, Maitreya, called the Vaishnava, and is next, in the series, to

the

Padma; and

I

in

every part of

it,

in its narratives

of primary and subsidiary creation, of families, and of periods, the mighty Vishnu

The four Vedas,

is

the (six)

declared, in this

Angas

Purana \

(or subsidiary por-

tions of the Vedas), (viz., Siksha, rules of reciting the

prayers, the accents and tones to be observed; Kalpa,

Vyakarana, grammar; Nirukta, glossarial comment; Chhandas, metre; and Jyotisha, astronomy), ritual;

with

Mimamsa

(theology),

Nyaya

(logic),

Dharma

fourteen (principal)

and the Puranas, constitute the branches of knowledge: or (they

are considered as)

eighteen,

(the institutes of law),

(with the addition of

these four), the Ayur-veda, (medical science, as taught

by Dhanwantari), Dhanur-veda, (the science of archery or arms, taught by Bhrigu), Gandharva-(veda), (or the drama, and the arts of music, dancing, &c., of

'

•

For remarks upon

See Vol.

I.,

this

enumeration, see Introduction, f

Preface, p. VII., note

tation thereon, in p. 199, ibid.

present chapter.

t Vol.

I.,

Preface, pp. XXIII.

1

;

and the snpplemeutary anno-

See, further, the note at the end of the

et seq.

VISHNU PURANA.

68

which the Muni Bharata was the author), and the Artha Sastra, (or science of government, as laid down first by Brihaspati).* There are three kinds of Rishis (or inspired sages) royal Rishis, (or princes who have adopted a life of devotion, as Viswaniitra), divine Rishis, (or sages

who

Brahman Rishis, Brahma, or Brahmans,

are demigods also, as Narada), and (or sages

who

A

'

are the sons of

and others). 'f

as Vasishtha

similar enumeration

Rishi

ditions.

is

The Brahmarshis, it is who were the founders

given in the Vayu, with some ad-

said, are descendants of the five patriarchs

of races or Gotras of

Bhi'igu, Angiras,

yapa, Vasishtha,

Nara and Narayaiia,

who sprang

is

derived from Rish, 'to go to', or 'approach.'

the

and

Brahmans

;

or,

Kas-

The Devarshis

Atri.

are

sons of Dharnia;+ the Valikhilyas,

fromKratu;|| Kardama, the son ofPuiaha; Kubera, the

son of Pulastyalf; Achala, the son of Pratyiisha;** Parvata and

Narada, the sons of Kasyapa.

*

The

definitions

and the

this

Riijarshis are

Ikshwaku and other

and other particulars enclosed within parentheses, in

following

paragraph,

borrowed

are

from

the

commen-

tary.

t On these, and other descriptions of Rishis, see Original Sanskrit Texts, Part I., p. 109, note 11. +

See Vol.

I.,

p.

Ill, note

1.

more ordinary spelling, in MSS. known to me. For the Valikhilyas, see the Mahdbhdrata, Adi-parvan, Chapters XXX., XXXI. §

Such

am

I

of

called Valakhilya.

See Vol.

% The this

I.,

p.

original,

See

p.

to the

49, note §, supra.

155. as will be seen in the next page, has Paulastya;

does not necessarily signify

there.

»

the

not aware that these pigmies had anything to do with the portion

Veda II

is

"son

of Pulastya":

Kubera was Pulastya's grandson, and son Bhdgavata-purdiia, IV.,

See Vol.

II.,

p. 23.

I.,

3G, 37.

but

it

of Visravas,

See Vol.

1.,

p.

does

and so,

according

154, note 2.

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

69

VI.

I have, thus, described to you the branches of the Vedas, and their subdivisions; the persons by whom

why they were made Hmited capacities of mankind). The same

they were made; and the reason (or, the

branches are instituted in the different Manwantaras.*

The

(primitive)

things,

+

is

Veda^f that of the progenitor of

eternal

:

these (branches) are but

its

all

modifi-

cations (or Vikalpas). §

princes.

The Brahmarshis dwell

the sphere of

in

Devarshis, in the region of the gods

heaven of Indra.

;

Brahma;

and the Rajarshis,

11

t Sruti, in the Sanskrit. Prdjdpaiyd, 'derived from Prajapati'. + §

See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part

[I

The passage

of the

Vdyu-purdiia

xr^i^: Tjwwi

^T^nf ^OfT THfEr^

III.,

is

p.

11.

as follows:

^^rf^rffiTfT^r^^:

wwTW ^^

w^t|^:

ii

^m:

^mr^^ ^i^^^ ^w[ ^:

ii

ii

^^p^ vSr^^ g TTTTTTWrfH> Trf^f'^^T: ^wt: jrr: ^f^: 5^1^ g II

^%-^%^

xfr?iT^:

inf^^n^^: ^jt:

ii

'^qf^ ^^"RT^T^ fT^rr^^: ^rfr: TTRt ^^ ^1 ^'^ '^ ^

t^

(•''?)

^'

11

I

1

the

in the

VISHNU PURANA.

70

I have, thus, related to

stances, relating to the

Of what

hear.

No

'

in the

else

you, Maitreya, the cu'cum-

Vedas, which you desired to

do you wish to be informed?^

notice is taken, here, of a curious legend which

Mahabharata, in the Gada Parvan. *

is

given

It is there said, that,

during a great drought, the Brahmans, engrossed by the care of subsistence,

Vedas were by

fish

neglected

the study of the sacred books, and the

The Rishi Saraswata,

lost.

mother Saraswati

his

the

,

alone, being fed with

personified river so

kept up his studies, and preserved the Hindu scriptures.

end of the famine, the Brahmans repaired

aud sixty thousand

to

him,

disciples again acquired a

to

named,

At

the

be taught;

knowledge of the

Vedas from Saraswata. This legend appears to indicate the revival, or, more probably, the introduction, of the Hindu ritual by the race of Brahmans, or the people, called Saraswata:

cording to the Hindu geographers, as

is

it still

Vin., pp.

many

338, 341.)

of

(Asiatic Researches, Vol.

VH.,

The Saraswata Brahmans

They

of castes,

five

p.

219;f Vol.

T^^^frf^^T^

^^^

TT^i^ ^t:

tall,

and

or popular

Gauda Brahmans, and

wwWti^^:

w^TWt^irfTT^T^ ^fTT

ac-

are met with in

are classed, in the Jati malas,

amongst the

for,

name of a nation, Brahmans who chiefly the

parts of India, and are, usually, fair-complexioned,

handsome men. lists

was

of a class

the appellation

inhabit the Punjab.

it

are divi-

II

II

The Translator omitted mention of the sons of Prabhasa, here classed among the Devarshis, but not named. Prabhasa was father of Viswakarman.

See Vol.

II., p.

24.

Further, the Rajarshis are said to gas,

be Aidas,

Aikshwakas, and Nabha-

— kings

*

with

sprung from Manu, Vena (??), and Ida. Or Qaddyuddha-parvan. It concludes the 'Salya-parvan, beginning its

thirty-third chapter.

f Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

II.,

p. 22.

BOOK ded into ten

CHAP.

71

VI.

are said, also, to be, especially, the Pu-

They

tribes.

III.,

rohitas or family-priests of the Kshattriya or military castes t; (see the Jati

mala, printed

Selections, Vol.

I.,

p, 280)

in Price's

—

Hindee and Hindoostanee

—circumstances

harmony with

in

the

purport of the legend, and confirmatory of the Saraswatas of the

Punjab having been prominent agents

Hindu

primary

seat, perhaps, of

See Vol. H.,

Note referred to at Burnouf,

XLIV.

in

his

— LI.,

edition

of the Hindus,

Brahmanism, has,

daries, the Saraswati river.

pp.

in the establishment of the

The holy land

religion in India.

the

of

one of

for

p.

142,

note

its

or the

boun-

4.

p. 67, supra.

Bhdgavata-purdna

,

Vol.

I.,

Preface,

dwells at length on the definition of the term Purdi'm.

After citing, from the Sabdakalpadrmna, a passage

of the

Brahnavai-

varta-purdna, where the topics of a Puraiia are said to be ten, he trans-

—

—

in XII., VII., 8-19, an extract from the Bhdgavata-purdna, which these topics are enumerated almost in the same manner. Sub-

lates

joined

is

his translation, with the original prefixed.

^Trf*r^%^"^ grr^ rrf^ f^^:

^f!f#fig:^rr#T^T

f^^'^^

i

^H^: H^ ^^"^

^^mrfTfr ^'^T§ft^

II

^tt^t^

irm #^1 ^t fT^ ^T^Twt^^"^rrfq ^t T^T^Tn^rnrfT

f^^^^ ^

fd4^(^r^%g I^^

^W^ f^:

TT^nTt ^^'^ '^'^T^'- ^t^tt: ^iMiTr-s^T^mTg ^:^^"ffv^^^

wrg^tT^^^t

yrf

i

^^tt^ht:

II

I

II

ii

ii

ii

VISHNU PURANA.

72

^ ^T^f^ "Ecoute, 6 Brahmane

cet

d'accord

univers

et la

ii

y appliquant ton inque Font donnee les Brah-

Siita a (^aiUiaka), en

(dit

Purana,

la definition d'un

telligence,

marchis,

Tn^T^rnrrf^fTTtit

telle

avec les diverses ecoles des Vedas. Texistence

creation distincte,

intervalles [de chaque

Maun],

,

la genealogie, I'histoire

La

creation de

conservation,

la

des families

terieures, la destruction, la cause, ladelivrance: voila ce

que

les

pos-

les savants

reconnaissent pour un Puraiia, ouvrage qui a dix caracteres particuliers. D'autres, distinguant

les Puraiias

en grands et en

petits,

disent qu'un

Purana a cinq caracteres. On entend par Sarga, creation, I'origine du principe dit de I'lntelligence, qui vient du mouvement des qualites qui appartiennent a la Nature, celle du principe de la Per[petit]

qui est triple

sonnalite

et

de I'lntelligence,

qui sort

cules subtiles, celle des sens et des elements grossiers.

celle

des mole-

On entend

creation distincte, I'association de tous ces principes

Visarga,

par Purucha association qui leur rappelle leur ancienne activite; resulte tout ce qui se

meut comme

qui

ce

qu'un germe sort d'un autre germe.

par

fecondes

ne se meut pas, de

il

en

meme

Par VHiti, existence, on entend

uns des autres, ceux qui ne se meuvent; mais les moyens qu'a sont, par une suite de sa nature La Rakchd ou conservation de propre, volontaires ou uecessaires. I'univers, c'est Taction d'Atchyuta (Vichiiu) qui descend, h. chaque Yuga,

que

les etres

servent a I'existence

les

meuvent pas, a celle de ceux qui I'homme de soutenir son existence

se

d'hommes, de Richis, de Devas, pour Veda. Par Manvantara, intervalle de chaque Manu, on entend une epoque ou se trouvent les six especes d' etres suivantes: un Manu, des Devas, des fils de Manu, des chefs de dans

d'animaux,

formes

des

aneantir les ennemis du

Suras,

des

Richis,

des incarnations

Vathfa, genealogie,

pendant

les

trois

triple

on

entend

parties

des families posterieures

,

petue les families de ces

la

partielles

de Hari (Vichuu).

Par

succession des rois, nes de Brahma,

de la duree; et par Vaiiifdnutcharita, histoire

on entend rois.

la

conduite de ceux qui ont per-

Les chantres inspires nomment Samsthd,

destruction, la dissolution de cet univers qui est de quatre sortes, savoir;

Naimittika, Prakritika, propre.

Par

Nitya et Atyantika, et qui resulte de sa nature de la creation et des autres etats de I'univers,

Jletu, cause

on entend I'ame individualisee qui accomplit des actes sous I'influence de I'Avidya (I'lgnorance). cipe [intelligent]

qui

Cette cause, quelques-uns I'appellent le prin-

s'endort

[au temps de la destruction de I'univers

BOOK m., CHAP. ail

seio de I'fetre supreme]

oppe.

On entend

d'antres,

;

le

principe

les fonctions

de

vie,

la

de

la

veille,

[materiel]

Brahma

par Apdfraya, delivrance,

tient d'etre present et absent tout a la fois,

73

vr.

aiiquel

non develil

appar-

pendant que s'accomplisscnt

du sommeil

et

du sommeil profond,

fonctions qui sont Tceuvre de Maya."

This passage, and that from the verted

to,

Brnhmavaivarta-purdna, before ad-

are of interest, as evincing the

those compositions;

only

five

comparatively recent date of

constitutive

and characteristic topics of as the commentators on

a Purana being recognized by so late

writers

the Amara-kosa.

p.

on

See Vol.

I.,

Preface,

YIL, where the commentators

Amarasiiiiha are inadvertently identified, in respect

of their views

touching the subject-matters of a Purana, with the vocabularist himself.

CHAPTER By what means men

VII.

are exempted from the authority of

as narrated, by Bhishma, to Nakula.

and one of his attendants. to

Yama.

How

Yama,

Dialogue between

Yama

Worshippers of Vishnu not subject

they are to be known.

MAITREYA.—You have, indeed,

related to me, most Brahman, all that I asked of you. But I am desirous to hear one thing which you have not touched on. This universe, composed of seven zones with its seven subterrestrial regions, and seven spheres, this whole egg of Brahma, is everywhere swarming with living creatures, large or small, with smaller and smallest, and larger and largest; so that there is not the eighth part of an inch in which they do not abound.

excellent

,

—

—

Now, at the

all

these are captives in the chains of acts, and,

end of

their existence,

power of Yama, by punishments.

ful

whom

become

slaves

to

the

they are sentenced to pain-

Released from these

inflictions,

are again born in the condition of gods,

they

men, or the

like; and, thus, living beings, as the Sastras apprise us,

Now, the question I have to ask, and w^hich you are so well able to answer, is, by what acts men may free themselves from subjection to Yama. Parasara. This question, excellent Muni, was once asked, by Nakula,^ of his grandfather Bhishma;

perpetually revolve.

—

^

Nakula

is

one of the Paridava princes, and, consequently,

grand-nephew, not grandson, of Bhishma of Parasara;

and

a conversation

in

it is

:

he

is

great grandson

rather an anomaly for the latter to cite

which

'Nakula. formerly bore a part.

BOOK and

I

will

repeat to

III.,

CHAP.

75

vir.

you the reply made by the

latter.

Bhishma said to the prince: "There formerly came, on a visit to me, a friend of mine, a Brahman, from the Kalinga country, who told me that he had once proposed

Muni who retained the and by whom what

this question to a holy

recollection of his former births,

was and what will be was accurately told. Being importuned by me, who placed implicit faith in his words, to repeat what that pious personage had imparted to him, he, at last, communicated it to me; and what he related I have never met with elsewhere. "Having, then, on one occasion, put to him the same question which you have asked, the Kalinga

Brahman

had been told him by the Muni, the great mystery that had been revealed to him by the pious sage who remembered his former existence, a dialogue that occurred between Yama and one of

recalled the story that

— —

his ministers.

"Yama, beholding one

of his servants with his

whispered to him, and said: 'Keep I am clear of the worshippers of Madhusudana. the lord of all men, the Vaishnavas excepted. I was

noose

in his hand,

appointed, by Brahma,*

the immortals,

to

who

restrain

is

reverenced by

mankind,

all

and regulate

the consequences of good and evil in the universe.

But he who obeys Hari, as his spiritual guide, is here independent of me; for Vishnu is of power to govern and control me. As gold is one sub-

•

Dhatfi, in the Sanskrit.

76

VISHNU PURANA.

stance,

however

still,

diversified as bracelets, tiaras,*

or ear-rings, so Hari

is one and the same, although modified in the forms of gods, animals, and man. As the drops of water, raised, by wind, from the

earth,

sink

into

the

earth

again,

subsides, so the varieties of gods,

when

the

men, and

wind

animals,

which have been detached by the agitation f of the qualities,

when that disturbance ceaHe who, through holy knowledge, the lotos-foot of that Hari, who is

are reunited,

with the eternal.

ses,

diligently adores

reverenced by the gods, of sin; and

fed with

fire

is

released from

you must avoid him,

as

all the bonds you would avoid

oil.'

"Having heard these injunctions of Yama, the messenger addressed the lord of righteousness, and said:

how am I to distinguish the worwho is the protector of all beings ?'

me, master,

'Tell

shipper of Hari,

Yama

replied: 'You are to consider the worshipper of Vishnu him who never deviates from the duties pre-

scribed to his caste;

who

looks with equal indifference

upon friend or enemy; w^ho takes nothing (that is not his own), nor injures any being. Know that person of unblemished mind to be a worshipper of Vishnu. Know him to be a devout worshipper of Hari, who has placed Janardana in his pure mind, which has been freed from fascination, and whose soul is undefiled by the soil of the Kali age. Know that excellent

man

to

be a worshipper of Vishnu, who, looking upon

gold in secret, holds that which

•

Mukut'a.

t Kalusha, 'feculence'.

is

another's wealth

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

77

VII.

but as grass, and devotes all his thoughts to the lord. Pure is he as a mountain of clear crystal for how can Vishnu abide in the hearts of men with malice, and envy, and other evil passions? The glowing heat of :

abides not in a cluster of the cooling rays of the

fire

moon. He who

lives

pure

in

contented, leading a holy

thought, free from malice,

life,

creatures, speaking wisely

all

feeling tenderness for

and kindly, humble and

Vasudeva ever present in his heart. As by its beauty, declares the excellence of the juices which it has imbibed from the earth, so, when the eternal has taken up his abode in the bosom of any one, that man is lovely amidst sincere, has

the

young

Sala-tree,

my

the beings of this world. Depart,

servant, quickly

from those men whose sins have been dispersed by moral and religious merit, ^ whose minds are daily

who

dedicated

to

the

exempt from

are

imperceptible pride,

and

deity,*

uncharitableness, and

Or Yama and Niyama. The duties intended by these terms The commentator on the text specifies,

'

are variously enumerated.

under the

first

ings (Ahiriisa),

head, absence of violence or cruelty to other betruth (Satya),

honesty (Asteya), chastity (Brah-

macharya), and disinterestedness, or non-acceptance of rigraha).

gifts

(Apar-

Under Niyama are comprehended purity (Saucha),

contentment

(Santosha),

Vedas (Swadhyaya),

and

devotion f adoration

(Tapas), of

the

study

of

the

supreme (Iswara-

praiiidhana).

*

"Imperceptible deity" here renders achyuta, on which term see Vol.

p. 15,

note

t Eather,

3. '

mortification '.

I.,

VISHNU PUHANA.

78 malice.

In the heart in which the divine Hari,

who

is

without beginning or end, abides, armed with a sword, a shell, and a mace, sin cannot remain; for it cannot coexist with that which destroys

not continue in the world,

The

makes not

eternal

man who

his

it:

when

abode

who

is

shining.

in the heart of that

covets another's wealth,

creatures,

as darkness can-

the sun

who

injures living

speaks harshness and untruth,

who

is

proud of his iniquity, and whose mind is evil. Janardana occupies not his thoughts who envies another's

who

prosperity,

calumniates the virtuous,

who never

upon the pious, who is sacrifices, blinded by the property of darkness. That vile wretch is no worshipper of Vishnu, who, through avarice, is unkind to his nearest friends and relations, to his wife, The brute-like children, parents, and dependants. nor bestows

man whose rio-hteous

thoughts are

acts,

who

gifts

evil,

w^ho

is

addicted to un-

ever seeks the society of the

wicked, and suffers no day to pass without the perpeis no worshipper of Vasudeva. Do you proceed afar off from those in w^hose hearts Ananta is enshrined; from him whose sanctified understanding conceives the supreme male and ruler, Vasudeva, as one with his votary and with all this

tration of crime,

Avoid those holy persons who are constantly invoking the lotos-eyed Vasudeva, Vishnu, the supporter of the earth, the immortal wielder of the discus and the shell, the asylum of the w^orld. Come not into

w^orld.

the sight of

him

in

resides; for

he

is

Avyaya.

See Vol.

whose heart the imperishable* soul defended from my power by the

I.,

p. 17,,

note

.

BOOK discus of his deity

III.,

he

:

is

CHAP.

79

VII.

designed for another world,

heaven of Vishnu).' "'Such,' said theKaUnga Brahman, 'were the instruc-

(for the

tions

communicated by the deity of justice, the son of

the Sun, to his servants, as they were repeated, to me,

by

that holy personage,

and as

I

have related them to

you, chief of the house of Kuru' (Bhishma).

So, also,

have faithfully communicated to you all I heard from my pious friend, when he came, from his country of Kalinga, to visit me. I have, thus, explained to you, as w^as fitting, that there is no protection, in the ocean of the world, except Vishnu; and that the servants and ministers of Yama, the king of the dead

Nakula,

himself,

I

and his tortures,

are,

all,

unavailing against

one who places his reliance on that divinity."*

what and wdiat was said by the son of Vivaswat.^ What else do you wish to hear? I

have, thus, resumed Parasara, related to you

you washed

'

"

to hear,

Or Vaivaswata.

This section

Kesava, in the original.

is

called the

Yama

gita.

CHAPTER How

Visbiiu

is

VIII.

to be worshipped, as related,

by Aurva, to Sagara.

Duties of the four castes, severally and in common: also

in

time of distress.

MAITREYA. — Inform

me, venerable

teaclier,

how

the supreme deity, the lord of the universe, Vishiiu, is worshipped by those who are desirous of overcoming

the world; and what advantages are reaped, by men assiduous in his adoration, from the propitiated

Govinda.

Parasara.

— The

question you

have

formerly put, by Sagara, to Aurva. ^

you '

asked w^as

I will

repeat to

of the

solar

his reply.

Sagara, as

Aurva was a

we

shall see,*

sage, the

was a king

grandson of Bhrigu.f

When

race,

the sons

• Book IV., Chapter III. we have the verse 2610, * » • t '-In the Mahdbhdrata, Adi-parvan, was parentage of Aurva thus specified: 'Arushi, the daughter of Manu, illustrious Aurva the wife of this sage [Chyavana, son of Bhrigu]-. the

having separated his mother's thigh." In the Harivamhe seems to be identified with Richika, father of JamaSansdagni; Richika being Aurva, or the son of Urva," &c. Original krit Texts, Part I., pp. 172, 173. Subjoined are the originals of the passages here referred to:

was born sa,

of her,

verse 14&G,

Mahdbhdrata.

Harivaiida.

The name

of the father of

Kuru, nor Uru, nor Kusa, as

Jamadagui should, then, be read Urva,- not at p. 16, note +, &c., supra.

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

81

VIII.

having bowed down before Aurva, the

Sagara,

and slew the children of Bhrigu,

of king Kritavirya persecuted

wealth which their father had lavished upon them,

to recover the

they destroyed even the children in the

womb. One

of the

of the race of Bhrigu, in order to preserve her embryo, it

in her thigh (Uru),

Aurva.

From

destroy

the

whence the

child,

on

his birth,

women secreted

was named

wrath proceeded a flame, that threatened

his

world;

but,

persuasion

the

at

of

his

to

ancestors,

it into the ocean, where it abode, with the face of a Aurva was, afterwards, religious preceptor to Sagara, and bestowed upon him the Agneyastra,* or fiery weapon, with

he cast horse.

*

— in Professor — thus annotates on

Johnson's Selections from the Mahdbhd-

The Translator

rata, pp.

1, 2,

si.

5107 of the Adi-parvan: "Agueyastra,

weapon of fire',— a kind of fire-arms. Fiery arms or rockets were, possibly, employed by the Hindus in remote antiquity, as well as in recent times whence came the notion of certain mysterious weapons framed of the elements, and to be wielded only by deities and demigods. These make a great figure in the battle-scenes of the Mahabharata and 'the

;

Ramayana, and, would,

else,

to readers

be

not

who

without

are not Hindus, spoil descriptions which

spirit.

For

weapons, see Translation of the Uttara

a further

Rama

account of these

Charitra."

The further account here spoken of is found in Professor Wilson's Specimens of the Hindu Theatre, Vol. I., p. 297, second edition, "These weapons are of a very unintelligible character. Some of them are, occabut, in general, they appear to be myspowers exercised by the individual,- such as those of paralysing an enemy, or locking his senses fast in sleep, or bringing down storm

sionally, wielded as missiles; tical

and rain and thology,

human

they

fire

supposed

and

to

assume

celestial

shapes,

faculties, and, in this capacity, are alluded to in

of them, one hundred,

list

In the usual strain of the Hindu

from heaven.

are

is

given in the

first

there, also, they are described as embodied,

my-

endowed with the text. The

book of the Ramayana;

and address Rama, say-

chief Raghava, of mighty arm. Here we are, 'Command us, men: command us. What shall we do for thee?' The son of Raghu

ing: of

replied:

mind,

'Depart,

render

me

having said so be came.'

m.

all

in time of necessity, when called to They then circumambulated Rama, and, received permission to depart, and went whence they

of you, and,

assistance. it,

The Ramayana

calls

them, also, the sons of Kfi^ai^wa, and the 6

82

VISHNU PURANA.

descendant of Bhrigti, asked him what were the best which

conquered

he

the

sonsofJaya andVijaya, the daughters

who had

barbarians

of

tribes

(Rdindya/ia,

of Prajapati,

in-

Book

I.,

Sections 20, 26, and 42.)"

For the armiform progeny p. 29, text

Mention purdna,

and note is

I.,

made

VII., 18

^T^-S"»t

of Krisaswa, see the present work, Vol. II.

2.

of a similar

— 32.

The

mysterious weapon, in the Bhdgavata-

text and Burnouf's translation here follow.

^il^TJ^T^:

II

^^ WWf^ft ^^ ^"Hil^TW f^5fT(3T^: nji^q^e^ ^f%r^ ^^^ rf(^HTff fT: ^^T'fwftr ^f Tt 3nxmr^ ^X7f^w iTTTrr^^^TfH^^

f^Tsnf

f^^^T^

c^%^ ^^^T^TT^ti^^fif^

f^V(^

#^ Tt^V %^

II

I

ii

f

II

^^:

II

wrf^^r^'U'T:

^T^t ^T^^HT^'RT'I^^'R'RT ^WIk!:

^^ ^^"^^ WTW'T^ ff^mfT'l ^3trf%^ %^T# %^ ^^Tt

3TT^Tr^ ^ IT^T5«m^ f^f^^ lT(?T^lH*l ^IT^^W^I ^W^'T^^>S^r^^^WT

I

II

I

II

fTT

^^T^

I

^TW ^?R^ WT^ WTWT^ ^^

II

II

II

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

83

VIII.

means of pleasing Vishnu, and what would be the r

vaded

patrimonial

his

?^^^^ fT^^¥r^T^f^^ ^ITTT^- ^^T: ^T: ^t^^f^WTT^fT

^ ^T^^^ ^^ITTT^^

^TfT

^^

il

vie,

Par-

I

II

II

"Mais Fassassin des eufants de Draupadi, qui avait trouble a la Tue d'Ardjuna qui accourait de loin sur pour sauver sa vie, de toute la rapidite de sa course, reculant de crainte devant Rudra (Qiva). '• Voyant que ses chevaux fatigues le laissaient sans

du Brahmane songea, pour sauver sa (Tete de Brahma),

Adi

Mahabharata,

possessions.

mis pied a

comme

soleil

le

ressource, le

nomme

au javelot

terre,

son char, s'eufuit

fils

Brahiuaviras

" Alors, dirigeant sa pensee sur cet objet, et s'etant plonge dans I'eau, lan^a le javelot, quoiqu'il ignorat le moyen de le retenir, s'il venait

a mettre en danger "II en sortit

prevoyant

un

les etres vivants.

feu

indomptable qui enveloppait tout

danger qui menaijait

le

"Kfichua! Krichiia au bras puissant! qui

sont devoues!

te

tu

es

Ardjuna

creatures,

les

toi qui

donnes

seul qui pnisses

le

alors

ciel;

le

a Vichuu:

dit

la securite a

ceux

du monde

delivrer

les

creatures qui y sont consumees.

"Oui, tu es

le

Seigneur supreme, Purucha, ce premier etre, superieur Maya par I'energie de sa pensee, sub-

a la Nature, qui se degageant de siste absolu

en lui-meme.

" C'est toi-meme qui, par ta puissance, etablis .sous la forme de la loi et des autres avantages ce qui donne le salut au monde des creatures,

dont I'intelligence est troublee par Maya.

"De meme,

cette incarnation

yeux], tu Tas revetue pour of&ir

dont

un perpetuel la

sujet

[sous laquelle

te charger

te

mes

manifestos a terre,

la

et

pour

de meditations a ceux qui te connaissent et

pensee n'a pas d'autre objet que

"Dieu des Devas!

tu

du fardeau de

j'ignore

quelle

est la cause; de tons cotes s'avance a

toi.

est

ma

cette

merveille

et

quelle

en

rencontre un feu dont I'ardeur

est intolerable.

"Bhagavat

dit:

Tu

le

connais; c'est le javelot de

de Droiui veut t'opposer; mais lui-meme ignore

au moment ou il va detruire les etres. "Certes, aucun autre javelot quel qu'il

le

Brahma que moyen de le

soit n'est capable

6*

de

le

le

fils

retenir,

domp-

84

VISHNU PURANA.

Aurva

consequence of obtaining his favour.

"He who

pleases Vishnu obtains

ments; heaven, and a place best of

final liberation:*

all,

replied:

terrestrial enjoy-

all

in heaven; and what is whatever he wishes, and

whether much or little, he receives when Achyuta is content with him. In what manner his favour is to be secured, that, also, I will, king, impart to you, agreeably to your desire. The supreme Vishnu is propitiated by a man who observes to whatever extent, it,

Dana Dharma Parvan; Hari

van,f

inais piiisque

ter;

tii

en connais

Variisa.

le secret,

+

avec im feu sem-

aneautis,

blable, le feu de ce javelot dechaine.

"A

"Suta dit: Phalguna (Ardjuna), redoutable aux gueniers enuemis,

ces mots,

poitaut de Feau a ses levres et touruant antour de Kfichua, opposa javelot de

Brahma au

"Les feux de toures,

javelot de

deux javelots, avec

ces

confondus I'un

s'etant

le

Brahma.

daus

les fleches

I'autre,

comme

dont

ils

le

soleil

etaient enet le

feu

[au temps de la destruction des mondes], augmentereiit de violence, en-

veloppant

"En

la terre,

le

et I'atmosphere.

ciel

voyant I'immense eclat de ces javelots des deux guerriers, qui

portaient I'inceudie dans les

mees par

le feu,

trois

crurent que

le

mondes, toutes

les

creatures,

consu-

jour de rembraseuient de I'univers etait

arrive.

"Ardjuna remarquant mondes ct Tiutention du 10

stanzas

In

the brahmaiiras

has been

It

length, since

it

— 16 is

la

detresse

fils

of the

des creatures,

le

danger des trois

de Vasudeva, retint les deux javelots."

chapter following

that

just

quoted

from,

again introduced, with other fire-tipped darts.

thought worth while

to

give

the

preceding

shows, quite as clearly as any other that

I

passage at

have met with,

known to the Hindus c)f old times. and learned disquisition on ancient and oriental firearms will be found in Sir Henry M. Elliot's Bibliographical Index to the Historians of Muhammedan India, Vol. I., Note H, — pp. 340-375. the sort of fiery weapon

An

*

interesting

This expression here translates nirvana.

t In X

i/.

The

6340, the brahmdstra

brahviaiiras

is

is

named.

spoken of in

^l.

1344.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

85

VIII.

the institutions of caste, order, and purificatory practices

:

no other path

offers

sacrifices

is

the

sacrifices

prayer prays to him; he injures him: for Hari

way

who

is all

He who who murmurs

to please him.

to him; he

injures hving creatures

beings.

Janardana, there-

by him who is attentive to established observances, and follow^s the duties prescribed for his caste. The Brahman, the Kshattriya, the Vaisya, and the Si'idra, who attends to the rules enjoined his caste,* best worships Vishnu. Kesava is most pleased with him who does good to others; wdio never utters fore, is propitiated

abuse, calumny,

or untruth; f

who never covets anand who bears ill-will

other's wdfe or another's wealth,

towards none; who neither beats nor slays any animate or inanimate thing

;

who

is

ever diligent in the service

of the gods, of the Brahmans, and of his spiritual preceptor;

who

creatures,

is

always desirous of the w^elfare of

of his children, and of his

own

soul;

all

in

whose pure heart no pleasure is derived from the imperfections of love and hatred. The man, monarch, who conforms to the duties enjoined, by scriptural and condition of life is he is no other mode." Aurva having thus spoken, Sagara said to him: "Tell me, then, venerable Brahman, what are the duties of caste and condition:^ I am desirous of knowauthority, for every caste

w^ho best worships Vishnu: there

'

*

— especially the Kiirma, Padma, Va— contain chapters, or sections, more or

Most of the Purarias

niana, Agni, and Garuda,

Dharma,

in the original.

VISHNU PURANA.

86

To which Aurva answered and

ing them."

said:

"Attentively hsten to the duties which I shall describe, as those,

severally,

of the Brahman, the Kshattriya,

the Vaisya,* and the Siidra.

make

gifts,

The Brahman should

should worship the gods with

sacrifices,

should be assiduous in studying the Vedas, should perform ablutions and libations with water, and should preserve the sacred flame. For the sake of subsistence,

he

may

them

in the Sastras;

sents, of a liberal (or,

on behalf of others, and may and he may accept predescription, in a becoming manner

offer sacrifices

instruct

from respectable persons, and at an appropriate He must ever seek to promote the good of

season). others,

and do

a Brahman

evil

unto none; for the best riches of He should benevolence.

are universal

look upon the jewels of another person as

if

they

were pebbles, and should, at proper periods, procreate offspring by his wife. These are the duties of a Brahman.

"The man

less in detail,

of the warrior-tribe should cheerfully

upon the moral and ceremonial

duties of the

Hin-

dus; and a considerable portion of the Mahabharata, especially in the

No

Moksha Dharma Parvan,

is

devoted to the same subject.

other Paurtinik work, however, contains a series of chapters

exactly analogous to those which follow, and which

contain a

compendious and systematic description of the Acharas, or perThe tenour of the sonal and social obligations of the Hindus.

whole

is

conformable to the Institutes of Manu; and

sages are the same.

• Tlie Sanskrit has the shorter form, Vis.

many

pas-

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

87

VIII.

give presents to Brahmans, perform various sacrifices,

and study the scriptures. His especial sources of maintenance are arms and the protection of the earth.

The guardianship province.

By

his objects,

of the earth

is,

indeed, his especial

the discharge of this duty a king attains

and

realizes a share of the merit of all sa-

By

intimidating the bad, and cherishing monarch who maintains the discipline of the different castes secures whatever region he

crificial rites.

the good, the

desires.

"Brahma, the great parent of creation,* gave to the Vaisya the occupations of commerce and agriculture, and the feeding of flocks and herds, f for his means of and sacred study, sacrifice, and donation are, also, his duties, as is the observance of fixed and

livelihood:

occasional rites.

"Attendance upon the three regenerate castes the province of the Sudra; and by that he

is

is

to sub-

or by the profits of trade, or the earnings of me-

sist,

chanical labour.

may

He

is,

also,

offer the sacrifices in

to

make

which food

gifts;

is

and he

presented, as

well as obsequial offerings.^

'

The Pakayajna,J

plies either the tality,

or sacrifice in which food

worship of the Viswadevas, the

is

offered, im-

rites

of hospi-

or occasional oblations, on building a house, the birth of a

child, or

any occasion of

rejoicing.

It is to

be understood, how-

ever, that this injunction intends his performing these ceremonies

through the agency of a Brahman; as a Sudra cannot repeat the

*

Loka-pitdmaha.

f Pdiupdlya. Vide infra, X

p. 110,

note §; and p. 112, note

§.

VISHNU PURANA.

88

"Besides these, their respective obUgations, there are upon all the four castes* These

duties equally incumbent

are the acquisition of property, for the support of their families cohabitation with their wives, for the sake of :

;

progeny; tenderness towards all creatures, patience, humility, truth, purity, contentment, decency of deco-

Mantras, or prayers, that accompany them: and it might be a question how far he might be present; for he ought not even to

The performance of funeral rites some personal share; and the Sudra must present the cakes: but it must be done without Mantras; as the Mitakshararf

hear such prayers repeated. involves

'This

of cakes) must be performed by the

rite (the presentation

on the twelfth day:' ^J^nm*^^fT-

without formulae,

Sudras,

t^^^TW^ mance of

^l<^f^

I

The Vayu Puraria

the five great sacrifices

directs the perfor-

by Sudras, only omitting the

Mantras:

It

may

be suspected, that the Purai'ias relaxed, in some degree,

from the original rigour; for it may be inferred, that the great ceremonies were altogether withheld from Sudras in the time of Manu, who declares, that none have any right or part (Adhikara) in his code, except those

three regenerate castes

who perform

(II., 16 1),

rites

with Mantras,— or the

— and denounces,

as heinous sins,

teaching the Vedas to Sudras, performing sacrifices for them, or

This comes, ia the original, immediately after the stanza quoted in *, p. 90.

note

t

On

the

Yajnavalkya-smriti,

"For him whose to he

rites,

— not

for

255.

from fecundation

'performed with mantras,

cognized,

I.,

a

title

any one besides."

to

to the cemetary, are enjoined

read

this idstra

is

to

be re-

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

89

VIII.

and freedom and from de-

ration, gentleness of speech, friendliness;

from envy and repining, from

avarice,

Yajnavalkya,f how-

taking gifts from them: X,, 109, 110, 111.*

allows them to perform five great rites with the

ever,

Namas-

kara, or the simple salutation:

which Gotama confirms.

Some

+

also, to the prayers of the

those

of

the

Purarias;

f^^rT M
Sulapriiii:

as I

the sense of Mantra,

restrict

Vedas, and allow the Sudras to use

^^^

%^MfV^TTt ^5?^^

-f

Tithi

^^^^

Tattwa

is cited,

in the

Sudra Kamalakara, § as allowing them any Mantras except those of the Vedas: tf^fTT^WqTt ^^^Tf^^RTT: I

"Among

these

three acts,

assisting to sacrifice,

especially base in this

done against rule, namely-,

accepting

gifts,

and teaching the Veda, the accepting of gifts is world, and, in the world to come, is, to a Brahman,

matter of condemnation: ''For that the acts of assisting to sacrifice and teaching the

have reference

to

reference

to

"

The

even

sin

committed is

in wrongfully assisting to sacrifice or in wrongfully

illegally

Medhatithi, at variance with

WRT ^^"T I

accepting

gifts,

by relinquishment of

given and by mortification."

'^

KuUuka, but more concinnously, reads

On the beginning I" this MIM^Mf^T f^^f^f?T

the second stanza as

homa

has

expiated by oblations in the form of silent prayer;

but that consequent on is

gifts

the Siidra, most low of birth.

teaching the Veda

what

Veda always

whereas the act of accepting

the initiated;

above.

I

of the third

he says:

interpretation oi japa-

have not followed him. 121.

t

I.,

+

WT^cft^J'^ TH^^^lO T*^*

§ This

is

I

Gotama

is

thus cited by ^lilapani.

the popular title of the Sudra-dharma-tattwa

,

by Kama-

90

VISHNU PURANA. also, are the duties

These,

traction.

of every condition

ofUfe.* "In times of distress, the pecuhar functions of the

may be modified, as you shall hear.f A Brahman may follow the occupations of a Kshattriya, or a Vaisya; the Kshattriya t may adopt those of the Vaiscastes

ya; and the Vaisya, those of the Kshattriya. §

But

these two last should never descend to the functions of the Siidra,

This

'

if it

be possible to avoid them^; and,

what would,

last clause reconciles

else,

appear to be

an incompatibility with Manu, who permits the Vaisya,

lakara

and

to

The passages

Bhat't'a.

the

Tithi-tattwa

'which

the

Translator refers

Bombay

edition of

^^ %f^f^ f^M ^pi^ Tw^ tf^^

Sulapani's

own

jnavalkya-smriti,

words,

in

his Dipakalikd,

a

-WWIXW 'T^W T

are:

Kamalakara considers them purdna which he adduces.

is

to

Siilapaiii

Saka 1783,

'f{^ f^3?^

I

commentary on

%f^^«T

as based on the enunciation It

in time

according to two

occur there in these words,

manuscripts, with which agrees the

if

fol. 7 b:

tfh:T-

the

Yd-

TTtTTfUj^'J of the

I

Padma-

a broken fragment of the Pauranik

stanza which the Translator gives as the words of Siilapaiii.

^^W ^ ^T^^T ^WT^ t J]U!i*siV!(m^*[t"g^ *

Rdjanya, in the

§

My MSS.

^if^f!T

^WT:

f^in^«iir*^m"5^

II

i

original.

contain

to the words "and the Witness the original:

nothing corresponding

Vaisya, those of the Kshattriya."

BOOK

III.,

that be not possible,

CHAP.

viir.

91

they must, at

least, shun the now. Raja, relate to you the duties of the several Asramas, or condi-

functions of the

mixed

castes. I will

tions of life."

of distress, to descend to the servile acts of a Siidra.

"A Vaisya who does not may occupy himself with the

derive

X., 98.

subsistence from his proper duties

even of a Sudra; he not engaging in what ought not to be done: and, when possessed of a competency, let

him

desist."

functions

CHAPTER

IX.

Duties of the religious student, householder, hermit, and mendicant.

AURVA

continued.

—"When

the youth has been

invested with the thread (of his caste),

him

let

diU-

gently prosecute the study of the Vedas, in the house of his preceptor, with an attentive

He

a Hfe of continence.

is

spirit,

to wait

upon

and leading

his Guru, as-

siduously observant of purificatory practices; and the

Veda

is

to

be acquired by him, whilst he

the performance of religious

Sandhya, he

is first

rites.

is

regular in

In the morning

to salute the sun; in the evening,

fire;* and, then, to address his preceptor with respect.

He must when he

stand, is

seated: he

when

his master

walking; and

must never

sit

is

standing; move,

beneath him, when he

is

nor walk, nor stand, when

sit,

his teacher does the reverse.

When

desired by him,

him read the Veda attentively, placed before his preceptor; and let him eat the food he has collected as alms, when permitted by his teacher.^ Let him let

bathe in water which has

first

been used for

his pre-

ceptor's ablutions; and, every morning, bring fuel,

water, and whatsoever else

"When '

may

and

be required.

the scriptural studies

appropriate to the

These directions are the same as those prescribed by Manu,

though not precisely in the same words:

*

^ir

^ xm

II.,

175, et seq.

3J5 rrt^Tt^ ^^Tf^TT:

i

This seems to imply, that, alike moruing and evening, he the sun and

fire.

The commentary

is

here silent.

is

to address

BOOK

III.,

CHAP,

93

IX.

student have been completed, and he has received dismissal

his Guru, let the regenerate

from

man

enter

into the order of the householder, and, taking unto

house, wife, and

lawful ceremonies,

himself, with

wealth, discharge, to the best of his ability, the duties

of his station;^

satisfying

manes with funeral

the

cakes;* the gods, with oblations; guests, with hospitathe sages, with holy study; the progenitors of

lity;

mankind,! with progeny; the of oblations;

A

and

t

all

spirits,

with the residue

the world, with words of truth.

^

heaven by the faithful discharge of these obligations. § There are those who subsist upon alms, and lead an erratic life of self-denial, at the end of the term during which they have kept householder secures

They wander over the

house.

'

So Manu,

-

The

III., 4,

world, to see the earth,

&c.

great obligations, or, as Sir William Jones terms them,

sacraments,— the Mahayajnas, or great to

Manu, but

to the

five:

sacrifices,

— are,

manes; Devayajna, burnt-offerings

to the

gods; Baliyajna,

offerings to all creatures; and Nriyajna, hospitality:

The

according

Brahmayajna, sacred study; Pitriyajna, libations III., 70, 71.

||

Prajapatiyajna, or propagation of offspring, and Satyayajna,

observance of truth, are, apparently, later additions.

*

Nivdpa.

t

My MSS.

+

Bali-karman, 'an offering of food'.

II

See

have Prajapati, namely, Brahma.

^^TtR ^^'^W

p. 40,

note

|,

f^^^TsT^

supra; and

p. 112,

fT^Tim:

note

§,

I

iii/ra.

VISHNU PURANA.

94

and perform their ablutions, with

rites

enjoined by

the Vedas, at sacred shrines,— houseless, and without

and resting, for the night, at the dweUing at which they arrive in the evening. The householder is, to them, a constant refuge and parent:* it is his

food,

duty to give them a welcome, and to address them with kindness, and to provide them, whenever they come

and food.

to his house, with a bed, a seat,

who

disappointed by a householder,

turns

his door, transfers to the latter all his

A

guest

away from

own

misdeeds,

and bears away his religious merit, ^f In the house of a good man, contumely, arrogance, hypocrisy, repining,t contradiction,§ and violence are annihilated and :

who

the householder

duty of hospitality,

is

fully

performs

this,

his

chief

released from every kind of

bondage, and obtains the highest of stations, (after death).

"When

the householder, after performing the acts

incumbent on his condition, arrives

him consign

let

and

go, himself, to the forests. also, the doctrine of

'

This

2

Manu, VI.,

*

To

is,

3,

^

Let him there subsist

Manu

:

III.,

§

100.

&c.

translate yoni.

This stanza is quoted in the Hitopadeia: Book Johnson's second edition (1864), pp. 12, 13. *

at the decline of

his wife to the care of his sons,

life,

Paritdpa.

Upaghdta.

I., si.

C4.

See Professor

BOOK

upon

leaves, roots,

and

CHAP.

III.,

fruit;

95

IX.

and

suffer his hair

and

beard to grow, and braid the former upon his brows; and sleep upon the ground. His dress* must be made of skin, or of

Kasa or Kusa

and he must

grasses;

bathe thrice a day; and he must offer oblations to the

gods and to hospitality.

and

fire,

all

that

come

to

him with

alms, and present food to

must anoint himself with such ungu-

creatures; he

all

treat

He must beg

woods afford; and, in his devotional exerhe must be endurant of heat and cold. The sage

ents as the cises,f

who

diligently follows these rules,

and leads the

of the hermit (or Vanaprastha), consumes, like

life

fire, all

imperfections, and conquers, for himself, the mansions

of eternity.

"The

fourth order of

men

is

called that of the

mendicant; the circumstances + of which

it

is fit,

you should hear from me. Let the unimpassioned§ man, relinquishing all affection for wife, children, and possessions, enter the fourth order. Let him forego the three objects of human existence (pleasure, wealth, and virtue), whether secular or reliking, that

gious, and, indifferent to friends, be the friend of all

Let him, occupied with devotion, abstain act, word, or thought, —to all creahuman or brute; and equally avoid attachment

living beings.

from

wrong— in

tures,

'

•

Manu,

The

VI., 33, &c.

origiual

specifies

his lower

garment and

and uttariyaka. t This expression X

is

Swarupa.

§ Nirdhutamatsara.

to

render tapas.

his upper,

paridhdna

VISHNU PURANA.

96

Let him reside but for one night in a village, and not more than five nights, at a time, in a city; and let him so abide, that good-will, and not animosity, may be engendered. * Let him, for the support of to any.

existence, apply, for alms, at the houses of the three first f

at the

castes,

time when the

dering mendicant+

call

Let the wan-

nothing his owm, and suppress

desire, anger, covetousness, pride,

who

and

folly.

The sage

gives no cause for alarm to living beings need

any danger from them.

never apprehend deposited the

Brahman

sacrificial fire in

his

own

by means of

The

is

mouth; and,

fire, he proceeds to his own But the twice-born man^ who seeks

his spiritual

proper abode.

the three

Having

person, the

feeds the vital flame, with the butter that

collected as alms, through the altar of his

'

have been

fires

extinguished, and people have eaten.

which designates a man of The conmientator cites various authorities, should be Brahman only, who, alone, is

text uses the term Dwijati, first castes.

to prove that its sense

permitted to enter the fourth order.

•n^

I

'"Entrance into the fourth order

and Vaisya. Entrance

is

ing to Swayariibhu:' so says Dattiitreya.

ceed from his dwelling' varta,

I

is,

and Baudhayana.'"

t Explanatory of the Parivrdj.

never for the Kshaftriya

into the fourth order is for

also,

But

original,

Brahmans, accord-

'Let the

the expression of

Brahman proYama, San'i-

this is not the general

pramsta.

understand-

BOOK for liberation,

and

is

III.,

CHAP.

97

IX.

pnre of heart, and whose mind

is

perfected by self-investigation, secures the sphere of

Brahma, which

is

tranquil,

that emits not smoke."

ing of the law; nor

Manu

was

does not so limit

it,

and

as a bright flame

originally,

so restricted, apparently.

it.

^ wiT^^ w^f^

III.

is

*

fiE^TfTf:

II

CHAPTER Ceremonies

to

X.

be observed at the birth and naming of a child.

Of marrying, or leading a religious Different modes of mai'rying.

SAGARA

Choice of a wife.

life.

then (addressed Aurva, and) said: "You

have described to me, venerable Brahman, the duties of the four orders and of the four castes. I am now desirous to hear from you the religious institutes which men should individually observe, whether they be invariable, occasional, or voluntary. Describe these to

me;

for all things are

To

unto you." cate to you,

this

known, chief of Bhfigu's race, replied: "I will communi-

Aurva

king, that

which you have asked,

invariable and occasional rites which

Do you attend. "When a son is born,

men

— the

should per-

form.

let his

father perform,

for

him, the ceremonies proper on the birth of a child,

and all other initiatory rites, as well as a Sraddha, which is a source of prosperity.* Let him feed a couple of Brahmans, seated w^ith their faces to the east; and,

according to his means, offer sacrifices to the gods

and progenitors. Let him present '

To

the

Nandimukhas.

The

Pitfis,

to the

manes

^

balls

or progenitors,! are so

termed, here, from words occurring in the prayer used on the occasion

of

a festive Sraddha.

Asiatic Researches, "Vol. VII.,

p. 270.:

* Abhyudaydtmaka. t The Nandimukhas are a special class of manes. X Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p.

187.

BOOK of meat

mixed with

III.,

CHAP. X.

curds, barley,

99

and jujubes, with

the part of his hand sacred to the gods, or with that sacred to Prajapati.^ Let a Brahman perform such a

Sraddha, with all its offerings and circumambulations, on every occasion of good fortune. ^ "Next, upon the tenth day (after birth), let the father give a

name

to his child,— the first

term of which

be the appellation of a god; the second, of a man; as Sarman or Varman the former being the approshall

:

Brahman the latter, of a warGupta and Dasa are best fitted for the

priate designation of a rior;

'

whilst

With

the

Prajapatya finger.

Daiva

it

the tips of the fingers;

or with the

the part of the hand at the root of the

tirtha,

Manu, IL,

little

The second is called, by Manu, from Ka, a synonym of Prajapati.

Kaya tirtha, ^ The Sraddha but

tirtha,

;

58, 59. *

is,

commonly, an obsequial or funeral

the

sacrifice;

implies offerings to the progenitors of an individual and

of mankind, and always forms part of a religious ceremony, on an occasion of rejoicing, or an accession of prosperity; this being termed the Abhyudaya or Vriddhi Sraddha. Asiatic Researches,

Vol. VII.,

p. 270.

t

^T^^l^f^r^^^ f^ And we

read, in the

irnwT

fxr5^

^-^i

ydjnavalkya-smriti,

jTww

fT^W^

I.,

li

18, 19:

f^ f%(2i^q^fiC

t Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. L,

h

p. 187.

100

VISHNU PURANA.

names of Vaisyas and Sudras.^ be void of meaning;

it

A

surd, nor ill-omened, nor fearful;

an even number of syllables; nor too short, nor too

name should not

should not be indecent, nor ab-

it

it

should consist of

should not be too long,

of long vowels, but contain

full

a due proportion of short vowels, and be easily arti-

After this and the succeeding

culated.* rites,

^

the purified youth

ledge, in the

mode

is

initiatory

to acquire religious

that has

been described,

knowin

the

in the

com-

dwelling of his spiritual guide. '

So Manu,

II., 30, 31, 32.

ment, are Somasarman, dasa,

—i-espectively,

f The examples given,

Indravarman, Chandragupta, and Siva-

men

appropriate appellations of

of the four

castes. '

Or Samskaras

;

initiatory ceremonies, pirrfScatory of the in-

dividual at various stages.

^T'T^^ f ^13^ ^T

g^

fTT^^T

^^ ^(^^^-^^

g^' TT T^%

^T ^Trrt^t

t^^ ^T^^lf ^^ g f^jfW<71 t^^ jfH^w '^^^

t^^^fw:

II

II

II

II

Kulhika gives, as typical designations of persons of the four castes, Subhasarman, Balavarman Vasubhiiti, and Dinadasa. The endings sarman and (leva for names of Brahmans, varman and trdtri for those of Kshattriyas, bhuti and datta for those of Vaisyas, and ddsa for those ,

of Siidras,

are

the lawgiver

expressly sanctioned by the stanza which he cites from

Yama:

^d^Tl^

t^^ ^TO:

^^ ^TWC

II

BOOK

"When he

III.,

101

CHAP. X.

has finished his studies, and given the man who wishes

parting donation to his preceptor, the

to lead the hfe of a householder must take a wife. If he does not propose to enter into the married state, he may remain, as a student, with his teacher, first

—

making a vow

to that effect,

— and

employ himself

in

the service of his preceptor and of that preceptor's descendants or he may, at once, become a hermit,* or ;

adopt the order of the religious mendicant, according to his original determination.

^

"If he marry, he must select a maiden who is of a thh'd of his age;^ one who has not too much hair, but

Or

'

the

enumerated,

e.,

in

the

A man

Kali age. i.

or pledge he has taken, that he will follow, for

vow

the observances of the student, or ascetic; both of which are

life,

is

not to continue a student or Brahmacharin,

a coenobite, for

without previously

acts prohibited in the

Nirnaya Sindhu, as life;

nor

is

he

to

become a mendicant,

through the order of householder.

passing

In practice, however, the prohibition

is,

not unfrequently, disre-

garded. 2

By

this is to

merely a young for,

be understood, according to the commentator,

girl,

but, at the

same

man

otherwise, he observes, a

time, one not

immature;

of thirty— by which age he

—

completes his sacred studies, would espouse a girl of but ten years of age. f According to Manu, I however, the period of religious study does not terminate until thirty-six; and, in the East,

a

girl of

•

twelve would be marriageable.

Vaikhdnasa.

This term

is

The

text of Yajnaval-

synonymous with vdnaprastha.

Vide

p. 95, supra.

absolutely, even where t On the contrary, the commentator disallows, years is eight and forty, the marriage of a girl above ten of age ; on the ground that, after that period, she has'^her catamenia, &c. &c.

the bridegroom

t

III.,

1.

VISHNU PURANA.

102

kya* has merely *

who

one

not without any;

is

word Yaviyasi,

the

not very black, or

is

young woman.'

'a very

It

52:

I.,

Vijnaueswara

and Sulapani,

Aparaditya,

,

commentators

on Yajna-

valkya, leave his term yaviyasi unexplained.

The following dicta on the time when a female should marry are cited, by Jimiitavahana, in the Ddyabhdga; pp. 272, 273, Calcutta edition of 1829. The first extract is from the Vasisht'ha-smriti, Chapter XVII.:

rfT^f^ ^rTTt% ^rTTf^ rTT^t "So many seasons even

many

so

mother:

"A

are

this is a

Paifhinasi

if

menstruation as overtake a maiden feeling the

of

of love and sought in

passion

maxim

alleged

is

marriage by persons of suitable rank, destroyed by both

beings

the

damsel should be given the abyss

in marriage, before her breasts swell.

and her

of hell;

father,

born [insects] in ordure.

father are

marriage while she

is

and her

"^T^^f^^Trf ^fTT ffl^^^

declaring:

as

she have menstruated [before marriage],

fall to

her father

of the law."

But,

both the giver and the taker grandfather, and great-grand-

Therefore she should be given in

yet a girl."

The preceding translations are taken from the Two Treatises on the Hindu Law of Inheritance, by Colebrooke, p. 186. His earlier renderings of the passages will be found in his Digest of Hindu Law, &c., London edition. Vol.

In the

II.,

p.

387.

Panchatantra,

—

III.,

*'/.

213;

p. 189, ed.

Kosegarten,

— we

find

the ensuing stanza:

^^^^T ^tf^M^ ^ft'n ^ Tf^^T Nagnikd

is

which Colebrooke renders by "yet a girl", labhagani, to intend a maiden of eight years. -word,

synonym

II

hero vaguely said to signify a girl without breasts.

of gauri.

:

If

This

understood, by Val-

he be

right,

it is

a

lexicographical authority seems to

make

see Colebrooke's Amarakoia, sub voce.

But,

No ordinary

the nagnikd more than ten

is

BOOK

who

yellow-complexioned, and

is

103

CHAP. X.

III.,

is not,

worthy of remark, here, that neither that

judge from

my

next extract,

a

nor the text

text,

term appears

the

birth,

authorizes the pre-

of Manu, nor the interpretation of our text,

to

from

in

be,

to

some

in-

stances, as comprehensive as kanyd, 'virgin.'

In the Nirnayasindhu of fol.

Kamalakara,— Bombay

edition of 1857, III. A,

31 V and 32 r,— occurs the following extract, credited to the Mahdbhd-

rata

:

T^^

^
^^i ^^nt?cnn ^?m:

ii

The

mixing up, from

first

two look

like a

misrecollection, of the stanza cited in p. 104, note f, infra, with the 14, (Bombay edition), which runs thus:

Anu-

Msana-parvan, XLIV.,

"Let

man of thirty years marry, for wife, a damsel of ten years; man of twenty-one years secure a damsel of seven years.

a

or let a

The next

"The

quotation, also,

marriage, for

commended, Of the first

king.

all

is

referred to the

the castes,

Mahdhhdrata:

of a girl after her

Her marriage otherwise

is

of the last three passages the first line

cally, incorrectly, and, probably,

from

seventh year

memory,— and

is

quoted,— immetri-

without mention of

source, in Jagannatha Tarkapanchanana's Vivddabhangdrnava.

brooke's Digest of

Madhava

Hindu Law, &c., London edition, Vol. III., commentary on the Pardsara-smriti:

its

See Colep.

328.

says, in his

^*llO«(
An

is

reprobated by the law."

girl,

for

II

matrimony, at an interval

from the time she was born or conceived.

extract from the Jyotir-nibandha

may

be added, for

its

superstitious

oddity

"A

^^ ^ fTfRr^'ti^^ cmTT^:

II

maiden should not be married within Aer sixthly ear

:

because

Soma

104

VISHNU PUR ANA.

He must

cripple or deformed.*

not marry a

The

sent practice of the nuptials of children. f

upon a man, of a

who

obligation imposed

of perfect continence, until he

life

more than

is

Malthusian.

thirty, is singularly

[the

girl

or unhealthy, of low^ origin, or labouring

vicious,

is

Moon?] enjoys her

for

two years; then, in

like

manner, a gandharva

and, similarly, Fire."

She

unhuman husbands,

has, thus, three

Ydjnavalkya-smriti,

In the

i^W.

Wt^ ^^^

"On women Soma The author

Therefore are

of the Mitdkshard, in

much

himself

For similar

the

to

of

effect

ideas, see the

An anonymous

stanza

is

is

wived by a man.

^Wt T5^^^ Tmi f^TT'l

bestowed brilliancy;

Fire, universal purity.

before she

we read:

71,

I.,

a.

gand/iarva, a pleasant voice;

women

truly pure."

commenting on

this stanza, expresses

Jyotir - nibandha.

the

I

His

words are:

Panchatantra, ed. Kosegarten, pp. 188, 189.

there given, authorizing the nuptials of a damsel

of eight years of age. •

The

original has adhikdngi, "possessing superfluous limbs."

t Professor Wilson must have overlooked "Manu", IX„ 94:

^H^iiti^^^t ^T "Let a man twenty-four, a

of thirty years

maid

w €t^ ¥^t: wed

If his virtue

of eight.

maid

a lovely

is

II

of twelve; or a

being impaired,

let

man

of

him be

expeditious."

The meaning seems

man

is

to be,

according to Kulkika, that, in case a young

disposed to usurp on the rights of the married state, he should

lose no time in taking a wife;

scriptural

In

the

knowledge

is

Nirnayasindhu's

'of sixteen years', is

girl,

has just been venerable

Vishilu-purdna.

citation

of the

know nothing

evinced,

warrant

The

always, that his proficiency in

preceding stanza,

read for 'Sf'g^'^Ij 'of twenty-four

Medhatithi and KuUiika It

provided,

satisfactory.

is

that,

as

adducible

5

But

of this lection. to

the

for

it,

point, whether this

furnish justification of such a practice,

gf'S'^'^*

years.'

is

^nd of Chapter XVI. of the present Book.

marriage of an immature

beyond the pages of the work does not constructively

discussed

in a note

near the

BOOK under disease;* one

who

IIT.,

who

talks improperly;

CHAP. X.

has been

ill

105 brought up; one

one who inherits some malady

from father or mother; one who has a beard, or who is of a masculine appearance; one who speaks thick, or croaks like a raven

thin, or

;

who keeps her eyes one who has one who has dimples

one

shut, or has the eyes very prominent;

hairy legs, or thick ancles; or

her cheeks, when she laughs.^

in

man marry a girl considerate man wed

prudent let

a

one with white

very

fat

who

is

a girl of a harsh skin; or

one with red eyes, or with

nails; or

hands and

Let not a wise and

of such a description: nor

feet; or

one who

is

a dwarf, or

whose eyebrows meet, or whose teeth are far apart and resemble tusks. Let a householder marry a maiden f who is, in kin, at least five degrees remote from his mother, and seven from his father, wdth the ceremonies enjoined by law.' "The forms of marriage are eight, the Brahma, very

tall;

or one

—

Daiva, Arsha, Prajapatya, Asura, Gandharva, Ra-

and Paisacha; which

kshasa,

last is the

For the credit of Hindu taste, it commentator observes, the hemistich '

occurs

is

not found in

^

See Manu,

^

These

III., 27,

• If

III., 5,

different

is

in

worst :^ but

to be noticed,

which

this

that the

last clause

all copies of the text.

&c.

modes of marriage are described by Manu,

&c.

only as doing away with

atiroshimm, 'very irascible,'

is

to

something

like

tautology, the reading

be preferred to a^iVo^Z/iwi.

we have arogdm, rendered "unhealthy". t The term used hereabouts is kanyd.

Just before

VISHNU rURANA.

106

the caste to which either form has been enjoined, as

any other mode The householder who espouses a female connected with him by similarity of religious lawful,

by inspired

sages, should avoid

of taking a wife.

and

civil obligations,

and along with her discharges

the duties of his condition, derives, from such a wife, great benefits."

CHAPTER XL Of

the Sadacharas

or

perpetual obligations of a householder. Daily purifications, ablutions, libations, and oblations: hospitality

:

obsequial rites

:

ceremonies to be observed at meals, at

morning and evening worship, and on going

SAGARA

to rest,

(again) said (to Aurva): "Relate to me,

Muni, the fixed observances* of the householder, by attending to which he will never be rejected from this

world or the next."

Aurva repHed to him thus: "Listen, prince, to an account of those perpetual observances by adhering to which both worlds are subdued. Those who are called

Sadhus (saints) are they who are free from (all) and the term Sat means the same, or Sadhu.

defects;

Those practices or observances (Acharasf) which they follow are, therefore, called Sadacharas, 'the institutions or observances of the pious.' ^

'

Sir William Jones renders

Achara

customs of good men':^ (Manu, of Kulluka Bhatt'a, which

is

II., 6);

much

'W^^T'. ^*M^^f^^\'i\ T^TMWi''

I

the

*

Saddchdra.

My MSS.

M

l

X^

' ,

the

immemorial

same

as that of our text:

&c., (for dress). in fact,

all

^^^

dcMra by "law", "conduct",

"established usage",

"immemorial good customs", &c. &c.

it

'Achara

have dcharana.

It is

explains

l

Sadhus are

ceremonial and

^|xj|<^: • Colebrooke expresses X

Rishis,

following the explanation

M\\^j \i\fT^mrmK

means the use of blankets, or bark, pious (or just) men.' Acharas are,

t

( -iil

The seven

.

that Sir William

by vyavakdra, 'practice'.

Jones thus renders. "received usage",

Medhatithi

108

VISHNU PURANA.

who have enjoined and who have practised these observances. Let the wise man awake in the Muhiirta of Brahma (or, in the third Muhurta,— about two hours before sunrise *), and, with a composed mind, meditate on two of the objects of Ufe (virtue and wealth), and on topics not incompatible with them. Let him, also, think upon desire, as not conflicting with the other two, and, thus, contemthe Manus, the patriarchs, are they

plate,

with equal indifference, the three ends of

quences of good or

and

Let him avoid wealth

evil acts.

they give uneasiness to virtue; and ab-

desire, if

stain

life,

unseen conse-

for the purpose of counteracting the

from virtuous or religious

acts, if

they involve

misery, or are censured by the world.^f Having risen,

purificatory observances, or practices, not expiatory, which are

enjoined either by the Vedas or the codes of law.

That

'

with

*

is,

may omit

he

difficulty or

Part of this

<5^Xr^^

is

Htl^'*!

prescribed

danger: he

may

rites,

the commentator's explanation

*i^r\

I

Pitamaha

is

they are attended

if

forego ablutions,

cited,

in

WT^

:

if

they dis-

^i^rt

tl^Ti-

|

"uma, the Sabdakalpadri

as ruling:

We Laws

read,

to

the

same

effect,

and almost

in the

same words,

in the

of the Mdnavas, IV., 176:

\Tif

^TT2If

^^ ^t^f%^S%^ ^

II

This stanza Sir William Jones thus translates: "Wealth and pleasures,

repugnant

to law, let

him shun, and even lawful

acts

which

may

cause

future pain or be offensive to mankind."

KuUuka

instances, as illustrative of the " lawful acts," etc., the giving

away, in charity, of his entire possessions by a

man on whom

a large

m

BOOK he must

,

CHAP. xr.

109

adoration to the sun,* and then, in

offer

the south-westf quarter, at the distance of a bow-shot

or more, or any where remote from the village, + void

The water

the impurities of nature.

washing

A

court-yard of the house.

the

way

them

to

is

man

wise

may omit

agree with his health; and he if

that remains after

he must not§ throw away into the

his feet

pilgrimage to holy shrines,

by robbers.

infested

Again,

[|

or drink wine

in certain ceremonies, to eat meat,

practices are generally reprehended

never void

will

it is

enjoined,

IT

but these

:

by pious persons; and a man

may, therefore, disregard the injunction.

of a cow on the The madhyamdsht'akd — sometimes

and the immolation

family depends for subsistence,

madhyamdsht'akd and other holydays.

— fa\ls,

according to one authority, on the eighth day Magha. One occasion on which it seems that a cow was formerly slain, and See Colebrooke's Miscdthat for purposes of hospitality, was a marriage.

called mdmsdsht'aJcd after the full

moon

in

laneous Essays, Vol. *

I.,

pp. 203, 208.

"Rising at break of day,

The Translator mistook, oneration', which the

Sun

for

said to

mitra,

to stool", says the Sanskrit:

'the sun',

come from maitra,

the guardian deity.

Laws

see the

is

is

is

him go

let

maitra,

n.,

'alvine ex-

m., 'the anus',

of which

Ratnagarbha etymologizes maitra.

Also

of the Mdnavas, IV., 152, and Kulluka's gloss thereon.

This t I have corrected "south-east"; the original being nairritydm. a compromise between the directions to be observed by day and by

and south, respectively. See the Laws of the Mdnavas, and our text, just below. Thus, or by grdma, the commentator explains bhu, the word here

night, or north IV., 50, +

used.

The Sanskrit adds '3"XT^^^^T?[.

the commentary, "or,

if

that

be

>

which means, according to

impracticable,

at

least

away from

the

house." § the II

^

I have inserted this word, Mdnavas, IV., 151.

Or by

tigers.

Drinking

translating na.

Compare

the

Laws

of

The commentary has: ^T^T^TTf^^'JT^TnTtft^-

spirits at the

sautrdmani, &c., says the commeutator.

110

VISHNU PUR ANA.

urine on his

own shadow, nor on

the

shadow of a

nor on a cow, nor against the sun, nor on fire, nor against the wind, * nor on his Guru, nor on men of the three first castes ;f nor will he pass either excretree,

ment

in a

ploughed

field,

or pasturage, or in the com-

pany of men, or on a high road, or in rivers and the like which are holy, + or on the bank of a stream, or in a place where bodies are burnt, or anywhere quickly. § By day, let him void them with his face to the north, and, by night, with his face to the south, when he is not in trouble. Let him perform these actions in silence, and without delay; covering his head with a cloth, and the ground with grass. Let him not take, for the purposes of cleanliness, earth from an or from water, or from the ant-hill, or a rat-hole, residue of what has been so used, nor soil that has ii

been employed to plaster a cottage, nor such as has been thrown up by insects, t or turned over by the plough. All such kinds of earth let him avoid as means

One handful

of purification.

is sufficient,

after voiding

urine; three, after passing ordure: then, ten handfuls

are to be rubbed over the left hand, and seven over both

hands.**

Let him, then, rinse his mouth with water

See p. 140, infra, text and note «• f Dwijdti. Insert "or in water", ndpsu. pilgrimage", tirtha. X "Places of § My MSS- give nothing corresponding to "or anywhere quickly." Probably the Translator read nd&u for ndpsu. See the last note, Literally, "dug up by a rat", mushakotkhdta. *

.

II

AntdKprdnin signifies kit'a, "a worm", alleges But he mentions a variant yielding ar'mprdnin, " a

^ '^•rTIMI^^^W the commentator.

•

minute animal."

Compare, herabouts, the Vamht'ha-smriti, Chapter VI.

BOOK that

and again use earth

them well with water. He times,

with

and twice w^ash

"

full

to cleanse his feet, is

of bubwashing

to drink water, then, three

his face with

it;

and, next, touch,

his head, the cavities of the eyes, ears,

it,

nostrils,* the forehead, f the navel,

Many

'

Ill

XI.

pure, neither fetid, nor frothy, nor

is

bles,

CHAP.

III.,

of

Instead of "his head,

the

cavities

read "the orifices of the head." sirshanydni khdni,

is

are

directions

these

given

original,

the

+

and

heart. ^§

by

Manu

ears

and nostrils,"

of the eyes,

The

thus glossed by

and the

— see

note

commentator:

§,

,

IV.,

below,

iflM^i^Tf'T

I

t Read "head" murdhan; and insert "arms", bdhu. X I should render hridaya by "breast".

Of

the ancient

all

Hindu

garbha,

I

have

rectified

legislators,

Daksha

is

most minutiose on the

His injunctions, as incorrectly cited by Ratna-

subject of daily ablution.

by reference

two manuscripts and the Cal-

to

have compared them as quoted more particularly in an ancient copy of Asaditya's Karmapradipabhdshya. The passage, as I would read it, is cutta edition of the Daksha-smriti ; and

I

in various ceremonial treatises,

as follows:

^f(?iT^^%^ fTcr:

tl[:

TT^rrwr ^'^

TT^ ^Rng^ ^^Or

^^FT^^rf^T^RT^t

ii

^*jmyii<

^ '^^i^^

g^r:

H^:

ii

ii

feet, let him thrice sip water in sight, him compress his mouth, and rub it twice

"After bathing his hands and i.

e.,

any at hand.

Then

let

with the root of his thumb. fingers joined, and,

Let him, likewise, touch his face with three and touch his limbs. Im-

next, wet his feet again,

VISHNU PURANA.

112

washed his mouth, a man is to clean and to decorate his person, before a glass, with unguents, garlands, and perfumes. * He to the custom f of his caste, to is, then, according

Having,

finally,

and dress his

hair,

acquire wealth, for the sake of subsistence, and, with

a lively

worship the gods, t

faith,

Sacrifices with the

acid juice, those with clarified butter, offerings of food, § are

men

fore, let

comprehended

in

and those w4th wealth where:

exert themselves to acquire wealth for

these purposes.^

45, &C.11

That

'

is,

and

rites;

wealth

mediately afterwards, finger;

and

his

is

essential to the

also, the

it is,

let

The genuineness in several places

of the fourth line

Durvd

expressed from

it

sacrifices

seems

p.

203;

-p. 2, 11

the

wanting

to

means

,

The

a certain sweet-scented grass.

be here denoted.

_;"ape<,

"let

him pray inaudibly."

are called, in the original, somasamsthd, haviUsam-

and pdkasamsthd.

in pdkasamsthd,

It is

instead of that he saw -^T^» For "garlands, and perfumes," read "sandal,

ordinarily

f Dharma, "duty". + The original is simply sthd,

opfen to suspicion.

must have thought

i" the original.

durvd, &c."

is

where these stanzas are adduced.

Professor Wilson

These

fore-

his nose with his

arms."

his fingers, and, finally, his

§

thumb and

him touch

eyes and ears, again and again, with his thumb and

his navel and breast, with the root of his little finger Let him, afterwards, touch the crown of his head with all

and thumb.

oil

A

and

ring-finger;

-T^^")

performance of religious

consequence of performing them.

On

the

see Professor

meaning

Max

or Dr. Steuzler's edition of

of pdA-a,

Miiller's

—

'

little

',

or 'good'

—

Ancient Sanskrit Literature,

Aswalayana's Qrihyasutra, Part

II.,

§ 2, 2.

On

the topic of ablution, see,

Ydjnavalkya-smriti,

I,,

20,

etc.

particularly, ibid.,

II.,

60, 61;

also,

BOOK

"As preparatory

to

III.,

all

CHAP.

113

XI.

established rites of devotion,

the householder should bathe in the water of a river, a pond, a natural channel,* or a mountain torrent; or

he

may

bathe upon dry ground, with water drawn from

householder should, therefore, diligently celebrate them, that he

may

acquire property, and, thus, be enabled to continue to sacri-

According

fice.

to

Gautama, f there are seven kinds of each of

the three sorts of sacrificial rites particularized in the text,

those in which the sented.

Of

Soma

juice,

the latter, according

oiled butter,

or food,

toManu, there are four

the offering of food to the Yiswadevas, to spirits,

*

t

varieties,

to deceased

Devakhdiajala.

He

is

These, as

quoted, by the commentator, for his enumeration of sacrifices. I

find,

on

reference to the

Gautama-smhti

,

are

named

follows

Pdkasantsthds. 1.

— or

are pre-

HaviKsamsthds.

Somasamsthds.

as

114

VISHNU PURANA.

a well, or taken from a river, or other source, where there

any objection

is

to bathing

on the spot.^*

bathed, and clad in clean clothes, f

and

ancestors,

to

guests.

II.,

night, at the full

of Gautama § eighth days of the fort-

and change of the moon,

manes on the

and to the

full

When

him devoutly

The seven

86. t

offerings to progenitors on certain

are:

let

moon

Sraddhas generally,

at

of four different months,

or Sravaiia, Agrahayana, Chaitra, and Aswina.

A

'

may perform

person

the weather, or occupation,

he be

sick,

his

ablutions in his

may use warm water and, if may perform the Mantra snana,

he

injurious, he

own

house,

prevents his going to the water. ;

if

If

bathing be altogether or repeat the prayers

used at ablution, without the actual bath.

^T^Tft^cIffr%^ The commentator be

is

he

may

adds,

as

in

II

note 1

in

permitted to take water to his house, for bathing",

it

is

other words, to

warm

this page, if

— that

be must; that

when necessary, for cold; and that, in make shift with a mantra-sndna, — in commute abhition for a prayer. Compare Colebrooke's

substitute

exigency,

hiwful

water,

for

Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. -j-

^^^T ^^^H%

— somewhat

The commentator

him

I.,

to

pp. 124, 136.

observes,

that

the

bathing and worship here de-

scribed belong to noon-day. X

Four pdkayajnas are there spoken

cified in the text.

KuUuka

of;

but their names are not spe-

are the vaiswadevahoma, balikar-

says they

man, nitynirnddha, and atithibhojana. These are four out of five pdkawhich belong to a classification different from, and later than,

yajnas

that which

and Dr.

!'

,

Gautama

supra:

Stenzler's

recognizes.

also,

edition

and Professor Max

Kulliika on

See

p. 40,

note §;

the

Laivs

of the

of AswaUiyana's

Miiller's

and p. 93, notes 2 Mdnavas, III., 67;

Grihyasiltra, Part

II.,

p. 6, §

1;

Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 93.

§ The third and fourth pdkayajnas or pdkasamsthds, in Apastamba, correspond with the first and second of Gautama. The remaining five are called nabali.

aupdsanahoma, vaiswadeva, mast irdddham, sarpabali, and iM-

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

115

XI.

sages,* and progenitors,

offer libations to the gods,

the parts of the liand severally sacred to each.

witli

He must scatter M^ater thrice, to gratify the gods; as many times, to please the Rishis; and once, to propitiate Prajapati:

he must,

make

also,

satisfy the progenitors.

He must

three libations, to

then present, with

the part of the hand sacred to the manes, water to his paternal grandfather and great-grandfather, to his

maand his father; and, at pleasure, to his own mother, and his mother's motherf and grandmother, to the wdfe of his preternal grandfather, great-grandfather,

and other Let him, have been made to the gods and

ceptor, to his preceptor, his maternal uncle, relations,^ to a dear friend, also, after libations

and

to the king.

the rest, present others, at pleasure, for the benefit of beings,

all

'

reciting inaudibly this prayer:

The whole

series is thus given

Researches, Vol. V.,

p. 367.+

'May the

by Mr. Colebrooke: Asiatic

Triple libations of

tila

(sesamum

seeds) and water are to be given to the father, paternal grandfather,

and great-grandfather;

father, great-grandfather,

libations are

to

the mother,

maternal grand-

and great great-grandfather: and single

to be offered to the paternal

mother and great-grandmother,

to

and maternal grand-

the paternal

uncle,

brother,

son, grandson, daughter's son, son-in-law, maternal uncle, sister's son,

father's

sister's

With exception of

son, mother's sister, and other relatives.

those,

however, offered

to his

own immediate

ancestors, which are obligatory, these libations are optional, and

are rarely made.

*

Rishis.

t

Praittdtri. This word has escaped the lexicographers. Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p. 145.

+

8'

VISHNU PrEANA.

116

demons,* Yakshas, serpents, Gandharvas, RaPisachas, Guhyakas,f Siddhas, Kushmafi-

gods,

kshasas, das,t

trees, birds,

people the waters,

fish,§ all that

or the earth, or the

air,

be propitiated by the water

have presented to them! This water for the alleviation of the pains of suffering in the realms of hell.

my

my

kindred, and not

relations in a former

those

all

May

given,

is

all

kindred, and

who

life, all

me, receive satisfaction from

those

who who

are are

who were my from

desire libations

this

I

by me,

water!

May

this

water and sesamum, presented by me, relieve the hunger and thirst of all who are suffering from those inflictions,

may

wheresoever they

be!' ^1[ Presentations

king, which

of water, given in the manner, described, yield gratification to sinless

man who,

all

have

I

the world; and the

in the sincerity of faith,

pours out

these voluntary libations obtains the merit that results

from

afltbrding

nutriment to

all

creatures.

"Having, then, rinsed his mouth, he to the

sun, touching

joined,

and with

the radiant, the

'

is

The

first

this prayer:

is

to offer

with

his

water

hands

'Salutation to Vivaswat,

glory of Vishnu; to the pure

part of this prayer

given by Mr. Colebrooke.

*

his forehead

is

illu-

from the Sama-veda, and

Asiatic Researches, Vol. V., p. 367.1

Asura.

t Servants of Kubera. Colebrooke calls them "unmelodious guardians Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p. 146. of the celestial treasure."

See Vol. I., p. 166. : § There is no word for this, in the original. Several of my MSS. omit the stanza which this sentence translates. II

^

Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

I.,

p. 146,

BOOK

minator of the world; to fruit of acts

!

'

He

*

is,

117

CHAP. XI.

III.,

Savitri, the granter of the

then, to perform the worship

of the house, presenting to his tutelary deity f water,

and incense. He is, next, to offer oblations with fire, not preceded by any other rite, to Brahma, ^t Having invoked Prajapati, let him pour oblations, § reverently, to his household gods,i| to Kasyapa, and flowers,

to Anumati,^ in succession.

'

to

The

rite is

The

residue of the obla-

not addressed to Brahma, specially; but he

is

be invoked to preside over the oblations offered to the gods

and sages, subsequently particularized. ' Kasyapa, the son of Kasyapa, is Aditya,! or the Sun. Anumati**

is

the personified

moon, wanting a

digit of full.

The ob-

and order of the ceremony here succinctly described differ from those of which Mr. Colebrooke gives an account (Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII., p. 236 ft), and from the form of oblations

jects

given by

Ward (Account

The coiamentator

prefers

of

the Hindus, Vol.

the reading

II.,

WlP^T^^j

p. 477); but, as

^^^^^

'^'^tes

^^-

t Abhisht'a-sura. A-purva the commentator elucidates by ananyaprakritika: vide supra, A variant, he says, is appurva, 'previously notes 1 and +.

p. 40,

sprinkled.'

For the agnihotra, here spoken

of,

see p. 40, note 1; and

note t) supra. § Ahuti. Grihya. II

p. 113,

^ **

For the twelve Adityas, see Vol. II„ p. 27, and pp. 284 et seq. See Vol. I., p. 153; and Vol. II,, p. 261: also, Goldstucker's Sanskrit

Dictionary, sub voce.

tt Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

I.,

p. 152,

VISHNU PURANA.

118 tion let

him

and to rain,*

offer to the earth, to water,

in a pitcher at

hand; and to Dhatri and Vidhatri, at

the doors of his house; and, in the middle of

Brahma.

man

Let the wise

to

it,

also offer the Bali, con-

sisting of the residue of the oblations, to Indra,

Yama,f

Varuha, and Soma,t at the four cardinal points of his dwelling, § the east and the rest; and, in the north-east quarter, he will present

it

to Dhanwantari. ^

having thus worshipped the domestic next, offer part of the residue to

Viswadevas) then, ;

in the

which

rite

is

made " with such

are

the

religious

Asiatic

See, also, Manu,

p. 237.

||

III., 84, &c.,

and the Asiatic Researches,

is:

But the commentator notes a seems to

to

t

The ordinary reading

Wilson

Vayu

intended to be subsequently performed."

Vol. VII., p. 275.

*

will,

the gods (the

all

and in such form as are adapted

Researches, Vol. VII., ^

After

he

north-west quarter, to

observed by Mr. Colebrooke, oblations ceremonies,

deities,

xra^XJ^^ ^ And he explains

variant,

have preferred.

|

: ,

which Professor ^fllJoR

— above

rendered "in a pitcher at hand",— by ^^T^TT^fwMl) 'near a pond.' The commentator calls Personifications are, of course, intended here. these offerings the bhutayajna. p. 93, notes 2

and

t Dharmardja, §

The Sanskrit

\\,

This

is

the

same

as the baliyajna.

in the original.

+

Substituted for ludu.

of this sentence begins:

"Hear from me, man-tiger, the The Translator rarely renders

house's gods of the quarters, also." the vocatival

epithets

with which this

work abounds; and these constitute one of its quaintest features. Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p. 153. ^ Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p. 191. II

See

supra.

BOOK (wind)

then, in

;

izon,* to

sun; to

all

III.,

CHAP.

directions, to the points of the hor-

Brahma, to the atmosphere,!

all

the gods,: to

all

let the II

^^^^

beings, to the

beings, to the Pitris, to twilight. § rice, ^

119

XI.

^o

the

lords of

Then, taking other

householder, at pleasure, cast

a clean spot of ground, as an offering to repeating, with collected mind, this prayer:

it

upon

beings;

all

'May

gods,

men, animals, birds, saints, t Yakshas, serpents, demons, ghosts, goblins,** trees, all that desire food given by me; may ants,ff worms, moths,:: and other insects,

hungered, and bound in the bonds of acts;

may

obtain satisfaction from the food left

all

me, and enjoy happiness!

May

they

them by

who have

neither

mother, nor father, nor relations, nor food, nor the means of preparing it, be satisfied and pleased with the food presented for their contentment!^

ceremony may be practised instead of the preceding. is said, by Mr. Colebrooke, to be taken from

*

Or

^

This prayer

the

this

Inasmuch

Puranas (Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII.,

p. 275).§§

He

translates

t Antariksha. VUwe devdK. : §

My MSS.

There

may II

concur in reading:

nothing,

is

here,

of "twilight".

Yakshman,

be Consumption, personified as a divinity.

Anna,

'food', as just below;

%

Siddha.

**

Daitya, preia, and pUdcha.

not, necessarily, 'rice'.

tt Pipilika, 'termites'. :: Patangaka. §§ Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

in

I.,

p. 192.

this

The commentary

passage, is

silent.

VISHNU PUR AN A.

120 as

all

beings, I,

food that

is

beings

all

and

this food,

and

and Vishnu, are not

I,

therefore, give, for their sustenance, the

different,

one with the body of that

are

May

creatures.

all

comprehended

in

the fourteen

orders of existent things^ be satisfied with the food

bestowed, by me, for their gratification, and be de-

Having uttered

lighted!'

this prayer, let the

devout

believer cast the food upon the ground, for the nourish-

ment*

of

all

kinds of beings: for the householder

is,

Let him scatter food upon the ground, for dogs, outcasts, f birds, and

thence, the supporter of

"The householder

is

then to remain, at eventide, in

his court-yard, as long as

the last clause: food, nor

all.

and degraded t persons.

fallen

all

them

means ^[IXTf

"May

they,

it

takes to milk a cow, ^— or

who have

of obtaining it."

neither

******

In our text, the phrase

*********

which the commentator explains by ^M[4i^' •TTf% '^^t TZIW

'H^ f^t^: TT^IWniR Tr#(2r^:;

siddhi to

mean 'means

of dressing food,'

is

^

understanding

Paka sadhana.

"^fff-

Anna The

following passages of the prayer are, evidently, peculiar to the

Vishnu Puraria. ^

Either fourteen classes of Bhiitas (or spirits); or the same

number of and ^

living beings,

— or eight species of divine, one of human,

five of animal, creatures.

This, according to the commentator,

is

equal to the fourth

part of a Ghatika, which, considering the latter

• +

t Chanddla.

Upakdra. Apdtra.

Some MSS. have

aputra,

imports 'undeserving of exequial oSenngs\ Dientary B.

synonymous with

'sonless'.

The former term com-

— srdddhdyogya, — says

BOOK m., CHAr. longer,

if

121

XI.

he pleases,— to await the arrival of a guest. arrive, he is to be received with a

Should such a one

hospitable welcome; a seat

is to be offered to him, and and food is to be given him with liberality,* and he is to be civilly and kindly spoken to; and, when he departs, to be sent away, by

his feet are to be washed,

his host, with friendly wishes,

f

A

ever pay attention to a guest w^ho of the same village, but

householder should is

not an inhabitant

who comes from

another place,

and whose name and lineage are unknown. He who feeds himseK, and neglects the poor and friendless stranger in want of hospitality, goes to hell. Let a householder who has a knowledge of Brahma t reverence a guest,

without inquiring his studies, his

school, his practices, or his race. ^ §

Muhurta, or one minutes.

thirtieth of the

These precepts,

^

day and night, would be twelve

||

and those which follow, are of the same

tenour as those given by Manu, on the subject of hospitality 99, &c.),

*

Sraddhd.

It is,

Elsewhere the Translator renders

directed,

thus,

bear him company,

mon

(III.,

but more detailed.

— for

that,

when

this

word by "faith".

the guest departs,

a short distance, only, of course.

reading anuydtena must yield the same sense.

anupdnena might move an imaginative speculator

his

host should

The

less

The unique to attribute

com-

lection

the idea

of the stirrup-cup to the ancient Hindus. +

The Sanskrit

garding him as

if

directs the householder to reverence his guest 'by re-

he were Hirauyagarbha,'

hiranyagarhha-buddhyd.

§ "School," "practices," and "race" here render gotra, charana, and kula,

'school',

'stock,'

two meanings, II

See Vol.

I.,

and 'family'.

The commentator gives charana

veddvdntaraidkhd and dchdra. p. 47,

note

2.

122

"A dha,*"

VISHNL rULANA.

householder should, entertain another

also, at

the perpetual Srad-

Brahman who

of his

is

own

whose family and observances are known, and who performs the five sacramental rites. f He is, country,

likewise, to present, to a

Brahman learned

das, four handfuls of food, set apart

mation Hanta;+

ntrartham,

and he

is

'for the sake of the

to

manes'.

in the

Ve-

with the excla-

give,

to

a mendi-

explained by

It is

7iilya-

irdddlidrtham, in the commentary.

t Vide supra,

p. 93,

note

2.

"Let him, king, also set apart the choicest of by way of appropriation, hallowed by the utterance

food,

and present

haiila, to a

it,

Brahman

Yersed in holy writ."

The commentator says:

^^T^ ^^^^^T^f^"S^

^^%w g ^^ifr ^^^Tt ir^^^

I

"^T^ '^li'i;

I

II

A stanza, the same in meaning as the one here quoted, is adduced, from Hemachandra's scholiast, in Messrs. Boehtlingk and Rieu's edition of the Ahhidhdnachintdmani, p. 366

"^ "^^^ m^i^^Tt

f^^t-d^T:

Anndgra and hantakdra, rendered by

II

'the choicest

of food'

utterance hanta', have, thus, denoted specific quantities,

and sixteen. of late

date,

But neither

— seems

to be

of these

acceptations

— which

are,

7T«ft '^R^^

I

"One

probably,

intended in the passage under annotation.

One or other of them is there impossible. The following is taken from the Brihad-dranyaka Upanishad,

^

and 'the

— four mouthfuls —V., VIII.

should reverence speech as a cow.

Hers are

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

123

XI.

cant* religious student, three handt'ulsf of rice, or according to his pleasure, when he has ample means.: These, with the addition of the mendicant before described, are to be considered as guests;

and he who

treats these four descriptions of persons with hos-

debt due to his fellow-

pitality acquits himself of the

men.

The guest who

§

departs, disappointed,

from any

house, and proceeds elsewhere, transfers his sins to the

owner of

that mansion,

a householder's merits. fire,

and takes away with him such 1|

Brahma,!

Prajapati, Indra,**"

the Vasus, the Sun, are present in the person of

four dugs:

the utterance

swdhd,

hanta, the utterance swadhd.

and the utterance

vashat', the

the utterance vashat',

By two

of her dugs,

utterance

swdhd

by the utterance hanta, Life is her bull; the organ

gods are sustained

men; by the utterance swadhd, the manes.

the

the utterance

;

of imagination, her calf."

Of swdhd and of hanta,

vashat' Sridhara

^«ff f;f?T

For Swaha and Swadha, see Vol.

I.,

*

notes 3 and §.

t

^T^TT ff^^^*^ ^Wr, of swadhd, ^^^T^RTTW

says:

TTT^^vJW H-M^f^J p.

109; for Vashaf, Vol.

II.,

p. 29,

ParivrdJ.

Gh'dsa, 'mouthfuls'.

§

T^^^f^^^' "^^T:

ITT^liT

t^^^'g

^

I

" These are called guests and one showing honour to the four abovementioned eleemosynaries acquits," &c. The commentator says that these persons are the unknown Brahman, the known Brahman, the Brahman versed in holy writ, and the mendi:

:

cant religious student. II

This

is

almost a verbal repetition of what we have had before. The Sanskrit here runs thus:

supra, p. 94, text and note f.

^

Dhatfi, in the original.

**

Substituted for Sakra.

Vide

VISHNU PUKANA.

124

a guest, and partake of the food (that

is

given to him).

Let a man, therefore, be assiduous in discharging the duties of hospitahty for he who eats his food, M'ithout :

(bestowing any upon) a guest, feeds only upon

ini-

quity.

"In the next place, the householder must provide food for a married damsel remaining in her father s dwelling;* for any one who is ill; for a pregnant

woman;

for the aged,

and the

may

himself.

and then he

eat,

these are yet unfed,

when he

dies,

is

is

infants (of his house);

He who

eats, whilst

guilty of sin (in this

condemned,

in hell,

life),

and,

upon

to feed

he who eats without performing ablutions with filth; and he who repeats not his prayers, f with matter and blood; he who eats unconsecrated food, with urine; and (he who eats) before

phlegm.

So,

is fed, (in hell),

the children and the rest (are fed, tarus),

with ordure.

is

stuffed, in

Hear, therefore,

Tar-

king of kings,

how a householder should feed, so that, in eating, no sin may be incurred, that invariable health and increased vigour may be secured, and all evils and hosLet the housetile machinations may be averted, t and offered libations to the gods§ and manes, and decorated his hand with jewels, proceed to take his meal, after having repeated the

holder, having bathed,

*

Suvdsini.

t The gdyatri and so

The

forth, the

commentator

gloss on this line is as follows

§ Insert 'Uishis'.

:

says.

^'HCST^HT^^ cT^

^if'Pr:

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

125

XI.

(introductory) prayers, and offered oblations with fire, and having given food to guests, to Brahmans, to his elders, and to his family. He must not eat with a single garment on, nor with wet hands and feet, but

dressed in clean clothes, perfumed, and wearing garlands of flowers: he must not eat with his face to any intermediate point of the horizon, but fronting the east or the north:* and thus, with a smiling counte-

happy and

nance,

attentive, let

him partake of

food,

of good quality, wholesome, boiled with clean water,f

procured from no

nor by improper means, Having given a portion to his hungry companions, let him take his food, without reproach, § out of a clean handsome vessel, which must not be placed upon a low stool (or bed). He must not eat in an unfit place, or out of season,! or in an incommodious attitude;** nor must he first cast any of his meal into the fire. Let his food be made holy with suitable texts; let it be good of its kind: and vile person,

nor improperly cooked. +

ll

*

The

directions

Mdnavas,

II.,

he must face when bathing.

61: and compare VIII., 87.

See the Laws

Also vide infra,

of the

p. 127.

iftf^ft in[-<5jTljt<»efit 5 t "Boiled with clean water" translates "sprinkled with water for sprinkling," with a view to ceremonial puri-

—

fication. +

"f^

^np^'^^^'^ff

to be substituted for I

find but

"not disgusting, nor unhallowed." This is "nor by improper means, nor improperly cooked."

one reading.

§ Akupita, 'undisturbed II

by wrath.'

Asandi; 'wooden, three-legged, &c.' says the commentary

f^q^[Tf^

%

5

Ndkdle: as at noon, or either of the twilights,

mentator adds a variant, ndkdse, 'not **

:

yx^l"^

I

Atisankirne,

"in a place

commentator says nothing.

much

in

the open

littered over",

it

is

said.

The com-

air.'

I

should think.

The

126

VISHNU PURANA.

must not be

it

except

stale,

meat;^ nor must

it

the case of fruit or

in

be of dry vegetable substances,

other than jujubes^ or preparations of molasses; but

never must a

By

'

man

eat of that of v^hich the juices

applied to meat,

stale,* as

intended,

is

in

have

this place,

probably, meat which has been previously dressed, as part of an

manes

offering to the gods or

;

meat which

dressed in the

is

fii-st

instance for an individual being prohibited; as by Yajnavalkyarf

^^TTT^* ^^%
is

^^^^fll^* "^W By

^

'Let

I

him avoid

H^f^f

dried vegetables, &c.,

'jujubes,' the

or

(U'G^lXT^f^^)-

I.,

H"^T-

is

to

be under-

pot-herbs dressed without being

reading

is,

'^W^^ 11 Instead of ^2"sometimes, ^fr^cl^^l ,** myro-

Paryushita means 'kept over night'.

Ydjnavalkya-smriti,

:

^^X?%^ f^TT

sprinkled with water:

tr^^! ,11

'

So, also, Manu, V., 7.§

I'

stood imboiled vegetables,

*

flesh killed in vain;' or, 'that

not the residue of an offering to the gods, &c.

See the Mitdkshard on the

167; and Sridhara on the Bhagavad-gitd, XVII., 10.

167, 168.

t

1.,

+

This

§

Add

is

the Mitdkshard' s elucidation of the words of Yajnavalkya.

But

IV., 213.

V., 34,

is

most

explicit

on the enormity of the

offence here denounced:

"The

sin

of

him who

kills

deer for gain

spect to the punishment in another

meat

in

vain,

not 'previously

or,

life,

as

not so heinous,

is

that

offered -as

a

him who

of

sacrifice."

with re-

eats

Sir

flesh-

William

Jones's Translation. II

The commentary

&c.' implies,

HT^T"^^ ^

I

that

further says,

they are

^^Tf^

nowhere find

f^%t?T ^^:

this reading,

jubes,' according to the gloss, •"

that the bare mention of 'pot-herbs,

unaccompanied by

fried grain

but •^T^fT^^}^;

«« <- <^

and the

f%cft

,

'preparations of ju-

(^4^:

The reading preferred by the commentator, and explained by

lp%WTf^^«'

like

I

"things to be licked, and the

like,

uncooked."

'^fflT-

BOOK been extracted.

no

CHAP.

III.,

Nor mast a man

^

127

XI.

eat so as to leave

except in the case of flour-

residire (of his meal),

Let him, which has a

cakes,* honey, water, curds, and butter, f

with an attentive mind,

sweet flavour: he

may

middle course, and

and

that

take salt and sour things, in the

finish

with those which are pungent

The man who commences

bitter.

fluids,

first taste

his

meal with

then partakes of solid food, and finishes with

fluids again, will ever

manner,

let

be strong and healthy. In this

him feed without

fault,

and con-

silent,

tented with his food; taking, without uttering a word, to the extent of five handfuls, for the nutriment of the vital principle.

holder

Having eaten

+

sufficiently, the

house-

then, to rinse his mouth, with his face turned

is,

towards the east or the north; § and, having again sipped water, he is to wash his hands, from the. wrist

With a pleased and tranquil spirit, he and call to memory his tutelary deity;** and then he is thus to pray: 'May fire, excited by air, convert this food into the earthly eledownwards.!!

then, to take a seat,!

is,

balans.'

The '

The

other term, ^^tj§i*5i:

construction here, however,

As

is

,

+

Prdnddi.

II

"From

exhibits "flour, saktu.

cakes"; a typographical oversight.

f §

the wrist

downwards"

is

'Sa?'p«s,' clarified butter.'

Vide supra,

to

mentary explains by kaphofii-paryantam, **

ft

explained 'sweetmeats.'!

oil-cake, or the sediment of anything after expression.

* The first edition The Sanskrit word is

^

is

somewhat obscure.

p. 125,

note

*

.

render mulatas, which the com'as far as the elbow.'

Kritdsana-'parigrahaK, 'his wife being seated.' Abhisht'a-devatd, in the plural,

^^f^:

I

^^^«r

Tffl

^T%

^

TI^T^:

I

Commentary.

128

VISHNU PUR AN A.

by the

merits of this frame, and, in the space afforded ethereal atmosphere, cause

May

satisfaction!*

to digest,

it

and yield me

this food, in its assimilation, con-

tribute to the vigour of the earth, water,

my

of

and

fire,

body, and afford unmixed f gratification

!

t

air

May

and submarine fire effect the digestion I have eaten May they grant me the happiness which its conversion into nutriment engenders; and may health (ever) animate my form! Agasti, Agni,

of the food of which

!

Vishnu, who is the chief principle of all invested with bodily structure and the organs of sense, be pro-

May

pitiated

by

my

and influence the assimi-

faith in him,

of the invigorating food which I have eaten!

lation

For, verily, Vishnu

is

the eater, and the food, and the

nutriment :§ and, through this

The comment on

f^fTI

I

effect

air,

this runs thus:

According

XT^^f^^rft

fire, it

^fJ^^T

to this, the stanza signilies:

may it, viz., Jire, by the juices of my body, may there be happiness

scholiast,

that which

"May

however, one would

excited by

air,

to be digested:

^TTT^'^RTlf

tire,

the digestion of any food under heaven, eaten

then

of

may

belief,

and

food, prosper the earthy elements to

me!"

Independently

feel inclined to translate as follows:

prosper all earthy food under heaven,

may

excited by

by me;

there be happiness to

t Avydhata, 'uninterrupted.' + Nearly all my MSS. here interpolate,

if

of the

"May

and cause

me!" they do not substitute for

•what just precedes, as follows:

The copies containing

the

commentary give

but in such a way, in some, that It

is

left

unexplained.

Dictionary, sub voce.

it

is

For "^XTT'T,

&c->

§

this

doubtful see

unimportant stanza,

as to

its

genuineness.

Goldstiicker's

Sanskrit

Read "digestion", parimma.

BOOK I

III.,

CHAP.

129

XI.

have eaten be digested!'*

"Having repeated

this

prayer,

householder

the

should rub his stomach with his hand, and, without indolence, perform such rites as confer repose; passing

the day in such amusements as are authorized by holy writings and are not incompatible with the practices of the righteous, until the Sandhya,

when he must

en-

pious meditation, f At the Sandhya at the close of the day, he must perform the usual rites be-

gage

in

fore the sun has quite set; and,

in the

morning, he

must perform them before the stars have disappeared. ^+ The morning and evening rites must never >

The the

So Manu,

II.,

^#^

^if

first

101, §

%

souls, is one,

so,

me."

As bearing on

|[

»JW all

^^^Wf^^

rT^T

the organs of sense,

by this truth, may all this For pradhdna, see Vol. I.,

this,

the

commentator adduces

^HT g ^?TT#^: III.

93.

11

stanza should, rather, be rendered: "Just as the holy Vishuu,

ultimate source of

gestible to

and IV.,

and embodied

bodies,

food,

health-giving,

p. 20,

note ».

a

be

di-

couplet from some Smriti:

^l^T^^f^m^^TTfl

II

9

VISHNU PURANA.

130

be neglected, except sickness, or alarm. rising,

or sleeps

ceed from

at seasons of impurity, * anxiety,

He who

when

preceded by the sun,

is

the sun

setting,— unless

is

and the like,— incurs

illness

guilt

quires atonement; f and, therefore, let a fore the sun, in the morning,

in

pro-

which

man

and sleep not

it

re-

rise be-

until after

he has set. + They who sinfully omit both the morning § and the evening service go, after death, to the In the evening, then, having again

hell of darkness.

||

dressed food,

the wife (of the householder), in order

let

to (obtain the fruit of) the

Vaiswadeva

rite,

give food,

without prayers, If to outcasts and unclean spirits.**

Let the householder himself, according

to his

means,

show hospitality to any guest who may arrive; welcoming him with the salutation of evening, ff water for his feet, a seat, a supper, and a bed. The sin of want of hospitality to a guest who comes after sunset is eight times greater than that of turning away one again

•

Sutaka is ceremonial uncleanness resulting from the amucha, that resulting from death. Commentary, t Compare the Laws of the Mdnavas, II., 221: SiilaMiaucha.

birth of a child;

^5Xlf7T«iT:

^WT^^^^

f^T^^ITTi:

§ See, on the sinfulness of this omission, Vol. II

%

Tdmisra.

II.,

p. 215, notes

||

Instead of XJ(y!I^«^, "-wife", "-without

"^ff^T

"

See Vol,

^TV,

'with his wife.'

In the original,

•

^^di,

II

p. 252.

and ^. prayers",

The commentator

"^XT^Tf^^I

II.,

'etc.', is

some MSS. read

notices this variant.

here rendered by

"un-

clean spirits."

ft Prahwa-swdgatokti means 'a salutation and a welcome'; prahwa being explained by prahwatwa, i. e., jprandma. But, in several MSS., the reading

is

prahwaH, 'complaisant.'

BOOK m., CHAP.

who

A man

by day.

arrives

especially

show

131

XT.

should, therefore, most

who comes

respect to one

to

him

in

the evening, for shelter; as the attentions that gratify

him

will give pleasure to all the gods.

Let the house-

holder, then, according to his ability, afford a guest food, pot-herbs, water, a bed, a mat, or,

no more, ground on which

to

if

he can do

*

lie.

"After eating his evening meal, and having washed his feet, the householder

So read most of

rest.

His bed

for srastara;

and the

calls

"mat",

navas,

of 'a mat,

consists

204, the

II.,

does not explain

one MS. has

"Bed"

Sir

etc'

straw,

which the Translator

Laws

In the

according to Kulhika,

reading,

it.

srast-ara,

|

of the text,

srastara altered into sainstara, 'a couch'; and one has swastora. denotes, then, 'a blanket, &c.';

is

cji4c|^^rf2'

l

I

commentary, have prastara,

the

of

go to

to

my MSS. The commentary says: '^'^nf Tft ^^WT^Tr'Pl Several MSS.

^RIT: ^2"^WTf^: and one

is

is

Md.

of the

srastara;

but he

William Jones gives "a pavement of stones."

Medhatithi has the lection prastara, which he defines to be: 'g^TfsiT-

WT^W

'^

^T^T'?

^""g

strewed with

darhha or other

In

grass.'

Gulzar Pandit's Hindi version of the Mdnavadharmasustra, srastara rendered chatdi,

'mat'.

same Code,— made, is

interpreted

"a

I

seat

comment: "Srastara

am

In

the

told,

made is

unfinished Calcutta

translation

is

of the

by Tarachandra Chakravartin, — this term

of sprouts and leaves",

a word

which

is

not

with the following

much

in use.

It is

not

found in the Sanskrita dictionaries commonly consulted, nor even in the

voluminous compilation of Dr. Wilson; and yet, unaccountable as the thing must appear, the word is left unexplained by the commentator

We

[Kulkika].

in a dictionary is

have found

it,

however, with the meaning given above,

which was compiled and published some years ago, and

entitled Prdnahrishna-sahdambudhi.

not appear improbable,

it will

mistake, in the manuscript,

word

be prastara,

to

cordingly." port for

druma.

for prastara,

his

The Sabddmbudhi,

sitting.' is

in

Finally,

These circumstances considered,

that Sir William Jones

manuscript,

took

it

to

be a

or that he found the

and gave the rendering

ac-

ed. of 1856, defines srastara 'seat', 'sup-

srastara,

on the

found in the Suddhitattwa, and

The word prastara recurs

'stone';

is

in p. 150, infra.

faith

of the Sabdakalpa-

equivalent io dsana, 'seat.'

VISHNU PURANA.

132 to be entire,

and made of wood;*

it is

not to be scanty,

nor cracked, nor uneven, nor dirty, nor infested by insects, nor without a bedding: and he is to sleep with

head either to the east or to the south: any other In due season, a man should is unhealthy.

his

position

approach his wife, when a fortunate asterismf prevails, in

an auspicious moment, and on even nights, t

not unbathed, § sick, unwell, averse, angry, 1 pregnant,*'"^ hungry, or over-fed. He should be, also,

if

she

is

||

from similar imperfections, should be neatly atand adorned, and animated by tenderness and affection, ff There are certain days on which unguents, flesh, and women are unlawful; as the eighth and four-

free

tired

teenth lunar days, '

*

A

So Manu, IV.,

new moon and

full

moon,^ and the

128.::

This will do, in default of one of ivory, observes the commentator.

variant

is

cots are light

ekaddrumdya, 'made of a single pine', apparently.

Oriental

and easily portable.

The asterisms referred f Punndmnyrikshe. commentator, ten in number: Aswini, Krittika,

to

according to the

are,

Rohiiii,

Punarvasu, Pushya,

Hasta, Anuradha, Sravana, Piirvabhadrapada, Uttarabhadrapada. :

#^-g7^^

f^ TTt^g

I

Tlf^^-

fT^Tf^

-^g^^^m?^

Commentary:

^raTH'^TT-

^Tf ^^Tf ^TfTtTft ^»?Tf^^:

I

Rajaswaldm, 'menstruous.' Commentary. an omission, here, of "not an object of evil report," nd-

§ After her courses.

|1

^ There is prasastdm; apraSasta meaning, the scholiast says, XjfT^q l^ lf«^<|^r^fT**

The

original adds other epithets,

besides the two that follow in the

translation

-^^W. ^T^TTI^ ^^"R

5^^

^%f!:

II

BOOK

CHAP. XI.

in.,

entrance of the sun into a

new

133

On

sign.

these occa-

wise will restrain their appetites, and occupy themselves in the worship of the gods, as enjoined Iby sions, the

holy writ, in meditation, and in prayer: and he

behaves differently be his food.

will

*

Let not a man stimulate his desires

by medicines, nor jects,

f or

who

where ordure

will fall into a hell

them with unnatural obLet him not think

gratify

in public or

holy places.

much less address her man will be born, in future He who commits adultery

incontinently of another's wife, to that end; for such a as a creeping insect.

life,

:

punished both here and hereafter: for his days,

is

in

when dead, he falls into a man approach his own

this world, are cut short; and,

Thus

hell.

considering, let

wife in the j)roper season, or even at other times. " §

•

This clause about punishment

t

Two

page,

— are

'ft'ft

I

my MSS.

not found in

— for

which see note § in the present

thus expounded by the commentator: '^•^T^'fl"

'^I'^'ft

tionary, article

I

^^T^

I

§

The conclusion is

^'^if^-

'^'^f'T-

This explanation of the text

original

I

See, further, Goldstiicker s Sanskrit Dic-

+

The

is

terms used in the original

is

of this chapter

taken from the commentary. is

much

abridged, as here translated.

as follows:

f^TT^^^^^ ^7^

^^ ^^

I

ir^TfTT

^T^

^cT:

^"^%5?n^T'rawxit'Tt

:

II

f^t^^J^Wt '^ ^^T^ TRT^ ^%ci; ^g^% %(?r^^T^Tg 'ftt

^

I

II

II

VISHNU PURANA.

134

^TT^T^fcT:

4^T^^^Tf^ ^^frl

II

CHAPTER

XII.

Miscellaneous obligations, purificatory, ceremonial, and moral.

AURVA

continued.

— "Let

a respectable

house-

holder ever venerate the gods, kine, Brahnians, saints,*

aged persons, and holy teachers. Let him observe the two daily Sandhyas, and offer oblations to fire. Let him dress in untorn garments, use delicate herbs and flowers, wear emeralds and other precious stones, keep his hair smooth and neat, scent his person with agreeable perfumes, and always go handsomely attired, decorated wdth garlands of white flowers, f Let him never appropriate another's property, nor address him with the least unkindness. Let him always speak amiably, and with truth, and never make public another's faults. Let him not desire another's prosperity, nor seek his enmity. Let him not mount upon a crazy vehicle, nor take shelter under the bank of a river, (which may fall upon him). A wise man will not form a friendship, nor walk in the same path, with one who disesteemed,

is

has

many

who

is

a sinner, or a drunkard,:

enemies, or w^ho

is

or her gallant, with a pauper, •

or a

liar,

with a prodi-

Siddha.

^T^rrf^

X

||

who

lousy, § with a harlot,

^

T(^Tf^

f^^^TfRwr ^t:

ii

Patita and unmatta.

§ Atikit'aka, 'very verminous.' II

Kshudra.

It

13

glossed

^^WlHtf^W,

'elated

by petty

gain.'

VISHNU PURAN A.

136

fire,

nor climb* to the top of a

company) clean

blowf

his teeth or

bathe

nor enter a

against the strength of a rapid stream,

house on

man

Let not a

a slanderer, or a knave.

gal,

nor

tree,

(in

nor gape

his nose,

without covering his mouth, nor clear his throat, t nor

be seen below, to climb a tree to any height, apparently, The heterogeneous collection of maxims dictated by prudence, propriety, and superstition, of which this chapter is, in good part, made up, may be fitly accompanied by the sub*

is

As

-will

considered to be objectionable.

Gh'vdnapadamanjari

joined extract from Varadaraja's is

called,

in

one copy, Dhuiulhi raja's

sabdapadamanjari: ^"^ ^^^T^TTT*. ^^^ ^^^ ^TT^^'^TPTfrw^'f itt^k: * *

^TT'.

'^T't

^^trz^^^

I

^ ^fr^^ ^t^^^

I

^"RTT*

i

*

*

*

WR

fl^T

I

I

'^T^ ITT^TT:

or, as

,

Glrvd/iavdgmanjari or

*

t^T

ff

*

work

Girvdna-

^t^W^

^rny^^ ^TfTRTT^

^^

f^^T^^^w itt^tt:

t%f^Wr^^^

I

the

^T

I

I

*

^

*

*

*

t^^^'f fTT-

^T^^^t^ W^^fl^'ft^t^ ^^(?TT^ ITT^Tt: f^^fT^^ ^^'ra^^ T^:ww^^ I'U ^^^T!f ^TRTT*. '^tt:

I

I

I

^T:

I

^c^^^^ l^lTft

^TT ^TT^TTTWt

1TT"^TT'.

1W^^ flf^

I

I

Thus

l^^f^^T^tc^f^-

read,

in

combination,

my

two MSS., so far as they are legible. The book from which this passage Maharashtra; is taken emanated, at least in one of its two forms, from and it imparts instructive hints as to the opinions, on the dark side, entertained, by certain Hindus, of certain others. + The verb here used is kush, 'to scratch.'

X

Read 'nor

sigh'.

The substantive here used

The commentary says

is

iwdsa.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

137

XII.

cough, nor laugh loudly, nor emit wmd with noise, nor bite * his nails, nor cut grass, nor scratch the

ground,

^

nor put his beard into his mouth, nor crumble

a clod of clay; nor look upon the chief planetary

when he

bodies, f

unclean,

is

t

Let him not express

body is man) ever

disgust at a corpse; for the odour of a dead

the produce of the moon.

by

avoid,

night, the place

village-tree, § the

Let

(a decent

where four roads meet, the

grove adjacent to the place where

bodies are burnt, and a loose

Let him not

woman.

pass across the shadow of a venerable person, of an

image of a '

of a

deity,

Manu, IV.,

71. IF

flag,

"He who

l|

of a heavenly lumi-

breaks clay, or cuts grass, or

bites his nails, will speedily fall to ruin.

•

Khddayet.

snap his

But a common reading

is

He

vddayet.

is,

not to

then,

nails, apparently.

But the commentator notes a variant, f ^^trl^TSIilVr^ TT'^^rrf'T giftrflf^I^^nrWTf'T, which he takes to mean 5^
i5rrf%

^^^Tf^ g'<\^T^f^ ^ir^Tf^ ^*T^^f^;

that

is

to say,

"things injurious to the eyes, filthy, and inauspicious."

But compare

*

the Mdnavadharmaidstra, IV., 142

Here follows the

line

Other objects forbidden to be •wife,

and the sun

According

looked at are, thus, 'another's naked

at its setting or rising.'

Laws

to the

of the Mdnavas, IV., 53,

man may

a

not see

even his own wife in a state of nudity. §

Chaitya-taru.

1

find

a

variant,

chaitya-tanu,

'the

of a

interior

temple', perhaps. II

The

original

devadhwaja, which

words, occurring in the midst of a compound

may mean

In the former edition there was an unintentional TI

^^^T^

,

are

'the banner of a god'.

comma

^W^^ T^^T^ ^ ^ ^tt:

I

after

"image".

VISHNU PURANA.

138

Let him not travel alone through a forest, nor Let him keep ^

nary.*

sleep* by hhnself in an empty house.

remnants of ofand earth ^ wet with water in which another has bathed. Let him not receive the protection of the unworthy, nor attach himself to the dishonest. Let him not approach a beast of prey;t and

remote from

hair, bones, thorns, tilth,

ferings, ashes, f

him not

let

lie in

counter fatigue,

^

Manu,

'

lb., id., 57.

'

lb., id., 78.**

I

when he has risen from sleep. when he is awake; nor en-

tarry long,

Let him not

*

chaff,

bed,

when

it is

time to

rest. §

A

prudent

IV., 130.

t

find vaset, 'dwell.'

I Balibhasma. \

Preferably, 'a vicious beast'; vydla being interpreted dusht'a-mriga.

"Let the wise man shun excess as to watching and sleeping; likewise, and sitting; and so, as to his bed and as to labour, King." One MS, has jdgaraswapnau, which we should rather expect. Perhaps the writer preferred jingle to good grammar. Further, several MSS. read as to standing

sndiia,

'bathing',

for sthdna^

long time', instead of tathd,

According

word of

to Kulliika

this stanza.

*«

'standing'; and 'so.'

The

and Medhatithi,

one gives chiram,

scholiast says: ''?r?n'^

idols

are intended

'for

a

^TT!T~

by the

first

BOOK

man

will avoid,

even

III.,

CHAP.

139

XII.

at a distance, animals with tusks

and horns; and he wind,* and to sunshine.

will

shun exposure

A man

to

to frost,

must neither bathe,

nor sleep, nor rinse his mouth, f whilst he is naked ;^ he must not wash his mouth, nor perform any sacred rite, with his waistband unfastened; and he must not offer oblations to fire, nor sacrifice to the gods, nor wash his mouth, nor salute a Brahman, nor utter a prayer, + with only one garment on.§ Let him never

immoral persons: half an instant

associate with||

is

the limit for the intercourse t of the righteous with wise man will never engage in a dispute with them.

A

either his superiors or inferiors: controversy

and marLet

riage are to be permitted only between equals.

not a prudent

man

enter into contention:

avoid unprofitable enmity.

A

small loss

dured; but he should shun the wealth that

by

let

may be is

him en-

acquired

hostility.

a man has bathed, he must not wipe his limbs with a towel or with** his hands; nor shake his hair, nor rinse his mouth before he has risen, ff Let

"When

Manu,

'

'

Read

IV., 45.

'the east wind', puro-vdta.

t Upaspriset J

tl

As the

is

by the commentator. "nor salute a Brahman, nor

so explained

original of

litter

a prayer",

I

W^, "nor engage in TT^'^fl in the context, prayer which he has procured to be said by the twice-born." The comby ^I!?rT^^T^% . The prayer referred mentator explains

f^^T^T^^

find, -with wf »

flj^-^'n'^

to

is,

thus, understood to be that at a

have pronounced a certain day § Compare

p. 125,

sz/pm,

tt The Sanskrit has only ++

|!

ceremony

for

which the Brahmans

to be lucky.

Sahdsita.

utthitaK,

%

Saihnikarsha.

implying

'after

**

SndnaMt'i.

he has stood up'.

VISHNU PURANA.

140

him not (when

sitting,)

put one foot over another, nor

stretch forth * his foot, in the presence of a superior,

with modesty, in the posture called Virasana

but

sit,

(or,

on his knees).

He must

never pass round a temple

hand,f nor perform the ceremony of

upon cumambulating any venerable object his left

A

direction.

man

decent

will not spit,

impurity, in front of the moon,

fire,

cir-

in the reverse

nor eject any

the sun, water,

wdnd, or any respectable person;^ nor will he void urine standing, nor upon the highway.

He

never

will

step over phlegm, ordure, urine, or blood: nor

expectoration of the at the

is

the

mucus of the throat t allowable

time of eating, offering sacrifices or oblations,

or repeating prayers, § or in the presence of a respectable person.

"Let not a man treat

him put

let

entire

||

women

faith in

impatiently with them,t nor set

'

Manu,

with disrespect; nor

Let him not deal them over matters of

them.

IV., 52.

This-prasdrayet-is the commentator's explanation of nayet.

*

\

tary

II

H

Add

A

The

'or nose'.

adds:

original

f^B^T^ ^cW:

I

This all-important qualification •!

%%-^^%^

Compare

p. 110,

I

is

^TSJTf^fTToRtf^^

f^fT^

is

Commen-

•

I

f^^T^

not in the original.

The commentary

supra.

^Tf^ET^^^:

gives irshu

=

asahishnu.

BOOK importance. *

III.,

CHAP.

A man who

is

141

XII.

attentive to the duties

of his station will not go forth from his house without

The Hindus, in their literature, here and there manifest a due esteem womankind. In the subjoined extract from the Mahdbhdrata it is to be hoped that their misogyny found its utmost limit. These verses *

for

selected from

a slanderous

etfusion of a

monde, the apsaras Panchachuda, parvan,

— are

member

to be

2212-2230 (Chapter XXXVIII., Saka 178i-5.).

s7.

edition of

?T^T^T^

T

^

f?T^t^

^ ^^:

si.

^^ ^TT^

WWTT'mft ^t%^f%WTf% ^

in ih^

— 29,

11

^«rTf!Tf^^5^Tf?^^rf^^t% ^j^

^ig??^^ 1T^<|%

the celestial demi-

of

met with

ff f?T¥f^ Ht|5

II

^^^T

I

ii

^f^ 5^^ f ^ ^f^: uf^^^ f^^: Tf^fTTt

71^^

^

^^

^TcTTt

II

II

^

^^:R5^^^rrwTf^ H^t^ rTj: Trf^T2if7T ^^rr^-RT ^xpi-Rt ^fr^f>ii;

^?n^»Tf^

Bombay

II

^f^'^TfT^^

^^TRTfH^^TWt ff ^^TFTfT^^^

Anmdsana-

in the

wrt

'^'wt

II

frr-^T*!:

^f% ^^^T'T^ fW^'

H52T^ ^smi TfTR^^fTi:

i

I

II

II

"Women, though married

to

Narada,

is

"From

born in noble families, themselves beauteous, and worthy husbands, remain not within the bounds of duty: this,

women. want of a motive for

the fault of the

deviation,

or through

fear of the

VISHNU PURANA.

142

saluting the cliaplets, * flowers, gems, clarified butter,

and venerable persons

in

it.

At proper seasons, he where four roads

will salute, respectfully, the places

when engaged f

meet,

Let him

in offering oblations

liberally relieve

the virtuous

and reverence those who are learned people or of tteir kindred,

bounds of duty, faithful

"But

unbridled their

to

who

with

fire.

are poor,

in the

women may remain

Vedas.i the

-within

husbands.

neither through fear of moral law^ nor through severe reprehen-

from any motive of regard for wealth, nor on account of their connexion with kindred and family, are women constant to their husbands. "Matrons envy women who live by prostitution the bloom of youth sion, nor

they possess, and the food and apparel they receive.

"Though men be

lame, divine Sage!

or otherwise contemptible, there

not any man, in this world, great Sage! insufferable to

is

"If they have no possible access to men,

women.

thou inspired by Brahma!

they seduce each other: truly, they are not constant to their husbands.

"From

not finding men, or through fear of their kindred, or apprehen-

sion of stripes or confinement, they gaard themselves.

"But

fire

death with

not satiated with wood,

is

all

beings, nor

"This, divine Sage!

is

woman

nor the ocean with rivers, nor

with man.

another hidden quality

very sight of a handsome man, the heart of a

"Women

bear not

them what they

much

desire,

affection

to

their

women:

of all

woman

at the

melts with desire.

husbands,

though giving

doing what they wish, and protecting them from

danger.

"They do

not so

much value

abun-

the gratification of their wishes,

dance of ornaments, or hoards of wealth, as they do sensual pleasures. "Final destiny, wind, death, the infernal regions, the fire of the ocean, the edge

of a razor,

venomous women."

poison,

united, are no worse than

serpents,

and devouring

is by Colebrooke, and may be found in Jagannatha Tarkapanchanana's Digest of Hindu Lau\ Vol. * Mangalya. 394, London edition.

This translation

of

his II.,

fire,

all

version pp. 393,

t Read "and will engage"; the Sanskrit being ^TT'T'^ft H%c(^'

"Let him

aid the needy;

and

let

him reverence the virtuous,

if

very

learned."

This

is

in

accord with the commentary, which says:

^T^'T^ ^5?^"

BOOK

He who

is

III.,

CHAP.

143

XII.

a worshipper of the gods and sages,

eives cakes and water to the manes, and

who

who

exercises

hospitahty, obtains the highest regions, (after death).

He who*

speaks wisely, moderately, and kindly, goes

to those worlds

which are the inexhaustible sources

He

of happiness.

M^ho

is

modest, devout, f

intelligent,

and who reverences wisdom,

his superiors,*

and the

aged, goes to§ heaven.

"On

the days called Parvans, on periods of impuupon unseasonable thunder, and the occurrence of eclipses or atmospheric portents, a wise man must The pious man desist from the study of the Vedas. ^ who suppresses anger and envy, who is benevolent to all, and allays the fears of others, secures, as the least

rity,

||

of his rewards, enjoyment in Swarga.

IF

A man should

carry an umbrella, as a defence against sun and rain;

he should bear a

when he goes by

staff,

night,

or

through a wood; and he should walk in shoes, if he desires to keep his body from harm. As he goes along, he should not look up,

'

on

Manu, IV.,

this subject,

•

101,

&c.

The

or about him,** or

legislator is

much more

^^ ^^T(JTT

subdued

aifections

'forbearing.' Here follow two untranslated and vinaydnvita, 'pious' and 'meek'.

epithets,

In the Sanskrit,

•who, at the

'^'t "the person of

proper time."

t Kshamdyukta, dstika +

Abhijana; his 'family', perhaps.

§ Insert 'the highest', II

"

copious,

than the author of the Puraria.

anuttama.

"Or atmospheric portents"

Tiryach.

is

to

render ddika, 'etc'

VISHNU PURANA.

144 afar

off,

but keep his eyes upon the ground, to the ex*

tent of a couple of yards,

"The householder who expels fection

is,

all

sources of imper-

in a great degree, acquitted of the three or-

dinary objects of existence,— desire, wealth, and virtue ;f

amongst the sinful.; speaking amicably to all whole soul melting with benevolence; final felicity is in his grasp. + The earth is upheld by the veracity of those who have subdued their passions, sinless

men;

his

and, following righteous practices, are never contami-

nated by desire, coveteousness, and therefore, a wise

agreeable; and,

is

man

wrath. §

(ever) speak the truth,

when

the truth would

Let,

when

it

inflict pain,

him hold his peace. Let him not utter that which, though acceptable, would be detrimental; for it were better to speak that which would be salutary, although

let

A

should give exceeding offence. ^||

it

considerate

So Manu, IV., 138. 1 " Let him say what is true but let him say what is pleasing. Let him speak no disagreeable truth; nor let him speak agreeable falsehood. This is a primeval rule."** '

*

;

Yuga-mdtra, defined by hasta-chatusht'aya.

^^^^i^:^TW^^

^fw:

^

^^r^TTf%fTT%^TT^»n^^rTT II

*

This

fvrq -gW ffrr ^cTf^fTT iT^T

is

Sir William Jones's rendering.

^

f%r!T

Tift

II

II

'r\^
I

BOOK

man

will

'

CHAP.

always cultivate, in

that which

and

iir.,

is

good

in the next. "

act,

145

xir.

thought, and speech,

for living beings, both in this

world

^

That the preceding chapter agrees,

closely with the contents

of the fourth

in

many

respects, very

book of the

Institutes of

Manu, on economics and private morals, will be evident from the instances cited of some of the parallel passages. Several others might have been adduced.

III.

10

CHAPTER Of Sraddhas or

XIII.

honour of ancestors,

rites in

performed on

to be

Of

Obsequial ceremonies.

occasions of rejoicing.

the

Ekod-

dishta or monthly Sraddha, and the Sapiiidana or annual one.

By whom

to be performed.

AURVA continued.— "The bathing

of a father, with-

when a son

is born; and he ceremony proper for the event,* the Sraddha offered upon joyous occasions.^

out disrobing,

is

enjoined,

to celebrate the

is

which

is

The

offerings of the

Hindus

character of those of the

Romans

'

to the lares

bear a more conspicuous part in their deed, by

Manu

(III.,

203 f), in

Matsya Purarias, and Hari

the Pitris partake of the

to

words repeated

Vari'isa,

to

and manes, but

They

ritual.

are said, in-

in the

Vayu and

be of more moment than

the worship of the gods:

These ceremonies are not for,

to

be regarded as merely obsequial;

independently of the rites addressed to a recently deceased

relative,

— and,

in

connexion with him,

to the progenitors of all beings,

remote ancestors, and

to

— which

are

of a strictly obse-

quial or funeral description, offerings to deceased ancestors, and

the Pitris in general,

form an essential ceremony, on a great

variety of festive and domestic occasions. in a passage referred

Vol. VII.

§),

The Nirnaya Sindhu,

by Mr. Colebrooke (Asiatic Researches,

to

specifies the following

Sraddhas

:

1.

The

perpetual; daily offerings to ancestors in general: mittika, or occasional;

*

Nitya, or

The Nai-

as the Ekoddishta, or obsequial offerings

Expressed, in the original, by jdta-karman, for which see Colebrooke's

Digest, &c., Vol.

+

2.

Harivainia,

III.,

il.

p. 104,

1005.

§

note f-

Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol,

I.,

p. 180, note.

BOOK m., CHAP.

147

xiir.

With composed mind, and thinking on nothing

Brahman should

else,

worship to both the gods and progenitors, and should respectfully circumambu-

the

offer

keeping Brahmans on his

late,

left

hand, and give them

Standing with his face to the east,f he should

food,*

present, with the parts of the on account

of a kinsman

recently

hand sacred deceased:

to the

gods

The Kamya,

3.

voluntary; performed for the accomplishment of a special design

The Vriddhi performed on occasions of re5. The Sapiiidana; offerings to all individual general ancestors: G. The Parvaiia Sraddha; offerings to

(^5rf*Wfrftr^^)

-

4.

;

joicing or prosperity:

and

to

the manes, on certain lunar days called Parvans, or day

moon and new moon, and lunar fortnight:

7.

of learned persons,

the purpose:

8.

of full

the eighth and fourteenth days of the

The Goshthi;

for the advantage of a

number

or of an assembly of Brahmans, invited for

The Suddhi; one performed

from some defilement,

— an expiatory Sraddha:

to purify 9.

a person

The Karmanga;

one forming part of the initiatory ceremonies, or Sariiskaras, ob10. The Daivika; to The Yatra Sraddha; held by a person going a journey: and, 12. The Pushti oraddha; one performed to promote health and wealth. Of these, the four which

served at conception, birth,

which the gods are invited:

tonsure, &c.

:

11.

are considered the most solemn are the rite performed for a parent,

or near relative, lately deceased; that which

for kindred,

collectively;

that observed

and that celebrated on occasions of rejoicing: ^f%^rf^TI#t<=h
'^^^^^ ^RlgEW:

is

performed

on certain lunar days;

I

^SJ"^

"m^TOfefitf^H-

Niriiaya Sindhu, p. 271.

intent thereon, i.e., on the son born, and on nothing else, him duly circumambulate -keeping them on his left — Brahmans, in couples, those set apart for the service of the gods and those set apart for the service of the manes; and let him -worship and feed those same Brahmans."

"With mind

let

t

Add

"or to the north"; for the original has

irr^<^"t<4^<^«Sf^ ^Tl 10*

148

VISHNU PURANA.

and*

food/ with curds, unbruised and jujubes; and should perform, on every accession of good fortune, the rite by which the class of progenitors termed Nandimukha is propitiated.^ A to Prajapati, balls of

grain,

Manu

'

directs the balls

to

be made from the remainder of

the clarified butter constituting the previous oblation to the gods. III., 215.

Kulliika Bhatta explains, however, the oblation to

f

consist partly is

them

directs

to be

Purai'ia adds,

to

various kinds of

made

in the

or boiled rice.

The

latter

Yajnavalkyat

chiefly consist.

of rice and sesamum-seeds.

The Vayu

of pulse, and of grain, and water, frank-

fruit,

size, also, differs;

Hemadri,

— food,

balls

two ingredients, honey and butter: but

these,

sugar, and milk,

incense,

Their

Anna (^W),

of

of which the

the article

are,

also,

mixed up

in

the Piiidas.

and, according to Angiras, as quoted by

Sraddha Mayukha, § they may be of the dimen-

sion of the fruit of the jujube, or of the hog-pluni, of the fruit of the Bel, or of the wood-apple, or of a fowl's egg. direct

ties

Pindas of a

Some

scribing them no larger than the wood-apple, at the

first

funereal ceremony, and as big as a cocoa-nut, at the

and annual Sraddha. a magnitude, that

it

In practice, the Piiida

may be

is,

or pure

monthly

usually, of such

conveniently held by the hand.

W^e have, here, the authority of the text for classing the

^

Niindimukhas amongst the

*

authori-

different size for diiferent Sriiddhas; pre-

The

Piti'is

original has vd, *or';

the

(see p. 98, suj)ra).

The

verse is:

injunction allowing an option.

The

expressions here connected are daivatirtha and kdya, on which vide supra, p. 99,

notes

of the llishis,

:

1

and •. dmha.

The

daivatirtha

is

sometimes called the

tirthu

?

§ This work has Nilakant'ha for

kalpa.

its

author.

Hemadri wrote the Srdddha-

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

149

xiir.

householder should diligently worship the Piti'is so named, at the marriage of a son or daughter, on entering a new dw^elling, on giving a name to a child, on

performing his tonsure and other purificatory ceremonies,* at the binding of the mother's hair during gestation, or on (first) seeing the face of a son, or the

The Sraddha on such occasions, however, has king, the rules Hear now,

like.

been

briefly alluded to.

performance of obsequial

for the

rites.

"Having washed the corpse with holy water, decorated it with garlands, and burnt it without the village, the kinsmen, having bathed with their clothes on, are

and

to stand with their faces to the south,

offer liba-

him by name, and adding, 'wherever thou mayest be.'^ They then re-

tions (to the deceased), addressing

And

same Garia or

the

The Mantra

class

is

presently again

of the Vriddhi or festival Sraddha

the Nirriaya Sindhu,

to

be

VfT^^^:

named: is,

fxT^«T:

also,

^TfT

said, in I

Ac-

cording to the authorities, however, which are cited in that work, there seems to be some uncertainty about the character of the

Nandimukhas; and they are addressed both

as Pitris and gods;

being, in the former case, either the ancestors prior to the great-

grandfather,— ancestors collectively, or a certain class of them and, in the latter, being identified with the Viswadevas, or a class

of

mukha

is,

them called also Urdhwavaktra. also,

applied to the rite

itself,

The term Nandior

to the

Sraddha, and to one addressed to maternal ancestors.

Vriddhi Niriiaya

Sindhu, pp. 268, &c. ' "An oblation of water must be next presented from the joined palms of the hand, naming the deceased and the family

Chuddkarmddika.

150

VISHNU PURANA.

tarn, along with the cattle

(coming from pasture), to

the village, and, upon the appearance of the stars, re-

on mats spread upon the earth.* Every day (whilst the mourning lasts), a cake (or ball) of food^ is to be placed on the ground, (as an offering) to the deceased; and rice,f without flesh, is to be daily t eaten. Brahmans are to be fed for as many days as the mourner pleases; for the soul of the de-

tire to rest, sleeping

funct derives satisfaction accordingly as his relatives

On

are content with their entertainment. §

the

first

day, or the third, or seventh, or ninth (after the death

from which he sprung, thee.'"

The proper period

*

and saying, 'May

this

Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII., p. 244.11

of mourning

ten days,

is

reach

oblation

The

text has:-

on each of

which, offerings of cakes and libations of water are to be to the deceased,

on the

that, is

last day,

shorter, the

ten cakes are presented.

Nirnaya Sindhu,

Here

— compare

When

same number of ten cakes must be

amongst the several days; or they may day.

made

augmenting the number of cakes each day, so

p.

131,

the period distributed

be, all, presented

on one

p. 429.

note, supra,

— we

encounter the unusual vo-

and swastara. Commentary A has srastara; commentary B, prastara: but, as both give the same definition, ffI!T^'3Z|Tj it is presumable that one or other of cable srastara, with the variants prastara, samstara,

them

is

On

sophisticated as to the term defined.

the expression c()^VJ^|«^ the commentator remarks TTfTIi (JTT'Pl

t So the commentator explains bhakta. X Diva, 'by day.'

II

Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneotis Essays, Vol.

I.,

pp. 169, 160.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

151

XIII.

of a person), his kinsmen should change their raiment,* and bathe out of doors, and offer a Hbation of water, with (tila) sesamum-seeds. On the fourth day, ^ the ashes and bones should be collected; after which the body of one connected with the deceased by offerings

may

of funeral cakes

be touched (by an indifferent

person, without thereby incurring impurity)

who

qualified for

It

'

ceases,

more or,

seventh, or ninth:

They

^

of

the

first,

third,

but the authorities vary; and, besides these,

and certain days of the fortnight or

Niniaya Sindhu,

specified.

are no longer unclean.

nected by offerings

seven degrees,

class

on that day on which the

correctly,

as previously mentioned,

the second and fourth days,

month, are

and those

The former

any occupation.^

should be,

mourning

;

by presentation of water f are

are related only

of cakes

to

p. 432.

The

Sapiiidas, or those con-

common

ascending or descending;

ancestors, the

extend to

Samanodakas, or

those similarly connected by presentations of water, to fourteen degrees,

t

The words "^"S^^T't

Ifc^T imply that the clothes should be As we have seen just above, According to some MSS., they are to be retained during the first. however, which have *

laid aside for the

*

second funereal abUition.

instead of

there

is

no bathing prescribed

t Samdnasalila X II.,

It

means

In the Mitdkshard,

for this

the

where

136, the following lines are

"The

relation

of the

it

same

latter occasion.

as

samdnodaka.

expatiates

on the

Ydjnavalkya-smriii,

qnoed from Bi'ihan-Manu:

sapiiidas

(or,

kindred connected by the funeral

oblation,) ceases with the seventh person

:

and that

of

samanodakas

(or,

VISHNU PURANA.

152

may use beds;* but they must still refrain from unguents and flowers, and must observe continence, after the ashes and bones have been collected, relatives

mourning

(until the

child,

is

f or one who

When

over).

but

is

brief,

II

is

and the ceremonies with

and water are discretional.! which a kinsman is deceased

The food is

a

de-

the period of un-

graded, or a spiritual preceptor, § cleanness

the deceased

who has been

abroad, t or

is

fire

of a family in

not to be partaken of

for ten days;^ and, during, that period, gifts, acceptance, sacrifice,

'

That

The food

and sacred study are suspended.

a mere guest, or stranger,

is,

directed to be given to

only to the relatives of the deceased

In

is

Brahmans

who

not to partake of is

it.

given, in general,

are already unclean.

our text and the modern practice seem to

this respect,

The

differ

by a common libation of water,) extends to the fouras some affirm, it reaches as far as the memory of This is signified by gotra (or, the relation of birth and name extends. those connected

teenth degree;

or,

Colebrooke's

family-name)."

Two

Treatises

on the Hindu

Law

of In-

heritance, pp. 351, 352.

Compare the Laws of *

Add 'and

Mdnavas, V.,

the

60.

seats', dsana.

t That has not yet cut its teeth, says the commentator. X And has been so for upwards of a year, the commentary adds.

As explanatory

of

what

is

meant by "abroad", the following stanza

is cited:

§ Guru. II

for

A common

Sadijas.

and preferred by commentary A, is mvni. by the scholiast, that it lasts only three nights,

variant,

It is stated,

one who dies abroad.

After "brief" read:

from water,

fire,

"likewise,

or hanging."

optionally,

as regards persons

who

die

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

153

XIII.

term of impurity for a Brahman is ten days;* for a Ksliattriya, f twelve; for a Vaisya, half a month; and a whole month, for a Sudra.^ On the first day (after imcleanness ceases), the nearest relation of the deceased should feed Brahmans at his pleasure, but hi

uneven numbers, and offer to the deceased a ball of rice upon holy grass t placed near the residue of the food that has been eaten. After the guests have been fed, the mourner, according to his caste, is to touch water, a weapon, a goad, or a staff; as he is purified by such contact. He may then resume the duties prescribed for his caste, and follow the avocation ordina-

pursued by

rily

its

members.

"The Sraddha enjoined

for an individual §

repeated on the day of his death,

(in

is

to be

each month, for

a year),^ but without the prayers and rites performed

as described

from the primitive system,

The

eleventh or twelfth day

is

which crowns the whole of the funeral

and when Brahmans are

So Manu,

^

*

Nirnaya Sindhu, III.,

The ceremonial imcleanness

But

This phrase

1?

187.

||

be performed,

Nirriaya Sindhu, p. 437.

is,

for each case, the same,

It

may be doubted

of the

my MSS

,

Brahman

if

lasts as

the monthly

long as that of

which here read:

the Translator has the support of the Mdnavadharmasdstra, Y., 83.

t Rdjanya, in the §

III.,

p. 429.

251.1

the Kshattriya, according to

is to

rites

be invited.

of Piiidas, however,

The number

'

or ten.

to

by Manu,

the term on which the Sraddha

is

original.

to render ekoddisht'a.

t

Darbha.

154

VISHNU PUKANA.

on the

and without offerings

occasion,

first

A

Yiswaclevas.*

single ball of food

is

to the

to be offered

and

to the deceased, as the purification of one person;

Brahmans asked,

are to be fed.f

by the

sacrificer, if

"This

is

to

is

be

to

they are satisfied; and, upon

'May

their assent, the prayer

one' (the deceased,)

The Brahmans are this ever satisfy

such a

be recited.

the Sraddha called Ekoddishta, which

is

be performed (monthly,) to the end of a twelve-

to

month (from the death of which, the

The

served.

of a person); at the expiration

ceremony

called

Sapindana§

is

practices of this rite are the

those of the monthly obsequies

to

be ob-

same

but a lustration

;

is

be made with four vessels of water, perfumes, and

One

samum.

of these vessels

as to se-

considered as dedi-

is

cated to the deceased; the other three, to the progenitors in general;

and the contents of the former are

Sraddha was part of the ancient system, although KuUuka Bhatta supposes

it

to

be referred to

(v. 248),

and supplies the fancied

omission of the text.

The commentator says

that

the Vis we devas are here

intended; and

the Translator has substituted his explanation.

T(?^^

§

fx?T!#r

The term here used,

below.

^r?^ ^w^f^ f^if^^

in

the original,

is

ii

sapindikarana, as a

little

BOOK

CHAP.

III.,

155

XIII.

be transferred to the other three,* by which the

to

deceased becomes mchided

whom

worship

is

m the class of ancestors,

to be addressed, with

all

The persons who

monies of the Sraddha.

to

the cereare

com-

petent to^erform the obsequies (of relations connected

by the

offering of the cake) are the son, grandson,

great-grandson, a kinsman of the deceased, f the descendants of a brother, or the posterity of one allied by funeral offerings.

mony may be

In absence of

all

these, (the cere-

by those related by presenor those connected, by offerings

instituted)

tations of water only,

of cakes or water, to maternal ancestors. families (in the male line) be extinct,

may be performed by women,

quies

ciates of the tions,

+

Should both

the last obse-

or by the asso-

deceased in religious or social

or by any one

who becomes

institu-

possessed of the

property of a deceased kinsman. § "Obsequial rites are of three descriptions,— initiative,

and subsequent.^ The first are those which are observed after the burning (of the corpse),

intermediate,

*

Purva,

t Bandhu.

'first';

Madhyama, 'middle'; and

"Bandhu, cognate

to the Coguati of the

Roman

Hindu Law of Inheritance, I The phrase "associates tdntargata,

§

or

law."

distant

corresponding nearly

kin,

Colebrooke's

Two

Treatises

on the

p, 352, note.

of the deceased," &c.

on which the commentator observes:

Utsanna-bandhu.

Uttara, 'last'.

is

to represent ."sawi/M-

^^(T^

tll^l '^if^-

VISHNU PURANA.

156 until the

touching of water, weapons, &c.,

until

(or,

the cessation of uncleanness); the intermediate cere-

monies are the Sraddhas called Ekoddishta, which are offered every month; and the subsequent rites are those which follow the Sapindikarana, wheii the de-

ceased

is

admitted amongst the ancestors of his race:

and the ceremonies

are, thenceforth, (general or) an-

The first set of rites (as performed by the kindred of the cestral.

essential) are to

father or

be

mother,—

whether connected by the offering of the cake or of water, — by the associates of the deceased,* or by the prince

who

inherits his property.

last rites are, both, to

relations,

The

first

and the

be performed by sons and other

and by daughter's sons, and their sons

;

and

so are the sacrifices on the day of the person's death.

The

rites, are to be performed same ceremonies as are enjoined for the monthly obsequies; and they may be, also, performed by females. As the ancestral rights are, therefore, most universal, I will describe to you, king, at what seasons, and in what manner, they

last class,

or ancestral

annually, with the

should be celebrated, "f

*

Sanghdtdntargata.

CHAPTER Of

XIV.

occasional Sniddlias or obsequial ceremonies cacious, and at

AURVA

what

:

when most

effi-

places.

proceeded.

— "Let the devout performer of

an ancestral oblation^ propitiate Brahma, Indra, Rudra,

We may

'

meant by the

here take Pitris

:

who are may be called

the opportunity of inquiring

and, generally speaking, they

a race of divine beings, inhabiting celestial regions of their own,

and receiving into

whom

their society

the spirits of those mortals for

the rite of fellowship in obsequial cakes with them, the

Sapindikaraiia, has been duly performed. therefore, include a

The

Pitris collectively,

man's ancestors; but the principal members

The Vayu,

are of a different origin.

of this order of beings

Padma Puranas, and Hari Vamsa, profess to give of the original Pitris. The account is much the same,

Matsya, and

an account

and, for the most part, in the

same words,

in all.

They agree*

in distinguishing the Pitris into seven classes; three of

without form (^SW^^*.)' tary,

^^'

composed of

elemen-

what forms they please; and four When they come to the enumeration

substance, and assuming

are corporeal

(^TTfT^O-

somewhat

of the particular classes, they

given by the

Vayu and The

the Hari

sons of the gods.

lecting to worship him,

upon

;

and the accounts,

Vamsa,

the

first Pitris

were the

having offended Brahma, by neg-

gods,

were cursed, by him,

their repentance,

sons, for instruction.

From

differ

works, are singularly imperfect. According to a legend

in all the

but,

which are

intellectual, not

he directed them

to to

become

Being taught, accordingly, the

the Harivavda, U. 932

fools;

apply to their rites

of ex-

VISHNU PURANA.

158

the Aswins,* the sun,

fire,

the Vasns, the winds,! the

Viswadevas, the sages, birds, men, animals,

penance,

piation and fathers;

So

the

by

their

sons,

f^'^

gods.'

the

in

tlie first Pitris.

irTfJ^f^fTT:

^;^nTT^ ^T^I^ thrift ^^15^* Pitris are born,

'The

reptiles, §

they addressed them as

whence the sons of the gods were

^^"t f^^cTTt^^T^ Matsya has:

:

II

II

I

Manwantaras, as the sons of the

The Hari Vainsal makes

the sons assume the character

'Depart, children:'

of fathers; addressing them,

Again, the Vayu Puraiia declares the seven orders of Pitris to have been, originally, the first gods, the Vairajas, whom Brahma, with the eye of Yoga, beheld in the eternal spheres, and who are the gods of the gods:

^^t: ^^Tf^^T I'm ^^ ffT¥f^ w^Tt: %^^v t^T^T Tt^ mjw[ ^m^i

f^

%

**************

i

II

^fjj.^{.**»******** Again, in the same work,

we have

the incorporeal Pitris called

Vairajas, ft from being the sons of the Prajapati Viraja

++

++

Nasatyas, their synonym, in the original.

t

Mdruta

is

the

Sanskrit expression.

deities so called, see Vol. II

^

This

is

II.,

p. 79.

from the Vdyu-purd/ia.

For the Maruts, or Marutas, § Sarisnpa. X Pasu.

Compare the HarivaMa,

si.

917, 918.

SI. 912.

** Here I have filled out a line which Professor Wilson, it should seem, was not enabled, from the illegibleuess of his MSS., to decipher in its entirety. tt See Vol. II., p. 227, text and note 1.

XI

and

For "the patriarch Vairaja", see Vol. p. 262,

note

f.

From

Vol.

I.,

p. 104,

I.,

p.

note

177; and Vol. 2,

and

p. 108,

II.,

note

p. 86, 1, it

BOOK progenitors, and

all

III.,

CHAP. XIV.

The Matsya

by

existent things,

them monthly, on the

tion to

159 offering adora-

day of the

fifteenth

agrees with this latter statement, and adds, that the

gods worship them

^^^•^:

f^Ti^^ Trm^m:

tTT^^iTirr

The Hari Vamsa* has

i

same statement, but more precisely

the

distinguishes the Vairajas as one class only of the incorporeal

The commentator f

Pitris.

states the same, calling the three in-

corporeal Pitris, Vairajas, Agnishwattas, the four corporeal orders,

and Barhishads;t and

Sukalas, Angirasas, Suswadhas, § and

The Vairajas are described as the fathers of Mena,|| Uma. Their abode is variously termed the Santanika, Sanatana, and Soma loka. IT As the posterity of Viraja, they are the Somasads of Manu. ** The other classes of Pitris Somapas.

the mother of

seems that Vairaja is one with Manu. Who, then, is the prajdpati Vairaja? And was Vairaja corrupted into Viraja? Nilakaiit'ha says that Viraja's sons were mdnasa, which term he explains by manomdtraiarira. Arjuna Misra, another scholiast on the Harivamsa * SI.

,

^
^^f^

II

Vide infra,

A

^

X

p. 164,

p.

** In

is

162, note

For their residence

and note

^^T

See Vol.

I.,

ii

II

note

p. 156,

assigned to

Mena

in Vol,

pp. 156, 157.

I,,

\\.

in the Tapoloka, &c.,

see Vol.

II.,

p, 227,

1.

III.,

195,

we

read that the Somasads were sons of Viraj:

f^TTf fTT: ^T?^^: ^rrwRT See note

X\

in the

2.

note **.

different paternity

Also vide infra,

TT^Ttm:

rn^^^TTTT f^fVfIt

t Nilakant'ha, §

Brahma.

identifies Viraja with

935, 936:

preceding page.

fv^^x- ^ttt:

i

text

VISHNU PURANA.

160

moon's wane (or dark fortnight),* or on the eighth

day of the same period

in certain

seasons, as I will explain.

ti culart

Manu

the three Purarias agree with

of the patriarchs, fices

months, f or at par-

and,

They

and posterity. §

Agnishwattas Matsya, Padma)

— sons :

in representing as the sons

in general, assign to

them the same

of-

are the following:

of Marichi, and Pitris of the gods (Manu,

living in

||

Soma-loka, and parents of Achchhoda

(Matsya, Padma, Hari Van'isalf).

The Vayu** makes them

resi-

dents of Viraja-loka, sons of Pulastya,|f Pitris of the demigods

and demons, and parents of Pivari; omitting t+ the next order of

*

This, the coramentator observes,

t For these months,

— three,

is

the darsa-irdddha.

or four, according to different authorities,

vide infra, p. 168, text and note +. X

Kdmya.

§ In the

—

MdrkaMeya-purdna, XCVI., 40 42, the Agnishwattas, BarSomapas are attached to the east, south, west,

bishads, Ajyapas, and

and north, respectively. II

^

See the quotation SI. 953,

in note

||

in the preceding page.

954:

ftmft f^f%

il^t w['^^

^w%

^^T^"p3n^^p^fT

wm ^^^ TR f^n^TT

ww^fqirrTr^

nr^'^ifwr tjj^nf^:

ij^ ^tt: ^^TR^TTcn:

tt

^^^^\itt:

^f^^ ^f^nr?^ ^

^^tfl'TTTTT

have Pulaha.

See the

II

ii

^f^ tt^t^:

^^^ TT^ iutt: ifrwT

My MSS.

II

i

^t:

rlt^

^

ii

II

last note.

** Without doubt, there is a hiatus in my MSS. of the Vdyu-purdna. These contain, nearly word for word, the three lines— all but their

BOOK

"When

CHAP. XIV.

III.,

161

a householder finds that any circumstance

has occurred, or a distinguished guest has arrived, on

Pitris,

to

Avhom these circumstances more accurately

refer.

The

commentator on the Hari Vau'isa* derives the name from Agnishu (^f^'5), 'in or by oblations to

fire,'

and Atta ("^TnO^ '^^-

tained,' 'invoked.

Barhishads

— sons

of Atri, and

Piti'is

demons (Manuf):

of the

sons of Pulastya, Pitris of the demons, residents in Vaiblu'aja, + fathers of Pivari (Matsya, Padnja, Hari

Vamsa§).

opening, fif^fTT t^f^— ending the extract in note § in p. 165, infra; and there was, probably, mention, in what preceded, of the Barhishads. These personages were, then, it seems, regarded as sons of Vasisht'ha, as dwellers in Jyotirbhasin, and as parents of a mind-born danghter by

Go.

It

shonld be added,

that

my MSS.

of the

mention the Barhishads again and again; as

^f^T^TTlT ^ff ^^: Also see Vol. •

^f^g

IT.,

p.

303, notes

^f^T^g

Nilakaiit'ha. III.,

+

Nilakai'it'ha,

§ SI.

^f

1

in the line:

t^^T!

^TTT:

T^

^Tth: ^ftm: f^^Tf^f^f%g

I

commentator on the Harivdiiisn, glosses

f^HT^:

15^^

t^T^T:

this

I

974—977:

I'Rt: T[^

w: f wt^ ^iT^^^f^cfT^^:

gTT ^iwr^:

5^RW^

T^miTi:

-^JU Also see note

^

^f^X?J^

+t in the

^ ^t^^rn

ii

i

^fT(?rT^ ^fT*n^T%^^T^nTf^^:

m.

I

and ^. i

196:

t

t^fT^T

fxTrTTt

name

Vdyu-purdna elsewhere

rf%^

ii

^

II

preceding page.

11

word thus:

VISHNU PURANA.

162

which account ancestral ceremonies are he should celebrate them.

He

""'

These three are the formless or incorporeal

— descendants

appi*opriate,

should offer a volun-

Pitris.

Swadba, Brahmans (Manu t and Vayu Purana§). The Padnia calls them Ushmapas. The Hari Variisa calls the Somapas— to whom it ascribes the same deSomapas,

the daughter of

of Bhfigu, or sons of Kavi by

Agni;t and

Pitris of the

||

^Tt ^^fl

f^WT'I

t Swadha appears, in Vol. I., siiti. For her husbands, vide

***** p.

Daksha and PraAlso vide supra,

157.

pp. 156,

ibid,,

ad finem, commentator on the

II

109, as daughter of

p. 122, note +,

Nilakaut'ha,

mentioned

I

§

III.,

My

in

the passage in

TIarivaiiisa,

note

||,

below,

says that Hirai'iyagjarbha, intends

Agni:

^'^«f^-

197, 198:

five

MSS.

Vdyu-purd/ia do not here tally with those on

of the

which Professor Wilson depended. II

-S7.

997—999:

ff ?:T!?r^^

f ctt: ^^wp^t^^t^ct ^t^ ^R f7I¥f^ ^ f^f^ ii

^TR^T W[^ ^ ^Tf t ^"R^

W^ ^^ ^rftfTT ^TT

^f^^ ^TO^^: are here — as

The Somapas Manasa, and

to

II

.

in the

their

for

+

— said

to

dwell in

mind-born daughter.

mind-born daughter.

also, note

II

Matsya-purdna,

have the river Narmada

Mena, too, is Compare, note 941,

m y^^^^^:

I

II

in p. 165, infra.

But vide

s^i-pra,

In p.

&l.

159,

BOOK

CHAP. XIV.

III.,

163

upon any atmospheric portent,* at tlie and solstitial periods, at eclipses of the sun

taiy sacrifice, equinoctial

— the

scent as the Vayu,^

of the Sudras; and the Sukalas,

Pitris

the Pitris of the Brahmans. f

Havishniatst

—

sons of Angiras, and Pitris

in the solar sphere,

(Manu,§ Vayu,

Kshattriyas

the

of

]|

Matsya,

Padnia,

Ilari

Van'isall).

*

On

Vyat'ipdta.

the malignant aspect so called, an astrological yoga,

see Professor Whitney's

comment

at p.

23G of the American translation of

the Surya-siddhdnta: or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

Vol.

t In the Nirnayasindhu, III., B, not called an Upapurai'ia

purdim

—

TTWf ^ff

^^t%^

^

fol.

—

is

p.

187;

fourth; and the

11

r,

Bombay

f^^t ^t^t:

Wif^

edition, the

Nandi-

quoted as follows:

m:

-ff^R^ff

"^IWt ^T^T #^T^^Tf7fg

Here the Agnishwattas are declared the Barhishads, of the of the

I.,

p. 363.

II.,

i

II

to be the pitris of the first caste;

second; the Kavyas, of the third; the Sukalins,

Vyamas, — 'Fumes',

mere smoke,— of mlechchhus

and the lowest castemen.

Of the Vyamas

know of no mention except in passages from the which see Dr. Aufrecht's Catalogus, &c., p. 81 also, note in the next page, and p. 166, infra, note X. § See the next note. X Here I have corrected "Havishmantas".

Nandi-purdna,

I

for

;

II

As is seen in note + in the preceding page, a Havishmat is synonymously denominated a Havirbhuj, A third designation is Upahuta, which occurs in the following passage and elsewhere II

Tl^

mfWT^*

^q<^fTT:

^T^' ^f f^^f^^fn:

9"^'

II

^m% g thrift ^T^TT t^

cTP^fl^^TrTIIT

f ^T ^T^^f^

^t t

v[^ ^T f^^JTf ct: These beings are here said

to

XR^Tf^^:

t^ir^Tir:

I

II

1

inhabit Marichigarbha,

and

to

have a

mind-born daughter Yasoda. Nilakaut'ha thus

'WT^ ^

In

I

si.

comments on

f5Ttt»T3i^-n?n^ 988

— 990,

the

first

term

in this passage:

Tf^f^-

I

we have almost

the very words of the extr3ct in the

11*

164

VISHNU PURANA.

and moon, on the sun's entrance into a zodiacal sign, upon unpropitious aspects * of the planets and asAjyapas

— sons

the sous of Pulastya. §

Kavyas,

and

its

The

;

but

Pitris

Nandi Upapuraiia;||

in the

Ka-

of Kardama, Pitris of the Vaisyas, in the

niaduha-lokaf (Manu,+ &c. )

lawgiver

the

calls

them

the Vaisyas are called

of

and, in the Hari

Vamsalf

comment, they are termed Suswadhas, ** sons of Kardama,

descended from Pulaha.

preceding note; except that the line

under description, Vriddhasarman. •

and

that

"Unpropitious aspects"

Yasoda is

is

is

omitted which names the pitris said

be daughter-in-law of

to

to represent 'pidd,

which

signifies 'occul-

tation.'

The Matsya-purdna has Kamadugha; t This seems to be a mistake. with which compare the Mahdbhdrata, Vana-parvan, M. 15460. In the Harivaihia, the \

Vide supra,

§

We

name

is

p. 162,

read, in the

Kamaga, and II

^

&l.

^T^

— compare

that they have

See note f

Preface, p.

^

See note

in this page.

Vdyu-purdna:

^^rm^'pft It is stated here,

Kamaga. note +.

viwt

note

*(f,

^ ^^^^ ^ below,

— that

in the last page,

and

p. 166,

note J,

in

infra-,

also, Vol.

I.,

993—996: t^
^T^

Tnrr-R^:

^% f^f^ ^w^ wr^% f^l'mT: fTtg

best

by Arjuna

MSS.

Mis'ra.

I

i

WITTTT^TfT »n^^fnT tR^TTf^^:

^^rmw^^ ww^ff^ 'T^^^ ^ My

live

a mind-born daughter Viraja.

LXXXVII.

f^^T ^?T

**

II

the Ajyapas

yield

II

II

Sumedhas, which reading seems

The Matsya-purdna appears

to exhibit

to be preferred

Swaswadhas.

BOOK terisms, on

165

CHAP. XIV.

in.,

dreaming unlucky dreams, and on eating

the grain of the year

s

harvest. *

The

Pitris derive sa-

Pitris of the Sudras (Manuf They are not mentioned in the Padnia. the name and descent, but specifies them as

Sukalins— sons of Vasishtha, and and Vayu Parana

The Matsya

t).

inserts

amongst the incorporeal

Pitris:

The Hari It may be suspected that the passage is corrupt. Vamsa § makes the Sukalas sons of Vasishtha, the Pitris of the Brahmans; and gives the In general, this

Sudras. sions

and transpositions,

of

title

as

Somapas

to the Pitris

of the

follows the Vayu, but with omis-

work

if

it

had carelessly mutilated

its

original.

*

Navasasydgama. supra. I in page 162,

t See note I

are there called Sukalas:

They

"^^^Jinnl^ ^W[:

m-^fm ^T^

^TWT'in^^^fT

% ^^T

^rf%

II

f^

^^%

^T HT^^f^ ^Jjnf^ ^f^ww^T'nt'rsft

^^^ ^^^ff

^^c^^tT^i:

I

ii

I

The personages here spoken of are said to have their home in Manasa; and a mind-born daughter is affiliated on them, in the form of the river in p. 162, supra. Narmada. Compare note For discrepancies between this extract and that in the next note, additional to those pointed out by the Translator, vide supra, p. 160, ||

note +t. The 31atsya-purdna, calls

them

— the

§ SI. 985,

by evident corruption, gives the Sukalins—as

synonym Manasas.

986:

fSRWT

^

TR fxmft ^t¥^^ TT^TR^:

I

t^m f^ ^t^g ^frnlTf^ ^"Pk

II

it

VISHNU PUR AN A.

166

tisfaction, for eight years,

from ancestral

new moon when

the day of

offerings

Besides these Pitris or progenitors, other heavenly are, sometimes,

says

"

:

fathers,

made

The wise

call

our fathers Vasus

beings*

Thus,

a similar character.

to adopt

upon

the star of the conjnnc-

Manuf

our paternal grand-

;

Rudras; our paternal great-grandfathers, Adityas; agree-

ably to a text of the Vedas:" that

is,

these divine beings are to

be meditated upon, along with, and as not distinct from, progenitors. tice,

Hemadri quotes

the

Nandi Upapurariat

and directs Vishnu to be

for a different prac-

identified with the father;

Brahma,

with the grandfather; and Siva, with the great-grandfather. This,

however,

Saiva innovation.

is

The Vaishnavas

direct

Aniruddha

be regarded as one's-self; and Pradyumna, Sankarshana, and

to

Again, they are identified with

Vasudeva, as the three ancestors.

Varuna, Prajapatya, and Agni;

or, again,

Nirriaya Sindhu, p. 284.

and years.

It

with months, seasons,

may be doubted how

far

any of these correctly represent the original notions inculcated

by the

texts of the Vedas,

from which, §

in the

most

essential

particulars, they are derived.

*

Also vide supra,

Kavyas

p. 98,

note f; p. 163, note

mentioned in Vol. II., Agnidagdhas and Anagnidagdhas, are

p. 303, text

in the

In Goldsliicker's Sanskrit, Dictionary^ certain jniris

"who,

when

alive,

t

III,,

alive, did not

also, with the

;

Some

199:

the Agnidagdhas are said to be

kept up

the

household flame, pitria,

and

"apparently,

observe religious rites."

fMd^5(tf^ ttrfTRfT^

extracts from the

yasindhu, calls

the work

the Nirna— as Hemadri, — and further particulars touching

Nandi-purma,

here named,

I

like

the pitris, will be found in a note at the end of the volume.

For the Nandi-purdna, vide supra, §

III.,

284:

^^;^f% t +

1

MdnavarUiarmasdsira,

presented oblations with fire"; the Anagnidagdhas,

who, when

The Saumyas and

t-

and note

Where?

p. 163, note f-

BOOK tion^

Anuradha,* Visakha,

is

when

twelve years, vasu.

who

CHAP. XIV.

lU.,

it

or Swati; and,

for

Pushya, Ardra,f or Pnnar-

is

man

not easy+ for a

It is

167

to eftect his object,

desirous of worshipping the Pitris, or the gods,

is

on a day of new moon when the

stars are those of

Dhanishtha, Purvabhadrapada, or Satabhishaj.§ Hear,

an account of another class of Sraddhas, which

also,

afford especial contentment to progenitors, '

When

the Yogatara, or principal star seen,

is

||

as

ex-

the chief star

or stars of these asterisms or lunar mansions, respectively.

See

the table given by Mr. Colebrooke: Asiatic Researches, Vol. IX.,

The

p. 346. IF

first

three

named

in the text

are stars in Scorpio,

Libra, and Arcturus; the second three are stars in Cancer, Orion,

and Gemini;

and the third are

in

stars

the Dolphin, Pegasus,

and Aquarius. *

The Sanskrit has its synonym, Maitra. its synonym, is the word used

t Raudra,

of

in the original.

"For those who wish to propitiate the progenitors, or the gods, a day new moon under the asterism Vasava, or Ajaikapad, or Variu'ia, is

hard to find."

Compare what

is

§ Substituted for

as in the last note. II

said of

Dhanishtha in

rT^T*^fH^^ king,

asterisms, then

p. 169,

three

The commentator wrongly

•T^;^%^?n^T^T

"When,

The

"Satabhisha".

'spi

new moon

in the Sanskrit are

interprets Vasava

^^^'ftTm

W[t f^Wt

the day of

infra.

names

by Jyeshtha.

I

^TRXTl

falls under

II

any of these nine

exequial rites are propitiatory of the progenitors.

And

comes immediately

The

listen further."

This

stanza

Translator passed by the

first

after

line of

it,

that in

note t, above.

and connected the second with

what follows; namely:

%

Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

II.,

table opposite p. 322.

168

VISHNU PURANA.

plained, by Sanatkumara, (the son of Brahma), to the magnanimous Puri'iravas, when, full of faith and devotion to the Pitris, he inquired (how he might please them). The third lunar day of the month Vaisakha (April, May), and the ninth of Karttika (October, November), in the light fortnight; the thirteenth of Nabha *''

and the

(July, August),

fifteenth of

Magha

(January,

February), in the dark fortnight; are called, by ancient teachers, the anniversaries of the first

day of a Yuga

or age (Yugadya), and are esteemed most sacred. these days, water

On

mixed with sesamum-seeds should

be regularly presented to the progenitors of mankind; as well as on every solar and lunar eclipse; on the eighth lunations of the dark fortnights of Agrahayana,

—

Magha f (November February) ;t on the two days commencing the solstices, when the nights

Pausha, and

* Called, in the Sanskrit,

by

his

metronym,

Aila,

i,

e.,

son of

Ila.

t For an account of the mdmsdsht'akd festival, see Professor Wilson's Essays and Lectures, &c., Vol. II., pp. 181, 182. Also vide supra, p. 106, note f.

The

+

text has only

"f^^arSefiT^

the three eighth clays after the full

commentary A,— though not

in recent copies of

mentary

"on

the months not being specified: but their

;

B,— in

names

moon",

are stated

in old ones, nor in

the following couplet, professedly taken from the

com-

Kurma-

purdtia:

The months

—

named are Margasirsha, Pushya, a rare substitute Magha. I have, accordingly, corrected the Translator's "Agrahayana, Magha, and Phalguna (December— February)."

for

Pausha,

here

— and

According

to A.swalayana's

Gn/iya-siUra,

II.,

IV., 1,

the

kds are four in number, coming in the frosty and the that

is

yana,

to say, in

his

in Margasirsha,

Grihya-sutra,

Aiwaldyana, Part

II.,

p. 71;

vadharmaSdstra, IV., 150.

great nsht'a-

dewy

Pausha, Magha, and Phalguna.

recognizes

but

also, Kulliika

seasons,

Sankha-

three. See Dr. Stenzler's and Medhatithi on the Mdna-

BOOK

III.,

169

CHAP. XIV.

and days alternately begin to diminish; on those days which are the anniversaries of the beginning of the Manwantaras when the sun is in the path of the goat; and on all occurrences of meteoric phenomena.* A Sraddha at these seasons contents the Pitris for a thousand years: such is the secret which they have imparted. The fifteenth day of the dark half of the ;

month Magha, when united with over which Varuna

the conjunction of

the asterism shaj

f

), is

a season of no

little

presides (Satabhi-

sanctity,

when offerings Food and

are especially grateful to the progenitors.

water presented by

when

lies,

men who

are of respectable fami-

the asterism Dhanishtha

new moon, content

the day of

is

combined with

the Pitris for ten thou-

sand years; whilst they repose for a w^holet age, when by offerings made on the day of new moon

satisfied

when Ardra

is

the lunar mansion. §

These verses occur in only a few of my MSS. Commentary B recognizes them, but in silence; while commentary A omits them. Professor "Wilson's translation supposes readings materially different from those here given. gajasya, "the shadow of the elephant", see Vol, II,, p. 264, and pp. 276, 277; also, the Laws of the Mdnavas, III,, 274. For vyatipdta, the same as vyatlpdta, see p. 163, note *, supra. Compare, respecting the seasons most appropriate for exequial offerings, the Laws of the Mdnavas, III,, 122, 276; IV., 150; also, the Ydjnavalkya-smriti, I., 217, 218. f Altered from " S'atabhisha.

On Chhdyd

note

»;

—

—

X

Samagra.

There

is

a variant, sahasra, 'a thousand.'

170

VISHNU PURANA.

"He who,

having offered food and libations

after

to the Pitris, bathes in the Ganges, Satlaj, * Vipasa

(Beas), Saraswati,f or the piates

The

his sins.

all

received

for

satisfaction

Gomati

at Naimisha,t ex-

Pitris also say: 'After

having

twelvemonth, we

a

shall

further derive gratification by libations offered, by our

descendants, at some place of pilgrimage, at the end

The songs

of the dark fortnight of Magha.' §

of the

Pitris confer purity of heart, integrity of wealth, pros-

—

all rites, and devout faith, Hear the verses that constitute those songs, by listening to which all those advantages will be secured, prince, by you:ll 'That enlightened

perous seasons, perfect that

men

can desire.

is

the only reading that

Piiryabhadrapada,

surmised *

^^^

fSfTT: ^i^fsfT II I find; and the asterism mentioned is not "Ardra", which, on a rapid glance, might be

^'t This

—

in the first line.

Satadru, in the original.

t See, for the Satadni, Vipasa, and Saraswatx rivers, Vol, 131, and t

II.,

142—144.

—

apthe Gomati of the country the Naimisha forest, as distinguished from the

In the Sanskrit, Naimisha-gomati,

parently

— in

which

lies

better-known Goiuali in Oude; for which see Vol.

A

pp. 130,

II.,

p. 146,

text

and

Gomati, a feeder of the Sindhu, is spoken of in the Rigveda, X., LXXV For the locality of Naimisha, see Professor 6. note

3.

third

,

Wilson's Essays, Analytical,

&fc.,

Vol.

^^7^ wT^ No

other reading appears in

of "satisfaction

for

a

I.,

p.

137.

fR^rrf^^:

my MSS.

twelvemonth",

and

I

Magha during the rainy season." Compare the Laics of the Mdnavas, III., 273. What follows is known as the Pitri-gitd. Ii

ii

would substitute, in lieu "satisfaction under the asterism ;

BOOK individual

III.,

who begrudges

171

CHAP. XIV.

not his wealth, but presents

us with cakes, shall be born in a distinguished family.

Prosperous and affluent

shall that

man

honour of us, gives to the Brahmans,

in

ever be, who, if

he

is

wealthy,

jewels, clothes, land, conveyances, wealth, or any valu-

able presents; or who, with faith and humility, entertains

food,

food, according to his means, at proper he cannot afford to give them dressed

them with

seasons.

If

he must,

in

proportion to his

ability,

them with unboiled grain,* or such

gifts,

present

however

he can bestow. Should he be utterly unable even to do this, he must give to some eminent Brah-

trifling, as

man, bowing

at the

same time before him, sesamum-

seeds adhering to the tips of his fingers, and sprinkle us, from the palms of his hands, upon the ground ;f or he must gather, as he may,t fodder for a day, and give it to a cow; by which he will, if firm

water to

in faith, yield us satisfaction.

If

nothing of this kind

he must go to a forest, and lift up his arms to the sun and other regents of the spheres, § practicable,

is

*

Dhdnya-mdna,

i.

e.,

much

as

as a

man

can

eat,

says the

commen-

tator.

Hf^'T^: Insiead of

^gf^^

"and sprinkle",

g^I^TRi IT^T^ffT

(fee,

II

read: "or, bowing in devotion, he will

by name, on the ground, handfuls of water, with seven or sesamum. Whencesoever he can", yatali kutakhit. J This word, it should seem, more properly designates § Lokapdla. the four superintendents named in Vol. II., pp. 86 and 261-263. But The dikpdlas-see Vol. II., pp. 112, it is also used, as here, for dikpdla. are, at least in the later Hindu writings, 118; also, p. 118, si/pra,

offer to us,

eight grains of "

—

eight in number.

I

owe

to Dr.

Taittiriya-brdhmana,—Ul.,

Muir the indication of a passage

XL, 5,— where seven

in the

devatds or deities are

VISHNU PURANA.

172

say, aloud: I have no money, nor property, nor grain, * nor anything whatever fit for an ancestral of-

and

my

Bowing, therefore, to

fering.

ancestors, I

hope the

progenitors will be satisfied with these arms tossed up These are the words of the in the air in devotion.'

and he who endeavours, with such

Pitfis themselves;

means

as he

may

possess, to

forms the ancestral

rite called

assigned as follows: Agni, to the east; the west; Mitra and Varuna,

to

the

fulfil

their wishes, per-

a Sraddha."

Indra, to

north;

the south;

Brihaspati,

to

Soma,

to

the region

above; and Aditi, to the region here below.

For a long

list

of lokapdlas,

see Professor Wilson's

Select

Specimcm

of the Theatre of the Hindus, Vol. I., p. 219, note 1• My MSS., and likewise the commentator, have dham only; reading:

It

•I

may

^JT^

to prefer

,

be conjectured that the Translator, supposing the lection to be wrote " nor grain ", and forgot to strike it out, when he came

"nor property."

CHAPTER XV. What

are

Brahiiians

be entertained at Sraddhas.

to

Difl'erent

Oiferings of food to be presented to

prayers to be recited.

deceased ancestors.

AURVA

proceeded:

description

of

He

ceremonies.* triplets of the

next,

prince,

should be one studied in various

first

the

is

who

according

commentator, from particular parts of the Vedas. so

called

is

particularized are termed Triiiachiketa,

Triniadhu, and Trisuparna, and are so denominated, to the

what

fed at ancestral

Rig- and Yajur Vedas;^ one

The Brahmans here

'

— "Hear,

Brahman should be

Tlie

from studying or reciting three Anuvakas of

Kathaka branch of the Yajur-veda, commencing with the term from three Anuvakas of the same Veda,-

Trii'uichiketa; the second,

beginning Madhuvata, &c.

;

and the

third,

*

The pdrvana-srdddha

t The commentator's

is

from a similar portion,

The

commencing Brahmavan namami. f

first

and third terms

here described, says the scholiast.

words

are:

f^JW^JToRT^efi^T^^

>£

^TTefiT"

The iriiiuchiketa is, thus, said to be so called tlS^fl^ "f^^TR^^ from three anuvakas of the second Kathaka, denominated trindchiketas the trimadhu, from three riches, beginning with the words madhu vdtdli; beginning with the words and the trisuparna, from three anuvakas

\iU^

I

,

brahmanen namami. Of the passage referred at present.

appear

first

The

three

to the

versicles

in the Rigveda, as L,

White Yajurveda,

as XIII., 27

Kdthaka

I

am

unable

to

say anything

opening with the words madhu

XC,

— 29.

6

The

—8

;

and they reappear

vdtdli

in the

position of the Vaidik passage

alleged to be connected with the trisuparna has not been traced out.

Aparaditya, commenting this definition of

on the Ydjnavalkija-smriti,

I.,

200,

trimadhu, denoting a person: f^?T\.«(|<5M Wrf

gives

iri^-

VISHNU PURANA.

174

acquainted with the six supplementary sciences of the

who

Vedas;^* one

occur in Manu,

studies

who

III., 185

mean a

keta to

it;

who

;

exercises

and KuUuka Bhatta explains Trinachi-

portion of the Yajur-veda, and the

Brahman who

and Trisupania, a part of the Rich, and the Brahman

acquainted with

is

who

understands the Vedas; one

practises the duties they enjoin;^ one

The Nirnaya Sindhu

it.

explains the

terms in a like manner, but calls the Trisupania, as well as the

The Trimadhu

Tririachiketa, prayers, portions of the Yajus.

it

r

assigns to the Rich.

Other explanations are also given

terms Tririachiketa and Trisuparria; the

Brahman who and the

last,

thrice performs

one who,

being explained a

first

Chayana;f

the ceremony called

generations,

after the seven ascending

worships the Pitris termed Somapas.

to the

These explanations

X

are,

however, considered less correct than the preceding, and which are thus given in the authority cited

'

For the

^

So

the

M *ll I

'^T^-

six Angas, see p. 67, supra.

Shaclangavit.

t

^t^WTf^^

:

f^Tjf jf^^Tlf^ ^

commentator § distinguishes the Vedavit,

*

agrees

:

lifT^TOnJT^^^:

'^^'f f^:

Sankara, where commenting on the

^^ ^^

^'

Kat'/ia

^ f^iw Tf^

^^T^n:

l

— the

And

Brah-

herewith

Upanisliad,

wtxrt^:

I.,

17.

"He

i

of

whom

seven forefathers have drunk the juice of the moon-plant is a trisuparna: so says Bopadeva." These words occupy the blank, indicated by asterisks, in the passage

quoted at the end of the note here supplemented;

and the definitions preceding them are referred §

His words are:

^^Tf!T •T^tj^:

%^f^fi;

I

In the Mitdkshard,

I

I

KulUika,

on

I.,

219,

we

read:

I

I

Medhatithi has:

same author.

^^ftf^^:

?ftf^^:

MdnavadharmaMstra,

the

W^TTTTWT^ ^f^^:

to the

%^^^TT^:

I

III.,

^f^^:

I

fT^-

"^ffTW^" 128, |

says:

^T^^:

BOOK

CHAP. XV.

III.,

75

1

penance;* a chanter of the principal Sama-veda/ an officiating priest, f a sister's son,

cetic, t

a daughters son, a

a maternal uncle, an as-

son-in-law, a father-in-law,

Brahman who maintains

a

pupil, a

kinsman;

A man

should

who

one

II

first

the five

a

fires, §

reverences his parents.

employ the Brahmans first speciand the others,

fied in the (principal) obsequial rite;

(commencing with the ministering

priest), in the sub-

sidiary ceremonies** instituted to gratify his ancestors.

man who

understands the meaning of the text of the Vedas,

from the Srotriya, who practises the Portions of the

'

Sdman

he studies.

rites

contained in the Aranyaka are called

the Jyeshtha, 'elder' or 'principal', Sanian.ff

*

Yogin.

f Ritwig. X

§

Tapo-nisht'ha.

According to Ananda, the five fires, spoken of in the Kat'ha UpaIII., 1 , are called gdrhapatya, dakshindgni, (ihavaniya, sahhya,

ntshad.

Also see the Mitdkshard,

and dvasathya.

name

of the (lakshindg7U or dakshinn

from the fires,

Chhdndugya Upanishad,

out of the

five,

is

I.,

IV., XII.,

are the principal.

221.

The more

technical

anwdhdryapaclunni; as we learn

The

1.

three first-named

See, regarding them, the Trans-

note on Chapter VI. of Book IV. Sambandhin, 'a relation by marriage.' Compare the Laws of the Mdnavas, III., 148.

lator's last II

% **

Anukalpa.

ft The commentator says that the jyesht'ha-sdinan opens with the

beginning with the words murdhdnam divaJi: "^^[1^

#¥^T1:

^^'ftfT #¥¥7^^ cr"^frr seem to have preferred the authority I

f^^

Professor

I

of Kulhika,

Wilson should

who thus

explains the

term jyesht'ha-sdmaga, occurring in the Mdnavodharmaidstra,

^^^f^T is

^ri*m%

^^

I

"^^t

found in the Rigveda, VI., VII.,

Sdmaveda,—2is

I.,

67,

and as

II.,

1;

490.

Tim and

it

l

is

/v'c/t

T^T^IT^f^-

The stanza

III.,

185:

in question

met with twice

in the

VISHNU PURANA.

176

"A

man

a

false friend,

with ugly nails* or black

Brahman who

teeth, f a ravisher, a

neglects the ser-

Soma-

vice of fire and sacred study, a vender of the plant, a

man

niator, a

Brahman who conducts

accused of any crime, a

who

for the vulgar; one

writ, or is instructed in

thief,

a calum-

religious ceremonies

instructs his servant in holy

it

by

his servant; the

husband

woman who has been formerly betrothed to another; a man who is undutiful to his parents ;+ the protector of the husband of a woman of the servile caste, § or the husband of a woman of the servile and a Brahman who ministers to idols t are caste; of a

—

II

not proper persons to be invited to an ancestral offer-

On

ing/

the

day, let a judicious

first

man

invite

eminent teachers of the Vedas,** and other Brahmans, and, according to their directions, determine w'hat

'

*

Manu,

The commentator explains

this

term to mean 'with

nails

Neither Kulliika nor Medhatithi justifies Sir William

bad.'

Jones's rendering, lation of

&c.

III., 150,

Kimakhin.

naturally

is

"a man with whitlows on

"Menu",

III.,

See

his nails."

his

Trans-

153.

t 'A eunuch', kliba, is omitted. + Rather, an 'abandoner' of them, njjhaka. §

Vrishali-suti-poshtri,

who seems

to be a

"the supporter of the offspring of a vrishalV,

woman sprung from

a

man

that has lost caste.

Professor Wilson read, for suti, pati, which I find in the gloss, II

^

Tr?"T"^(^^^^.

)

shows that pati

and *•

some MSS.

But

a clerical error.

VrishaU.

He must have been

Devalaka.

mentator, to incur disqualification. that

is

it

was

so

And

for

three

sacrilege to pass over its shadow.

p. 138, note

Srotriya.

||.

Vide supra,

p. 174,

note

years,

says

the

com-

yet an idol was reputed so holy

§.

Vide supra, p. 137, text,

BOOK

III.,

CHAP. XV.

177

to be dedicated to the gods,

and what to the Pitfis.* Associated with the Brahmans, let the institutor of an obsequial rite abstain from anger and incontinence.!

He

who, having eaten, himself, in a Sraddha, and fed Brahmans, and appointed them to their sacred offices, guilty of incontinence,

IS

thereby sentences his pro: In the first place, the

genitors to shameful suffering.

Brahmans before described are to be invited: but those men § who come to the house without an invita-

holy

tion are, also, to be entertained.

The guests are to be reverently received with water for their feet, and the like; and the entertainer, holding holy grass in his hand,

is

II

to place them, after they

mouths, upon

to be invited in sacrifices to the

is

have rinsed their

An uneven number

seats.

of Brahmans manes an even, or ;

uneven, number, in those presented to the gods one only, on each occasion. ^H

"Then

As

'

at the

let

two, or

five, at

worship of the

II

Yati; these being

to the maternal grandfather,

a ceremony dedicated to the gods; three,

Pitris.

t Add 'fatigue', dydsa;

§

also,

Nirnaya Sindhu,

"this

is

p. 311.

a great offence on that occasion",

Brahmans, as the

original conditions.

Pavitra-pdni; literally, 'pure-handed'.

H

It is

•

Sraddha.

III.

or

the householder, inspired by religious

offer oblations**

faith,

;

directed, in the

Fdjnavalhja-smriti,

I.,

227:

12

VISHNU PURANA.

178

along with the worship of the Viswadevas/ or the

comprehends and maternal ancestors, and to ancestors in general).f Let him feed the Brahmans who are appropriated to the gods and to maternal

ceremony

called

Vaiswadeva,* (Mdiich

offerings to both paternal

and those

ancestors, with their faces to the east;

set

apart for the paternal ancestors and ancestors in ge-

Some

neral, with their faces to the north, t

'

The

(see p. 158, supra) forms

Viswadevas§

-worship of the

say, that

a part of the general Sraddhas, and of the daily sacrifices of the this was a privilege conby Brahma and the Pitris, as a reward for Their austerities practised, by them, upon Himalaya.

According to the Vtiyu,

householder.

ferred upon them, religious

introduction

a

as

specific class

seems

to

have originated

custom of sacrificing to the gods collectively, or to

in the

the gods,

all

||

as the

name Yiswadevas

t "It consists spirits." +

The

in

They appear, however,

implies.

oblations

to

gods,

the

original passage, in correct

^

fq^HTcn^f T^t "For both sets of his east, Brahmans retained also feed,

for

with their faces

to

I.,

the

to

the

p. 188.

MSS., runs thus:

^^^WTig^lJ'iT^

ancestors

and

the manes,

to

Colehrooke's MisceUaneous Essays, Vol.

as a

let

him

gods called

the north,

II

faces to the

feed^ with their

Viswedevas;

Brahmans

and

retained

let

him

for his pa-

ternal and maternal manes."

The Translator, corrected above, transposed "east" and "north". Comment: ^J^^rJ^^I fx^^fT'Wf^ ij^ ^^^T^^JiT^ I

Compare

the

yujiuivolkya-sniriti,

I.,

f^^V

228:

§ See note at the end of this chapter. II

So the

term

pressed by the

.signifies,

compound

literally:

but

" Viswadevas", as

I it

have is

never found

it

ex-

by Professor Wilson.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP. XV.

179

the viands of the Sraddha should be kept distinct for

these two sets of ancestors; but others maintain, that

they are to be fed with the same food, at the same time.* Having spread Kusa grass for seats, f and offered hbations: according to rale, let the

distinct class, in the

acter

therefore,

is,

noticed by Manu,

is

Vedas;§ and III., 90,

are, also, enjoined at the liika

The

;

but,

"First, as

in

it is

this char-

t and

offerings to 'the gods'

|j

beginning and end of a Sraddha.

another verse,

and

;

different divinities

it

let

him proceed

progenitors."** Verse 211.ff shipped first and last in order.

Manu

are specified:

to satisfy the

Yama,

manes of

them

also directs

Kul-

probably

ordained, having satisfied Agni, Soma, and

with clarified butter,

them

daily offering to

Bhatta understands, here, the Viswadevas

so:

is

121

assumption of

their

of ancient date.

sensible

to be

his

wor-

See Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII.,

pp. 265, 271, &c.::

t Visht'am.

+

Argha.

§ Professor Wilson has elsewhere observed, that " The Viswadevas are, sometimes, vaguely applied to diviuities iu general; but they also form a class, whose station are entitled, at

most

and character are imperfectly noticed, but who

religious rites, to share in the solemnity."

lation of the Rigveda, Vol.

I.,

p.

9,

note

Bhaga, Mitra, Aditi, Daksha, Asridh, Aryaman, Varuiia, the Aswins,

named together

Trans-

b.

in the Rigveda,

LXXXIX.,

3,

Soma, and are

said

to

lists

of

be considered as Viswe devas.

Of

all

these

Daksha alone

is

included in any of the

various

post-vaidik Viswe devas collected in the last note in p. 189,

f^TT'qT^ ^^*^ ^"m^TfT^l 1

See Vol.

++

Or Colebrooke's Miscdlaneoua Essays,

II.,

p. 22, note §.

** Sir

1?^

^

iii/ra.

II

William Jones's translation.

Vol.

!.,

pp.

ISl, 188, &c.

12*

VISHNU PUR AN A.

180

man

invoke the

Brahmans who

with the concurrence of the

deities,

man who

Let the

are present/

is

acquainted with the ritual offer a Ubation to the gods, having presented to them w^ith water and barley ;

f Let him offer the upon his left; and, with the the Brahmans), having first provided seats

flowers,* perfumes, and incense,

same

to the Pitris, placed

consent (of

doubled,

of Kusat grass

usual) prayers, the

a libation, on his

He

will then,

manes

left

(to the

,

who

arrives at the time,

who

The

text

is

cj^^^^,

occurs, in the sentence,

'with

their

assent;'

the

Brahman's right knee, and And, being desired the

two Mantras,

hear him!'" TTcT:

'Viswadevas,

•

let

he

is

t^ %^\

^m: ^^^t^fTT

^

^n^

benefactors

but no noun connected.

It

passage

of

this

his left

say, 'Shall I invoke the

to invoke them,

^T^Tf^^^Tffr

is

in

hand on the

Viswadevas?'

him address them with come!'

^ ^t ^^ f^TT^W^^f^

f^

ii

with which the relative

Brahmans, however; as Vfiddha Parasara: "Let the sacrificer place must mean

or

passing along

is

the road:§ for holy saints and ascetics,

'

(the

hand, of water and sesamum.

desirous of victuals, or

is

invoke, with

ceremony), offering

with the permission of the Brahmans,

give food to any guest

who

him

let

'Viswadevas,

I

^TIcT: TTtft;

I

^

II

Srag, 'garlands.'

t Add 'lights', d'qM. * Darhha, ia the original. § II

^

The

^n%

fTTTtTTN inF'TW^T^ ^m'^'HR:

original has only one word, yogin, for

I

"holy saints and

Brihat-Parasara's Dharmaidstra, V., 184, 185,

ascetics."

181

BOOK m., CHAP. XV.

of mankind, are traversing this earth, diiiguised in various shapes.^

On

this account,

welcome a person who

let

man

a prudent

arrives at such a season

for

:

inattention to a guest frustrates the consequences of

an ancestral offering.

"The

sacrificer is

or seasoning,* to

then to offer food, without

fire,^

salt

three several times, with the

consent of the assistant Brahmans; exclaiming, first: 'To fire, the vehicle of the oblations;! to the manes-'

Swaha!' Next, addressing the oblation t to Soma, the lord of the progenitors, § and giving the third to VaiHe is then to place a very little of the revaswata. sidue of the oblation! in the dishes of the Brahmans; ||

and, next, presenting

them with choice

viands, well-

dressed and seasoned, and abundant, he

them,

'

civilly, to

partake of

it

is

to request

at their pleasure.**

This notion occurs, more than once,

in the

Vayu,

The

in nearly

same words:

the

"

This places the initiatory oblations noticed by

p. 178,

note

1,

supra) subsequent to the offerings

Manu

to the

(see

Viswa-

devas.

*

Vyanjana; explained, by the

scholiast, to denote pot-herbs

and the

like,

t Kavya. *

Ahuti.

§ Pitrimat, 'attended by the manes.' 11

%

The commentator observes:

Huta.

%^l^fIT^ ^^^f^T

^^RTfOi:

VISHNU PURANA.

182

are to eat of such food attentively, in

Brahmans

lence, with cheerful countenances,

The

sacrificer is to give

hurriedly,

""

it

and

si-

at their ease.

to them, not churlishly, nor

but with devout

faith.

"Having, next, recited the prayer for the discomfiture of

malignant

and scattered sesamumBrahmans (who have been

spirits,^

seeds upon the ground, the

fed) are to be addressed, f in

common

with the an-

manner: 'May

cestors (of the sacrificer), in this

my

and great-grandfather, in the persons of these Brahmans, receive satisfaction May my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather derive nu-

father, grandfather,

!

triment from these oblations to

fire!

:

May my

father,

grandfather, and great-grandfather derive satisfaction

from the ground!

by me, upon the and great-

placed,

of food

balls

May my

grandfather,

father,

grandfather be pleased with what I have, this day, offered § them in faith! May my maternal grandfather, his father,

my '

and

his father, also enjoy

May

offerings!

all

the gods

The Rakshoghna Mantra,

lighted

to

keep

off

Mantra, or prayer.

evil

— the

spirits,

||

contentment from

experience

extinguishing

which

is

gratifi-

of

a lamp

accompanied by a 1"

Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII., p. 274.

t Dhyeya, 'to be meditated on.'

§ II

^

For ihdhrita, 'here

offered,"

there

is

a variant, uddhrita, 'spoken.

Viswe devdU.

Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

I.,

p. 191.

BOOK cation,

and

sacrifice,!

cepter of

gods! §

all

CHAP. XV.

III.,

May

beings* perish!

evil

the lord of

the imperishable t deity Hari, be the ac-

made

oblations

all

And may

all

the

manes or the

to the

malignant

spirits,

of the deities, t depart from the rite

"When

183

and enemies

Ij

!

Brahmans have eaten

sufficiently,

the

worshipper must scatter some of the food upon the ground, and present them, individually, with water,

Then, with their assent, he upon the ground balls made up of boiled rice and condiments, along with sesamum-seeds. With the part of his hand sacred to the manes he must offer sesamum-seeds, and water from his joined palms; and, with the same part of his hand, he must present cakes to rinse their mouths.

may

place

He

to his maternal ancestors.** places, naturally beautiful,

make presents

streams, diligently

•

Ydtudhdna.

•{•

Yajneswara.

*

See Vol. See Vol.

II.,

Avyaydtmaii, 'iiumiitable.'

§ This is to translate II

II.,

p. 292, note, p.

should,

and by the

in

lonely

side of sacred

(to the

manes and*

near the foot of the page.

124, note +.

See Vol.

I.,

17, note «.

p,

f ^^?T^I^^^liT

I

Rakshas.

^ "Enemies

of the gods" renders asura.

¥frT%^ cm: fqT!5"PFnf2T^^^T(^Tnt%cT:

^TfTT^l^r^^^ ftTTI^t^W^ f^f^fl "Instead of "Then, with their assent,"

&c,,

ii

II

read:

"Authorized by

him, collectedly, then duly offer, on the ground, funeral cakes made of all sorts of food and of sesaraum."

them, they being fully

satisfied, let

VISHNU PUR ANA.

184

Brahmans)/* Upon Kusaf grass, the tips of which are pointed to the soath, and lying near the

the

fragments (of the meat), the

let

the householder present

of food, consecrated t with flowers and

first ball

incense, to his father; the second, to his grandfather;

and the

to his great-grandfather:

third,

who

satisfy those

his hand,

and

let

him

are contented with the wipings of

by wiping

it

with the roots of Kusa grass. ^§

After presenting balls of food to his maternal ances-

same manner, accompanied by perfumes and incense, he is to give to the principal Brahmans water, to rinse their mouths; and then, with attention tors, in the

and

he

piety,

is

to give the

Brahmans

||

gifts,

to his power, soliciting their benedictions,

Part of

'

It is 2

this

passage

omitted in the

Manu,

III.,

is

MSS.

words of Manu,

III., 207:

in the Bengali character.

21G.f

^^^^g ^%^ "And

in the

according

accompanied

he should carefully

^^fflT^ select

%^

ff

a southerly

II

slope,

in

a

pure place,

and also by the side of water."

Compare the Yajnavalkya-smfiti,

^TT^ '^^ } Darbha,

its

^

synonym,

I.,

227:

^f^WTIT^

in the original;

fT^T

I

and so just below, and

fre-

quently. I

Pi/jita.

PitrebhyaJi,

'to

the manes,'

whom

the

Brahmans

II

supra, p. 182.

W^

^g

fT

f^ f^^T^^^fl^-R:

II

represent.

Vide

BOOK m., CHAP. XV.

Having made pre-

with the exclamation 'Swadha!'^*

Brahmans,f he saying: 'May they

sents to the

is

the gods,

v^dio

t

185

to address himself to

are the Viswadevas

be pleased with this (oblation)!'

Having thus said, and the blessings to be solicited having been granted by the Brahmans, he is to dismiss first the paternal ancestors, and then the gods. The order is the same with the maternal ancestors and the gods, in respect

Commencing with

and dismissal.

to food, donation,

the washing of the

the dismissing of the

until

feet,

gods and Brahmans, the ceremonies are to be performed first for paternal ancestors, and then for ancestors on the mother's side. § Let him dismiss the

u

1

We

Then

are

let the

to read,

Brdhmens address him, saying swadhd;

then: "and

let

him

give,

for,

according to his ability, a

present, accompanied with the benediction suswadhd."

+ 'To them', agreeably

to the Sanskrit.

See note

||

in

the preceding

page. X

Vaisivadevika.

^m^TfT^T^^ ^f ^irt ^ ^irmr '^

TW^^ g "And, are,

mans

'so

likewise,

be to

it'

^t:

^

"^t:

^ct:

fT^[f^'i%

T?^?t ^^?TTffT»»%^

t

i

II

II

having been uttered by those Brahmans,

be solicited:

and

entertained in the service

blessings

him dismiss, first, the Brahmanes, and, afterwards, those

then let

of the

For the maternal Brdh-

entertained in the service of the gods,

great-souled.

ancestors, too, along with the

these being represented by

7nans,— the order

is

laid

down

gods,— a// the same,

as to food, donation according

VISHNU PURANA.

186

Brahmans with kindly speeches and profound respect, and attend upon them at the end of the Sraddha, until permitted, by them, to return. The wise man will then perform the invariable worship* of the Viswadevas, and take his

and

his kinsmen,

own

meal, along with his friends, f

his dependants.

"In this manner, an enlightened householder will celebrate the obsequial worship

of his paternal and

maternal ancestors, who, satisfied by his offerings,

him

will grant

all

pure at obsequies,

the highest benison."§

to ability, and, in like

remony

,

him

let

first

first

Manu,

manner, as

III., 252.

|1

to dismissal.

In the Vaiswadeva

ce-

do everything, beginning with the purification of

Brahmans

the feet, for the

him

Three things are held a Nepal blanket.

ceremonies relating to deceased ancestors, the word swadhd

in all is

his desires.

— a daughter's son,t

entertained in the service of the gods; but

let

grant dismissal to the personated paternal ancestors and ma-

ternal ancestors."

On

passage the commentator remarks as follows:

this

^^f^f?T

*

^^^ f^^^^^fq

fxi^^cfif^TfTT

I

f^^

xrgTf^-

^tft^^«I(^t t^-

Nitya-kriyd.

t Fiijya +

I

=

miiiiya.

The MSS.

Commentary.

have both dauhitraU and dauhitram.

in the next page.

§ This

is

Sir

William Jones's rendering.

And

see note t

BOOK

and sesamum-seeds;^ and the

We

'

'

gift,

or naming, or sight.

Manu

have, here, the words of

III., 235.

187

CHAP. XV.

III.,

Three things are held pure,

at such

obsequies,— the

daughter's son, the Nepal blanket, and sesamum-seed.'

Sir Wil-

liam Jones's translation of these terms rests upon the explanation of

'

Kulluka Bhat'ta of

Let him give

and the verse preceding:

this

his daughter's son

though a religious student,

,

food at a Srriddha, and the blanket for a seat,' &c.

The com-

mentator on our text says, f that some understand, by Dauhitru, clarified butter made from the milk of a cow fed with grass gathered on the day of

new moon; and some

or dish, of buffalo-horn.

+

Kutapa he

explain

interprets

it

a plate,

by Ashtama Mu-

hurta, the eighth hour of the day, or a little after noon; although

he admits, that some render

*

III.,

it

made

a blanket

of goat's wool. §

234.

^^ff^

t His words are:

1<^"

^ff^'

'

^^^^'ft ^^t

I

Tf^ ^tf ^ ^^^T^f»Tf?r %f^f( %i^^ ^TT^^nr ^tt^^^ My oldest and best MSS, have '^^W[ ^fZ^l, instead ^n^^WT^: I

I

I

of

See Vol.

^'g?ft T^
I.,

p.

47, note 2;

also,

p.

120,

note

2,

supra.

The Nirnayasindhu

+

Read

yasindhu:

quotes, as follows, from the Brahmaiida-purdiia:

'rhinoceros-horn.'

^rff^

So explains the Kalpataru, says the Nirna-

^jrr^srf^fTT ^r^c!^:

i

Thus Vijnaneswara understands it, in his comment on the Ydjnavalkya-smriti, I., 18G: ^rfXr: ITT^^^'^T'ITt'Tf'Tf^fT: «fl*«<'?l. §

|

And

similarly Aparaditya.

Also see the Sabdakalpadruma, sub voce.

I

VISHNU PURANA.

188 of silver

(is, also,

propitious).

The person

^

Sraddha should avoid anger, hurry:

offering a

walking about,

and

are very objectionable.*

these three things

The Viswadevas, and paternal and maternal ancestors, and (the living members of) a man's family, are, all, nourished by the offerer of ancestral oblations.

"The class of Pitfis derives support from the moon; and the moon is sustained by acts of austere devotion, f Hence, the appointment of one who practises austerities t is most desirable. A Yogin set before a

These explanations are also p. 302; is

said

and,

mean

to

(Ku),

sin

noticed

upon the authority of

or,

eight things which

— noon,

the Nirriaya Sindhu,

Matsya Purana, Kutapa

equally consume (Tap)

of rhinoceros -horn,

a vessel

blanket, silver, holy grass,

in

the

sesamum, kine, and a daughter's son:

^^f%% ^cT^^Tf^m Tf^ f^^m: So the Matsya Puraria has 'the

'

silver are desired:'

T^fT^ rT^ The

§ II

^

^ ^iH

'TT^

notion originates with Manu,

See Vol. *

II,,

pp.

III.,

find

^ttf^ ^TS^ ^fW;,

Quoted

also.

iu the Nirnayasiiul/ui.

This line

is

gift,

cited by the

commentator.

II

II

sight,

%^t

I

and name, of

^

202.**

298—303; and compare

Yogin. I

all

a Nepal

Vol.

I.,

p. 90.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP. XV.

189

thousand Brahmans enables the institutor of obsequial enjoy

rites to

*

The same

all

his desires."^*

doctrine

is

inculcated by the

appears to be a Pauranik innovation

it

Brahman on a

intent on scriptural

level,

;

Vayu Puranatf Manu places

for

but the

knowledge and on austere devotion

and makes no mention of the Yogin.

Instead of "enables," &c,, read "saves

all

III.,

the eaters,

134.

+

and, likewise,

the sacrificer."

t Cited

thus, in the

commentary.

Just before, the scholiast quotes the ensuing stanza,

si.

939— from

the

Harivai'nsa

^TtST"Rnrf^

^ -^ -^m ^71^%^ t

II

In these passages, the manes are represented as nourishing the

by

moou

their devotion of yoga.

Note referred

The names and functions

to at pp. 178, 179, supra.

of the post-vaidik

Viswe devas are

set forth,

in the Likhita-smriii, as follows:

^n^ ^1- ^^'

^^f^ ^frft^'^

^>T^'

I

#*«•*»(

g^TT ^T^^^ TR%g Here the Yiswe devas are said Kala,

Kama,

to

f^r?fr^^ be Kratu,

II

Daksha, Vasu, Satya,

Dhuri, Rochana, Puriiravas, and Madravas; ten, in

In Hemadri's Srdddhakalpa

source of these lines:

,

the

Brihaspati-smriti

is

named

all.

as

the

VISHNU PUR ANA.

190

^w

sug^^ ^^:

As

^^^%^ ^

^'t:

I

well as of these:

This last extract,

varied,

slightly

is,

SrdddhataUwa

in the

,

likewise

credited to Bi'ihaspati.

And

the following verses are professedly taken, by Ilemadri, from the

^ankha-smrill

^^m t'g^f^^

^[f^^nt ^"g^: But

I

can find nothing of the sort

In the Agni-purdna,

we

read,

i

in Brihaspati

according

to

and Sankha.

Colebrooke's

best

MS.,

copied in the time of Akbar:

^

f^% ^^T *r^^^

w^-^ ^t^fTT:

^^

IMm ^T's^g'^^it ^^(51^ ^

The

last half of this

yasindhit,

in

slightly varied, is

extract,

Ramakrishi'ia's

Srdddkagaiktpaii

II

,

II

quoted in the Nirna-

and

in

other works,

as

from the Aditya-purd/'ia. The ensuing enumeration is referred, in the Rdjtjdhhishekapaddhati, to the Agni-purdna; but I have not been able to find it there:

5jig^Tr ^^:

^W' ^T^:

^T^ ^t^^:

5^T^T ^T^^T^ f^% \^T^

Tt'^'T:

I

II

Here the Viswe devas number eleven; the additional one being Jaya. In the NUimayukha and Purtakamaldkara, we meet with the subjoined verses, taken, perhaps, from the

^g^Tt ^f V^

¥(??:

^T*ff»lf^ig

The name Muni, error.

:

Vasisht'/ia-saihhitd

^T^:

^T^ ^f^^^T

f^ t^T^'^T ^^

in the first line, looks

I

II

exceedingly like a mere clerical

BOOK

We

CHAP. XV.

III.,

191

read, further, in the Sdrasangraha:

^ ^T^ g ^f<-5fr^^1g f^%2n ^f^^T^' fl[^TT3fT \^T> ^^rr^Tm: ^t^^% ^^^t

irrf^% ^f^^'t ^rragRTR^

f^

II

I

ii

We have, thus, to choose between Dhurl, Dhwani, and Muni; between Rochana, Rochaka, Rochauitlna, and the Lochana of some MSS. between Puriiravas and Dhi'itimat; and between Madravas, Adravas, Ardrava, and ;

Manuja.

^cj

|iy

may have been

,

^-

incline to think that the ^RT-i in the reading tf^ll^cfX

I

corrupted out

of '^T")

and

this out of

^.

The Nirnayasindlai, like other treatises, in quoting the second passao-e which Hemadri refers to Brihaspati, and the extract from the Agni-purdna, gives, instead of the immetrical XJ'^'^^X

y^T^T^^

g^^fg,

"^T^t ^'^) names, two

%^-

yiekls,

-which

at

'^T'^^%^, and ^^'^^T^T-

Possibly, this originated from

events, in

all

of two

lieu

tn^^^-

unintelligible

—

intelligible, Puriiravas and Adrava. The termination of the unmeaning Madravas and Adravas was, perhaps, suggested by that of

Puriiravas. in my MSS., declares: ^^: ^w. ^"r: ^t^

The Vdyu-purdna,

^f^:

\nTgTr: ^ttt

wt

^f^^m

f^^T^t ^-Nr

ttht:

i

ii

Here the Viswe devas, called sons of Dharma and Viswa, pp. 21, 22,

— are said

Satya, Kala,

here grew out of Vasn,

Dhuni, again,

posed.

— see Vol.

See Vol.

II.,

with

its

could easily be corrupted

For Kuruvat

23, note §.

p.

consonants trans-

from Dhuri; or vice it

is

obvious to pro-

pose Puruvat,— the original, perhaps, of the readings Puriiravas and

Amavat may have been

timat; as It is I

for the

not impossibly, of

all

Viswe devas

that are

more law-books which

refers to these verses,

cited in this

be accounted for by the desuetude

of the

note.

Is this

Vdyu-purd/ia?

— the

And

can that it

which

was even some older work than the Vdyu-purdna that led

— in his commentary on the Blihad-drai'iyaka Upanis/nul, 12, — to count Viswas sons, the Viswe devas, at thirteen.

Sankara IV.,

oldest,

omission to

work be more ancient than the Likhita-smriti, in the form of has been derived to us? it

Dhi'i-

of Adravas, &c.

a suggestive fact, that none of the dozen or

have examined

Perhaps

In the

HarivaMa,

several MSS.:

II.,

be ten in number, namely: Kratu, Daksha, Srava,

Kama, Dhuni, Kuruvat, Amavat, and Rochamana.

Srava, possibly,

versa.

to

si.

11541—4,

I

make

I.,

out, as the result of collating

VISHNU PURANA.

192

^f^ ^TfT^TF^^ f

fT

Tl^

^^ ^ ^t^tf: n^^Tn^

^%^ 'TfT^T^^Wrg f^^^f ^xj^Txift

to-wit: Daksha, Vasu, Suta,

I

II

i

II

f^^'jrg

f^%^^T^^^f!T f^%^T Here, subject to correction,

^

'TWT^^: rT%^ ^ ^tit^itt:

^'HltgrT-R:

ii

II

read the names of thirteen Viswe devas,

Sudharman, S'ankhapad, Prithu, Vapushmat, The

Ananta, Maharaiia, Viswavasu, Suparvan, Nishkumbha, and Ruru, first seven are said to be connected with the Manu Chakshusha.

Vide

supra, p. 11. It is alleged,

by the Translator,— Vol.

II.,

p,

22,

note

1,— that

there

Viswe devas, according to the Matsya-purdi'ia. The passage, but without numbering in that work, which names these supernals, them,— is much too corrupt, in iny MSS., to invite conjectural mending.

are twelve

For the most

—

part,

if

not throughout,

it

has,

without question, a close

genetic relationship to the last extract transcribed.

CHAPTER Things proper

hibited things.

avoided.

Circumstances vitiating a Sraddha

Song of

AURVA

XVl.

to be offered, as food, to deceased ancestors :

pro-

:

how

to be

the Pitris or progenitors, heard by Ikshwaku.

continued.

—"Ancestors are

month, with offerings of with

clarified butter,^

rice

satisfied, for

a

or other grain,* with

or the flesh of the hare, of

fish,

birds, of the hog, the goat, the antelope, f the deer,t

the Gayal, § or the sheep, or with the milk of the cow,

and

its

See Manu,

'

They

products.^

&c.

III., 260,

are for ever satisfied wnth

The

articles

somewhat vary. The expression Gavya (^^) implies

are

much

same;

the

the periods of satisfaction ^

from a cow: but, in the as the

text,

it

is

that

all

commentator observes, some consider the

to be here intended:

?Tt^3n2TXnTR?tlEW^(2I%

adds, relates to other ages. plies milk

H

derived

is

associated with 'flesh'; and,

But

!|

The

sacrifice of

a

or,

a bull was turned loose, instead of being slaughtered

There

is

The schohast, however, suggests such an

t

Airia, adjective of ena.

*

Ruru; explained,

II

and

:

in the

commentary, by pHshata.

addition.

In Vol.

I.,

p. 72,

translated "antelope".

is

§

or

nothing, in the original, corresponding to "offerings of rice

or other grain."

it

im-

cow

formed part of the ancient Sraddha.

*

it

then became typical;

calf

It

he

this,

In the Kali or present age,

and preparations of milk.**

cow

flesh of the I

Gavaya. The commentator here

refers, in

terms, to a variant of the text.

*" The five pure products of the cow are milk, curds, and her dung.

III.

butter, her urine,

13

194

VISHNU PURANA.

flesh

(in

and

general),

that of the long-eared

^Yith

white goat,* in particular.

The

flesh of the rhinoce-

and honey are, also, especial sources of satisfaction to those worshipped

ros, the Kalasaka

at ancestral

(pot-herb),

The

ceremonies.

birth of that

occasion of satisfaction to his progenitors,

man is the who per-

forms, at the due time, their obsequial rites at Gaya.

Grains that spring up spontaneously, f rice growing wild,* panic § of both species (wdiite or black !l), vegetables that

grow

in forests,

t are

On

kinds of pulse,** and mustard.ff

this is still practised,

Gavya

*

this

is

Some, according

to denote a bird

to

for ancestral

the other hand, a

In Manu, the term

++

coupled with others, which limit

Vdrddhrinasa. word

on some occasions.

fit

sesamum, various

oblations; as are barley, w^heat, rice,

application:

its

the commentator,

with a dark throat, a red head,

understand

and white

wings.

t Prasdtikd.

M^ff^^T: +

The I

scholiast

'^^TTT TrR^l^V'

text of Vol.

I.,

p.

says:

%fr^«fiT ^fTT I

iraTf^^ ^^"RTTt'I

%f^

Commentary

95, nivdra is defined

I

"^TT-

Commentary A.

I

A.

In

the

comment on

-4(14^^1 sTV^"*!^

the

•

Sydmdka. So adds the commentator. ^ Vanaushadhi " The original specifies pritjanyu, mudga, nishpdva, and koviddra. Nishpdva is said, in one commentary, to be the same as valla; in the other, the same as iibya: and a gloss gives yugapatra as the synonym For these and other vegetable products named in this of koviddra. § II

chapter, see the

list

in Vol.

I.,

p. 95.

ft Unlike the list referred to in the preceding note, this does not proIn the former, we find the names of fourteen arfess to be exhaustive. ticles; in the latter, the

grains,

names

of twelve.

This mentions

the other; while the remaining seven species are ++

five species of

prasdtikd, mudga, nishpdva, koviddra, and sarshapa,— omitted in

See Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

common between I.,

p. 177.

both.

BOOK

III.,

195

CHAP. XVI.

householder must not offer any kind of grain that not consecrated, by rehgious ceremonies, on

coming into season;* nor masha,f nor millet, + nor nor onions,

garlic,

||

pulse called)

(the

is

its first

Raja-

nor gourds, § nor nor nightshade,! nor camels' lentils,

nor the efflorescence of salt deserts,f f nor red vegetable extracts, II nor anything that looks

thorn,** nor

like salt, §§

water

is

fit

salt,

nor anything that to

is

not commendable

brought by night, or has been abandoned, or little

as not to satisfy a cow,

covered with froth.

"

A

nor

:

be offered at a Sraddha, that has been is

or smells badly, or

The milk of animals with

so is

undi-

whole year with the milk of cows, and food made of that

milk. "II

III., 271.

II

mdsha not black, according to the commentator. Commentary A gives chhta as its synonym; B defines it by sukshna-idli. In the comments on the text of Vol. I., pp. 94, 9o, it is t I

/.

e.,

Arm.

be kskudra-mli, 'small rice'; while chinaka

said, equivalently, to

Is

ex-

plained to be anu-tulya.

§ Aldbu. I!

Insert

'

carrots

'

•pincLamtilaka.

(?),

^ "

Gdndhdraka.

Karambha. Commentary,

The commentary explains

the

word

'a bulbous root.'

f^n^lefiTTI^r^.

l^y

IfT^^TTI -^TJSf^f^

^f^^ ^T ^^^^TH

I

Commentary.

^T^TT:

I

^^^^ T^^

I

tf Aushara.

§§

II

II

'JTtT^^'^^f'T

.

which the commentator defines to be ^^^!H1'^'

Sir William Jones.

13»

196

VISHNU PURANA.

vided hoofs, of a camel, a ewe, a deer,* or a buffalo, unfit for ancestral oblations.

is

looked

at

by

a eunuch, a

man

If

an obsequial

rite is

ejected from society,

an outcast, a heretic, a drunken man, or one diseased, by a cock, t a naked ascetic, a monkey, a village-hog, § by a woman in her courses or pregnant,'! by an unclean person, or by a carrier of corpses, IF neither gods nor progenitors will partake of the food. The ceremony should, therefore, be performed in a spot care^

Let the performer cast sesamum on

fully enclosed.**

spirits, ff Let him not give food that is fetid, or vitiated by hairs or insects, or mixed with acid gruel, 1+ or stale. §§ What-

the ground, and drive aM^ay malignant

ever suitable food

presented with pure

is

with the enunciation of name and race,

'

Nagna

'

The

:

•IM^iH ^ TO^: word

original

is

and

explained in the fol-

as

The Vayu

it.

faith,

to ancestors,

111

No

such person

amongst those who

(III., 239, &c.),

Sraddha by looking upon hibition

but,

means a Jaina mendicant.

by Manu

included,

'naked',

literally,

is,

lowing chapter,

i

contains the

is

defile

a

same pro-

I

mdrga.

But there

a variant,

is

chhdga,

'of

a goat.' + Krikavdku. t Apaviddha; defined ^^T^'T'CrfTt^^ § I have corrected the printer's blunder "a village-hag"; the original •

being grdma-Mkara. I!

Sutikd.

according to the commentator,

This,

is

woman ceremo-

a

nially unclean by reason of recent childbirth.

^

Mlitahdra; explained by

^X^f^WTW^trrt

,

in the

commentary.

ft Ydtudhdna. See Vol. II., p. 292, near the foot. \\ Abhishava; synonymized by kdnjika, in tho commentary. §§ Paryusldia.

Also vide supra,

The p.

scholiast

126, note

»,

says

it

means |ii|

TJifi

Gotra.

|

<^

-aij

ifTf^^ J^

I

BOOK

III.,

197

CHAP. XVI.

becomes food to them (or, king them nourishment).* In former times, of the earth, this songf of the Pitris was heard by

at an obsequial oblation,

gives

Ikshwaku,t the son of Manu, in the groves of Kalapa, (on the skirts of the Himalaya mountains §): 'Those of

who May

our descendants shall follow a righteous path, with cakes at Gaya.

shall reverently present us

he be born

in

our race, w^ho shall give

teenth of Bhadrapada and Magha, clarified butter;

or

when he

i Gdthd. borrowed.

The I!

Kalapa

from

whom

^hich

mentioned

asterism Magha."

during the

*?T^tr^

month

in

Book

Gauri.

and

IV., Chapter

I.

season,

Only one period, however, of Bhadrapada,

according to

T(V^

I

In definition of this term,

is

^^^ ^

to

and under

intended;

the

and that

the scholiast:

Compare note

I

ad finem.

IV., Chapter IV.,

"daring the rainy

'T^f^^ Wt^llY

some unnamed

is

'^"^^

I

§ to p. 170, supra.

the commentator adduces, from

Smriti, the ensuing stanza

^?r^^fr

^H^^ It

means,

thir-

this parenthesis

The words "of Bhadrapada and Magha" correspond

^rm^ ^)

^

is

on the

^^^IT^ f^TT^f^'T'^^Wf ^TTf^^^I

His words are:

village of

Book

See, for him,

X

us,

milk, honey,

marries a maiden, IF or

§ It is a village there, says the scholiast, is

|1

^^^W ^^^T g ftffwt ^^(cfpSTT ^fT W^ T^^^

I

II

appears, herefrom, that gauri signifies a girl of eight years; rohini,

one of nine; and kanyd, one of ten; after which age, a female considered as a

is

to

be

woman.

I have quoted from the Panchatantra, in unaccordant, as regards the rohini. For what seems to be intended for the above, cited in a corrupt and curtailed form by Vallabhagaiii, see Goldstucker's Sanskrit Dictionary,

With

p. 102,

this

the stanza which

note «, supra,

sub voce

is

tS["^^T^. acceptance of the strains of the pitris, our text sanctions the marriage of a gauri. We have seen that this technicality is held to denote a maiden of eight; I nowhere find that it means a damsel more

By

its

VISHNU PURANA.

198

liberates a black bull, ^ or

mony

performs any domestic cere-

agreeable to rule, accompanied by donations to

the Brahmans!'"^* Nila vrisha.

^

In the

black. is

it

But

this

animal

Brahma Parana, ;

or,

*

Very

tail,

and

tail,

and

black face, &c.

feet.t

descriptions of the Sraddha occur in almost all

full

advanced; and

Nirnaya Sindhu,f

a white bull, with

a black bull, with white face,

or,

not altogether, or always,

with light face and

said to be of a red colour,

white hoofs and horns

is

as quoted in the

it

may

be doubted whether the compiler of the Vishnu-

purdna took a different notion of its import. Kanyd—vide supra, pp. 102-105,— is often used in the vagues ense Such may, then, be a gauri. 'virgin'. The commentator quotes, as follows, from the lawgiver Saiiivarta:

of

away a gauri goes to Nakaprishfha; he who gives Vaikunfha; he who gives away a kanyd, to Brahmaloka; but he who gives away a damsel whose courses have commenced,

"He who

away a

gives

to

rohiiii,

to Raurava."

Nakaprisht'ha is

is

a hell: see Vol.

the II.,

highest heaven of the three specified.

Raurava

p. 216.

Ratnagarbha would have proved himself inconsistent indeed, if, while two preceding stanzas with tacit approval, he had expressed

citing the

himself as represented in note 2 to • I find

This

is

p.

101, supra.

only this reading:

to be rendered:

muneration agreeably to

"or

offers

a

hippocaust accompanied by re-

rule."

t The Brahma-purdna is there quoted much mdnda-purdim with many other authorities,

—

—

to this effect. is

The Brah-

adduced, by Hemadri,

as follows:

%fT:

^Tf^^Twr^t ^

^TWT^ ^^ H"^ X

^^ ^^ ^^%

^^ %fTTrT

'fr^:

II

I

In the Achdrachandrikd, bulls of different colours are appropriated to

different castes.

BOOK

Iir.,

CHAP. XVI.

199

— especially

in the Vayu, Kurma, Markarideya, VaThe Matsya and Padma (Srishti Klianda) contain descriptions which are much the same as that of the Vayu. The accounts of the Brahma, Agni, and Varaha are less and in none of them full and regular than in some of the others

the Purarias,

mana, and Gariida.

;

the subject so fully

is

For

and perspicuously treated as

satisfactory information, however, the

in our text.

Sraddha Mayiikha and

the Nirriaya Sindhu should be consulted.*

*

The prime authority on

tion, the

the subject of obsequies

is,

beyond

all

ques-

\o\aminous Srdddhakalpa ofHemadri,— a work which the orarf-

dhamayvkha and Niriiayasindhu perpetually lay under

contribution.

CHAPTER Of

heretics, or those

who

XVII.

by Vasishtha

origin, as described

Vedas:

reject the authority of the to

their

Bhishma: the gods, de-

by the Daityas, praise Vishnu: an ilhisory being, or Buddha, produced from his body.

feated

PARAS ARA. — Thus,

in

former days, spake the

holy Aurva to the ihustrious monarch Sagara, when he mquh-ed concernmg the usages proper to be prac-

and thus I have explained to you against which no one observances the whole of those

tised (by

mankind)

:

ought to transgress.* You have told me, venerable sir, that Maitreya. an ancestral rite is not to be looked upon by certain persons, amongst whom you mentioned such as w^ere

—

whom you intended bestow such a practices what by that appellation;! of the incharacter is the what and man; title upon a dividual to whom yon alluded. Parasara. The Rig-, Yajur-, and Sama-Vedas constitute the triple covering of the several castes; and the sinner who throws this off is said to be naked (or apostates.

I

am

desirous to learn

—

apostate).

:

The

three Vedas are the raiment of

the orders § (of men); and,

^^n^T^ ^

§

Varria.

^"^

when

that

is

^^f^^TfiT "^f^^

II

all

discarded,

BOOK they are

my

left

bare.

III.,

On

^

201

CHAP. xvir.

hear what

this subject

I

heard

grandfather, the pious Vasishtha, relate to the

magnanimous Bhishma: There was, formerly, a battle between the gods and demons,* for the period of a divine year, in which the gods were defeated by the demons f under the command of Hrada. ^ The discomfited deities fled to the northern shore of the milky ocean, t where, engaging in religious penance, they thus

This idea

'

is

expressed in

prayed

"May

Vishnu:

to

nearly the same terms,

in

the

Vaju Purana:

"The

three Vedas are the covering of

throw

it

notion

off,

is,

beings; and they

probably, original with neither of the Puraiias;

the metaphorical sense of the term first

all

through delusion, are called Nagnas, naked."

employed:

ascetics,

is

not that in which

it

who The and

was

whether of the Bauddha or of the Di-

—

or, going gambara order of Jainas, being, literally, Nagnas, The qualified application of it, however, was rendered naked. necessary by the same practice being familiar to ascetics of the orthodox faith. To go naked was not necessarily a sign of a

heretic; and, therefore, his nudity

the raiment of holy writ.

word

to all ascetics

— including

austerities fruitlessly, that

"The Brahman who

was understood

is,

naked Brahmans,

unprofitably bears a

'

A

Nagnas and

practise

staff,

shaves his head,

—

all

such persons

the like."

son of Hiraiiyakasipu (Vol.

Asura.

— who

heretically or hypocritically:

goes naked, makes a vow, or mutters prayers, are called

to be, rejecting

Thus, the Vayu Purana extends the

f Daitya.

II., p. 30).

I

See Vol.

II.,

p. 200.

VISHNU PURANA.

202 the

of beings, the divine Vishnu, be pleased with

first

we

the words that

are about to address to him, in

order to propitiate the lord of (all) worlds;

mighty cause

whom

into

all

from which

(created things) have originated, and

Who

they shall again dissolve!

declare his praise?

We, who have been put

is

able to

to

shame

by the triumph of our foes, will glorify thee, although thy true power and might be not within the reach of words.* Thou art earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind,f crude matter,: and (primeval) soul.§ All this elecreation, with or without visible form, is thy

mentary

from Brahma to a stock, diversified by Glory to thee, who art Brahma, thy first form, evolved from the lotos springing from thy navel, for the purpose of creation! Glory to thee,t

body;

all,

ll

place and time.

who

art Indra,** the sun, Rudra, the

Vasus,tf

fire,::

the

winds, §§ and even, also, ourselves! Glory to thee, Go-

"Albeit thy real selfhood

not within the scope of words, yet we, whose

is

enemies, might has been destroyed by discomfiture at the hands of our according to our understanding being solicitous of renewed welfare, will,

laud thee." this stanza in detail.

The commentator explains

* Pradhdna. See Vol. I., p. 20, note *. t AntaKkarana. It is qualified by tatpara, 'superior thereto', viz., to pra§ Pums.

dhdna. II

^T g|^^*s(M^TlH,

the Sdnkhya-pravachana,

f "

I

^^® have, here, the very words with which

III.,

47, begins.

Supply 'identical with the gods', devdtman. Sakra, in the original.

tt See,

for the

IX I find 'the

Vasus, Vol.

Aswins';

§§ 'The Maruts.'

for

See Vol.

II.,

pp. 22, 23.

whom II.,

vide supra, p. 21.

p. 79.

BOOK

203

CHAP. XVII.

III.,

vinda, who art all demons, whose essence is arrogance and want of discrimhiation, unchecked by patience or

Glory to thee,

self-control!*

frivolous

Glory to

who

art the Yakshas,

charmed with sounds, and whose hearts perfect knowledge cannot pervade If thee, who art all fiends that walk by night,

whose nature

is

sprung from the quality of darkness, fierce, frauduand cruel !+ Glory to thee, Janardana, who art

lent,

that piety which

thee,

ture

who

the instrument of recompensing

is

the virtues of those

who

abide in heaven !§

one with the

art

whose

saints,

Glory to

perfect na-

ever blessed, and traverses, unobstructed,

is

permeable elements!

||

Glory to thee,

who

art

all

one

with the serpent- race, double-tongued, impetuous, cruel, insatiate of enjoyment, and abounding with wealth

!

Glory to thee, who art one with the Rishis,

w^hose nature fied

free

is

from

sin or defect,

with wisdom and tranquillity!

lotos-eyed,

who

art

:

II

rT^

is

identi-

one with time, the form that de-

vours, without remorse,

^f^T

and

Glory to thee,

all

'Ttf^^ fr#

created things, at the ter-

tf^T^ ^W

II

#^^^^ ^tt ^ ^ cT^f^rm: f^in^Em^^^ ^rTTT^^T^t^

I

I

204

VISHNU PUR ANA.

mination of the Kalpa!* Glory to thee,

bemg

the

swallowed up

all

things,

without distinction! art

man, the agent

activity

who

— the

gods and the

rest,

Glory to thee, Janardana, in

who

developing the results of that

which proceeds from the quality of foulness!

Glory to thee, spirit that

who

art brute animals, the universal

tends to perversity, which proceeds from

the quality of darkness, and

is

encumbered with the

twenty-eight kinds of obstructions! ^f

who

art Rudra,

dehght), after he has

that dances (with

art that chief spirit

which

is

Glory to thee,

diversified in the ve-

getable world, and which, as the essence t of sacrifice,

the instrument of accomplishing the perfection of

is

Glory to thee, who art everything, and whose primeval form is the objects of perception, and heaven, and animals, and men, and gods!§ Glory to thee, who art the cause of causes, the supreme spirit; who art distinct from us and all beings composed of intelligence and matter and the like, and with whose the universe!

See Vol.

I.,

p. 71,

note

For Punclarikaksha, see Vol.

t

2.

I.,

p. 2,

^HTN^IT^^ '^^

Some MSS. have

the reading

note

1.

fTT^^ fT^

I

'^STf^lirf^[^"'T?f

>

to

which the com-

mentator, followed by the Translator, gives the preference. +

Anga.

BOOK primeval nature there

We bow

to thee,

III

is

,

CHAP. xvir.

205

nothing that can be compared!

lord,

who

hast neither colour, nor

extension, nor bulk,* nor any predicable qualities;

and whose essence, f purest of the pure,

We bow

only by holy sages, t

of Brahma, uncreated, undecaying;§ bodies, and in tures; glorify

who

is

all

is

appreciable

to thee, in the nature

other bodies, and

who

art in oui-

in all living crea-

and besides whom there is nothing else. We that Vasudeva, the (sovereign) lord (of all), without soil, the seed of all things, exempt

from dissolution, unborn, eternal; being, in essence, the supreme condition of spirit, and, in substance,! the whole of this (universe)." Upon the conclusion of their prayers,** the gods beheld the sovereign deity Hari, armed with the shell, ||

the discus, and the mace, riding on Garuda. trating themselves before

Pros-

him, they addressed him,

lord, and and said: "Have compassion upon us, protect us, who have come to thee for succour from

the Daityas! They have seized upon the three worlds, and appropriated the offerings which are our portion, taking care not to transgress the precepts of the Veda.

Although we, as well as they, are parts of thee, of whom all beings consist, yet we behold the world impressed by the ignorance of unity, with the belief of

*

Ghana.

t Rypa. X Paramarshi. § Avyaya. II

See Vol.

I.,

p.

17,

note *.

Paramapaddtmavat.

% Rupa

is

•* Stotra.

here rendered by both "essence" and "substance".

VISHNU PURANA.

206 its

separate existence.

Engaged

in the duties of their

respective orders,* and following the paths prescribed

by holy

writ, practising, also, religious

impossible for us to destroy them.

penance,

Do

thou,

it

is

whose

wisdom is immeasurable, f instruct us in some device by which we may be able to exterminate the enemies of the gods +!"

When

the mighty Vishnu heard their request, he

emitted from his body an illusory form,§ which he

gave to the gods, and thus spake: "This deceptive shall wholly beguile the Daityas; so that, being

vision

II

led astray

from the path of the Vedas, they may be all gods, demons, or others, who

put to death: for shall

be opposed to the authority of the Veda, shall

perish by

my

might, whilst exercised for the preser-

vation of the world.

Go, then, and fear not.

delusive vision precede you

great service unto you,

*

§

:

it

of luy

MSS., including

mentary, here add:

this

be of

gods!"t

Var/ia. f Ameydtman. Mdydmoha, "the deluder by illusion."

1 Most

Let

shall, this day,

all

those

X ||

Asura.

Mdydmoha.

accompanied by the com-

CHAPTER Buddha goes

to

the Vedas: sacrifices.

XVIII.

the earth, and teaches the Daityas to contemn sceptical doctrines:

his

h's

prohibition of animal

Meaning of the term Bauddha. Jainas and Bauddhas

their tenets.

by the gods.

The Daityas

Communion with

the term

Nagna.

Consequences of

of Satadhanu and his wife Saibya.

Story

neglect of duty.

and are overcome

lose their power,

Meaning of

heretics to be shunned.

PARASARA.— After this, the great delusion,* having pi'oceeded (to earth), beheld the Daityas, engaged in

upon the banks of the Narinada

ascetic penances, ^

river;

and, approaching them, in the semblance of a

naked mendicant, f with his head shaven, and carrying a bunch of peacock's feathers,^ he thus addressed them, in gentle accents: "Ho, lords of the Daitya race, wherefore is it that you practise these acts of penance?

'

The

situation chosen for the first appearance

of the heresy

agrees well enough with the great prevalence of the Jaina faith in the

west of India,

and

is

and twelfth centuries (Asiatic

in the eleventh

Researches, Vol. XVI.,

p. 318),

or,

perhaps,

a circumstance of some weight,

a century earlier,

in investigating the

date

of the Vishnu Purana. '

A

bunch of peacock's feathers

paniment of a Jaina mendicant. the Prithu Siriiha.

Rai Charitra,

But that work

Bauddha observances,

Mdydmoha.

it

is

— at

is

an ordinary accom-

still

According

was borne by

not, perhaps, very least,

to the

Hindi poem,

the Buddhist

Amara

good authority

of an ancient date.

f Digamhara.

for

208 Is

it

VISHNU PURANA. with a view to recompense in this world?

these devotions, to obtain a reward hereafter.

should you

make such an inquiry?"*

sirous of final emancipation," ascetic,,*!*

"attend to

a revelation t which

The

duties that

liberation:

my is

I will

"If

Why

you are de-

answered the seeming

words; for you are worthy of the door to ultimate

felicity.

teach you are the secret path to

there are none beyond, or superior

By

them.§

or in

"Sage," repUed the Daityas, "we pursue

another?"

following them you

to,

shall obtain either

heaven or exemption from future existence. You, mighty beings, are deserving of such (lofty) doctrine." By such persuasions, and by many specious arguments,

11

did this delusive being mislead the Daityas

from the tenets of the Vedas; teaching, that the same thing might be for the sake of virtue and of vice; might be, and might not be; might, or might not, contribute to liberation; might be the supreme object, and not the supreme object; might be effect, and not be effect; might be manifest, or not be manifest; might

who go naked, or who go clothed And so the Daityas were seduced

be the duty of those

much

in

from

raiment.

their proper duties

their illusory preceptor,

t Mdyc'nnoha.

^

Paramdrtha.

by the repeated lessons of maintaining the equal truth

\

Dharma.

BOOK

III.,

CHAP. XVIII.

209

of contradictory tenets;^* and they were called Arliatas/ from the phrase he had employed, of "Ye are

—

worthy (Arhatha) of this great doctrine," that is, of the false doctrines which he persuaded them to embrace, f

The

foes of the gods: being, thus, induced to aposta-

from the religion of the Vedas, by the delusive person (sent by Vishnu), became, in their turn, teachers of the same heresies, and perverted others; and these, again, communicating their principles to others, by whom they were still further disseminated, the Vetize

In this and the preceding contradictions

'

the writer refers, although not with of the Jainas,

tenets

tical

much

it is

whence they are

3. it is,

and

definable;

and

is

6.

it is it is

not;

4.

it is

or:

Hence

positions.

Here

^

is

Vol. XVJI.,

Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. further confirmation

by our text; as the term Arhat them, although

I!

definable;

is;

5.

7.

it

2.

it is,

it

is

but

and

is,

These

be.

is

it is

not;

not not,

the Jainas are also termed Saptava-

Asiatic Researches,

actions of the

:

it

may

and Saptabhangius, assertors and oppugners of seven pro-

dins

§

a thing

not definable;

not, neither is

not definable.

1.

commonly,

called,

Syadvadins, assertors of probabilities, or of what usually form seven categories,

probable that

precision, to the scep-

it is

is,

I.,

p. 271 ;§ p. 555.

of the Jainas

more

and Trans-

||

being intended

particularly,

applied to

also used by the Buddhists.

Asura.

Or Professor Wilson's collected essays, Vol. I., pp. 315, 316. Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., pp. 386, 387.

III.

U

210

VISHNU PURANA.

das were, in a short time, deserted by most of the

Then the same deluder, putting on garments of a red colour, assuming a benevolent aspect, and speaking in soft and agreeable tones, addressed others of the same family, and said to them: "If, (mighty)

Daitya race.

demons, you cherish a desire either for heaven or for repose,* desist from the iniquitous massacre of animals (for sacrifice), and hear (from me what you should do). Know that all (that exists) is composed of discriminative knowledge.^ Understand my words; for they have been uttered by the wise. This world

final

subsists without support,! and,

of error, which

engaged

in the pursuit

mistakes for knowledge, as well as

it

by passion and the rest, revolves in the straits In this manner, exclaiming to them, "Know!" (Budhyadhwam), and they replying, "It is known" (Budhyate), these Daityas were induced, by vitiated

of existence."

the arch-deceiver, to deviate from their religious du-

(and become Bauddhas), by his repeated argu-

ties §

*

Nirvana.

The commentator explains

f Vijndna.

that the doctrine forth.

of the

Yogacharas

—a

this

sect

—

According to GoX^hrooke,,— Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

the Yogacharas

acknowledge

all

He says

term by buddhi. of Bauddhas,

here set

is

p.

I.,

391,—

"except internal sensation or intelligence (vijndna), and else

to

be

They maintain

void.

the eternal existence

of conscious sense alone." +

This

a literal

Madhyamikas, agreeably

the faith of the

is

These "maintain that

all is

interpretation

Essays, Vol.

I.,

p. 391.

void

of Buddha's

See,

to

the

{sarva sunya); following, as siitras.''

further,

scholiast. it

on the Yogacharas and Madhya-

mikas, Burnouf's Introduction a V Histoire da Buddhisme Indien, pp. 449 et seq. §

I

find

no reading but this:

seems,

Colebrooke's Miscellaneous

Vol.

I.,

BOOK

III.,

CHAP,

211

xviir.

ments and variously urged persuasions. ^ When they had abandoned their own faith they persuaded others to do the same: and the heresy spread; and many de,

serted the practices enjoined by the Vedas and the laws.

The

delusions of the false teacher paused not with

the conversion of the Daityas to the Jaina and Baud-

dha* heresies; but, with various erroneous tenets, he prevailed upon others to apostatize, until the whole were led astray, and deserted the doctrines and observances inculcated by the three Vedas. Some then spake evil of the

some

sacred books; some blasphemed the gods;

treated sacrifices and other devotional ceremo-

and others calumniated the Brahmans. "The precepts," they cried, that lead to the injury of

nies with scorn;

We

'

If the

have, therefore, the Bauddhas noticed as a distinct

sect.

author wrote from a personal knowledge of Buddhists in

India, he

could not have written

much

later

than the tenth or

eleventh century.

"Saying 'thus understand, understand, understand thus,' he, the deluder by illusion, caused the Daiteyas

own religion." The commentary

i.

e.,

sons of Dili

— to

forsake

their

recognizes

budhyata,

not hudhyate;

as it says:

T^

Buruouf, evidently without looking at the original of the passage here rerendered, departs

still

further from

its literal

sense than Professor Wilson,

{mdydmoha) he boldly substitutes Buddha: " Connaissez (hudliyadhwam), s'ecriait le Buddha aux Demons qu'il voulait

for

whose "arch-deceiver"

seduire.

Cela est connu

(budhyaie),

repondirent ses auditeurs."

duction a VHistoire du Buddhisme Indien, Vol. *

The

translation

adds

the

words "Jaina"

I.,

note

1

Intro-

in pp. 70, 71.

and "Bauddha"

to

the

original.

t The commentator explains:

^t^fiT^f^^fiffW^ ^ "with

of the secularist belief."

14*

varieties

212

VISHNU PURANA.

animal

To

life

(as in sacrifices,) are highly reprehensible.

say, that casting butter into flame

is

productive of

mere childishness. If Indra, after having obtained godhead by multiplied rites, is fed upon the reward,

is

wood used which ered

as fuel in holy fire, he

in religious

would

worship

is

thereby, raised to heaven,

man who

institutes a

father for a victim?

If that

eaten by one, at a Sraddha, gives satisfaction

to another,

it

must be unnecessary

at a distance to bring

son."^*

is,

own

lower than a brute,

is

leaves. If an animal slaught-

not be expedient for a

it

sacrifice to kill his

which

upon

feeds, at least,

for one

who

food for presentation

"First, then, let

it

resides in per-

be determined what

may

be (rationally) believed by mankind; and then," said

"you

their preceptor,

pected from

my

will find, that felicity

instructions.

do not, mighty Asuras, is,

by such

you

'

That

is,

are tarrying at offered ^

it

We

from heaven: the text that

are."'

By

such and similar lessons the

according to the commentator, a Sraddha

performed, for a

be ex-

authority

alone, to be acknowledged by me, and

has reason as

fall

may

The words of

man who

home:

himself;

it

is

may be who

abroad, by any of his kinsmen

will be of equal benefit to

him as

if

he

he will equally eat of the consecrated food, f

have, in these passages, no doubt, allusion to the Bar-

Commentary. For the real meaning of the verse thus explicated, lator misunderstood, see note

.

in p. 214, infra.

which the Trans-

BOOK

III.,

CHAP,

213

xyiii.

Daityas were perverted, so that not one of them admitted the authority of the Vedas.

or followers of Brihaspat:,

haspatyas,

numerous aud bold

I

who seem

some period anterior

to

have been

to the

fourteenth

Asiatic Researches, Vol. XVI., p. 5.*

century.

•

at

Or Professor Wilson's collected essays, Vol. subjoin

Dr. Muir's translation

pp. 5

I.

—

of a metrical passage,

7.

quoted in the

Sarvadarsanasangraha purporting to represent the views of Brihaspati: "There is no heaven, no final liberation, no soul [which continues to exist] in another world, nor any ceremonies of castes or orders which ,

are productive of future reward.

"The Agnihotra

sacrifice,

the three Vedas, the mendicant's triple staif

and the practice of smearing with ashes, are the means of livelihood ordained, by the Creator, for men who have neither under-

{tridaiiila),

standing nor energy. "If is [in

be true, that] an animal slaughtered at the Jyotisht'oma sacrifice why does not the worshipper im-

[it

consequence,] exalted to heaven,

molate his own father? "If a

srdddka (offering of food

creatures,

it

is

quite

to the

manes)

satiates

even defunct

who are setting out friends who remain behind

superfluous to furnish people

upon a journey with any provisions;

[as their

can'offer food to them].

"Since [as you say,] persons in heaven are filled by oblations presented upon earth, why is not food similarly off"ered [by those below,] to people on the roof of the house? "While a man does live, let him live merrily, let him borrow money, and swallow clarified butter. How can a body return to Earth, after it has once been reduced to ashes? "If a

man

when he quits his body, why does him to come back? dead are a mere means of livelihood de-

goes to another world,

not affection for his kindred impel

"Hence, ceremonies

for the

vised by the Brahmans, and nothing else.

"The three composers of the Veda were buffoons, rogues, and goblins. Every one has heard oi jarbhari, turphari, and such other [nonsensical] exclamations of the Pandits,

known, that, in an aswamedha (horse-sacrifice), the embraces must be received by the queen; and it is, in like manner, well known what other sorts of things, also, are to be grasped by those "It is well

of the horse

214

ViSHNU PURANA.

When

the Daityas had thus decUned from the path

of the holy writings, the deities took courage,

gathered together for

and

Hostilities, accordingly,

battle.

were renewed; but the demons were now defeated and slain by the gods, who had adhered to the righteous path. The armour of religion, which had formerly protected the Daityas, had been discarded by them; and upon

abandonment followed

its

their de-

struction.^*

'

We may

have, in this conflict of the orthodox divinities and

Daityas,

heretical

some covert

In the same way,

buffoons.

allusion

the eating

of flesh

troubles,

political

to

is

prescribed

by those

XIX., pp. 299—301. Dr. Muir's learned and instructive notes must, for want of space, be Journal of

goblins."

Royal Asiatic

the

Society, Vol.

omitted, • The original of these two paragraphs has been more accurately rendered, by Dr. Muir, as follows: "The great Deceiver, practising illusion,

next beguiled other Daityas by means of many other sorts of heresy. In a very short time, these Asuras (= Daityas), deluded by the Deceiver, abandoned the entire system founded on the ordinances of the triple

Some

Veda.

reviled the Vedas; others, the gods; others, the ceremonial

of sacrifice; and others, the trine

which

Brahmans.

will not bear discussion

:

This [they exclaimed,]

is

a doc-

the slaughter [of animals, in sacri-

[To say, that] oblations of merit. produce any future reward is the assertion of a child. If Indra, after having attained to godhead by numerous sacrifices, feeds upon sami and other woods, then an animal which eats

fice,]

not conducive to

is

butter

consumed

leaves

is

is

superior to him.

If a

man

is

,

If it

heaven, why

exalted to

father?

religious

in the fire

be a fact, that a beast slain in sacrifice not the worshipper slaughter his own

does

really satiated

by food which another person

eats,

then irdddhas should be offered to people who are travelling abroad; and they,

trusting

with them.

to

After

this, it

should

credence, let the opinions which

conducive

to

happiness.

from the skies:

it

is

have no need

has been settled, I

to

carry any food along

that this doctrine

is

entitled to

express be pondered, and received as

Infallible utterances

do not, great Asuras,

fall

only assertions founded on reasoning that are ac-

BOOK

III.,

215

CHAP. XVIII.

Thus, Maitreya, (yon are to understand, that) those seceded from their orighial beUef are said

who have

have thrown off the garment According to the law, there are four

to be naked, because they

of the Vedas.

conditions (or orders of

men

of the three

first

castes),—

the rehgious student, the householder, the hermit, and the mendicant.* There is no fifth state; and the un-

righteous

man who

relinquishes the order of the house-

holder, and does not

mendicant,

is (also,)

either an anchoret or a

become

a naked (seceder).

The man who

neglects his permanent observances for one day and night, being able to perform them, incurs, thereby,

one day; and, should he omit them, not being he can be purified only by must (stop to) gaze virtuous The expiation. arduous sin for

in trouble, for a fortnight,

upon the sun,

after looking

upon a person w^ho has

allowed a year to elapse without the observance of the

growing out of religious of Brahmanism.

diflferences,

and the

Such occurrences seem

invasion of India by the

to

final

predominance

have preceded the

Mohammedans, and prepared

the

way

for their victories.

cepted by me, and by other [intelligent] persons like yourselves. Thus, by numerous methods, the Daityas were unsettled by the great Deceiver; favour. so that none of them any longer regarded the triple Veda with the Daityas had entered on this path of error, the deities mustered all their energies, and approached to battle. Then followed a combat between the gods and the Asuras; and the latter, who had aban-

When

doned the right road, were smitten by the former. In previous times, they had been defended by the armour of righteousness which they bore; but, when that had been destroyed, they, also, perished." Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XIX., p. 302. For the remainder of this note, see the end of the volume, *

Parivrdj.

VISHNU PURANA.

216

perpetual ceremonies; and they must bathe, with their clothes on, should they have touched him:

but, for

the individual himself, no expiation has been declared.

There one

no sinner, upon earth, more culpable than whose dwelling the gods,* progenitors, and

is

in

spirits f are left to sigh,

unworshipped. Let not a

associate, in residence, sitting, or society,

+

man

with him

whose person, or whose house, has been blasted by the sighs of the gods, progenitors, and spirits. Conversation, interchange of civilities,§ or association] with

a

man who,

religious

for a

duties,

twelvemonth, has not discharged his is

productive of equality of guilt;

and the person who eats or

sits

down with him,

house of such a man,

in the

or sleeps on the same couch with

him, becomes hke him, instantaneously. Again; he who takes his food without showing reverence to the gods, progenitors, spirits, and guests, commits sin.

How

great

his sin!

is

other castes,

who

The Brahmans, and men of the away from their pro-

turn their faces

per duties, become heretics, and are classed with those

who

relinquish pious works.

where there castes

*

is

is

Remaining

in a place

too great an intermixture of the four

detrimental to the character of the righteous.

Insert 'Rishis'.

} Bhuta. *

Parichchhada.

§

Anuprasna.

II

Here

insert,

by transfer, the words "for a twelvemonth."

ginal runs:

The commentator sa)s: ^^clETT ^^fT^

I

^T

I

•1%T

I

The

ori-

BOOK

Men

fall

into hell,

III.,

217

CHAP, xviir.

who converse

with one

who

takes

his food without offering a portion to the gods, the

sages,* the manes, spirits, and guests.

Let, therefore,

a prudent person carefully avoid the conversation

the contact, and the like, of those heretics

,

who

or are

rendered impure by their desertion of the three Vedas. The ancestral rite, although performed with zeal and faith, pleases neither

gods nor progenitors,

if it

be

looked upon by apostates, f It is related,

that there was, formerly, a king

named

Satadhanu, whose wife, Saibya, was (a woman) of great virtue. She was devoted to her husband, benevolent, sincere, pure, adorned with every female excel-

and discretion, t The Raja and god of gods, Janardana,

lence, with humility,

his wife daily w^orshipped the

with pious meditations, oblations to

fire,

prayers,

gifts,

and every other mark of entire faith, and exOn one occasion, when they had clusive devotion. fasted on the full moon of Karttika, and had bathed in the Bhagirathi, they beheld, as they came up from the water, a heretic approach them, who was the friend

fasting,

of the Raja's military preceptor. §

The

Raja, out of

respect to the latter, entered into conversation with the heretic; but not so did the princess. Reflecting that she

was observing a

she turned from him, and cast

fast,

* Rishi.

§ Chdpdchdrya

;

literally,

'

archery-master

.'

VISHNU PIRANA.

218

her eyes up to the sun.

On

then* arrival at

home, the

husband and wife, as usual, performed the w^orship of Vishnu, agreeably to the

ritual.

After a time, the Raja,

triumphant over his enemies, died; and the princess ascended the funeral-pile of her husband. In consequence of the fault committed by Satadhanu, to an infidel when he was engaged in a he was born again, as a dog. His wife was born as the daughter of the Raja of Kasi, with a knowledge of the events of her preexistence, accomplished

by speaking solemn

,

fast,

every science,* and endowed with every virtue. Her father was anxious to give her, in marriage, to some suitable husband: but she constantly opposed his design; and the king was prevented, by her, from accomplishing her nuptials.f With the eye of divine intelliaence, she knew that her own husband had been

in

regenerate as a dog; and, going, once, to the city of Vaidisa, she saw the dog, and recognized her former lord in him.

Knowing

that the animal

was her hus-

band, she placed upon his neck the bridal garland, accompanying it with the marriage-rites and prayers::

but he, eating the delicate food presented to him, expressed his delight, after the fashion of his species. At which she was much ashamed, and, bowing reverently

•

Vijnana.

*

The

original has:

"She bestowed on him This

is

excellent cates and kind treatment."

instead of "she placed

to just below.

•

.

prayers."

The

cates are referred

BOOK

CHAP.

219

XVIII.

spake to her degraded* spouse: "Recall

to him, thus

to

III.,

illustrious prince, the ill-timed politeness

memoiy,

on account of which you have been born as a dog, and of speaking are now fawning upon me. In consequence you have river, sacred a in bathing after to a heretic, been condemned to

member

it?"

this abject birth.

Do you

Thus reminded, the Raja

not re-

recollected his

former condition, and w^as lost in thought, and felt deep from humiliation. With a broken spirit, he went forth anew, born was desert, the in dead falling the city, and, In the course of the following year, the to the

as a jackal.

princess

knew what had happened, and went

mountain Kolahala,

to seek for her husband.

Finding

him there, the lovely daughter of the king of the earth "Dost thou said to her lord, thus disguised as a jackal: conversing of circumstance the king, remember, not

when

with a heretic, which I called to thy recollection, knew thou wast a dog?" The Raja, thus addressed, thereand, true, w^as that what the princess had spoken upon, desisted from food, and died. He then became

came to a wolf; but his blameless wife knew it, and him in the lonely forest, and awakened his remembrance of his original state. "No wolf art thou," she "but the illustrious sovereign Satadhanu. Thou wast then a dog, then a jackal, and art now^ a wolf." Upon this, recollecting himself, the prince abandoned said,

his

life,

queen

and became a vulture; in which form his lovely found him, and aroused him to a knowledge

still

"Prince," she exclaimed, "recollect yourwith this uncouth form, to which the sin of

of the past. self:

•

away

Kuyonija.

220

VISHNU PUKANA.

The

conversing with a heretic has condemned you!"

Raja was next born as a crow; when the princess, who,

through her mystical powers, was aware of him: "Thou art now,

whom,

grain, to

said to

it,

thyself, the eater of tributary

in a prior existence, all the kings of

the earth paid tribute."^

Having abandoned

his body,

consequence of the recollections excited by these

in

words, the king next became a peacock, which the princess took to herself, and petted, and fed, constantly,

with such food as

The king

is

agreeable to birds of

its

class.

of Kasi* instituted, at that time, the solemn

sacrifice of a horse.

In the ablutions with which

ter-

it

minated,! the pi'incess caused her peacock to be bathed; also, herself: and she then reminded Satadhanu how he had been successively born as various

bathing,

animals.

On

recollecting this, he resigned his

He

life.

was, then, born as the son of a person of distinction ;t and, the princess

now

assenting to the wishes of her

father to see her wedded, the king of Kasi caused

it

to

be made known, that she would elect a bridegroom

from those who should present themselves '

There

is

a play upon the

word

Bali,

as suitors

which means

'tribute',

or 'fragments of a meal, scattered abroad to the birds', &c.

*

The

original has

monarch's name.

ofif^ TTHIT, 'King

This Janalta

is

nowhere

Janaka'; thus revealing the

else

mentioned in the Vishnu-

purdria.

t Avahhritha. +

We

"And

read,

in

See the Laios of

Mdnavas, XL,

83.

he was born as son of the very magnanimous Janaka."

Here, then, emerges to

the

the Sanskrit:

still

another Janaka; unless we suppose the princess

have married her own brother or half-brother..

BOOK

When

for her hand. * cess

made

III.,

CHAP,

221

xviir.

the election took place, the pnn-

choice of her former lord,

who appeared

amongst the candidates, and again invested him with

They lived happily together;! and, upon her fathers decease, Satadhanu ruled over the country of Videha.: He offered many the character of her husband.

sacrifices, and gave away (many) gifts, and begot sons, and subdued his enemies in war; and, having duly exercised the sovereign power, and cherished (benignantly,)the earth, he died, as became his warrior-birth,§ in battle. His queen again followed him in death, and, conformably to sacred precepts, once more mounted;

The

cheerfully, his funeral pile.

king, then, along with

ascended beyond the sphere of Indra, to the regions where all desires are for ever gratified, obhis princess,

i|

^

^fxi ^x:^THT^

"And Of

to reading +

The

^

text

I know of no HtlTf^; and I

seems

and Videha.

disa,

Vidis'a 6.

— perhaps

to point to

some

II.,

i

p.

163, notes 12

and

f

;

and,

and ^.

intended by Vaidisa,

of the

.

close connexion between Kasi, Vai-

For Kasi, see Vol.

copyists,

^Hl^Md

no lection

—

The word Vaidisa may be due

or heedless

There are obvious objections

other notice. find

for Videha, ibid., p. 165, notes 9

note

||

the prince, with her, governed Sabhoga."

country

this

^^^T^

fqcTT rT^^:

is

mentioned

to the

in Vol.

II.,

p. 150,

confounding, by ignorant

with the ai of old

MSS.

transcribed

by

Every one who has used such MSS., or has had to do with medieval inscriptions, must have encountered, repeatedly, the particle '^ them.

so written

as to be all but, if not quite, undistinguishable from f^, and vice versa. Perhaps the unjustifiable Triyarui'ia may now be accounted for: vide supra, foot of p. 37. Also see p 158, note ++; and Burnoufs Introduction, &c., Vol. I., p. 86, note 2, on Vi.>^ala and Vaisali.

§ This phrase II

is

an expansion of dharmalas.

This translates lokan kdmadahah.

valent

name Kamaduha,

vide supra,

For the region called by the equi-

p. 164,

Translator's note.

VISHNU PUR AN A.

222

taming ever-during and unequalled happiness the perfect felicity that

is

in

heaven,

the rarely realized reward

of conjugal fidelity/*

Such, Maitreya, etic,

the sin of conversing with a her-

is

and such are the expiatory

effects of

bathing after

the solemn sacrifice of a horse, f as I have narrated them to you. Let, therefore, a man carefully avoid the

discourse or contact of an unbeliever, especially at sea-

when engaged

sons of devotion, and

in the

performance

of religious rites preparatory to a sacrificed

necessary that a wise

who

beholding one

monies for a month,

man should

If

it

be

look at the sun, after

has neglected his domestic cere-

how much

greater need

must there

be of expiation, after encountering one who has wholly abandoned the Vedas, one who is supported by infidels, or who disputes the doctrines of holy writ? Let not a person treat with even the civility of speech, heretics, those who do forbidden acts, § pretended saints,! scoundrels, sceptics,^! and hypocrites. Intercourse with such

'

The legend

doctrine 2

§ II

it

is

peculiar to the

inculcates

is

Vishnu Purana, although the

to be found elsewhere.

Haitukas, 'causalists;' either the followers of the

Nyaya

or

Vikarmastha. Baiddlavratika.

% The

The

original of "hypocrites"

patrons of the Veda, like their analogues of

is

hakavhUi.

all

times and climes,

have a just dread of the exercise of right reason; and haituka, or 'rationalist', is, of course, a designation of evil omen to orthodox Hindus.

The annexed

extract

from

the

Giivdnapadamanjari of Varadaraja,

or

BOOK

III.,

CHAP.

223

XVIII.

iniquitous wretches, even at a distance,— all association

'logical' philosophy, or

Varada

Bauddhas; those who take nothing upon

and admit nothing

authority,

Bhat't'a,

— vide

that cannot be pi'oved

supra, p. 136, note •,

— may

or

:

it

is

ex-

remind the reader of

William Hamilton's demolition, quotationwise, of the mathematics. One hapless logician, we here read, was cursed to become a jackal; while A person who addicts himself another was transformed into a ghoul. to the Nyaya is to he reckoned a dog; and Sankara Acharya is said to Sir

stigmatize such a one as a bull

saus

tail

The

and horns.

extract here

follows

rl^ f%

^Tf^TT^frir

I

4192-6]

i^l-

^^^irfH^fTT^^ ^cT

im

f^lf^^tjgT:!^

"3^1%

^^?qffT^^^T^nTt

^fHTT^:

^^^^T^WT T^ ITT^H^T ^ft'^'fej^ [Read Anuidsana-parvan,

^

Xff\

II

cT^II lM^J^T^

si.

f^Tftf^PR;

2195—6]

II

t1^

^^gTl%

^ ^T^ frj^T^ ^

II

T^ I

^

I

I

^ -^ -M N r^TtxiT^ TTT^TB^^g

'm

'frf^rr:

Tt^

II

^^: ^ ^^VJ^f^^^T%g f^T^ nfrT^^ %

^f^T^f^^

I

|

^T^?€tf^^ ^^T^W ^t ^T'f -^t f^:

^Tf^JTTW

I

I

I

II

I

I

^Tt!f:

224

VISHNU PURANA.

with schismatics,— defiles.

plained,

Let a man, therefore, care-

those who, by argument, cast a doubt upon the efficacy

^^

^TXlir^ ^T^^ ^Z^TlfxT ^^^^TiTWTfT IT^T'T ^ f^^: I

ff

Ti;^

^^"RWT^^ ^

ff irT^^^"R

TT^irffT^T^Tf^ffT il^f^T?: [II., I., ^frf ^f>T: [Kat'ha Upamshad, 11., 9]

|

^xrr^^ n ^3ft#

^cT^^

rr^T

fi;^'3n^T

f*T^^ TTrft^%

^Tfri:

^^ t^TRTT^fi:

%

f^^tlft ^

I

ii

ii

^i^'T

^^ ^^

II

II

I

Tl7{

X^

clue

is

indicated

passage of the

I

"^ff 11^

l^T^-

^ are careless in the extreme.

the source of the extract which he professes to take from the

dharma; and the

I

I

Varadaraja's citations and references

a

I

I

^1^ im ^m Tf Tf^TT^

^ t^%

Tt^

II

%^T rfiw ^Rf^TTT^^^ "Rfft^T ^Tf

%^^

W^^ WTWW T(^t^

f^%fTT ^T^

I

^

1^ ^T^
^Tfi ^ ^fT?%^

%f*Tf^^T

f^ft^TW

tf^^ft^

urm

^T^

11]

II

wrongly attributed to the Mokshato the Mitdkshard is the very which this note is appended.

by the verses

line

which he assigus

]' ishnu-purdiia

to

To Rdmdyana

BOOK fully avoid

III.,

CHAP, xviir.

22 5

them.*

These, Maitreya, are the persons called naked, the

meaning of which term you desired to have explained. Their very looks vitiate the performance of an ancestral oblation:

speaking to them destroys religious merit

whole day. These are the unrighteous heretics to whom a man must not give shelter, f and speaking to wdiom effaces whatever merit he may, that day, have obtained. Men, indeed, fall into hell, as the consequence for a

of only conversing with those

sume the twisted

who

unprofitably + as-

feed without offering food to gods,

guests; § and those tation of cakes

and

of acts of devotion.

This

who

hair and shaven crown; with those

is

who

spirits,

and

are excluded from the presen-

libations of water to the

manes.

11

the only reading that

Professor Wilson

I find.

may have

read

dirayet, for dlapet; mistaking its meaning. :

II

Vrithd.

This last explanation

is

the only one given by the commentator,

in a line in the midst of an

anonymous

metrical quotation:

^^flf%^^ ^Wi7^ ^ f g^: But

see

the

I

Munavadharmaidstra, XII., Ill,

and KuUiika's gloss

thereon.

In his Essays, Analytical, &c.. Vol. I., pp. 5 — 7, Professor W^ilson has given an account of the measures which he took, in India, towards preparing the materials that served as the basis of his Analyses of the Purai'ias, a series of papers ultimately

oversight, III.

we read,

"indices

abandoned unfinished.

were drawn

up

in Sanskrit.

15

Under

his

To convert

226

VISHNU PURANA.

them into English, I employed several native young men, educated in Hindu College, and well conversant with our language; and to them the Pandits explained the summary which they had compiled. The original and translation were examined by myself, and corrected wherever the

When

necessary.

information,

I

any particular article appeared to promise interest or had that translated in detail, or translated it myself; in

the former case, revising the translation with the original."

From among

all

greater care than

worthy

thought

of

scattered portions

works thus dealt with

the

Vishnu -piirdnn.

the

unabridged

left

Of

,

this

reproduction

none was the object of a very large part was

in

completed, embracing Chapters VIII.

—XVIII.

This being an appropriate place for a general note,

know

interest to

India Office Library, in

and

the relation of the present version to that

here add a few specimens of the latter,

I shall

Out of the Book here

English.

untranslated, the longest occurs in the

— now

it

being of

made

in India,

the property of the

— indicating the locality of the corresponding passages

the former.

Vol.

"As the tical

in

87,

p.

I.,

1.

6 ab infra.

same and idensame in

characteristics of seasons are seen (to be the their

all

returnings),

so

that

in

every beginning of the Yuga, &c.

Thus, he

on the commencement of the Kalpas. ting, has the

manner they

power of so doing, and

creates,

This (Brahma) is

is

are the

again and again, desirous of crea-

joined with the power of making

creations."

Vol.

II.,

223,

p.

"He who thinks on Vasudeva during

1.

6.

and worship,

his prayers, sacrifices,

despises even the state of Mahendra."

Vol.

•In the same manner,

p. 241,

II.,

1.

5.

Maitreya, as the sun shines here in the mid-

He

day, so does he shine in the other Dwipas in the midnight.

is

always

seen opposite, in the time of his setting and rising, (whether seen) from

Whoever observes

the cardinal points or the corners. place, he is rising there

The sun place,

reality).

The

ideas

merely from his being either

rays of the sun and

of

is

his

II.,

fire,

is

setting

p. 244,

1.

any

setting there.

neither setting nor rising (in

visible or invisible

Vol.

"The

the sun from

and wherever he disappears, he

constantly present, and

is

in

;

any

and rising are obtained (in any particular place)."

6.

identical with light

and heat, pervade,

during both day and night, being mingled with each other." Vol.

"Both these waters These waters, in

them

that

are

Maitreya, is

II.,

p.

281, note *.

productive of virtue and destructive of sin. are of the Mandakini;

called Divyasndna."

and

it

is

the bathing

BOOK Vol.

"When

II.,

III.,

p.

CHAP. xvm.

309,

1.

227

4 ab infra.

the world, being freed from works,

is

rendered void of defects,

and identical with knowledge, then the tree of desire produces no fruits, and all distinctions of matter are lost." pure

in

its

form,

real

Vol.

"The

II.,

320,

p.

1.

8.

earth, feet, legs, buttocks, thighs, belly, &c., are, thus,

upon one another. In the same manner, therefore, upon my shoulder, so you do bear a load, also." Vol.

III.,

p.

17,

1.

as this

depending

palanquin

is

7.

"In the Raivata Manwantara, he, the Vishiiu, who is the superior of all the Devatas, was born in the womb of Sailibhuti, with the Rajasagaua, under the title of Manasa." Vol.

"A nika.

III.,

p.

65,

1.

1.

fourth Saiiihita was written by Romaharshaua, called Romaharsha-

The essence

of these four Saiiihitas,

given in this Vishnu Puraiia, which Further,

we have,

p. 13, last line;

"Savarga", &c. &c.

in

Vol.

III.,

"twenty-one",

p. 27,

1.

2

;

I

shall

Muni, or Maitreya,

communicate

"Bhagadheya"

p. 23,

1.

5;

for

to

p. 27,

have

"Nabhanidishta",

"Medhatithi",

an omission of "Taras",

I

you."

1.

25,

1.

3;

6 and note

||;

(be.

15*

p.

VISHNU purAna. BOOK

IV.

CHAPTER Dynasties

I.

Origin of the solar dynasty from Brahma.

of kings.

Transformations of Ila or Sons of the Manu Vaivaswata. Sndyumna. Descendants of the sons of Vivaswat: those of Nedishtha. Greatness of Marutta. Kings of Vaisali. Descendants

Legend of Raivata:

of Sai-yati.

his

daughter

Revati

married to Balarama.

—

JMaITREYA. Venerable preceptor, you have explained to me the perpetual and occasional ceremonies which are to be performed by those righteous individuals who are diligent in their devotions; and you have, also, described to me the duties w^hich devolve upon the several castes, and on the different orders of the

human

me

race.

the earth).

'

I

have now

to request

the dynasties (of the kings

you

will relate to

who have

ruled over

^

The complete

series of the different dynasties is

found else-

Vayu, the Brahman da (which is the same), The Brahma Puraria the Matsya, and the Bhagavata Puranas. and the Hari Vamsa, the Agni, Linga, Kurma, and Garuda Puranas have lists of various extent, but none beyond the families

where only

in the

of Paridu and Krishna.

The Markandeya

contains an account

VISHNU PURANA.

230

—

Parasara.

I will

repeat to you, Maitreya, an ac-

count of the family of Manu, commencing with Brahma,

and graced by a number of religious, magnanimous,* and heroic princes. Of which it is said: "The lineage

him

of

never be extinct,

shall

who

daily calls to

mind

the race of Manu, originating with Brahma." ^ Listen, therefore, Maitreya, to the (entire) series f of the princes of this family,

by which

be effaced.

sin shall

all

Before (the evolution of) the mundane egg, existed Brahma, who was Hiranyagarbha, the form of (that

supreme) Brahma which consists of Vishnu as idenwith the Rig-, Yajur-, and Sama- : (Vedas) the

tical

;

primeval, uncreated cause § of right

thumb

Brahma

of

w^as

ksha:^ his daughter was Aditi,

all

From

worlds.

the

born the patriarch Da-

who was

of a few of the kings of the solar dynasty alone

the mother of ||

;

and the Pad ma,

of a part of the solar and lunar princes only, besides accounts of individuals. In the Ramayaria, Mahabharata, and in the other Purarias, occasional short genealogies and notices of individual

princes occur. is

In general, there

not invariably the case; as '

In the historical passages of

occur, and, especially, in the

the fragments of a It

may,

also,

raiia, that the '

is

we

Daksha

a tolerable conformity: but this shall all

have occasion

to observe.

Puranas

which such

the

Vishnu and Vayu,

more ancient

is

is in

versos, apparently

narrative, are frequently cited.

be noticed, as a peculiarity of narration

in

this part of the

Pu-

prose.

elsewhere said to have been one of the mindto have been the son of the Prachetasas.

born sons of Brahma, or See Vol.

II., p. 9,

note

1.

Vira, which the commentator defines by utsdhavat, 'energetic'. * The original adds 'etc' § Adibhuta. t Anupurvi, 'succession.' The father being Kasyapa, according to the Bhdgavata-purdiia, IX., \\

"

I.,

10.

BOOK

'

we

231

I.

The Manu (Vaivaswata) was the son

the Sun.*

and

luminary;

celestial

CHAP.

IV.,

sons

his

of the

were Ikshwaku,

^

According to the nomenclature sometimes followed, and, as shall

have reason to conclude, intended in

this place, there

The commentator regards them, however,

are ten sons of Manu.

as but nine; considering Nabhaga-nedishtha but one name,

or,

Nedishtha the father of Nabhaga. f The number is generally stated to be nine; although there is some variety in the names, particularly in this name, which occurs Nabhagadishta,

garishta;t and also separated, as Nabhaga, Nabhaga, or

Nedishtha, Dishta, and Arishta: the stated, 5TT*rT'ft

tinctly

Brahma

WfT^:

latter, as in the

Kurma,

^^T:

Again, "^f^^:

I

Nabha-

Nabhaga; dis-

'^W.

I

Vamsa quotes Nabhagadishta: ^^TTf^^ % ^T^^f^fH ^^*. I§ The commentator on

Puraria.

the Hari

the Vedas for But the name occurs as Nabhanedishtha in the Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda, where a story is told of his being exclu||

ded from

all

share of his inheritance, on the plea of his being

wholly devoted to a religious '

ct<Jni

^TfTTl"

p. 384.

f^T^^^

t The name,

I

name

of Nriga

is

%

TTHT^^ t^T

^f^T

I

Disht'a

Nedisht'ha.

is

here

Vide infra,

%f^

text,

the

T(^^:

I

Padma, and

i\f^wf^^#^

recognized as a substitute, p.

The

connexion with the legend.

found only in our

• Vivaswat; and so in the next sentence. For Vivaswat's wives, vide supra, p. 20, text and note

t

W^^"^

TTf'^

as ordinarily written, Na-bhaga, 'no-share,'

nevertheless, an obvious

has,

•TWT^f^^

life:

^66? also, Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII.,

240, notes 2, f, ft, and

the

1.

f^

T'^T^

"somewhere",

for

H.

* Corrected from "Nabhagarisht'ha". § This quotation is from Nilakaiitha on the Harivainia, si. 614. Only I find, invariably, the reading «rr*rr%"f^> yielding Nabhanedisht'ha. 11

v., 14,

On

fessor R. Roth,

Vol. VI.,

%

pp.

the

Nabanazdista

Zeitschrift

der

of

the

ancient

Parsis,

see

Pro-

Deutschen morgenldndischen Gesellscha/t,

243—247.

Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

I.,

p. 25.

232

VISHNU PURANA.

Nriga,*

Dlirishta,

Nabhaga,

Saryati,f Narishyanta,

Nedislitha,t

Vayu has Najava. Vayu and Agni, but not of

Bhcigavata: the

of the

and

Kariisha,§

Pramsu

||

the rest,

is, IT

Pramsu,

Pi-ishadhra.

also, the reading

which have Vena,

in its place. The MahabhaVena,ff Dhrishiiu, Narishyanta, Nabhaga, Ikshwaku, Karusha, Saryati, Ihi, Prishadhra, and Na-

Vanya, Danda, Kusanabha, or Kavi,

Adi Parvan,**

rata,

The Padnia

bhagarishta.

were

there

p. 113, has:

Purai'ia,

in the Patala Khaiida, says

and names them Ikshwaku, Nfiga, Dishta,

'ten,'ti

Dhfishta, Karusha, Saryati, Narishyanta, Prishadhra, Nabhaga,

and Kavi.

•

Vide supra,

p.

and §.

13, note ft; et infra, p. 256, notes

t Several MSS. have Saryati. here and in numerous instances + Substituted,

below,

for

the un-

meaning "Nedishfa". § In three MSS. I find Kariisha. This seems to have been mistaken for Nahava, into which one of Professor Wilson's MSS. corrupts Nahusha, itself an error for Nabhaga. ^ But see note ++, below. •• The last person of this group is called, in the SI. 3140—3142. II

text, the tenth;

and Nilakant'ha, the commentator, says, of him:

WT^ITIT^^^J^ TRTITfTFt ^^T:

We

I

by •TT^T'Fr^T'^j not one name, but an irregular combination ft The commentator Arjuna Misra here reads Veiiu. IX., I., 11, 12, ++ And so says the Bhdgavata-purdna,

—

has,

of two.

— which

gives

At VIII., XIII., 2, 3, it among ten names, both Nabhaga and Nabhaga, omitting Ni'iga; and

the same names,

it

^rf^-

are to understand, then,

puts

Vasumat

Like our text

save Nabhaga for Nabhaga.

for

11, 12, says that the

Saryati,

Kavi.

at pp.

Vide supra,

p.

13, 14, supra, the

Manu had

14,

note

«.

Mdrkaiideya-purdna, LXXIX.,

nine sons: Ikshwaku, Nabhaga, Dhrishfa,

Narishyanta, Nabhaga, Disht'a, Karusha,

and Prishadhra.

The

Calcutta edition of the Mdrkandeya-purdna has, here, such bad readings as Sarmati, Kuriisha,

CXI.,

4,

and Prushadhru.

See, likewise, the

same Purana,

5.

In the Harivamsa, 613, 614, the names, in the best MSS., are, subMdrkandeya-purdna; except that, instead of Nabhaga

stantially, as in the

and Dishta, we find Pramsu and Nabhagarisht'a, with the variant Danda and Nedishtha. Further, Dhrishiiu is a common substitute for its syno-

nym

Dhrishfa.

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.

233

I.

Before their birth, the Maiiu, being desirous of sons, offered a sacrifice* (for that purpose,) to Mitra and

Varuna;

but, the rite being deranged,

through an irreg-

ularity of the ministering priest, a daughter, Ila,t

produced/ Through the favour of the two

^^T ^^^

fTTTtl^ ft^T^^TTTf^T 'TTH

'

being wrongly

fice

sacri-

through the improper invocations of This is also read ^Xf^^, 'frustrated.'

oflfered,

the Hotri," &c.:

It is

what appears

rather a brief and obscure allusion to cient legend,

"That

I

was

divinities,

be an an-

to

and one that has undergone various modifications. §

of the sons of the

The Vdyu-purdna has two several lists names Ikshwakn, Nabhaga, Dhrishnu, and

the

Praiiisu;

Arishfa,

Kanisha,

Nabhaga,

Dhrisht'a, Saryati, Narishyanta, Praiiisu,

Pi'ishadhra,

Manu. The Nabhaga

Saryati, Narishyanta,

first

Ikshwaku,

second,

Nabhaga

Arishfa,

Ka-

rusha, and Pfishadhra.

As each of these lists distinctly states that it reckons up only ten we are to find but one in ^T*rT^^fT^'5 "^^^^h stands, here,

persons,

in lieu of the

more ordinary •fTHTITfTH^

See the preceding page, note

,

note •

**

;

also,

•

p. 240, note

*»

,

and

p.

25G,

infra.

Isht'i.

also, Professor Wilson's t See the references in note * to p. 236, infra; Translation of the Rigveda, Vol. I., p. 82, note a. passage is to be understood, if we read t It is to this effect that the

^q^^ ^T%

,

§

:

fTt^=fiTtW ^^^(S^T

He adds: ^x?|%fT:f^ qT^5^ir^T^TT%fTt^^T3Jfi: nowhere find Professor Wilson's reading ^11^. I

^^rfTT

fTl^^jr^:

IX.,

which lection the commentator prefers

I

I

Premising the names of the Manu's ten sons, the Bhdgavata-purdna, I., 13—16, says, as translated by Burnouf:

"Avant

leur naissance,

quand

le

Manu

n'avait

pas encore d'enfants,

bienheureux Vasicht'ha, ce puissant sage, avait celebre le sacrifice de Mitra et de Varuua, pour lui donner des fils. " Alors (;^raddha, la femme du Manu, qui s'etait soumise au tcru du

le

lait,

s'etant

rendue aupres de

de lui donner une

"Mais a

I'officiant,

se jeta a ses pieds, et le supplia

fiUe.

I'instant

ou

le

Brahmane

faisant

les

fonctions

d'officiant,

234

VISHNU PURANA.

however, (her sex was changed, and) she became a

man, named Sudyumna. At a subsequent period,

According to the Matsya, no change of sex took place,

The

instance.

whom

his father appointed

round

his progress

Manu was Ida

eldest son of

or Ila

in the first

(^^

or X^)i

sovereign of the seven Dwipas.

his dominions, Ila

came

to the forest of

bhu or Siva; entering into which, he was changed Ila,

m con-

to

In

Sam-

a female,

agreeably to a promise made, formerly, by Siva to Parvati,

who had been,

once, unseasonably broken in upon by

that such a transformation should be inflicted

some sages,*

on every male

who

trespassed upon the sacred grove.

After a season, the brothers

of Ila sought for him, and, finding

him thus metamorphosed, ap-

plied to Vasishtha,

explained bride.

to them,

it

They

and directed them

did so, accordingly; and

to

it

He

the cause.

worship Siva and his

was announced, by the

upon the performance of an Aswaraedha by Ikshwaku,

deities, that,

Ila should

know

their father's priest, to

become a Kiinpurusha, named Sudyumna, and

that

he should be a male one month, and a female another month,

The Vayu, which

alternately.

sacrifice to

followed by most of the other their share of the

Mitra and Varuiia, instead of a boy, a girl was born;

according to the Vedas: to follow

is

upon Manu's offering

authorities, states, that,

^^T

^% ^[f^

^f^«

I

Manu

Whence her name Ila (from ila or ida, 'come'). ever, Manu propitiates Mitra and Varuna; and

venait de

recevoir

ses

instructions

de

celui

tenait entre ses

mains Toffrande, I'attention

(^raddha, lui

commettre une erreur dans

le

fit

mot Vachat'. "La meprise do

nommee *

desired her

him

Tofficiant

donna

Ila."

In Ilayfita, the scholiast says.

qui

qu'il

la

There, howthe girl Ila

is

Yadjus,

et

recite

le

donnait a la priere de

maniere dont

il

pronon^a

lieu a la naissance d'une fille qui fut

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

235

I.

sequence of (becoming subject to the

male-

effects of) a

pronounced by Siva,* Sudyumna was

diction once

changed into the boy

or Sudyumna, by their favour: as the

Ila,

Markai'ideya:f

Sudyunina's subsequent change to a female again

much

told

is

as in the Matsya; but his being alternately male and female

not mentioned in the Vayu, any more than

Bhagavata agrees,

our

in

it is

that respect, with the Matsya;

in

is

text.

The

but

has,

it

embellished the earlier part of the legend, by the in-

evidently,

troduction of another character, Sraddha, the wife of the Manu. It is

said,

that

of having a

girl,

pose of the

was by her

it

— that the

rite

— as

The

was desirous

she

Brahmans

consequence of which a

in

;

a boy, was born.

instigation,

ministering

altered the pur-

instead

girl,

name has induced

similarity of the

of

the

learned author of the Origin of Pagan Idolatry to conceive that

he has found the Ila of the Hindus

"The Phenician

cians.

Indo-Scythse;

in the II or Ilus of the Phoeni-

11 is the masculine Ila of the

and Ila was a

of

title

Menu

Vol.

preserved in the ark, at the time of the deluge."

And

Hindoos and

who was

or Buddha,

I.,

p. 156.

he thence concludes, that Ila must be Noah; whilst other

circumstances in his Phoenician history identify him with Abraham. Vol.

I.,

p.

159.

Again: "Ilus or II

*

*

is

a regular Cuthic

name

of Buddha, which the Phenicians, I have no doubt, brought

with

them from

Buddha

or

married his spring

their

Menu,

own

in

settlements the

on

character

daughter, Ila,

who

of an ancient personage that

at the time of the general deluge."

ever connexion there

the Erythrean

of Ila, is

described

the

I.,

p. 223.

names of

Ilium, Ila 'the earth,' and Ilos 'slime,' there

•

Uwara,

in the original,

t CXI., 11, 12.

said

is

sea: to

as the

was preserved

Vol.

may be between

is

in

for

have off-

an ark,

Now, whatIla,

II,

Ilus,

no very obvious

236

VISHNU PURANA.

woman,

again transformed to a

in the vicinity of the

hermitage of Biidha, the son of (the deity

Moon.

of) the

Badha saw and espoused her, and had, by her, a son named Puriiravas.* After his birth, the ilhistrioasf Rishis, desirous of restoring Sudyunma to his sex,

who

prayed to the mighty Vishnu, t the four Vedas,§ of mind,

who

nothing ;t and

and of

the form of the sacrificial

in

is

the essence of

is

of everything,

1 1

resemblance between the Paurariik legends of Ila and the Mosaic record

nor do the former authorize the particulars of Ila stated

;

by Mr. Faber, on the authority, pi'obably, of Colonel

The Manu

called Ila; nor

served; nor

Ila ever

is

Manu; nor ved

Ila,

either with

Thus

it

title

of

never

Buddha was not so preBuddha. Budha (not Buddha), Ila.

never appears as her father; nor

There

any circumstance

him

a

W^ilford. is

is

he a

she the daughter of any ancient personage preser-

is

an ark.

in

preserved in the ark,

he the father of

is

husband of

the

who was

Satyavrata,

in

is

not,

therefore,

am

as far as I

aware,

the history of Ila or Ihi which can identify

Abraham

or Noah.

indicated, observes the commentator, that the Sohirian race

is

sprang Irom the Lunarian.

For

and Pururavas, see Chapter VI. of

Ila

by Burnouf, Preface, pp. LXX.— XCII. on,

in

See,

great

lor

detail,

in

his

this

Book.

Ila

Bhdgavata-purdiia,

is

dwelt

Vol.

III.,

another version of the original. Dr. Muir's Original Sanskrit

Texts, Part

I.,

p. 44.

t Amitatejas. X

In

all

my

MSS., Vishnu

is

rjualified,

first

of

all,

as 'identical with

sacrifice,' ishtimaya.

§

The

epithet 'one with the law',

dharmamaya, here

follows, in nearly

my MSS.

all II

^

Here

all

This

is

my

best

not in

MSS. insert MSS.

all

'identical with intelligence',

jndnamaya.

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

237

I.

male;* and, through his favour, Ila once more became

Sudyumiia; (in which character) he had three sons, Utkala, Gaya, and Vinata. ^

In consequence of his having been, formerly, a fe-

Sudyumna was excluded from any

male,

share in his

paternal dominions: but his father, at the suggestion

ofVasishtha, bestowed upon him the city Pratishthana;^

and he gave

to

it

The Matsya

'

Vayu,

calls the

name

of the

third,

Haritaswa; the

Vinataswa; the Markai'uleya,t Vinaya; and the Bha-

&c.,

All but the last agree in stating that Utkala

gavata, § Vimala.

Gaya

(Orissa) and

Matsya

Pururavas.f

(in

Behar) are named after the two

the third the sovereign

calls

Kauravas; the Vayu makes him king of the west. vata calls them,

The

all three, rulers

first.

The

of the east, along with the

of the south.

The Bhaga-

[I

H

Sudyumna. Prawas situated on the eastern side of the confluence of the Ganges and Jumna, the country between which rivers was '

authorities agree in this location of

tishthiina**

the territory of the direct male descendants of Vaivaswata.

*

Yajnapurusha.

181: also, Vol.

II.,

See Vol.

T.,

p. 61,

note

1

;

p. 163, note

*;

In the

and pp. 180,

p. 136.

t One MS. has Purushavara. :

CXI., 15.

§ IX., II

I.

41.

The Vdyu-purdna says:

We

are,

thus,

told,

that the

kingdom

of

Vinataswa lay

to

the west

of Utkala.

With

this

Prior Section,

Vide infra, *•

See

XCVIII.

compare the Harivamsa,

LXV.,

p.

si.

632

;

and the Linga-purdna,

27.

240, note

||.

Bumoufs Bhdgavata-purdna,

Vol.

III.,

Preface,

pp. XCVII.,

238

VISHNU PURANA.

Of

the other sons of the Manu, Prishadhra, in con-

sequence of (the crime of) kilhng a cow,* was degraded

Hari

Variisa, f

^^:

Ambarisha, and Darida:

^"^T^rra

M. Langlois had, ders it:§

'II

said that he reigned in Pratishthana, having

it is

killed Dhrishtaka,

no doubt,

t

donna

*

*

*

^nf^^rm:

3rf7f^T%

in his

^fff'^'^^

i

copy; as he ren-

naissance a trois enfants;' though, as

he observes, Hamilton!] had called these the sons of Ikshwaku.

The Brahma Purana has not this passage; nor does the commentator on the Hari Vamsa give any explanation: neither does any-

We

thing of the kind occur elsewhere.

named

quently, in the text,1[ Daiida

have, however, subse-

as a son of

Ikshwaku; and,

Padma Purana, Srishti Khanda, and in the Ramayaria, we have a detailed narrative

in the

of the

Kanda

Uttara

of Darida, the

son of Ikshwaku, whose country was laid waste by an impreca-

Bhargava, whose daughter ** that prince had violated. His

tion of

kingdom became,

in consequence, the

Dana Dharraa,ff

habharata,

fore, the preferable reading of the is at

variance with

all

Daridaka

alludes to the

story.

At

other authorities.

The Sanskrit has

Since he puts "Dandaca", a word of three syllables,

'his teacher's cow'.

f

probable that he followed some such reading as find

^fTTW^'

to

be

the

The

occurs.

most ordinary. lection

read in one of Professor "Wilson's

§ Vol. II

The

I.,

p.

^

^.Is

is

more than

^T^^^T^fTT

of

7T

no account.

d U^%(ft^

'^m''

i

%

'W^'^

It >

seems

which

is

MSS.

p.

dit

**

Abja, by name,

A

que ce

more correctly expressed par consequent ses freres,

See Genealogies of

259.

ft

is

roi, et

Hamilton's statement

Hamilton

d'Ikchwacou."

Vide infra

it

64.

fact as to Mr.

in these words: "Fr.

etaient

is

time,

637.

'^^. it

there-

'son,' it

some MSS., ZT!^"^f7T

In

^cT"^^^

like a corruption of the last syllables of

same

the

+

I

If,

Hari Vamsa be Suta,

*

which

The Ma-

forest.

same

part of the Sdnii-parvan.

the

Hindus,

(fcc,

p. 64.

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

From

the condition of a Siidra/

to

239

I.

Kariisha

de-

scended the mighty warriors* termed Karushas, (the

must be admitted, that the same work any

between Danda and

collision

and the passage seems

to

his

Sudyumna;

have grown out of that careless and

Vamsa

ignorant compilation which the Hari sents.

singular iu asserting

is

brothers and

so perpetually pre-

not improbably, a gratuitous perversion of this pas-

It is,

sage in the Matsya:

'Ambarisha was the son of Nabhaga;f and Dhiishta had three sons.'t '

This story has been modified, apparently, at different periods,

Our text simply The Vayu says he was hungry, and not only the cow of his spiritual preceptor, Chyavana. In

according to a progressive horror of the crime. states

the fact.

killed, but ate,

Markandeya, § he

the

cow

killing the

is

described as being out a hunting, and

of the father of Babhravya, mistaking

it

for a

The Bhagavata, as usual, improves upon the story, and says that Prishadhra was appointed, by his Guru, In the night, a tiger made his Vasishtha, to protect his cattle. Gavaya or Gayal.

way

into the fold;

killed the

In

|i

and the prince,

in his haste,

cow upon which he had

all the authorities,

the effect

is

and

in the dark,

fastened, instead of the tiger.

the

same

;

and the imprecation

of the offended sage degraded Prishadhra to the caste of a Siidra.

According to the Bhagavata, the prince led a

life

of devotion,

and, perishing in the flame of a forest, obtained final liberation.

The obvious purport

of this legend, and of

some

to account for the origin of the different castes

ancestor.

•

Kshattriya.

t Vide infra, p. 257. * For their names, vide infra, § Ch. II

IX.,

CXII. II.,

3—14.

p. 255,

note

2.

that follow,

is,

from one common

240

VISHNU PURANA.

sovereigns of the north.) ^*

The son of Nedishtha,f named Nabhaga, became aVaisya:^t his son wasBhalanThe BlKigavata§

'

But the country of

also places the Karushas

Karushas

the

Paripatra or Vindhya mountains.

The Viiyu

^

t^J"^^ I

the north

II.,

note 2.11

p. 158,

'Nabhaga, the son of Arishta:'

has

**

:||

upon the

usually, placed

is,

See Vol.

The Markandeyaft has The Bhagavata+J also •TTHT1I

^^tr^S"^^

in

•TT^TT-

'the son of Dishta:'

I

calls

I

do not find this parenthesis in the original;

nor

him the son

is

it

of

taken from

the commentary.

t One MS. has Disht'a. Vide supra, p. 231, note ft See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part I., pp. 45, 46. § IX., II., 16. By the term iittardpatha, used in the original, the regions to the north of the Vindhya mountains are intended. The regions to the south of those mountains are, similarly, denominated clakshiiidpatha. Vide II

supra, p. 237, note ^.

^ **

But The

That

also see Vol.

is

verse, as

to say,

The purport Bhalandana. the

II., p.

find

I

123, text and note

Bhalandana

of the verse

Besides

is

not to

nine

to

together, as denoting one person.

the

p.

;

133, text

and note

f.

declared to be son of 'Nabhaga Arishfa.'

manifestly,

is,

this,

Manu's sons from

1

runs:

it,

set forth the paternity of

to

increase the

Vay u-pur aria's

tale

of

Nabhaga Arishta must be taken The sense would not be changed, while

ten,

—

grammar would be amended, by reading •TT^ITITfTH® yielding which, as we have seen, occurs elsewhere. Vide supra, ,

Nabhagarisht'a,

—

p. 232, notes «•

ft CXIII.,

2.

and

And

++; also, p. 256, note

*, infra.

so the Linga-purdna, Prior Section,

LXVI.,

53.

:: IX., II., 23:

Sridhara remarks, on

this:

The Nabhaga from whom IX., IV., 1, 9, 13;

and

p.

f^H^ ^"^

this

one

is

TT^TT'lt

^"^TTXlprRT-

thus discriminated

also, in VIII., XIII.,

2.

Vide siipra,

is

named

p. 14,

note

in «,

232, note H.

The commentator on

the

V ishnu-purdiia

says:

•T'fe^^ ^"^ •T'WT'ft

BOOK dana

*

*

;

whose

Dishta.

According

actions.

The

IV.,

was

son

The Markaiideya

it.

celebrated

the

to that authority,

241

I.

Vatsa-

he became a Vaisya by his

other Purahas generally agree, that the descendants

of this person became Vaisyas notice

CHAP.

;

but the Matsya and Viiyu do not

details

a story of Nabhaga's carrying

and marrying the daughter of a Vaisya; in consequence of which he was degraded, it is said, to the same caste, and deoff

prived of his share of the patrimonial sovereignty, which his son

The Brahma Purana and Hari Variisaf two sons of Nabhagarishta again became Brahmans

and successor recovered. assert, that

but the duties terity

;

of royalty imply the Kshattriya caste of his pos-

and the commentator on our text observes, t that the son

Nabhaga was born before

of

his father's degradation, and, conse-

quently, the race continued Kshattriya;

ted by any authority

:

and

it

— an

was recognized by early Bhanandana:§ Bhagavata.

of Vaisya princes *

assertion unsuppor-

must, therefore, appear, that a race traditions.

^4|^^ This imports, that it was not till after the birth of Bhalandana, that Nabhaga was turned into a Vaisya; and hence it is ^f^t=r

I

that his descendants

were, like himself in his original dignity of birth,

Kshattriyas.

We •

meet with other Nabhagas, at pp. 256 and 303, infra. MSS. I find Bhanandana, for which see note §, below.

In two

So read

my

best

MSS.; the Calcutta edition being defective here. Some for the name; and, in one, I find Nabhaga:

MSS. have Nabhagadisht'a

TRTT^ ^

^^^ ft t^^

WTirWrlt left

M. Langlois must have had before him a

much

like that in the

Bombay

edition;

for

still

I

different

lection,

he translates: "Les

one

fils

de

Nabhagarishta, Kchatriyas d'origine, devinrent Vesyas. +

See note

++ in the

preceding page.

Bengal corruption of Bhalandana, the reading best MSS. of the Bhagavata. See note * in the next page.

§ This looks like a all

my

m.

16

in

242

VISHNU PURANA.

was Pramsu;f whose son was Prawhose son was Khanitra;^ whose son was the very vaUant Kshupa;'*+ whose son was Vimsa;^

pri:^* his son jani;^

Vatsapriti: Bhagavata.

'

father of Sunanda, the wife of

ratha, the

The latter Kujambha by VidiiVatsasri. The Vayu

Vatsasri: Markandeya. §

has a story of the destruction of the Daitya

has Sahasrari.il

Bhagavata.

"^

Pramati

^

According

:

to the

IF

Markandeya, the

priests of the royal family

conspired against this prince, and were put to death by his ministers. *

Chakshusha Bhagavata.

*

Vira: Markandeya. ff

**

:

* All

my

best

MSS.

give Vatsapriti once, or twice;

both Vatsapriti and Vatsapri; for the

name

is

several having

repeated, in the original,

Vatsapri, and as son of Bhalandana, connexion with Praiiisu. mentioned several times in the Aniikramanikd to the Riyveda.

in

t Where

—is

(for a single

instance out of several,)

called one of the "sons" of

Manu,

Or is the Pramsu He was one of twelve Mdrkandeya-purdna, CXVIIL, 1, 2.

"descendants"? that

name?

According

I

read, without exception:

have altered

cTcI^

'^f^I

I

rf^M

My

best

^t^^^^

MSS.

I

printed "Chakshupa",

name,

as above.

See note § in the next page.

§

'^^*

mistaking

Professor Wilson,

That the name

Kshupa

is

evident from several passages of the Mdrkandeya-purdna; as

^T?:

232, supra,

understand, by "sons",

sons of Vatsapri, according to the

I

I

Pramsu— p.

to

here spoken of a second person of

'^trrwr'f7T^^^''CT«l>'fl' flirt's *I^fl. the particle cha, 'and', for part of the

which

we

Vdyu-purd/ia, Praiiisu was son of Bhalandana:

to the

My MSS.

are

is

of the

3TTW

TT^

^^

f^^fTT

Mdrkaildeya-purdna have,

is,

further,

CXX.,

1:

I

like

the

Calcutta

edition, Vatsapri. II

In the Vdyii-purdna, as

known

to

me, there

is

no name at

all here.

See the line quoted in note i, above. ^ The Vdyu-purdiia and the Mdrkandeya-purdna have Prajati. ** Pretty certainly, there is, here, a gross mistake in the Bhdgavatapurdna.

See note

+,

above.

ff CXX.,

13.

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

243

I.

whose son was Vivimsati,^* whose son was Khaninetra;f whose son was the powerful, wealthy, and valiant Karandhama ^ whose son was Avikshi (or Avikshit);^+ whose son was the mighty Ma;

whom

of

rutta,§

this

well-known verse

recited:

is

il

Rambha precedes Vivimsati: Bhagavata. IT Balaswa, ** or Balakaswa, or Subalaswa, according to the

'

'

Markandeya, whicli explains of an army,

bis creation

name Karandhama

bis

— wben besieged

by

—

by breathing on his hands (e(it^-|-'^ir^:). Both forms occur, as the commentator observes: ^f^"^^^

utaries, '

^f^^'f^'f^f^(?jfq SfTT

The Markandeya has a long

I

this prince's carrying off the

his confederated rivals,

rescued by his father, but was so

much

vowed never

that he

no reading but

find

I

mere

marry nor

to

clerical inadvertence,

Viviriis'a,

—

is

left

lection of the 31drkandeya-purdiia,

For

t Nearly pose

all

my

Ativibhuti,

The

reign.

Viuisa

if

princess, also be-

— which

out of account.

CXX.,

14, 15: 11.,

else

Vibhuti,

as

is,

of course, a

Viviilisa

§,

below.

p. 193.

here inter-

best,

of Khaninetra

son

also, the

is,

and see note

MSS., including every one of the

or

he was

mortified by his disgrace,

denoting a caste, see Vol.

this word, as

story of

daughter of Visala, kingofVaidisaff.

Being attacked and captured by

*

denote

to

his revolted trib-

and

sire

of

Karandhama. +

In the Vdyu-purdiia

after Khanitra,

hiatus in

as

if

I

and he

find Avikshita;

his son.

,But,

named immediately

is

almost certainly, there

is,

here,

a

my MSS. reading of the MdrkaMeya-'purdna, Ch. CXXIII.

Avikshita

is,

§ In

Mahdhhdrata, Aiwamedhika-'parvan, Chap.

the

also, the

we

IV.,

find the

following genealogy, referred to the Krita-yuga: Manu, Prasandhi, Kshupa,

Ikshwaku, Vimsa (one of a hundred sons,

all kings),

Viviiiisa,

Khaninetra

(one of fifteen sons), Karandhama, Avikshit, Marutta. II

I

find

"two stanzas":

^^TTT^WTf^

"^ofil"

^^W

I

And two

stanzas are immediately afterwards quoted,

my

MSS., Rambha follows

and Vimsa

1"

In

**

This appears to be the true reading of the Mdrkandeya-purdna.

+t From the duction

original,

of explicit

Viviiiisati

'^'fe'TrTf^''T^l5

proof that there

infer, in preference, Vaidisa.

is

it

;

is

safest,

is

omitted,

pending the pro-

such a name as "Vaidisa,

Vide supra, p. 221, note

+.

16*

"

to

244

VISHNU PURANA.

"There never

was beheld,

on

and utensils* were made of

a

earth,

sacrifice

All the implements

equal to the sacrifice of Marutta.

Indra was intoxi-

gold.

cated f with the libations of Soma-juice; and the Brah-

mans were enraptured with the magnificent donations The winds of heaven encompassed the

they received. rite,

hold

as guards; it."^+

coming an finally,

and the assembled gods attended,

to be-

Marutta was a Chakravartin (or universal

ascetic,

met with him

woods; and they were,

in the

and

espoused: but Avikshit kept his other vow,

who

quished his succession in favour of his son,

relin-

succeeded to the

kingdoms of both Karandhama and Visala. ^

Most of our

authorities quote

The Vayu||

without, addition. §

whom

ducted by Samvarta,

*

"Implements and utensils"

t The commentary explains

Accordinpj to

occasion: ^li^fft §

Whence

the

the

scholiast,

^^T: first

I

the

same words, with, or

adds, that the sacrifice

was con-

the Bhagavata terms a Yogin, the

is

to render vastu.

"^^^fl^ by ^fTTTT^T IFt ^^^J5

the

Maruts purveyed food,

^T^HTT

of these stanzas

^WTf^T^fT^lT^* was derived

I

am

&c.,

I

on the

I

unable to say;

but we probably have the prototype of part of the second in the following quotation in the Aitareya-brdhmana, VIII., 21:

See, also, the Satapatha-brdhmana, XIII, V., IV., 6; and compare the

Bhdgavata-purdna, IX,, II

Its

II.,

27, 28.

words are:

^^RT ^ f^

'n^T^ %rtff

IT^Tf^fT:

II

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

245

I.

monarch): he had a son named Narishyanta;^ his son wasDama;^ his son was Rajyavardhana;* his son was son was Nara; his son was Kevala; his his son was Vegavat; his son was Bandhumat; was son Budha;^ his son was Trinabindu, who had a daughter Siidhriti; his

son of Angiras

dour of the Samvarta.

;

and that Brihaspati was so jealous of the splenthat a great quarrel ensued between him and

rite,

How

it

involved the king

is

not told ; but, apparently,

in consequence, Marutta, with his kindred

was

so

named from

and

friends,

was taken,

According to the Markarideya,f Marutta

Sariivarta, to heaven.

by

'May

the paternal benediction,

thine,' or 'be propitious to thee' (TTT^tT^

the winds be

fll^'PTr^)-

He

reigned,

agreeably to that record, 85000 years. '

Omitted

'

A

Bhagavata.

in the

rather chivalric and curious story

is

told of

Dama,

in the

Sumana, daughter of the king Dasarha,§ was rescued, by him, from his rivals. One of them, Vapushmat, afterwards killed Marutta, who had retired into the woods, after Markarideya.

t

His

bride,

relinquishing his crown to his son.

Dama,

in retaliation, killed

Vapushmat, and made the Pinda (or obsequial offering) to his father, of his flesh: with the remainder he fed the Brahmans of

Rakshasa

origin: such

were the kings of the solar

^^^^:

^

•

race.

Tj^f%^ ff TT^T^ ^^^: The Bhagavata has Bandhavat, Oghavat, and Bandha.ll II 11

The Vdyu-purdiia has Rasht'ravardhana.

t CXXVIIL, § I find

^TIT

33.

^

^

^"ntrfM^^*,

:

Ch.

CXXXIV.

"daughter

of

the

king of Dasarna".

See Vol. II., p. 160, note f; P- l^S? note ., MdrkaMeya-ptirdria, Calcutta edition, pp. 657, 658. t I find, in all the MSS. I haye examined, Bandhumat and Vegavat; \?hile the prevailing reading of the third name is Bandhu, of which II

Bandha and Budha

are variants.

three names, with the

The

Vishnu-purdna.

Vdyu-purdna agrees, as

to

all

VISHNU PURANA.

246

named Ilavila.^* The celestial nymph f Alambusha, becommg enamoured of Trmabindu, bore hhn a son named Visala, by whom the city Vaisali was founded.^ '

The Vayut and Bhagavata both

add, that she

is

said to have been the wife of Pulastya,

The weight of

vas.

ment. '

See Vol.

I.,

authority

is

note

2.

154,

p.

|1

Vaisali

is

tradition; but its site

is

the wife

and mother of Visra-

in favour of the former state-

three sons, Visala, Suriyabandhu, and

The Bhagavata names

Dhumaketu.

was

In the Linga Purana, she

of Visravas, and mother of Kubera. §

a city of considerable renown in Indian

Part of

a subject of some uncertainty.

the difficulty arises from confounding

it

with Visala, another name

of Ujjayini

Hemachandra. t

Also, in the

'Having arrived at Avanti,

*

city before indicated, Visala.'

'To the

city Ujjayini,

named

Megha Duta:

*

*

**

proceed

Visala.'

whom

labours of Sakya^t and his

*

Only ono of

my MSS.

the

illustrious

it is

JT^

I

Comment. Vaisalift, how-

ever, appears to be very differently situated.

Buddhists, amongst

to

f^^T^f^vrT^T^^f^pff

According to the

celebrated as a chief seat of the

first disciples, it is

the

has this name; one has

same

Ilirila;

as Prayaga,

and

all

the

have IliVila. Also see note +, below. The Bhdgavata-purdna, IX., II., 31, represents Mavida as daughter of Tfinabindu and Alambusha. t Apsaras. Vdyu-pvrdi'ia has Ivida, and calls her mother of Visravas: I The

rest

§ Called II

I find

Dhanada, in the Bhdgavata-purdna. f AbUdhdna-chmtdmani, IV., 42.

Dhiimraketu.

** ^l. 32, Prof.

Wilson's second edition.

recension, Vaisali. ft The genuine Rdmdyai'ia has Visala; the Bengal The latter name, Burnouf maintains, is that which was known to the Budnote 2. dhists. Introduction a THistoire du Buddhisme Indien, Vol. I., p. 86, ++ ++ Corrected

from "^akhya."

BOOK

The son

IV.,

CHAP.

247

I.

was Hemachanwas Dhiunraswa;

of the first king of Vaisah'

dra; his son

was Suchandra;

his son

was Sahadeva;^ his son who celebrated, Somadatta, was was ten times, the sacrifice of a horse; his son was Janamejaya; and his son was Sumati.^'' These were the

his son wasSrinjaya;' his son

Krisaswa; his son

or Allahabad ;t but the

Ramayana

45) places

(I.,

it

much lower

down, on the north bank of the Ganges, nearly opposite to the mouth of the Sone and it was, therefore, in the modern district conjectured. of Saran, as Hamilton (Genealogies of the Hindus t) ;

In the fourth century,

it

to the Chinese traveller

was known,

Fa-hian, as Phi-she-li, on the right bank of the Gandak, not far from its confluence with the Ganges. § Account of the Foe-kueki

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. V.,

:

p.

128.

II

^

•

Dhumraksha and Sariiyama: Bhagavata.t The text is clear enough ^^^aTH^f^^I tTcT: IJ^T^t (Hindu Theatre, Vol, H.,

p. 296),

But,

I

I

;

as elsewhere noticed

the

com-

mentator on the Bhagavata** interprets the parallel passage,

very differently, or:

^^^^^: ^^^T ^ff: I

I

ft 'Krisaswa with

Devaja,' or, as some copies read, Devaka, or Daivata, as

if

there

were two sons of Samyama. 3 The Bhagavata changes the order of these two, making Janamejaya the son of Sumati: or Pramati; Vayu. Sumati, king

*

Four

of

my MSS.

have Swamati.

t Burnouf, where referred

to in note

ft

this opinion to be groundless.

in the preceding page, I

shows

Pp. 37, 38, represented by

others, thinks it is now § General Cunningham, with Basadh, a village twenty-seven miles nearly north from Patna.

Journal

Supplementary Number, p. lii. of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1863, The article referred to was written by Professor Wilson. Bhdgavata-purdna, IX., II., 34, makes Hemachandra^ father of II

^ The Dhumraksha, father

*

IX.,

II.,

of

Samyama,

father of

Krisaswa and Devaja.

34.

ft The commentator adds qiBTniX ^^T'RT^'TT'^'i; :

I

"^"^ ^ "^

I

VISHNU PURANA.

248

kings of Vaisali;* of

favour of Trinabindu, long-lived,

whom

all

it

it

said:f

is

"By the

the monarchs of Vaisali t were

magnanimous,

equitable,

and

valiant."

Saryati (the fourth son of the Manu,) § had a daugh-

named Sukanya, who was married

ter

to the holy sage

Chyavanar^li he had, also, a righteous son called Anarta.

is made contemporary with Rama: Ramayana, I., The dynasty of Vaisala kings is found only in our text,

of Vaisali,

47.

17.

the

Vayu, and Bhagavata. Hamilton

C;

B.

but the latter

is

places them from 1920 to 1240

IF

incompatible with the date he assigns to

Rama, of 1700 B. C.** The contemporary and Rama, however, is rather unintelligible

existence of Sumati as,

;

the former

lists,

is

according to our

the thirty-fourth, and the latter, the sixtieth,

from Vaivaswata Manu. of their marriage, of Chyavana's appro-

The circumstance

*

priating a share of offerings to the Aswini

Kumaras, and of

his

quarrel with Indra, in consequence, are told, in detail, in the

Bhagavata and Padma Puranas.

"

Expressed by vaiidlaka.

t ^«hl'S"CI'^ afjlj^

I

And

•what follows is a stanza.

the Vdyti-purdna, as well, but not as

if

It occurs in

a quotation.

VaUdlaka.

t

The Aitareya-brdhmana, son of Manu. The Rigveda, §

IV.,

32,

and

also, has

VIII.,

21,

speaks of Saryata,

Perhaps

Saryata.

this

name

is

here a inetronym. II

"The

solemn

Rishi

sacrifice

Chyavana married his [Vaivaswata's] daughter; and a was held on the occasion, at which Indra and the

Aswins were present.

Chyavana appropriated

the oblation intended for the Aswins, at

to

and, to appease him, a fresh offering was prepared. this story

from the Kaushitaki Brahmaiia."

of the Rigveda, Vol.

^ ^* ?

I.,

p. 139,

note

a.

Genealogies of the Hindus, &c., p. 38.

himself the share of

which Indra was very angry;

The

Scholiast quotes

Professor Wilson's Translation

BOOK

The son

of the latter

CHAP.

IV.,

249

I.

was Revata/ who ruled over the

country (called, after his father,) Anarta, and dwelt at the capital, (denominated) Kusasthali.'

The son

of this

prince was Raivata, or Kakudmin, the eldest of a hun-

dred brethren.

He had a very lovely

daughter;* and (not

finding any one worthy of her hand,) he repaired, with

Brahma, to consult the god where bridegroom was to be met with. When he arrived, the quiristersf Haha, Huhu, and others were singing + before Brahma; and Raivata, § waiting till they had

her, to the region of

a

fit

finished,

imagined the ages that elapsed during their

In most of the other Purarias, Reva, or Raiva.

'

and Matsya

Rochamana

insert a

|l

The Linga

before him; and the Bhagavatali

adds, to Anarta, Uttanabarhis and Bhurishei'ia. '

The Bhagavata**

Revata,

who

built

legend shows, that

was

it

ascribes the foundation of Kusasthali to

it is

it,

said, within the sea.

the same, or

The subsequent

on the same

spot, as

Dwa-

raka; and Anarta was, therefore, part of Cutch or Gujerat. Vol.

•

note

171,

II., p.

The reading

of

See

4. ft

my MSS.

is

ff^

^

T^"^ TTT

^JP^TT,

" and he

had a daughter, Revati." t Gandharva.

For Haha and Huhu, see Vol. XL, pp. 286,

TR f^

et seg.

The piece of music which "^fTfrTT^ IT^^T'fNfl they were executing was an atitdna, a certain song, according to the commentary. A variant for gdndharvam is gdndhdram, qualifying atit

tdnam. § II

The

The

scholiast takes note of

I

—

it.

and below, Vdyu-purdna have these two readings, and Rava,

original has Raivataka, here

My MSS.

of the

as well.

% XL,

III.,

27.

•*

III.,

28:

IX.,

+t Also see Vol.

II.,

p. 172, note 2.

VISHNU PURANA.

250

At the end of

performance to be but as a moment.*

their singing, Raivata prostrated himself f before Brah-

"Whom

ma, t and explained his errand.

should you

wish for a son-in-law?" demanded Brahma; and the king mentioned to him various persons with whom he could be well pleased. § Nodding his head gently, and Brahma said to him: "Of those

(graciously) smiling,

wdiom you have named the third or fourth generation no longer survives; for many successions of agest have passed away, whilst you w^ere listening to our songsters.** Now, upon earth, the twenty-eighth great age of the present Manu is nearly finished, and the Kali period is at hand, ff You must, therefore, bestow this virgin gemtt upon some other husband: for you ||

now, alone; and your friends, your ministers,

are,

Muhurta.

The Sanskrit

^ffT

fTT'SrWf^ t^cl^: musical technicality.

is:

rlT^W

^^^^(ff'T^

ser-

f^^^^tT^*^ <M «*^ ^1 MtT"

^

I

Trmdrga

is

here a

t Pr an amy a. epithet of X Here, and just above, and also below, designated by his ahjayoni, 'lotos-born.' §

II

And he

further solicited Brahma's advice as

The Sanskrit

is

^TT^Tim^fTfTi:

^

Chaturyuga.

**

Literally, 'this music', etad

^^Wl" ff

fTtSirf^:

I

to

a choice:

^

j^m

I

gdndharvam.

Comment:

^"^ t:^fl^ ^^^ETt^^f^fl^'

is meant is, that, in the meantime, twenty-eight fom-yuga cycles manwantara or patriarchate then current had nearly elapsed, &c. Compare the Bhdgavata-purdm, IX., III., 33.

What of the

For the length of a manwantara, see Vol. **

Kanyd-ratna.

I.,

pp. 50

— 52.

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

vants, wife, kinsmen, armies,*

251

I.

and treasures have long

since f been swept away by (the hand of) time." Overcome with astonishment and alarm, t the Raja then said to Brahma: "Since I am thus circumstanced, do thou,

me

lord, tell

unto

whom

the maiden shall be given."

the creator of the world, § whose throne

And lotos,

!l

is

the

(thus benignantly) replied to the prince, as he

before him

'^^

"The being whose commencement, course,ff and termination we are ignorant; the unborn and omnipresent H essence §§ nature and (of all things); he whose real and infinite essence tl (we do not know), is the supreme Vishnu.*** He is time, made up of moments, and hours, and

stood

bowed and humble t

:

of

|||1

years ;ttt whose influence Itt is the source of (perpetual)

He

change.

is

the universal form of

all

things,

from

He is eternal, without name or shape. (being) am favour of that imperishable

birth to death. §§§

Through

•

the

|||i|

Bala.

f Atyanta, 'entirely." X The two substantives are

sddhwasa.

to render

§ Sapta-loka-guru. II

^

Abjayoni. Kritdnjali-bhuta.

** All the rest of this chapter is in verse.

ft Madhya. XX

Sarvagata.

§§ Dhdtu. III!

^f

Para. Sara.

**• "Supreme Vishnu" corresponds fft Kaldmuhurtddi. XXX

§§§

parame^wara.

Vibh'di. I find

to this, mill

to

^^TSPiRllX^

he

is

Achyuta.

^R^f^l^TT'T'^^ ^TRR^

said to be 'unborn

See Vol.

I.,

I

and indestructible,' &c. &c.

p. 15, note 3.

According

VISHNU PUEANA.

252

power in creation through his anRudra the destroyer (of the world); and the cause of preservation, Purusha, proceeds, also, from him. The unborn, having assumed my person,* creates (the world); in his own essence, f he provides for the agent of his

I

ger

;

is

duration; in the form of Rudra, he devours

its

all

things;

body of Ananta, he upholds them. Impersonated as Indrat and the other gods, he is the guardian of mankind ;§ and, as the sun and moon, he disperses darkness. Taking upon himself the nature of fire, he bestows warmth and maturity, and, in the As one condition of the earth, nourishes all beings. and, with the

||

with

air,t

he gives activity to existence;** and, as one

with water, he

satisfies (all

wants)

;

whilst, in the state

of ether, associated with universal aggregation, he furnishes space for

and that which

all

is

objects.ft

He

is

at

once the creator,

created; the preserver, and that which

preserved; the destroyer, and, as one with

is

that which

he

is

is

distinct

the world; he

*

Ri'ipa.

+

Sakra, in the original.

§

Viiwa.

^

Swasana,

**

Loka.

Jt

'breath.'

^TfTT f^^f^fH^f^cT^

Avyaydtman.

things,

from these three vicissitudes. In him is is the world; and he, the primeval self-

t Purusha-swanipin.

ft

all

destroyed: and, as the indestructible, tt

See Vol.

I,,

p. 17,

note

•.

BOOK born,

IV.,

CHAP.

253

I.

again present in the world.*

is

That (mighty)

paramount over all beings, is now, in a portion of himself, upon the earth. That (city) Kusasthali, which was, formerly, your capital, and rivalled the city of the immortals,! is now (known as) Dwa-

who

Vishnu,

is

raka;^ and there reigns a portion of that divine being,: in the person of Baladeva.

To him, who appears

He

a man, present her, as a wife.

groom

for this excellent damsel;

is

as

a worthy bride-

and she

is

a suitable

bride for him."§

Being thus instructed by the lotos-born (divinity), Raivata returned (with his daughter,) to earth, where he found the race of men dwindled in stature, reduced in vigour,

and enfeebled

in intellect.

Repairing to the

city of Kusasthali, which he found (much) altered,

the wise

monarch bestowed

[1

his (unequalled) daughter

on the wielder of the ploughshare,! whose breast was So

'

called

from

its

many Dwaras,

or gateways;

Vayu. Compare the Bhagavad-gitd, Chapter IX,, passim. " like Amaravati." t The Sanskrit has amardvativa, Vol. I., p. 137; and Vol. II., p. 240, text and notes. *

*

For

this city, see

Kesava, in the original. §

rf^ c^^^t fTT^T

'fT'S:

Because, says the commentator, Kiishiia had reclaimed from the sea circumference, and, with a shire of country measuring twelve yojaiias in For Dwaraka, vide infra, the aid of Viswakarman, had renovated the city. 11

Book

^

v., Chapters

XXIII. and XXVIII.

Stra-dhwaja, 'plough-bannered'.

254

VISHNU PURANA.

as fair

and radiant as

crystal. *

Beholding the damsel

of excessively lofty height, the chief

whose banner

is

a palm-tree f shortened her with the end of his ploughshare, and she became his wife. Balaramat having es-

poused, agreeably to the

ritual, Revati,

the daughter

of Raivata, the king retu^ed to the mountain Himalaya,§ ^ (and ended his days) in devout austerities.

*

The

object of this legend,

authorities,

is,

which

is

told

by most of the

obviously, to account for the anachronism of

mak-

ing Balarama contemporary with Raivata; the one, early in the

Treta age, and the other,

*

at the close of the

Dwapara.

Sphat'ikdchaldbha, " brilliant as a mountain of crystal."

t Tdlaketu. X

Indicated, in the Sanskrit,

§

Himachala, in the original.

by

his epithet sirdyudha.

CHAPTER

II.

those of Dispersion of Eevata's descendants: those of Dhiishta: his sons. Nabhiiga. Birth of Ikshwaku, the son of Vaivaswata;

Legend

Line of Vikukshi. of

Yuvanaswa;

of

of Kakutstha; his

Mandhatfi:

of

Dhundhumara;

daughters

married

to

Saubhari.

surnamed Ralvata, Brahma, the desPunyajanas* (evil spirits or) Rakshasas named brothers, himdred His troyed his capital, Kusasthali.

PARAS ARA.—WhilstKakudmin,

his visit to the region of

was absent on

through dread of these

foes, fled in different directions

and the Kshattriyas, their descendants, settled in

many

countries/

From

sprang the

Dhrishta, the son of the Manu,

Kshattriya race: of Dharshtaka.^ Raivata founded a According to the Vayu, the brothers of Saryati. The Brahma Pafrom Sarjata, called race celebrated (gahana); for which rana says, they took refuge in secret places gana) mountains. The Vayu the Hari Vamsa substitutes (parvata >

they were renowned in has neither, and says, merely, that regions:

t^WTrTT

t^ ^RT^

I

all

"

tt ihe Vamsa.§& TV,. Han ^r So the Vayu, Linga, Agni, Brahma, and Chitranatha, Dhrishta,-Dhrishtaketu, Matsya names three sons of ,

•

2

The Bhagavatai

and Ranadhfishta.

•

Punyajana

is

adds, that the sons of Dhri-

with yaksha. usually considered as synonymous 75. I., p. 83; Vol. II., p.

For

the Yakshas, see Vol.

I

^40.gd4^^^

§ SI. 642.

The

IX.,

II.,

17.

Kshattra, in the original.

Calcutta edition has Dhiishnu

vide supra, p. 232, note II

I

I

++ ++•

Also vide infra,

p. 280,

note

2.

and Dharshuaka.

Also

VISHNU PURANA.

256

The son shta obtained

'

But who

of

Nabhaga* was Nabhaga;^

Brahmanhood upon is

the son of the

Nabhaga? For,

Manu

is

his son

was

though born Kshattriyas:

earth,

as above observed, (p. 231, note

Nabhaga-nedishta;t and there

is,

1,)

in that

case, no such person as Nabhaga. § On the other hand, if Nabhaga and Nedishtha!! be distinct names, we have ten sons of Vai-

vaswata, as in the Bhagavata.

H The

descendants of Nedishtha,

through his son Nabhaga, have been already specified ; and, after all, therefore, we must consider the text as intending a distinct

This

the ordinary reading of

is

give Nabhaga.

It will contribute to

we surmise,— wtrfe supra,

itself, if

p.

my

MSS., of which three, however, harmonize the VisMu-purdna with 13,— that there is, here, an error for

So Anibarisha's grandfather is called in the Bhdgavata-purdna, though the person there meant is, as the context evidences, IX., IV., 1 The Vdyuidentified with Nabhanedishfha of the Aitareya-brdhmana. purdna, likewise, in every MS. to which I have access, irregularly derives Nabhaga.

;

Nabhaga from Nabhaga: Those Puranas which speak of Nedisht'ha (or Disht'a, &c.) preceded by in composition or apart, and also speak of Nabhaga (or Nabhaga), recounting, of the latter, the story told in note 1, above, have ex-

Nabhaga, plicitly

to

misrepresented ancient tradition, inasmuch as this story relates

Nabhanedishtha

we have

preceded by •TTHT

(^f^^

the source of Nabhaganedishfha and

previously particularized.

There seems

to

= TRft),

in 'whose

name

numerous other corruptions be no authority,

older than

epic and Pauraiiik, for such a person as Nedisht'ha, or Disht'a, or Arishfa,

father of a Nabhaga.

f The Vdyu-purdna has:

This should be Nabhaga-nedisht'ha. Also vide supra, See the conjecture ventured in note *, above. and the Translator's last note on Chapter V. of p. 232, text and note * the present Book. But the Bhdgavata-purdna, IX., II., 17, 18, gives an *

§

;

irreconcileable account of the offspring of Ni'iga. II

and

Changed, here and just below, from "Nedisht'a." so further on.

If

Vide supra, p. 14, note

Also read Nabhaga, .; p.

232, note

XX'

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

257

II.

Ambarisha;^ his son was Viriipa;^* his son was Pri-

person by the name Nabhaga; and sucb a name does occur, in the

lists ot"

the Agni, Kiirma, Matsya, and Bhagavata, unquestion-

ably distinct from that with which

it

is

sometimes compound-

also

The Bhagavata repeats the legend maria, f with some additions, and says

of the

ed.

that

,

,

Aitareya Brah-

Nabhaga having

protracted his period of study beyond the usual age, his brothers

appropriated his share of the patrimony.

On

his portion, they consigned their father to him,

he assisted the descendants of Angiras presented him with

Rudra claimed firmed the

it

by whose advice

a sacrifice, and they

was left at its termination. Nabhaga acquiescing, the god con-

the wealth that

all

as his; and,

by which he became possessed of an equivalent

gift,

loss of territory.

for the

in

applying for

his

Most of the

authorities recognize but

one name here, variously read either Nabhaga or Nabhaga, the

The Vayu,

father of Ambarisha.

curs with the text.

The Bhagavata §

'

as well as the Bhagavata, con-

+

who reigned, Yamuna. He is more celebrated Vishnu, whose discus protected him

considers Ambarisha as a king

apparently, on the banks of the

a devout worshipper of

as

from the wrath of Durvasas, and humbled that choleric

was a portion struggle

of Siva:

between two

—a

sects,

saint,

who

legend which, possibly, records

a

which the votaries of Vishnu,

in

headed by Ambarisha, triumphed.

The Agni, Brahma, and Matsya stop with Ambarisha. The Vayu and Bhagavata proceed as in the text; only the latter

||

adds, to Viriipa,

*

Ketumat and Sambhu.

See Professor Wilson's Translation of the Rigveda, Vol.

note

a.

One MS.

t v., 14.

of the

p.

122,

see, further, the

Rig-

For Nabhanedisht'ha, there mentioned,

veda, X., LXI. and LXII,; and the Taittiriya-samhitd of the III., I., *

It

Yajurveda,

IX., 4.

does not appear so from

§ IX., IV., 13, 30. III.

I.,

Vishnu-purd/ia has Viswarupa.

my MSS. II

See note

• in the

preceding page.

IX., VI., 1.

17

258

VISHNU PURANA.

whom

shadaswa; his son was Rathitara,* of

who were

"These,

it is

sung:

Kshattriyas by birth, the heads of

the family of Rathitara, were called Angirasas (or sons of Angiras), and were

Brahmans

as well as Kshattri-

yas." ^f

'

The same

verse

is

cited in the

Vayu, and affords an instance

of a mixture of character, of which several similar cases occur

subsequently. sion

;

+

Kshattriyas by birth become Brahmans by profes-

and such persons are usually considered as Angirasas,

lowers or descendants of Angiras, This

of warrior-priests.

the obvious purport of

is

of Nabhaga's assisting the sons referred

sacrifice,

to

in

who may have founded of Angiras

former note;§

a

authority has devised a different Rathitara, as read in

some

although

as

the

as by the

well

their

same

Rathinara||

explanation.

copies,

the legend

complete

to

fol-

a school

(or

Bhaga-

vatalT and Vayu,) being childless, Angiras begot on his wife sons

•

The "Rathinara"

of the

below, being convinced that

former edition

it is

in

a Ksbattra

f^WT
^'31^'^;

I

This explanation

Part *

I

,

I

I

have not accepted

this

ii

passage,

in

^^TT^fH:

p. 280,

§

Note

n

IX., VI., 2,3:

1

in full.

note 2.

in p. 256, supra.

\\

^f%^

Original Sanskrit Texts,

pp. 46, 47.

Vide infra,

and

chief of the Rathitaras,

1^ T^jf^T^ ^^TT 'fT^m:

See Dr. Muir's remarks on

here

very few MSS.

or Kshattriya race, and were sub-

sequently known as Angirases. They were the Brahmans possessing the rank of Ksbattras." One of my MSS. gives tJ^^T: for TT^^j:

Commentary:

have altered,

I

a clerical error of a

^^^

T^'^fTTrm ti^tt: "These were born

merely

See note

,

above.

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

259

II.

Ikshwaku was born from the nostril of the Mann, as he happened to sneeze.^ He had a hundred* sons, of whom the three most distinguished f were Vikukshi, Nimi, and Danda. Fifty (of the rest), under Sakuni,t were the protectors of the northern countries. Forty^ eight were the princes of the south.

radiant with divine glory, who, as the sons of the monarch wife,

his

actual

were Kshattriyas, but were Brahmans through This, however,

father.

by the memorial verse cited '

'

shi,

is

an afterthought, not warranted

our

in

by

their

text.

So the Bhagavata:§

The Matsya

says, that Indra (Devaraj)

was born

as

Vikuk-

and that Ikshwaku had one hundred and fourteen other sons

who were kings of the countries south of Meru, and as many who reigned north of that mountain. The Vayu and most of the other authorities agree in the

number

of one hundred, of

whom

These stanzas are thus rendered by Burnouf: "Rathitara n'eut pas d'enfants; c'est pourquoi

donner des successeurs, et Angiras eut de brillants de I'eclat du Veda.

"Quoique nes de

la

femme

comme

pas moins reconnus

la

de Rathitara, ces

Angirasides;

ancetres, auteurs de leur race, et

ils

lis

11

pria Angiras

femme du fils

de lui

prince des

fils

d'Angiras n'en sont

sont pour les Rathitaras les

appartiennent aux deux tribus des

Kchattriyas et des Brahmanes." *

The

scholiast considers that 'a

number, instead of 'a hundred and t Pravara.

In the

hundred'

is

here used, as a round

one.'

Vdyu-purdiia and Bhdgavata-purdna, the word

is

jyesht'ka, 'eldest'. +

VI

«*i

r»
I

Read, therefore, for "under Sakuni," "Sakuni and

others". § IX., VI., 4.

17*

VISHNU PURANA.

260

Upon one

Ashtaka/ Ikshwaku

of the days called

of celebrating ancestral obsequies,)

(being desirous

ordered Vikukshi to bring him flesh suitable for the

The

offering.

prince, accordingly,

went

into the forest,

and killed many deer and other wild animals,* (for the celebration). Being weary (with the chase), and being hungered, he (sat

down

and) ate a hare, after which,

(being refreshed), he carried the rest of the

game

to

Vasishtha,t the family-priest: of the house of Ikshwaku, was summoned to consecrate the food;§

his father.

fifty,

with Sakuni at their head,!| are placed

forty-eight in the south,— according to the

was

the

The same

chief.

authority

in

the north; and

Vayu,— of whom Vimatilf specifies,

also,

Nimi and

Darida, as sons of Ikshwaku, as does the Bhagavata,** with the addition of their reigning in the central regions,

of the rest, in that work,

tt is,

the east, and the rest elsewhere,— that

north and south.

It

Ikshwaku, we are

ff The

distribution

twenty-five in the west, as is,

many

in

the commentator adds,

seems very probable,

that,

by these sons of

to understand colonies or settlers in various

parts of India. '

*

See pp.

The

1G8, 169, supra.

original has only mriga.

X Kuldchdrya. t Several of my MSS. omit this name. § This is expressed by the term proksha/mya, 'for aspersion.' The reading is as in note X in the preceding page. II

«|[

The name appears Different MSS.

others."

to

be Vimsati: f^ll"f7riT^^T:,

of the

Harivamia

give, in

si.

"Viiiisati

and

664, Vasati, Vasati,

and Sasada. ••

Vikukshi, Nimi, and Dandaka.

tt That plains the

is

to

say, between the

commentator Sridhara.

IX., VI., 4.

Himalayas and the Vindhyas.

So ex-

BOOK but he declared that

CHAP.

IV.,

was impure,

it

261

II.

in

consequence of

Vikukshi's having eaten a hare from amongst ing

thus, as

it,

kukshi was,

in

it;

(mak-

were, the residue of his meal).

it

Vi-

consequence, abandoned by his offen-

ded father; and the epithet Sasada (hare-eater) was him by the Guru. * On the death of Ikshwaku, the dominion of the earth descended to Sasada,^ affixed to

who was succeeded by

his son

Puranjaya.f

In the Treta age, a violent war^ broke out between the gods and the Asuras, in which the former were

They, consequently, had recourse to

vanquished.

^

The Vayu

states,

of Ikshwaku.

death

I

more or less in detail. ^ The Vayu§ says,

was king of Ayodhya,

that he

The it

story

was

occurs in

in the

war

all

after the

the authorities,

of the starling and the

stork (^7^«J% '^^)5^ conflict between Vasishtha and Viswamitra, into birds, according to the Bhagavata:

metamorphosed

work dra.

of

assigns

it

to a different period, or the reign of

If the tradition

have any import,

it

may

[|

but that

Harischan-

refer to the ensigns

contending parties; for banners with armorial devices

the

were, as

we

learn from the Mahabharata, invariably borne by

princes and leaders.

t Paranjaya

by the

§ il

is

a variant of

scholiast.

And

so the JIarivaihsa,

IX., TIL, 6.

common

Vide infra,

p.

il.

occurrence, and the

263, note

1.

668.

Also vide infra,

p. 287, note 1.

name

sanctioned

VISHNU PURANA.

262

Vishnu, for assistance, and propitiated him (by their adorations).

The

eternal ruler of the universe, Nara-

"What known unto me. Hear how your wishes be fulfilled. There is an illustrious prince f named

yana, had compassion upon them, and said:*

you

desire

shall

is

Puranjaya, the son of a royal sage:t into his person I will infuse

a portion of myself; and, having descen-

ded upon

earth, I will, in his person,

enemies.

Do

subdue

all

your

you, therefore, endeavour to secure the

aid of Puranjaya, for the destruction of your foes." § Acknowledging, wdth reverence, the kindness of the deity, the immortals quitted his presence, and repaired to Puranjaya,

whom

they thus addressed: "Most re-

nowned Kshattriya, we have come alliance against our enemies:

to disappoint our hopes."

||

it

to thee, to solicit thy

will not

The prince

become thee replied: "Let

your Indra, the monarch of the spheres, (the god) of a hundred sacrifices, consent to carry me upon his shoulders, and I will wage battle with your adversaries,

this

your ally." The gods and Indra readily answered: "So be it"; and, the latter assuming the shape of a bull, the prince mounted upon his shoulder. Being then filled with delight, and invigorated by the power of the eternal t ruler of all movable and immovable as

t Kshattriya. i

II

^

Rdjarshi.

And

the Sanskrit adds 'Sasada.*

Pranaya. Achyuta.

See Vol.

I.,

p. 15,

note

3,

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

263

ir.

he destroyed, in the battle that ensued, all the enemies of the gods; and, because he annihilated the demon-host, whilst seated upon the shoulder (or the

things,

hump, Kakud,) of the

bull, he, thence,

obtained the ap-

Kakutstha (seated on the hump).^

pellation

The son of Kakutstha was Anenas^ whose son was whose son was Viswagaswa, ^ * whose son was Ardra,*f whose son was Yuvanaswa,t w^hose son was Sravasta, by whom the city of SravastP w^as founded.

Prithu,

adds, that he captured the city of the Asuras,§

The Bhagavata

'

situated in the west;

He

city.'

is,

also, called

also,

whence

his

name Puranjaya,

'victor of the

termed Paranjaya, 'vanquisher of foes

Indravaha, 'borne by

he

:

'

is,

Indra.'jj

^

Suyodhana: Matsya, Agni, Kiirma. If

^

Viswaka: Linga.

Vis wagandhi

:

Bhagavata.**

Vishtaraswa:

Brahma Purana and Hari Variisa. f f * Andhra: Vayu. Ayu: Agni. Chandra: Bhagavata. +t *

try of

*

Matsya, Sravasti:j||| and Savasti: Bhagavata. §§ and Kiirma; which also say, that Sravasti was in the coun-

Savasta

Linga,1Iir

Gauda, which

is

eastern Bengal. ***

One MS. has Viswaga;

But

another, Viswagata.

it is,

more

usually.

The Vdyu-purdna seems

to give Dfishadaswa.

t

Two MSS.

The Lmga-purdiia,

have Chandra.

LXV.,

Prior Section,

33, has Ardraka. +

Yavanaswa seems

to be the reading of the

§ Daityas, in the original.

U And tt II

II

^f

||

Vdyu-pitrdria.

IX., VI.,

so the Linga-purdna. :: IX., VI., 20.

&l. 669.

12—16.

** IX., VI., 20.

§§ IX., VI., 21.

So reads the Vdyu-purdna. Prior Section,

LXV.,

34.

I find Savasti, also:

and the king

is

there

called Savasti.

** The term Gauda See the

references

Sanskrit- Worterbuch.

has not only this signification, but a quotations in Messrs. Bobtlingk

and

much

wider.

and Roth's

264

VISHNU PUR ANA.

The son

of Sravasta

was Brihadaswa,* whose son was

Kuvalayaswa. f This prmce, msph'ed with the spirit of Vishnu, destroyed the Asura Dhiindhu, who had harassed the pious saget Uttanka;§ and he was, thence, en-

Dhundhumara/

titled

placed in Kosala,

In

my

||

In his conflict with the demon,

by which apart of Oudeis commonly understood.

Dictionary I have inserted Sravanti, upon the authority of

the Trikanda Sesha;1[ but It

is,

it is,

no doubt, an error for Sravasti.

also called Dharmapattana, being a city of

there,

sanctity, in the estimation of the Buddhists.

Hwan

Hian, She-wei; by

both, nearly in the site of

It is

some

termed, by Fa-

Tsang, She-lo-va-si-ti; and placed, by

Fyzabad

in

Oude.

Account of the Foe-

kue-ki.** '

This legend

Brahma

is

told,

much more

in

Dhundhu

Purarias.

detail, in the

which Kuvalayaswa and his sons dug up, flames which checked their progress, of them.

The legend

•

According

to the

— and

— undeterred

finally

by the

destroyed most

probably, in the occurrence of

originates,

some physical phenomenon,

Vayu and

hid himself beneath a sea of sand,

as an earthquake, or volcano.

Vdyu-purdna,

like

our text, he had a most nu-

merous family: t The Vdyu-purdna has Kuvala.swa:

And from several name is Kuvalaswa.

passages that follow

The Harivainia,

si.

this

671,

laswa; and so has the Ling a-pur dim. § In

two MSS.

I

find Utanka,

the

The Harivamsa, M. 676, The Vdyu-purdna gives, in

IX., VI., 22.

Uttanka. II

**

See Vol.

By

II.,

p. 172,

Professor Wilson

notes ;

in

2, etc.

+

lection

evident

is

it

etc.,

of the

the

Maharshi.

Bhdgavata-purdna,

has, in different MSS.,

my

that

has Kuva-

likewise

Utanka and

MSS., Uttanka.

%

II.,

I.,

13.

the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society,

Vol. v., pp. 122, 123.

Also see M. Vivien de Saint-Martin's Memoire Analytique, etc., p. 105 and General Cunningham, in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1865, pp. 260—267.

BOOK the king

CHAP.

IV.,

was attended by

twenty-one thousand; and

265

II.

his sons, to the

all

number

of

these, with the exception

of only three, perished in the engagement, consumed by the fiery breath of Dhundhu. The three who survived were Dridhaswa, Chandraswa,* andKapilaswa;f and the son and successor of the elder of these t was Haryaswa:§ his son wasNikumbha; his son was Sariihataswa;!! his son was Krisaswa; his son was Prasenajit; and his son was (another) Yuvanaswa.^ '

The

series of

Barhariaswa

and some

in the

names agrees very well Bhagavata.

We

IF

details not noticed in

to

Sarahataswa, called

some variations, The Vayu, Brahma,

have, there,

our

text.

Agni, Linga, Matsya, and Kiirrna ascribe two sons to Samhataswa,

whom

the

two

first

name Krisaswa and Akfisaswa, and

the

Krisaswa and Raiiaswa.** Senajitff or Prasenajittt is, generally, though not always, termed the son of the younger brother; but the commentator §§ on the Hari Vanisa calls him the son of

rest,

Samhataswa, whilst the Matsya, Agni, Linga, and Kurma omit The mother of make Mandhatri the son of Ranaswa.ji

him, and

||

Prasenajit and the wife of Akrisaswa or Samhataswa, to the different interpretations,

•

In the

name

Vdyu-'purdna the

t The Bhdgavata-purdtia, IX., Bhadraswa. +

The

seniority: §

original here again

^T^W^'W:

The Lijiga-purdnn,

— was is

— according

the daughter of Himavat,

Bhadraswa.

VI., 24, has

Dridhaswa, Kapilaswa, and

names Dridhaswa, but says nothing

of his

I

Prior

Section,

LXV.,

37,

interposes

Pramoda

between Dridhaswa and Haryaswa. One MS. has Hitaswa; another, Saiiihitaswa. The latter is the reading of some MSS. of the Vdyu-purdna; others giving Samhataswa. II

f

IX., VI., 25.

**

The Linga-purdna

distinctly calls

Yuvanaswa son

tt Bhdgavaia-purdna, IX., VI., 25. *+ So reads the Vdyu-purdna. Arjuna Misra comments §§ Nilakaut'ha, on ^l. 709. II

II

The Linga-purdna represents Mandhatri

to

of Raiiaswa.

to the like effect.

be son of Yuvanaswa.

266

VISHNU PUR AN A.

Yuvanaswa had no

son,

at

which he was deeply

Whilst residing in the vicinage of the holy

grieved.

Munis, he inspired them with pity (for his childless condition); and they instituted a religious

known note

Diishadwati, the river so termed* (Vol.

as

The wife

4).

rite,

of

Yuvanaswa, according

Prasenajit, according to the

to the

to pro-

II.,

p. 142,

Vayu, or of

Brahma, was Gauri, the daughter of

Rantinara, f who, incurring the imprecation of her husband, became the Bahuda river (Vol. II., p. 142, note 3). The Brahma

and Hari Vamsat the Hari

Matinara,

Vamsa II

call

Yuvanaswa her son;

but, in another place,

contradicts itself, calling Gauri the daughter of

of Puru, the mother of Mandhatfi; here

of the race

following, apparently, the Matsya, in which

Brahma Parana

is

course gives the

title to

it is

The The Vayu of

so stated.

not guilty of the inconsistency.

Mandhatri, with the addition, that he was

called Gaurika, after his mother:

Mandhatri's birth from Gauri

is

the

more remarkable,

as

it

is

incompatible with the usual legend, given in our text and in the

Bhagavata, which seems, therefore, to have been of subsequent origin, suggested

vata,

H Mandhatri

by the etymology of the name. is

also

In the Bhaga-

named Trasaddasyu, or "the

of thieves.

•

The Vayu-pvrdi'm

Compare

states:

the llarivaikia,

have much doubt as

+

I

:

SI. 709.

il.

708, 709.

to the correctness of this

name.

§ SI. 1715, 1716. II

Erroneously printed, in the former edition, "Matimara.'

^IX.,

VI., 33:

terrifier

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

267

ir.

cure him progeny. One night, during its performance, the sages, having placed a vessel of consecrated water upon the altar, had retired to repose. It was past midthe king aw^oke, exceedingly thirsty; and, unwilling to disturb any of the holy inmates of the dwelling, he looked about for something to drink. In

when

nighty

his search,

he came to the water

in the jar,

which had

been sanctified and endow^ed w4th prolific efficacy* by sacred texts, and he drank it. When the Munis f rose, and found that the water had been drunk, they inquired who had taken it, and said: "The queen: that has drunk this water shall give birth to a mighty and val"It w^as I," exclaimed the Raja, "who unwittingly drank the water:" and, accordingly, in the

iant son."

belly of

Yuvanaswa was conceived a

grew; and

in,

due time,

child.

And

it

ripped open the right side

it

of the Raja, and was born: and the Raja did not die.

"Who will be its nurse?" Munis when (Indra,) the king of the gods appeared, and said, "He shall have me for his nurse" (mam ay am dhasyati); and, hence, the boy was named

Upon

the birth of the child,

said the

;

Indra put his fore-finger into the mouth of the infant, who sucked it, and drew from it (heavenly)

Mandhatfi.

And he grew up, and became a mighty monand reduced the seven continental zones under

nectar. §

arch, II

his dominion.

And

rising to the going

*

The

is

recited:

of the sun,

all

original.

original has:

§ Amrita.

Chakravartin. II

down

Aparimeya-mdhdlmya.

t Rishi, in the :

here a verse

"^^^^

"g^^T^"^

Wt

I

"From that

the

is irra-

268

VISHNU PURANA.

diated by his light

is

the land of Mandhatri, the son

of Yuvanaswa."^

Mandhatri married Bindumati,* the daughter of Sasabindu,f and had, by her, three sons, Purukutsa,t barisha,

and Muchukunda:§ he had,

also, fifty

Am-

daugh-

ters.^

The (devout)

sage||

Saubhari, learned in the Vedas,t

had spent twelve years immersed

in a piece of water;

the sovereign of the fish in which,

The Vayu

'

cites

this

same

verse,

named Sammada,

and another, with the re-

mark, that they were uttered by those acquainted with the Purarias

and with genealogies:

'T-ptiTfTTt cT^

f%^:

gTTTJmr: tt^^w

ii

The Brahma and Agni omit Ambarisha, for whom the Matsya substitutes Dharmasena. The following legend of Saubhari occurs, '

elsewhere, only in the Bhagavata,ff and there, less in detail.

*

A

Bindumati

Vidiiratha.

See

spoken

is

my

of,

in

the

Ilarshachariia,

Vdsavadaiid, Preface,

t Compare the Harivanda, il. 712. has Purushakutsa, a reading of no + One MS. •which

I

often pass by

unnoticed.

as having slain

p. 53.

The Purukutsa

value; of the

—

the

like

Rigveda

of

— see

XLIL, 8, 9, is called son of Durgaha, Tvho is again named in the same work, VIII., LIV 12. § The Linga-purdna seems to read Muchakunda. Rishi. ^ BahwHvha. Vide supra, p. 50, note X. ** In the Vishnu-purana this verse is read thus IV,,

,

II

:

^TT^?^^

^3^ ^ ^T^W

tt IX., VI., 39—55.

3TffTf7T?ffT

I

BOOK of large bulk,

CHAP.

IV.,

269

II.

had a very numerous progeny. His

child-

ren and his grandchildren* were wont to frolic around him, in

and he lived amongst them them night and day. Saubhari, being disturbed, in his devotions, by their

all

directions ;f

happily, playing with

the sage,

contemplated the patriarchal

sports,

arch of the lake, and reflected: creature,

being,

is

who, although born

in a

enviable

degraded

Of

this

state of

make merry amidst my resolved, the Muni came up, and, desirous of entering

I,

also,

Having thus from the water,

children." t hastily,

upon the condition of a house-

went toMandhatfi,

ters as his wife.

off-

a truth, he awakens, in

mind, the wish to taste such pleasure; and

will

holder,

mon-

is

ever thus sporting cheerfully amongst his

spring and their young!

my

felicity of the

"How

to

As soon

demand one of his daughhe was informed of the

as

arrival of the sage, the king rose

up from his throne,

him the customary libation, § and treated him with the most profound respect. Having taken a seat, offered

Saubhari said to the Raja:

Do

you, king, give

Disappoint not

my

me

"I

have determined to marry.

one of your daughters, as a

affection.

||

It is

the princes of the race of Kakutstha to turn

compliance with the wishes of those for succour.

*

There

wife.

not the practice of

away from to them

who come

monarch, other kings of the

are,

''T)"^^f^"^;, "sons' sons and daughters' sons."

t The original says that they "frolicked at his sides, in front of him, on his back, and over his breast, tail, and head": tlfJ^ rf) SWrf- 'T^rft

+

The

§

Arghya.

II

translation, hereabouts,

Pranaya.

is

greatly compressed.

270

VISHNU PURANA.

earth to

whom

family

is,

above

ity in

your donations

You to

renowned

for observance of liberal-

to those

who

me; that

so I

may be

through fear that

ask your bounty.

Give one of them

prince, fifty daughters.

have,

suffer

daughters have been born; but your all,

relieved from the anxiety I

my

may

suit

WhenMandhatri heard this

be denied."

request, and looked

the person of the sage, emaciated

by

upon

(austerity and)

old age, he felt disposed to refuse his consent but, dread:

ing to incur the anger and imprecation of the holy

man, he was much perplexed, and, declining his head,

was

lost awhile in thought.

hesitation, said:

The

Rishi, observing his

Raja, do

"On what,

you meditate?

have asked for nothing which may not be readily accorded. And what is there that shall be unattainable to you, if my desires be gratified by the damsel whom you must needs give unto me?" To this, the king, apprehensive of his displeasure,* answered and said: "Grave sir, it is the established usage of our house to I

wed our daughters

to such persons only as they shall,

themselves, select from suitors of fitting rank; and, since this your request

maidens,

is

it

equally agreeable to

occasion of

my

is

not yet

made known

impossible to say whether

them

as

it is

perplexity; and

I

to

am

it

me. This at a loss

to

my

may is

be the

what

to

This answer of the king was fully understood by the Rishi, who said to himself: "This is merely a device of the Raja, to evade compliance with my suit. He has do."

reflected that I

am

an old man, having no attractions

for women, and not

• ^r-'" apa,

' *

curse

likely to

be accepted by any of

BOOK

Even be

his daughters.*

And he

him." is

CHAP.

IV.,

it

271

II.

so: I will be a

match

for

then spake aloud, and said: "Since such

the custom, mighty prince, give orders that

I

be ad-

mitted into the interior of the palace, f Should any of the maidens, your daughters, be willing to take me for

a bridegroom,

I will

be willing, then

let

have her for

my

bride.

If

no one

the blame attach alone to the years

that I have numbered." +

Having thus spoken, he was

silent.

Mandhatri, unwilling to provoke the indignation § of the Muni, was, accordingly, obliged to

command

the

eunuch to lead the sage into the inner chambers; who, as he entered the apartments, put on a form and features of beauty far exceeding the personal charms of mortals, or even of heavenly spirits.

His conductor,

!|

addressing the princesses, said to them:

young

ladies,

manded

of

"Your

father,

who

has de-

sends you this pious sage, 1

him a

bride; and the Raja has promised

him, that he will not refuse him any one of you shall

choose him for her husband."**

sels

heard

this,

When

who

the dam-

and looked upon the person of the and de-

Rishi, they w^ere equally inspired with passion sire,

and,

like a troop of

female elephants disputing

§ ^dpa. W

%

Siddha and gandharva, Brahmarshi.

in the original.

VISHNU PURANA.

272

the favours of the master of the herd, they

all

conten-

ded for the choice.* "Away, away, sister!" said each to the other: "this is my election; he is my choice; he is not a meet bridegroom for you; he has been created, by Brahma, on purpose for me, as I have been

become his wife he has been choby me, before you you have no right to prevent his becoming my husband." In this way arose a violent quarrel amongst the daughters of the king, each insisting upon the exclusive election of the Rishi; and, as the blameless sage was thus contended for by the created in order to sen,

;

;

rival princesses, the superintendent of the inner apart-

ments, with a downcast look, reported to the king what had occurred, f Perplexed, more than ever, by this in-

"What

formation, the Raja exclaimed:

what am

I to

do

now ? What is

at last, although with

liged to

it

that

I

is all

this?

And

have said ? And,

extreme reluctance, he was obshould marry all his

agree that the Rishi

daughters.

Having then wedded, agreeably to law, all the printook them home to his habitation, where he employed the chief of architects, Viswakarman, equal, in taste and skill, to Brahma himself, t cesses, the sage

—

to construct separate palaces for each of his wives

he ordered him to provide each building with elegant couches, and seats, and furniture, and to attach to them gardens and groves, with reservoirs of water, where swan should sport amidst beds

the wild-duck and the

•j-

Hereabouts the rendering

is

rather freer than usual.

BOOK

CHAP. n.

IV.,

273

The divine artist* obeyed his inand constructed splendid apartments for the wives of the Rishi; in which, by command of Saubhari, the inexhaustible f and divine treasure called Nanda^ took up hist permanent abode; and the princesses enterof lotos -flowers.

junctions,

tained

their guests

all

and dependants with abundant

viands of every description and the choicest quality. After some period had elapsed, the heart of King Mandhatfi yearned for his daughters; and he felt solicitous to

ced.

know whether they were happily

Setting

off,

circumstan-

therefore, on a visit to the hermitage

of Saubhari, he beheld, tiful crystal palaces,

upon his

arrival, a

row of beau-

shining as brilliantly as the rays

of the sun, and situated amidst lovely gardens and reservoirs of pellucid water.

Entering into one of these

magnificent palaces, he found and embraced a daughter,

and said

and delight "Dear child, tell me how it is with you. Are you happy here, or not? Does the great sage treat you with tenderness? Or do you revert, with regret, to your early home?" The princess replied: to her, as the tears of affection

trembled in his eyes:

"You

'

my

behold,

inhabit,

The

great Nidhi.

how delightful a mansion I by lovely gardens and lakes,

father,

— surrounded A

Nidhi

several belonging to Kubera.

is

a treasure, of which there are

Each has

guardian

spirit,

or

Professor Wilson here personifies nanda,

as

its

is

personified.

*

this

is

Parana were

may

The

why

not clear

pp. 379, 380, there §

f Anapdyin.

Twashtri.

X It

a is

translation

Tantra.

In

his

Essays,

Analytical,

Vol.

if

II.,

a valuable note on the nine nidhis of Kubera, of this paragraph

is

not very close; and the same

be said of the remainder of the chapter.

III.

Sfc,

18

VISHNU PURANA.

274

where the lotos blooms, and the wild swans murmur. Here I have delicious viands, fragrant unguents, costly ornaments, splendid raiment, * soft beds, and every enjoyment that affluence can procure. Why, then, should I call to memory the place of my birth ? f To your favour am I indebted for all that I possess. I have only one cause of anxiety, which is this: my husband is never absent from my dwelling; solely attached to me, he

always at

is

and

am

I

tified

by

gives

me

my

side;

he never goes near

my

concerned to think that they must

sisters;

feel

mor-

his neglect: this is the only circumstance that

uneasiness."

Proceeding

to visit another

of his daughters, the

down, made the same inquiry, and received the same account of the enjoyments with which the princess was provided. There was, also, the same complaint, that theRishi was wholly devoted to her, and paid no attention to her sisters. In every palace Mandhatri heard the same story, from king, after

embracing her, and

sitting

each of his daughters, in reply to his questions; and, with a heart overflowing with wonder and delight, he repaired to the wise Saubhari, and, after paying

"Holy

The

sage, I

like

homage

whom

to him, thus

he found alone, addressed him:

have witnessed this thy marvellous power. I have never known any

miraculous faculties

other to possess. How great is the reward of thy devout austerities!" Having thus saluted the sage, and *

The

original here supplies but one epithet, manonukiila, to four sub-

stantives.

t The question of the princess rather implies, that, in spite of this very luxury, she cannot forget her early home: rf^Xf^ ^iT Wl M*HM~

BOOK

IV.,

been received, by him,

him

v^ath

for

some

CHAP.

275

ir.

w^ith respect, the

Raja resided

time, partaking of the pleasures of

the place, and then returned to his capital.

In the course of time, the daughters of Mandhatri

bore to Saubhari a hundred and

fifty

sons; and, day

by day, his affection for his children became more intense, and his heart was wholly occupied with the sentiment of self. ^ " These my sons, " he loved to think, "will

charm me with

learn to walk; they

manhood; children ren."

;

I shall see

and

By

I

their infant prattle; then they will

then, grow up to youth, and to them married, and they will have

will,

may behold

the children of those child-

these and similar reflections, however, he

perceived that his anticipations every day outstripped and, at last, he exclaimed :* "What mine!f There is no end to my desires. Though all I hope should come to pass for ten thousand or a hundred thousand years, still new wishes would spring up. When I have seen my infants walk; when I have beheld their youth, their manhood,

the course of time

exceeding

;

folly is

their marriage, their progeny;

are unsatisfied, and '

ren

,

my

Of Mamata, 'mineness' wealth

,

still

my

expectations

soul yearns to behold the de-

(?TTt^T)

;

the notion that wives, child-

belong to an individual

and are essential

,

to

his

happiness.

"Having discovered

that

some such

desire kept pace with the daily iu-

crease of time, he took thought as follows."

So the commentary explains

this passage,

and very naturally. '^^f^'T

t The rest of the chapter, from this point,

is

in verse.

18*

VISHNU PURANA.

276

scendants of their descendants.

some other wish accomplished,

is

prevented?

I

end to hope, mind which

will

how

have, at

until is

it

Shall

even see them,

last,

is no and that the

discovered, that there

terminates in death

;

perpetually engrossed by expectation

can never be attached to the supreme tal

I

be engendered; and, when that is the birth of fresh desires to be

devotions, whilst

immersed

spirit.

in water,

My

were

meninter-

my friend the fish. The remy marriage; and insatiable desires are the consequences of my married life. The pain attendant upon the birth of my single body is

rupted by attachment to sult of that

connexion was

now augmented by

the cares attached to

fifty others,

by the numerous children whom the princesses have borne to me.* The sources of affliction will be repeatedly renewed by their children, and by their espousals, and by their progeny, and will be infinitely increased: a married life is a mine and

is

further multiplied

of individual anxiety, f My devotions, first disturbed fish of the pool, have since been obstructed by

by the

I have been beguiled by that which was communicated to me by association with Sammada. + Separation from the world

temporal indulgence; and desire for progeny

^ft^%^ f "Individual anxiety" lator's note in the

is

f^frrtrrai^T'Tt

to render

mamatd,

for

preceding page.

^^

+ fTTt ^"^ ^^^^W fT^f^TTT fT^Wt^nTTT^: I

imf^TPfr ^f^fft^f^ %^

II

which see the Trans-

BOOK is

CHAP.

IV.,

277

II.

the only path of the sage to final liberation: from

commerce with mankind innumerable errors proceed. The ascetic who has accomplished a com^se of self-denial falls from perfection, by contracting worldly attachments. How much more likely should one so fall, whose observances are incomplete!* My intellect has been a prey to the desire of married happiness: but I now, so exert myself, for the salvation of my soul,

will,

that,

exempt from human imperfections,

onerated from propitiate,

human

sufferings, f

To

I

may

be ex-

that end, I will

by arduous penance, Vishnu, the creator of whose form is inscrutable, who is smaller

the universe,

than the smallest, larger than the largest, the source of darkness and of light, the sovereign god of gods,

On

his everlasting body,

which

indiscrete substance, inimitably mighty,

with the universe,

may my

To him

I fly for

and

I

may

who

is

^^^ ^:%^f^m

'T

one with

^I'it

II

sin,

be born no more!

refuge; to that Vishnu

teacher of teachers,

identical

mind, wholly free from

be ever steadily intent, so that

t

both discrete and

is

all

who

is

the

beings, the

VISHNU PURANA.

278

pure eternal lord of end, and besides

in:

all,

whom

^^

without beginning, middle, or 75*

is

nothing.'

^^T^^f?i fT^i:

II

CHAPTER Saubhar

III.

and his wives adopt an ascetic

Mandhati-i.

Trisanku.

life.

Descendants of

Legend of Narmada and Purukutsa. Legend of Bahu driven from his kingdom by the Haihayas

and Talajanghas. Birth of Sagara

:

he conquers the barbarians,

imposes upon them distinguishing usages, and excludes them

from offerings

HAVING abandoned

to fire

thus

and the study of the Vedas.

communed

his children, his

with himself, Saubhari

home, and

all

his splen-

by his wives, entered the forest, practised the observances followed by

dour, and, accompanied

where he

daily

the ascetics termed Vaikhanasas* (or anchorets having families), until

When

he had cleansed himself from all sin. had attained maturity, he concen-

his intellect

trated in his spirit the (sacramental)

fires,^

and became

a religious mendicant, f Then, having consigned all his acts to the supreme,* he obtained the condition of

Achyuta, which knows no change, and

is

not subject

to the vicissitudes of birth, transmigration, § or death.

Whoever reads, or hears, or remembers, or understands this

'

||

legend of Saubhari and his espousal of the daugh-

So Manu; "Having

fires in his breast,"

&c.

reposited, as the

VL,

law

directs,

the holy

25.11

is the same as the vdnaprastha, for a detail of whose and of those of the bhikshu, vide supra, pp. 94 97. * Bhagavat. § Avikdra. t Bhikshu.

•

The vaikhdnasa

duties,

II

Avadhdrdyati.

—

280

VISHNU PURANA. of Mandhatfi shall never, for eight successive

ters

births,

be addicted to

evil

thoughts; nor shall he act

mind dwell upon improper he be influenced by selfish attach-

unrighteously, nor shall his objects,

nor

shall

ments.

The

line of

Mandhatri

is

now resumed.

The son of Ambarisha, the son of Mandhatfi, was Yuvanaswa:* his son was Harita,^f from whom the Angirasa Haritas+ were descended.^ The Vayu, Linga, Kurma, and Bhagavata§ agree

'

series: the others omit

The words

2

f^TTT*

I

And

this

of the text are:

rH^l^f^tfl" ^rft-jf^i.^t

^-

the commentator explains the phrase:

rasa Brahmans,

The Linga IT

in

it.

whom

of

reads

the Harita

family

was

'The Angithe chief.'

||

:

was the son of Yuvanaswa, whose sons were the They were on the part (or followers) of Angiras, and were Brahmans with the properties of Kshattriyas.' The Vayu

'Harita

Haritas.

has:

ii:^

'Harita was

irfw^« W^' wwr^wT f^^Tn^: n** the son of Yuvanaswa, from whom

The Bhdgavata-purdna,

*

page, note

IX., VII., 1, has

Yauvanaswa,

were many

See the next

+.

t Some MSS. have Harita, like the Bhdgavata. X All my best MSS., supported by the commentary, yield 'Haritas'. § 1

1

But see note 1 find:

%

Prior Section,

•*

My MSS.

Wilson.

in the pasje next following.

+

^^^^^ LXV.,

differ,

Vide infra,

^^^!TTg:

irfwr^^^'n^

^snft

ffrm-

40, 41.

as to this stanza, p. 283,

note

%

from those followed by Professor

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

281

III.

In the regions below the earth,* the Gandharvas

Mauneyasf

called

called Haritas.

sons of the

(or,

Muni Kasyapa), who

They were sons of Angiras, and Brahmans with The Bhagavatat has only: ^i^T-

the properties of Kshattriyas.'

HTTofTT

T^

These (Ambarisha, Purukutsa, and Harita,) were,

I

according to Sridhara Swamin's comment, the chiefs of Mandhatri's descendants being founders of three several branches or it may :

;

mean, he says, merely that they had Mandhatri for their progenitor; Mandhatfi being, by some, also named Angiras, according

Aswalayana. § It may be questioned if the compilers of the Puranas, or their annotators, knew exactly what to make of this and similar phrases, although they were, probably, intended to to

i|

some persons of Kshattriya origin became the disof certain Brahmans, particularly of Angiras, and, after-

intimate, ciples

that

wards, founders of schools of religious instruction, themselves. Mandhatri himself is the author of a hymn in the Rig-veda. Asiatic Researches, Vol. VIII.,

p.

385.1 Harita

is

name

the

of an individual

• Rasdtala. See Vol. II., p. 209, note 1. t The commentator says they were Chitrasena and others: see Vol. II., The term seems to be a general epithet of the Ganp. 285, note tdharvas, derived from their mother, Muni: see the Mahdbhdrata, Adi-

parvan,

si.

2552; HarivaMa,

rases that spring from

si.

11553,

In Vol.

II.,

p. 75, it is the

Apsa-

Kasyapa and Muni; the Gandharvas being the

off-

spring of Kasyapa and Arishfa. * IX., VII.,

"Le

fils

Subjoined are the original and Biirnoufs translation:

1.

aine de Mandhatri qui est celebre sous le

fut adopte par son

baricha est ces

[trois]

§ ?

1[

nom

pourquoi

d'Ambaricha, le fils

d'Am-

Yauvanacjva.

Mandhatri."

See Professor Max

p. 383.

c'est

Ce dernier prince eut pour fils Harita; personnages (Ambaricha, Yauvana^va et Harita) out pour

nomme

commun

auteur

grand- pere Yuvana^va;

Miiller's II

History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 255, note 2; p. 258, note 1.

Vide supra,

Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

I.,

p, 25.

VISHNU PURANA.

282

were sixty millions in number, had defeated the tribes of the Nagas (or snake-gods), and seized upon their most precious jewels, and usurped their dominion. Deprived of their power by the Gandharvas, the ser-

awoke

pent-chiefs addressed the god of the gods, as he

and the blossoms of his lotos-eyes opened, wdiile listening to their hymns.* They said: "Lord, how shall w^e be delivered from this great fear?"

from

his slumbers;

Then

who

replied the first of males, f

ginning:

is

without be-

"I will enter into the person ofPurukutsa,

the son of Mandhatri, the son of Yuvanaswa; and in

him

will I quiet these iniquitous

Gandharvas."

On

bowed and

with-

hearing these words, the snake-gods

drew, and, returning to their country, despatched Nar-

mada, to

the aid of Purukutsa.

solicit

Narmada accordingly went

^

to Purukutsa,

and con-

ducted him to the regions below the earth, t where, being filled with the might of the deity, he destroyed the Gandharvas.

He

services,

then returned to his

is

palace;

in

sage, considered as the son of

on law

own

acknowledgement of Narmada's conferred upon her, as a blessing, that, who-

and the snake-gods,

attributed.

It

is,

Chyavana, and to

whom

a work

probably, rather that of a school,

however, than of an individual. '

Narmada, the personified Nerbudda

river,

the Bhagavata,§ the sister of the Nagas.

The rendering here t Purushoitama. *

is

somewhat

See Vol.

I.,

was, according to

||

lax.

p. 16,

note

t-

Rasdtala.

§ IX., VII., 2. For another origin of her, vide supra, p. 162, note 11

\\;

p. 165, note +.

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

283

iir.

soever should think of her, and invoke her name, should never have any dread of the venom of snakes.* This "Salutation be to Narmada in the is the invocation:

morning; salutation be to Narmada be to thee, poison."!

at night; salutation

Narmada! Defend me from the serpent's Whoever repeats this, day and night, shall

never be bitten by a snake, in the dark, or in entering a chamber; nor shall he who calls it to mind, when he eats, suffer any injury from poison, though it be mixed

To Purukutsa, also, the snake-gods announced, that the series of his descendants should with his food.

never be cut

off.

Purukutsa had a son, by Narmada, named Trasadasyu,: whose son was Sambhuta,^§ whose son was '

We

Instead of Trasadasyu, the

have some varieties here.

Matsya has Dussaha,

whom

makes

it

the husband of

Narmada,

and father of Sambhuti, the father of Tridhanwan. The Bhagaof vatall omits Sambhuti; the LingalF makes him the brother Trasadasyu; and the Agni has, in his place, Sudhanwan. •

For

i^

M f^M

H^

a

there

is

like

the

variant,

^^f^T^R^,

"dread of any

poison."

*

Some MSS.

read,

supra, p. 266, note §

%

The Vdyu-purdna

reads, in

•n5
seems, then,

Bkdgavata-purdna, Trasaddasyu.

word

for this

my

as

MSS.:

w^^'m

^T^i^:

i

vide supra, p. 165, Sanskrit extract in note

f,— that

Trasadasyu and Sambhiita are one, unless they are brothers. It says that Anaraiiya was son of Trasaddasyu. IX., VII., 3, II

f

Prior Section,

LXV.,

41, 42.

Vide

an epithet.

Then

follows:

VISHNU PURANA.

284

who was

by Ravana, in his triumphant The son of*Anaranya was Prishadaswa;f his son was Haryaswa; his son was Sumanas;^ his son was Tridhanwan; his son was Trayyaruna:t and his son was Satyavrata, who obtained the appellation of Trisanku, § and was degraded to the Anaranya,

slain

progress through the nations.*

'

Brishadaswa: Vayu.

|1

The Matsya, Agni, and Brahma omit

between Sambhuta and Tridhanwan. H The Bhagavata** has a rather different series, or, Anaranya, Haryaswa, Aruria, Tribanall

As Anaranya

dhana, Trisanku.

Trayyaruna+t

shows

Sambhiiti

first

q%— occur *

in

Hindu

story,

ff and

their omission

careless compilation.

is,

thus, provided with two sons,

the Vishnuvi'iddhas,

The

famous

is

a contributor to the Rig-veda,

is

The

— and

Vishnuvfiddha— founder of

Anaranya.

two of these lines— only with the substitution of

W^\

for

Vide supra, p. 280, note • •. Vdyu-purdna distinctly says, in my MSS., that he slew Ravana:

Vdyu-purdna, likewise.

in the

Linga-purd/ia.

t Brihadaswa.

And

so,

I

think,

the

Vdyu-purdna

is

intended to read. I

§ II

One MS. has

Trayyaruiii.

286, note !• There, as in the Linga-purdna, Prior Section, LXV., 45,

Vide infra,

sunianas,

p.

with Di'ishadwati

Brishadaswa

— for

his

— which

name seems

to

I find

Va-

have been misread

mother:

Vasumanas, son of Rohidaswa,

is

mentioned

in the

Anukramanikd

to

the Rigveda, X., 179.

1 The HarivaMa,

«/.

715, 716,

has, also,

Sambhuta, Sudhanwan,

Tridhanwan. **

IX., YII., 4.

ft Particularly in the Rdmdyana. " Tryaruiia," Vide supra, p. 36, note f- In the ]kigveda,\., :: Read XXVII., 3, Tryaruna and Trasadasyu are mentioned as if contemporaries.

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

285

III.

condition of a Chandala (or outcaste).^* During a twelve years' famine, f Trisanku provided the flesh of deer, for the nourishment of the wife and children of

Viswamitra; suspending

it upon a (spreading) fig-tree on the borders of the Ganges, § that he might not subject them to the indignity of receiving presents from

an outcaste.li

The Vayu

'

On this

states,

account, Viswamitra, being highly

he was banished,

wickedness (Adharnia).

detail his iniquity at length;

Linga.

He

by

his father,

and

it is

told

more concisely

carried off the betrothed wife of another

the citizens, according to the to the latter.

For

this,

for his

The Brahma Purana and Hari VamsalF

man

;

in the

— one of

two former; of Vidarbha, according

his father,

by the advice of Vasishtha,

banished him; and he took refuge with Swapaiias.

The Raraa-

yaiia** has a different story, and ascribes Trisanku's degradation the curse of the sons of Vasishtha, to

to

whom

the king had

applied to conduct his sacrifice, after their father had refused to

do

so.

Before

that,

TT^

f%|fTf^^:) to heaven.

;

he is described ff as a pious prince (^oEIand the object of his sacrifice was to ascend

For Trisanku, a Chandala king known to Buddhist tradition, and the same person, see Burnoufs Introduction a VHistoire du Buddhisme Indien, Vol. I., pp. 207, et seq. *

probably

t

Literally, 'drought,' andvrisht'i.

X

Nyagrodha.

§ Jahnavi, in the original. II

f

An

expansion of

'^U^

^l. Ill, et seg.

Bdla-kdMa, LVIII. tt

Ibid.,

LVII., 10.

HlffTT^^MR^

I


I

VISHNU PURANA.

286

pleased with him, elevated him, in his living body, to

heaven. ^

'

The occurrence

of the famine, and Satyavrata's care of the

wife and family of Viswamitra, are told, with some variations,

which has been followed by the Brahma and Hari

the Vjiyu,

in

Vamsa. *

During the famine, when game

fails,

he

cow

kills the

of Vasishtha; and, for the three crimes of displeasing his father, killing a cow,

and eating

name

acquires the

flesh

of Trisanku

sishtha refusing to perform

not previously consecrated, he (tri,

Va-

sanku, 'sin').f

'three',

his regal inauguration,

Viswamitra

celebrates the rites, and, on his death, elevates the king, in his

mortal body, to heaven.

The Ramayana

cumstance, but assigns to

it

relates the

same

cir-

— Viswamitra's

a different motive,

resentment of the refusal of the gods to attend Trisanku's sacrifice.

That work also describes the attempt of the gods to cast down upon earth, and the compromise between them

the king

and Viswamitra, by which Trisanku was

downwards,

in

left

suspended,

new planets and The Bhagavatat has an allusion to

hemisphere, along with other

Viswamitra.

head

mid-air, forming a constellation in the southern

ing that Trisanku

is still

stars

formed by

this legend, say-

visible in heaven:

See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part I., pp. 86—88. was so called, according to the commentator on the V ishnu-purdna, because he ate what was unhallowed, slew his spiritual teacher's cow, and disobeyed his father's *

SI. 724, et seq.

t Trisanku

— "he

of three delinquencies,"

—

commands: ^iftf^rlVI^W^JWg^^f^'^TWr^rf'H^f^fH: IT^* Then follows a quotatioQ f^rfr^ if^^'Sn^rff^f^lI^^^^^T^ l

:'

of the Harivamsa, il 748, 749

^^f^fftXT^Tt^TW f^f^>J% ^fTT^^:

f^W^Tf^ ff^T^ f^l%5T ^ mW.

II

II

Also see Sridhara on the Bhdgavata-purdna, IX., VII., : IX.,

VII

,

5.

5.

BOOK

The son

The Vayu

IV.,

some

287

was Harischandra;^*

of Trisanku

furnishes

CHAP. m.

his son

from an older

further information,

source

Both

my

copies leave a blank, Avhere

it is

marked; and a

si-

milar passage does not elsewhere occur: but the word should, probably, be f^lXT; and the whole may be thus rendered: "Men acquainted with the Purarias recite these two stanzas: 'By the favour of Viswamitra, the illustrious Trisanku shines in heaven,

along with the gods, through the kindness of that sage. passes the lovely night in winter,

Slowly

embellished by the moon, de-

corated with three watches, and ornamented with the constellation

Trisanku.' "

This legend

alludes, possibly,

to

is,

therefore, clearly astronomical, and

some reformation of the sphere by Viswa-

mitra, under the patronage of Trisanku,

and

in opposition to a

more ancient system advocated by the school of Vasishtha. might be no very rash conjecture, perhaps,

to identify

with Orion, the three bright stars of whose belt

It

Trisanku

may have

sug-

gested the three Sankus (stakes or pins) which form his name.t The Pauranik lists generally dismiss Harischandra very sum'

marily; but he makes a conspicuous figure in legends of an apparently later date.

In the Mahabharata, Sabha Parvan,§

it

is

• According to the HarivaMa, si. 754, he married Satyaratha, of the Kaikaya family. And so says the Vdyu-purdiia. which the Transt The MSS. of the Vdyu-purd/ia used by me, and to lator had access, read this line thus:

The missing word

my MSS. I

is,

then, "'^R^T. 'a woman.'

In the next

verse,

have ^1%:, instead of ^^T:.

The reading

this conjecture.

of the

Vdyu-purdna, as now restored, militates against § Chapter XII.

VISHNU PURANA.

288

his son

was Rohitaswa;^

stated, that

he resides

was Harita;^

in the court of Indra, to

vated for his performance of the Rajasuya

unbounded

work

This seems

liberality.

his son

was

which he was

sacrifice,

ele-

and for

his

have served as the ground-

to

of the tale told in the Markarideya* and

Padma Puranas,

of his having given his whole country, his wife and son, and, finally, himself, to

Dakshina. to heaven,

Viswamitra, in satisfaction of his demands for

In consequence, he was elevated, with his subjects,

from whence, having been insidiously

to boast of his merits, he

of his pride, however,

and

his train

ularly

paused

was again

arrested his

in mid-air.

believed to be,

The

at times,

led,

downward city of

still

by Narada,

His repentance

precipitated.

descent; and he

Harischandra

is

visible in the skies.

pop-

The

indignation of Vasishtha at Viswamitra's insatiableness produced

a quarrel,

two

in

which their mutual imprecations changed them

birds, the Sarali (a sort of Turdus,)

to

and the Baka (or crane).

Brahma

In these forms they fought for a considerable term, until

The Bhagavata alludes to this of Harischandra; but the Vayu refers the con-

interposed, and reconciled them. story, in its notice flict

to the reign of a different prince:

According to

the Siva Puraiia,

vide supra,

p. 261,

note

2.

Harischandra was an especial

worshipper of that deity; and his wife Satyavati was a form of Jaya, one of Durga's handmaids. '

Also read Rohita.f Traces of his name appear in the strongThe Bhagavata

holds of Rotas, in Behart and in the Punjab.

has a legend of his having been devoted to Varuna, before his birth,

by

his

father,

who, having, on various

pleas,

deferred

Chapter VIII. t In the Vdyu-purdna; in the Bhdgavata-piirdna, IX., VIII., 8; in the Linga-purdna, Prior Section, LXVI., 11, 12; and in the Harivaihia, il. 756. that he founded Rohitapura. I The Harivaihia states

"Harischandra was a very great conqueror; and his son Rohita or Rohita^wa founded, and is said to have resided at, the fortress which, from him, is called Rohitas, a name corrupted, in our maps, to Rotas." Hamilton's Genealogies of the Hindus, &c., p. 32.

BOOK Cliunchu/*

who had two

m.

CHAP.

IV.,

sons,

289

named Vijaya and Sude-

va.f Ruruka^ was the son of Vijaya, and his own son was Vrika,+ whose son was Bahii (or Bahuka§). This

by the

prince was vanquished Talajanghas,^

and

II

his country

offering his son, as promised,

was

purchased Sunahsepha, IF

at last,

his stead

:

Haihayas and was overrun by them;

tribes of

by a dropsy.

afflicted

who was

Rohita,

offered, as a victim, in

see hereafter, note on Sunahsepha. **

Omitted: Agni, Linga, ff and Matsya.

^

Omitted: Agni.

*

Dbundhu: Linga tt and Kurma. But all other

founder of Champamalini:§§ Bhagavata.

make Champa a

||||

Champa, authorities

Anga

different person, a descendant of

:

see fa-

mily of Anu, of the lunar race. HIT ^

Kuruka: Linga*** and

Kiirraa.

'

Descendants of Yadu.

The

Several MSS. give Chanchu

•

vai'nia,

exhibit the

same

;

first

who

springs from a prince

and other Purauas, and

also the

Hari-

variety.

t Vijaya was son of Sudeva, according Instead of Sudeva,

VIII., 1.

Bharuka: Bhagavata. fff

the

to the

Bhdgavata-purdna, IX.,

Linga-purdna, Prior Section, LXVI.,

12, has Sutejas. +

One MS. has

Vfisha.

The Vdyu-purdna

reads,

in

different

MSS.,

Vritaka and Dhritaka. § I

find

this,

the longer, form only in

the Bhdgavata-purdna,

IX

VIII., 2. II

These are said to be a branch of the Haihayas. note on Chapter XI. of this Book.

See the Transla-

tor's last

%

Corrected, here and just below, from

"

See the Bhd-

Sunahsephas."

gavaia-purdna, IX., VII., 19, 22.

* tt

Chapter VII. of I

find

Section,

*l

Harita,

this

Book.

followed

by Dhundhu,

in

the

Linga-purdna, Prior

LXVI., 12:

See the preceding note.

Champapuri.

§§

I find

nil

IX., VIII.,

1.

ff

Chapter XVIII. of this Book.

***

This Puraua has Ruchaka, in some MSS.

t+t IX.,

m.

VIII., 2.

19

VISHNU PURANA.

290

fled into the forests, with

consequence of which, he

in

his wives.

One

of these

was pregnant; and, being an

object of jealousy* to a rival queen, the latter gave her

The poison had the

poison, to prevent her delivery. effect of confining

years.

the child in the

Bahu, having waxed

hood of the residence! of having constructed his

womb

old, died in the

(the

Muni) Aurva. His queen, ascended

pile,

for seven

neighbour-

it,

with the de-

termination of accompanying him in death; but the

who knew

saget Aurva,

to come, issued forth

all

from

her, saying: "Hold! hold!

many

of sal

sacrifices, the

emperor,

is

II

This

is

monarch of many

iant prince, the

in

and

things, past, present,

his hermitage,

and forbade

unrighteous.

A

val-

realms, § the offerer

destroyer of his foes, a univer-

thy womb.

ting so desperate an act!"

Think not of commit-

Accordingly, in obedience

to his injunctions, she relinquished her intention.

The

sage then conducted her to his abode, and, after some time, a very splendid boy was there born. Along with

is

who is the eighteenth, in the who is The Vayu adds, that they were

the twelfth, and the second, from one

lunar line; and both are, thus, contemporary with a prince the thirty-fifth of the solar dynasty. assisted by Sakas,

*

This

is

T-R ITT

Yavanas, Kambojas, Paradas,1F and Pahlavas.

an inference.

^tT:

The

original runs:

cT^T"^

^Mr^I

^^^-

I

f Asrama. I Bhagavat.

II

^

Chakravartin. Corrected from "Paravas,"

—a

typographical error, presumably.

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

291

III.

him, the poison that had been given to his mother was expelled; and Anrva, after performing the ceremonies

required at birth,* gave him (on that account) the of Sagara (from Sa, 'with', and Gara, 'poison').

name The

same holy sage celebrated his investure with the cord of his class, insti'ucted him (fully) in the Vedas,f and taught him the use of arms, especially those of fire, called after Bhargava.+

When

the

boy (had grown

up, and)

was capable of

"Why my father?

he said to his mother, (one day):

reflection,

are we dwelling in this hermitage ?

Where

is

And who

is he?" His mother, in reply, related to him had happened); upon hearing which, he was highly incensed, and vowed to recover his patrimonial kingdom, and exterminate the Haihayas and Talajan-

(that

all

by whom it had been overrun. Accordingly, (when he became a man), he put nearly the whole of the Haihayas to death, and would have, also, destroyed the Sakas, the Yavanas, Kambojas, Paradas, and Pah-

ghas, §

lavas,

*

'

^

but that they applied to Vasishtha, the family-

The Haihayas

WTfT^Trf^^t

II

we

shall

have further occasion ta notice. The

f^^ f^TEfT^

"a ceremony ordained on

navel-string, and which consists in

of a golden spoon."

t Insert

^

and

I

The jdta-karman

is

described as

the birth of a male, before the section of the

making him

taste clarified butter out

Colebrooke's Digest, &c., Vol.

III.,

p, 104,

l[TWTMir^^ Bhrigu": "^Sm ^"R^

all sciences',

note f-

I

The : Eead "called after ^TT^^T^^R; Vdyu-purdna alleges that Sagara's instructor in the use of such arms was Bhrigu himself. For Hindu fiery -weapons, vide supra, p. 81, note •. § II

Add "and

|

others," ddi.

For mention of

this race in a

medieval inscription, see the Journal

of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1862, p. 117, line

1.

19*

292

VISHNU PUR ANA.

priest* (of Sagara), for protection. Vasishtha, regarding

them

as annihilated (or deprived of power),

Sakas f phers,

no doubt, the Sacse or Sakai of the

are,

— Scythians and Indo-Scythians, Turk

along the western

of India, and

districts

classical geogra-

or Tartar tribes,

who

probably, connected with our Saxon forefathers. are the lonians or Greeks.

it is

said, that

There

for a capital breed of horses.

name

Account of the Kingdom of Caubul,

may

the

they were remarkable

an apparent trace of their

is

Caumojees of Kaferistan, who may have retreated

in the

the mountains before the advance of the

Vol.

are, not im-

The Yavanast

The Kambojas § were a people on

whom

northwest of India, of

who

and a half before our

established themselves, about a century era,

though

note

II., p. 182,

The Paradas

1).

Turk

to

tribes. (Elphinstone's

&c., 1st ed., p. 619: see, also, ||

and Pahlavasl or Pahnavas

designate other bordering tribes in the same direction, or

on the confines of Persia.

Along with

the legend that

these, in

ff The Vayu adds and Khasas IflF the two former

follows, the Bhagavata** enumerates Barbaras,

Mahishikas,t+Darvas, §§Chaulas,|J{|

•

Kula-guru.

f See Vol.

X

See Vol.

II.,

§

See Vol.

II.,

;

II.,

165, note 8.

p.

p. 181, note 6.

notes

p. 182,

1,

p, 183,

etc.;

note

3,

and annotations

thereon. II

% my

See Vol. This,

II.,

p. 182,

undoubtedly,

best MSS.,

page, and in

p.

that volume,

I

I

note 4; p. 183, note

X.

the right word; and, on the authority of all have amended the text accordingly, in the preceding is

294, infra. See Vol. II., p. 187, note §. At p. 339 of have silently corrected the statement previously made at

p. 168, note ||, that the Pahlavas are not named in the ** IX., VIII., 5. Along -with the Barbaras are

genuine Rdmdyana.

there

named only

the

Talajanghas, Yavanas, Sakas, and Haihayas.

tt See Vol. XX See Vol.

II.,

p. 176,

notes 8 and **

II.,

p. 166,

notes

§§ See Vol.

II.,

p. 178, text

III

Identified,

note 13.

here,

with

The Harivamia,

Ill See Vol.

II.,

p. 186,

8,

;

p. 178, note

§.

etc.

and notes t and

the Cholas, for

ft-

whom

see

Vol.

II.,

p.

in the corresponding passage, has Cholas.

note

5.

178,

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP. m.

living,* thus spake to Sagara:

293

my

"Enough, enough,

of which are people on the Malabar and

Coromandel

coasts

;

the

two latter are, usually, placed amongst the mountaineers of the Hindu Kush. The Brahma Puraria lengthens the list with the Kolas (the forest races of eastern Gondwana), the Sarpas,f and the Keralas, t (who are the people of Malabar). The Hari Vamsa§ still

further extends the enumeration with the Tusharas or

To-

Turks of Tokharestan), the Chinas 1 (Chinese), the Madras** (people in the Punjab), the Kishkindhasff (in Mysore), KauntalasJt (along theNerbudda), Bangas§§ (Bengalis), Salwas|l|| kharasll (the

(people in western India), and the KonkanaslIT (or inhabitants of the Concan).

It is evident,

from the locality of most of the ad-

ditions of the last authority, that its compiler, or corrupter, has

been a native of the Dekhin.

*

The

Jivanmritaka.

hereupon quotes the following stanza

scholiast

from some unnamed Smriti:

"He who

has fallen away from his duty, and

mans, though living in I

out by Brah-

cast

—

f In the corresponding passage of the Harivaima, namely, find, much more frequently than ^t^^THt ,— yielding

Sarpas, or else Kolasarpas,— I

is

this world, is declared to be dead."

^f^^TI, '^f^^T^^

strongly suspect, are corruptions

Vdyu-purdnasee

a few lines

&<5-

at

All

of ofif^^jj^jT;, an epithet

before,

si.

782,

Kolas

and

these,

which the

in Professor Wilson's foot-note,

applies to the Mahishikas. I II

**

and

See Vol.

II.,

p. 178, notes 1

See Vol.

II.,

p. 186, notes 5, etc.

See Vol.

II.,

p. 163,

notes 11,

§ ^l.

§.

%

See Vol.

782—784.

II.,

p. 181, note 7.

etc.

ft Tradition places the Kishkindhas in Odra, or Orissa. See the J§abdakalpadruma, sub voce; also. Vol. II., p. 177, note 3. And see Vol. II., p. 157, notes 9, etc. XI Some MSS. have Kontalas. I know not on what authority M. Langlois asserts, that these people,

"aux longs cheveux

etaient pres des Tchinas."

§§ "Vangas", in Vol.11., p. 166. nil

it

See Vol.11., pp. 133-135; p. 156, note See Vol. II., p. 178, notes 14 and §.

•.

VISHNU PURANA.

294 son

Pursue no further these objects of your wrath, look upon as no more.* In order to your vow,f I have separated them from affinity

!

whom you may fulfil

to the regenerate tribes, castes."

and from the duties of their

Sagara, in compliance with the injunctions

of his spiritual guide,

contented himself, therefore,

with imposing upon the vanquished nations peculiar distino-uishine!; marks, t He made the Yavanas ^ shave their heads entirely ;§ the Sakas

(the upper) half of their heads

hair long;

and the Pahlavas

;

let their

'

And Kambojas: Vayii. The Asiatic nations generally

or in part.

Amongst

the Greeks,

beards grow; in

Them,

obedience to his commands.^

2

he compelled to shave the Paradas wore their also,

and other

shave the head, either wholly, it

was common

to

shave the

fore part of the head; a custom introduced, according to Plutarch,

by the Abantes,— whom Homer calls onL{}€v xof-Wiovzeg,— and followed, according to Xenophon, by the Lacedjemonians. It may be doubted, however, if the Greeks or lonians ever shaved the head completely. The practice prevails amongst the Moham|1

medans; but

it is

not universal.

tars) shave the fore part

back into a long the

tail,

Himalaya shave

The Sakas

as do the Chinese.

the

The mountaineers

of

crown of the head, as do the people of

Kaferistan, with exception of a single

wore

(Scythians, or Tar-

of the head, gathering the hair at the

their hair long, except at the

tuft.

What

oriental people

back of the head,

is

question-

usage would be characteristic rather of the Teutonic and Gothic nations. The ancient Persians had long bushy able; and the

t Pratijnd. * VeMnyatwa. § Mundita-iiras. Iliad. II., 542. II

BOOK Kshattriya races,

IV.,

CHAP.

m.

295

deprived of the established usages

lie

of oblations to fire* and the study of the Vedas; and,

f and abandoned became Mlechchhas. Sagara, after the recovery of his kingdom, reigned over the seven-zoned earth, with undisputed dominthus separated from religious

by the Brahmans, these

rites,

different tribes

ion, ^t

beards, as the Persepolitan sculptures demonstrate.

In Chardin's

were out of fashion; but they were again in vogue, country, in the reign of the last king, Fath Shah.

time, they that '

So the Vayu, &c.

;

and a similar statement

is

in

given in Manu,

X., 44, where, § to the Sakas, Yavanas, Kambojas, Paradas, and

Pahlavas,

||

are added the

PaundrakasH (people of western Bengal), (of the Coromandel coast),

Odras** (those of Orissa), Dravidasff

Chinas (Chinese), Kiratas (mountaineers), and Daradastt (Durds Hindu Kush). From this passage, and a similar one in

of the the

Ramayana,

in

which the Chinas §§ are mentioned, the

late

Mr. Klaproth inferred those works to be not older than the third century B. C, when the reigning dynasty of Thsin first gave that

•

Vashat'kdra.

See Vol.

II.,

p. 29,

note

§.

t Dhanna.

§ II

See Vol.

II.,

p. 183, note 3. II

p. 183,

note

3,

Corrected from "Pahnavas."

Vide supra,

and annotations thereon. The Translator has Pahlavas

p. 292,

in Vol.

II.,

note f.

Wilson had "Pauudras," which I do not find in the For the Paundrikas, see Vol. II., p. 177, note ftThis is, perhaps, to be altered. See Vol. II., p. 184, note f; p. 177,

Professor

original.

*

notes 3 and *»

ft Elsewhere read Dravidas. II

See Vol.

II.,

See Vol.11.,

p. 177, text

§§ It is only in the Bengal recension of the See Vol.11., p. 176, note •*

are mentioned.

and note

5.

p. 185, notes 3, etc.

Rdmdyana

that the Chinas

296 name

VISHNU PURANA. to

China

(see, also, Vol. II., p. 181, note 7).

It

was probable,

he supposed, that the Hindus became acquainted with the Chinese only about 200 B. but

C, when

their

between the Ramayana, of Vikramaditya.

It

particularly,

antiquity,

to the

Oxus:

when

and the works of the era

would seem more

appellations were interpolated.

some

arms extended

to reconcile this date with the difference of style

it is difficult

all

It

likely,

that the later

must have been a period of

the nations from Bengal to the Coro-

mandel coast were considered as Mlechchhas and

outcasts.

CHAPTER

IV.

of Sagara: their wickedness: he performs an

The progeny

Aswa-

niedha: the horse stolen by Kapila: found by Sagara's sons,

who are all destroyed by the sage: Amsumat his descendants. Legend :

shapada, the son of Sudasa.

by Kalma-

the horse recovered

of Mitrasaha or

Legend of Khatwanga.

Birth of

and the other sons of Dasaratha. Epitome of the history of Rama: his descendants, and those of his brothers. Line of Kusa. Bfihadbala, the last, killed in the Great War.

Rama

SUMATI,

the daughter of Kasyapa, and Kesini,* the

daughter of Raja Vidarbha,f were the two wives of Sagara/ i Being without progeny, the king soUcited So

*

Ramayana. § Sumati is called the daughter of ArishMahabharata II calls her Saibya. The story of Sa-

the

tanemi:|| the

This was the elder wife, the Vdyu-purdna alleges. f In the Vdyu-purdna and Harivamsa, he is called simply Vidarbha. * The following genealogy is given in the Rdmdyana, Bdla-kdiida, LXX., 19 37: Brahma, Marichi, Kasyapa, Vivaswat, Manu, Ikshwaku *

—

king of Ayodhya), Kukshi, Yikukshi, Bana, Anaranya, Prithu, Trisanku, Dhundhumara, Yuvanaswa, Mandhatri, Susandhi, Dhruvasandhi

(first

(with Prasenajit), Bharata,

Ayodhyd-kdMa, CX.,

the

5

Asita,

Sagara.

The same

detail

is

found in

— 24,

In the Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana, Adi-kdnda, LXXII., Angiras and Prachetas intervene between Kasyapa and Manu, Vivaswat being

omitted; as

is

Kukshi, also.

in the same recension, names, somewhat Brahma, Marichi, Kas'yapa,— and then, a break being announced,— Vivaswat, Manu, Ikshwaku, Kukshi, Vikukshi, Renu, Pnshya, Anaranya, Prithu, Trisanku, Dhundhumara, Yuvanaswa, Mandhatri, Su-

The Ayodhyd-kdnda, CXIX.,

discrepantly

:

sandhi, Dhritasandhi (with Prasenajit), Bharata, Asita, Sagara. Most of this is very different from what we meet with in the Purauas.

§ Bdla-kdnda, II

the il,

This

is

stanza there 7574,

XXXVIII., 3, 4. name of Kasyapa. See Vol.

another

cited

II.,

p. 28, note 2.

For

from the Mahdbhdrata, see the ^dnti-parvan, H Vana-parvan, si. 8833.

VISHNU PURANA.

298

the aid of the sage Aurva, with great earnestness;*

and the Muni pronounced this boon, that one wife should bear one son, the upholder of his race, and the other should give birth to sixty thousand sons; and he

them

left it to

to

make

their election.

Kesini

chose to have the single son; Sumati, the multitude: andf it came to pass, in a short time, that the former

bore Asamanjas,^ a prince through

whom

the dynasty-

continued; and the daughter of Vinata,t Sumati, had sixty thousand sons.

The son

of Asamanjas

was

Am-

sumat.

Asamanjas was, from

his

boyhood, of very irregular that, as he grew up to

His father hoped,

conduct. §

manhood, he would reform; but, finding that he continued guilty of the same immorality, Sagara abandoned him. The sixty thousand sons of Sagara followed The path the example of their brother Asamanjas. of virtue and piety being obstructed, in the world, by the sons of Sagara,

||

gara and his descendants

Book; and

in the

the gods repaired to the

is

told at length in the

Mahabharata, Vana Parvan,

Munit

Ramayana, III.,

First

106, et seq.

as well as in most of the Puranas. *

•

Or Panchajana Samddhi,

=

:

**

Brahma, ff

chittaikdgrya, the scholiast says.

t Insert "the Rishi having pronounced 'So be

I

^

See Vol.

II.,

pp. 26 and 73,

it'":

cT^fTf "^

^f^-

§ Apavritta.

Substituted for Rishi.

an epithet of Asamanjas, in the HarivaMa, il. 802, et seq. tt Asamanja: Ramayana, Vdy^u-purdna, &nd Ldnga-purdna. Asamanjasa: Bhdgavata-purdna, IX., VIII., 14. •* This is

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

299

IV.

who was a portion of Vishim,* free from fault, and endowed with all (true) wisdom. Having approached him with respect, they said: "0 lord, what will become of the world, if these sons of Sagara are permitted to go on in the evil ways which they have learned from Asamanjas! Do thou, then, assume a visible

Kapila,

form,f for the protection of the

"Be

afflicted universe."

satisfied", replied the sage: "in a brief time, the

sons of Sagara shall be,

At

all,

that period, Sagara

destroyed."

commenced

of the solemn) sacrifice of a horse,

by

his

own

sons

:

mal, and carried

gara

commanded

the (performance

who was guarded

some one stole the anichasm in the earth. Sasearch for the steed; and

nevertheless, it

oif into a

his sons to

they, tracing him

ed his course,

by the impressions of his hoofs, followwith perseverance, until, coming to the

chasm where he had entered, they proceeded to enit, and dug downwards, each, for a league. : Com-

large

ing to Patala, they beheld the horse wandering freely about; and, at no great distance from him, they saw the Rishi Kapila sitting, with his head declined in meditation, § and illuminating the surrounding space with

radiance as bright as the splendours of the autumnal sun shining in an unclouded sky.ll Exclaiming "This

*

Purushottama, in the original. t "Visible form" is to render iarira, 'body'.

§ This specification

See the next

does not appear in the original.

note.

m fl^^^^^nTTT'T fchrq^f^TT^^

I

Commentary

:

^X?^

|

^^R-

VISHNU PURANA.

300

who has

the villain

is

fice,

maliciously interrupted our sacri-

and stolen the horse:

kill

him!

kill

him!" they ran

towards him, with uplifted weapons. The Muni slowdy raised his eyes,* and, for an instant, looked upon them;

and they were reduced to ashes by the (sacred) flame ^ that darted from his person.

^

on

The Bhagavataf

^^rqf^^^T(3Tf^

denying

%

its

is

made up sky?

How

who was one

i

For how can the

quality of dark-

of anger, exist in a world-purifying nature, con-

sisting of the quality of in the

II

not true, that the sons of the king were scorch-

ed by the wrath of the sage. ness,

truth:

"?:^ ^W.

^T ^f^^n:^ iTWsni " The report

some curious remarks

has, for a Purana,

this part of the story, flatly

goodness ;— the dust of earth, as

it

were,

should mental perturbation distract that sage,

with the Supreme, and

Sankhya philosophy which

is

who

has promulgated that

a strong vessel by which he

who

desirous of liberation passes over the dangerous ocean of the

is

world, by the path of death? "i

The original, trfX.ejf^ 'd^Hl'gi^ ^? implies that he cast his eyes about. t IX., YIII., 12, 13. this passage is as follows: J Burnoufs more exact translation of •

fils du roi furent du sage; comment en eifet les Tenebres que produit la colere eussent-elles pu exister chez un sage, dont la Bonte etait le corps, et qui puriiiait le monde ? c'est comme si Ton Toulait attribuer

"Elle n'est pas vraie la tradition qui pretend que les

detruits par la colere

au

ciel la

poussiere nee de la terre.

"Comment

eut-il

pu

croire

a des distinctions

[conxm©

elles

d'ami et

BOOK

When

IV.,

CHAP.

301

IV.

Sagara learned that his sons

whom

he had

sent in pursuit of the (sacrificial) steed had been de-

stroyed by the might of the great Rishi Kapila, he despatched Amsumat, the son of Asamanjas, to effect the

The youth, proceeding by

animal's recovery.

the (deep)

path which the princes had dug, arrived where Kapila was, and, bowing respectfully,* prayed f to him, (and so propitiated him), that the saint said:

"Go, (my son),

deliver the horse to your grandfather;

and demand a

boon.

Thy grandson

down

shall bring

heaven: (on the earth)."

Amsumat

the river of

requested, as a

boon, that his uncles § w^ho had perished through the sage's displeasure might, although unworthy of it, be II

raised to heaven, through his favour.

"I

have told

you," replied Kapila, "that your grandson shall bring down upon earth the Ganges (of the gods) and, when ;

her waters shall wash the bones and ashes of thy grand-

d'ennemi], ce sage identlfie avec I'Esprit supreme, qui

dirigea ici-bas le

Sankhya, a I'aide duquel I'homme desireux redoutable ocean de I'existence, ce chemin de

solide vaisseau de la doctrine

de se sauver traverse la

le

mort?"

A

tolerably full

be found in

account of Kapila will

my

edition of

13—21. Several things, however, are to be corrected there; as the work was sent out, by the Asiatic Society of Bengal, without my authority, and while I was known to be still em-

the Sdnkhya-sdra, Preface, pp.

ployed on what would have made ten or twelve pages of additional matter, including various readings of

MSS,

collated

since

I

besides

left India,

minute indexes and numerous emendations. The copies of the Dasa-nipa in circulation are similarly unamended and imperfect. *

Bhakti-namra.

I

"River of heaven"

§

Amsumat

li

The

for

Ganga, the word

rather strangely calls

explains that the term original has

a Brahman."

t Tushtdva, 'lauded'. is

is

them

in the Sanskrit.

pitri, 'fathers'.

The

scholiast

used for pitrivya.

WWT"^^'^"^'

"siJiJ^en by the punishment of

302

VISHNU PlIRANA.

father's sons,* they shall

Vishnu, that it

be raised to Swarga. Such

the efficacy of the stream that flows from the toe of

is

confers heaven upon

it

who even become

designedly, or

ed in

all

who

bathe in

accidentally immers-

whose bones, any other part, shall be left, after death, upon the earth which is contiguous to the Ganges." Having acknowledged, reverentially, the kindness of the sage, Arhsumat returned to his grandfather, and delivered to him the horse, f Sagara, on recoverthose, even, shall obtain Swarga,

it:

skin, fibres, hair, or

ing the steed, completed his sacrifice, and, in affection-

memory

ate

of his sons, denominated

chasm which they had dug.

Sagara

'

Bay

is still

the

of Bengal, at the

the island called

by

^

name of the ocean, and, especially, of the mouth of the Ganges. On the shore of

the

same name,

rama, or hermitage of Kapila, which nual pilgrimage. for the

the

*

abode of the

"Thy

tradition places a Kapilasis still

the scene of an an-

Other legends assign a very different situation

Ganges descends however,

patibility,

Sagara the

+

ascetic, or, the foot of the

to the plains. § in the

grandfather's sons"

two

is

sites,

Himalaya, where

There would be no incomcould

we imagine

an expansion of the word

the tra-

for 'them'.

5^W

^"Rt

^T(JT^3ft(2n ^i^^T^"re; "and, from love of his up the ocean as a son." Sagara, the word here used for 'ocean', is, in form, patronymic of Sagara. The commentator says: ^TTT ^•T«ni[f^fl^ "^fT V^:

sons, he set

^^^:

§ In the

Padma-purdna, Kapila

of ludraprastha.

is

said to

I

have dwelt in the village

BOOK

The son

IV.,

CHAP.

303

IV.

of Aiiisumat was Dilipa;^ his son was Bha-

whence was Sruta;^t his son was Nabhaga;^ his son was Ambarisha; his son was Sindhudwipa;: his son was Ayut-

who brought Ganga down

giratha,

she

called Bhagirathi.*

is

The son

to earth;

of Bhagiratha

aswa;*§ his son was RituparnaJI the friend t of Nala^ skilled profoundly in dice." The son of Rituparna was

dition referred to a period

when

the ocean washed, as

it

appears

once to have done, the base of the Himalaya, and Saugor (Sagara)

was '

at

Haridwara.

Or Khatwanga: Brahma and Hari Vamsa:**

parently, an error.

Vide infra, p. 311, note

Omitted: Matsya and Agni.

^

Nabha:t+ Bhagavata. Ayutayus:§§ Vayu, Linga, and Kurma.

*

5

*

jl

ii

jf^^^ij-^ :, 'knowing the heart of the

Two *

A

ap-

Srutayus:

Agni.

Brahma.

The Vdyu-purdria hereupon

t

is,

Visrutaiff Linga.

2

Ayutajit:

but this

1.

dice.'

The same

epi-

gives the following quotation:

stanzas are here promised; but only one

MS. has Suhotra. According to the Bhagavata -purdna,

is

cited,

single

IX.,

IX.,

16,

he was son of

Nabha; Ambarisha being there omitted. § In two MSS. the name is Ayutayus. The Harivamsa has Ritaparua, and gives the patronym Artapariia II

to Sudasa.

^

Sahdya.

** SI. 808.

as the

ft **

name

I find

II

is

given there as Dilipa

Sruta.

Corrected from "Nabhia".

§§ So, II

Khat'wdiiga

too, reads the

This

is

s

surname.

Khat'wanga,

of a royal sage, appears in the Bhdgavata-purdna,

Bhdgavata-purdiia.

the reading of the Harivamia, also.

II., I.,

13.

VISHNU PURANA.

304 Sarvakama;^*

thet, as

his son

was Sudasa;

well as that of 'friend of Nala,'

is

his son

was Sau-

given him in the Vayu,

Bhagavata, and Brahma Puranas, and in the Hari Vamsa, and leaves no doubt of their referring to the hero of the story told the Mahabharata.

in

Nala, however, as

we

shall hereafter see,

some twenty generations later than Rituparria, in the same family; and the Vayu, therefore, thinks it necessary to observe,

is

that

two Nalas are noticed

verted to

is

'M^ whilst the

in the Puranas,

and the one here ad-

the son of Virasena:

TrfrfTI f^^Tfft

gTT%^

J^^

I

The same Brahma Purana and Hari Vamsa f and the on the latter observes: f^'^VH?!^ "T^ ^T%"

other belongs to the family of liishwaku.

passage occurs in the

commentator t

;

'Nala the son of Nishadha is different from •TOrnW^T'^T' Nala the son of Virasena.' It is, also, to be observed, that the I

Nala of

the tale

is

king of Ayodhya.

king of Nishadha, and his friend Rituparna

The Nala

Ikshwaku

of the race of

is

is

king of

Ayodhya; he is the son of Nishadha, however; and there is, eviWe do not find Viradently, some confusion between the two. sena, or his son, in any of the

There

'

the

is

lists.

Vide infra, p. 320, note

considerable variety in this part of the

lists;

Vayu and Bhagavata agree with our text. The Matsya and make Kalmashapada the son or grandson of Rituparna,

others

•

1.

but

Sarvabhauma: Ling a-purana.

t h. 831, 832:

^T%TraT^f ^ ^%^T^f^l[f We

:

II

read, too, in the Linga-purdna, Prior Section,

ftT;%^ffrgT5^ X Nilakaiit'ha.

^t^T^i^^^:

ii

LXVI.,

24, 25:

BOOK named,

dasa,

CHAP.

IV.,

Mitrasaha.^*

also,

and place Sarvakama, or Sarvakarman, on.

305

IV.

him.f See further

after

t

The Vayu, Agni, Brahma, and Hari Varhsa read Amitrasaha, 'foe-enduring; '§ but the commentator on our text explains tra,

a

name ofVasishtha, Saha,

which

as in the following legend,

gavata.

*

H

It

is

vide infra,

also.

p.

is

This

is

A

says

IX., IX., 18,

,

a

Mi-

similarly related in the Bha-

not detailed in the Vayu.

The Bhdgavata-purd/ia

mashanghri,

it

'able to bear' the imprecation of;||

synonym

account occurs

full

that he was called Kal-

of Kalmashapada, for which epithet

308.

t In the Harivamia, il. 817, Sarvakarman appears as son of Mitrasaha. In the next two stanzas, the names of his successors are: Anaranya, Nighna, Anamitra (and Raghu, his brother), Duliduha, Dilipa. +

Vide infra, p. 313, note

§

The

first

rdna, Prior Section, LXVI.,

TJWl fil'^^f and here, but

1.

and fourth works named have

:.

27,— •fT^T

The words

for the

— as

of our text are

commentary, there

has, also, the Linga-pu-

fTT'^Rr^t

is

;

the second and third,

^fl^^

f^'^^f^'RT;

just as good reason as there

in the other instances, to infer that the name is Amitrasaha. The momentary indignation of Saudasa against Vasisht'ha justifies but ill the supposition that the term amitra, 'enemy', was applied to the latter. is

The Bhdgavata-purdna, saha, unmistakably;

IX., IX., 18, in its

=?n¥t^'^^^ ^5

reads Mitra-

and so does the Mahdbhdrata, Adi-parvan,

Aiioamedhika-parvan,

il.

^/.

6720;

1690.

In Dr. Goldstiicker's Sanskrit Dictionary there

is,

however, an article

TSrf^T^^^, which word there points to our king, "also called Saudasa: according to the Vdyu-, Agni-, Brahma-Pur. and the Harivansa; the Vishnu-Pur. calls him Mitrasaha." V^ere not these particulars taken from the note under annotation? Even a reference to so accessible a work as the Harivai'nsa

name II

would have suggested a doubt of there being such a

as Amitrasaha.

The commentator's words

^

are:

fwi ^fWS

ITf^lTTt ^?f^l\jfxi

ffT f^'^^^'TT^ This imports, that Mitrasaha was so called, because, though he had it in his power to retaliate, in kind, the curse of ^Q"^fT

I

I

his friend {miira), namely, Vasishtha,

n

IX., IX.,

UL

he forbore {sahate sma, from sah).

19-39. 20

306

VISHNU PUR ANA.

The son hunt,

fell in

woods

of Sadasa, having gone into the

with a couple of tigers, by

to

whom the forest

had been cleared of the deer.* The king slew one of these tigers with an arrow. At the moment of expiring, the form of the animal was changed, and it became that of a fiend f of fearful figure and hideous aspect.

in the Malidbhiirata,

Saktri,

t

s,

176,

but with

many and im-

the son of Vasishtha, in the woods, and, on his refusing

make way,

to

Adi Parvan,

Kalmashapada, whilst hunting, encountered

portant vai'iations.

Saktri cursed the

struck the sage with his whip.

king to become a cannibal; and Viswamitra,

who had

a quarrel

with Vasishtha, seized the opportunity to direct a Rakshasa to take possession of the king, that he might become the instrument of destroying the family of the rival saint.

Whilst thus influenced,

Mitrasaha, a Brahman, applied to Kalmashapada for food; and the king to the

commanded

his

cook

of Saktri,

king

effect

One

of his

the king should

that

human

to dress

Brahman, who, knowing what

it

flesh,

and give

it

was, repeated the curse

become a cannibal; which

ta-

with double force, Kalmashapada began to eat men. victims

first

was

Saktri,

whom

he slew and ate, and

then killed and devoured, under the secret impulse of Viswamitra's

demon,

all

ever, liberated

restored him

Brahman's

the

other sons of Vasishtha.

Vasishtha,

how-

him from the Rakshasa who possessed him, and

to his

wife, and

natural its

character.

The imprecation

of the

consequences, are told, in the Mahabha-

rata, as in the text; but the story of the

water falling on his feet

appears to have grown out of the etymology of his name, which

might have referred

to

some

disease of the lower extremities;

the prince's designation being, at length, Mitrasaha Saudasa Kal-

mashapada,

•

or, "Mitrasaha,

son of Sudasa, with the swelled

Apamriga.

f Rakshasa. *

On

the correct

name, Sakti, vide supra,

p.

35, note ++.

feet.'

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

307

IV.

companion, threatening the prince with

Its

its

ven-

geance, disappeared.

After some interval, Saudasa celebrated a

(which was conducted by Vasishtha). the

rite,

Vasishtha went out;

when

At the

sacrifice,

close of

the Rakshasa, the

fellow of the one that

had been killed in the figure of a tiger, assumed the semblance of Vasishtha, and (came and) said (to the king)

you must give me I

:

"Now

that the sacrifice

is

ended,

Let it be cooked; and Having said this, he with-

flesh to eat.

will presently return."

drew, and, transforming himself into the shape of the cook, dressed

some human

the king, who, receiving

it

flesh, which he brought to on a plate of gold, awaited

As soon as the Muni him the dish. Vasishtha,

the reappearance of Vasishtha. returned, the king offered to

surprised at such want of propriety* in the king, as his

him meat to eat, considered what it should be was so presented, and, by the efficacy of his meditations, discovered that it was human flesh. His mind being agitated with wrath, he denounced a curse upon the Raja, saying: "Inasmuch as you have insulted all such holy menf as we are, by giving me what is not to be eaten, your appetite shall, henceforth, be excited by similar food." "It was yourself," replied the Raja to the (indignant) offering

that

"who commanded (this food to be prepared)." "By me!" exclaimed Vasishtha. "How could that have been?" And, again having recourse to meditation, sage,

* •j-

I

DauKMlya. Tapaswin. Samddhi. 20*

VISHNU PURANA.

308

he detected the whole truth. Foregoing, then, all displeasure towards the king,* he said: "The food (to

which

I

have sentenced you)

ance for ever:

The

it

shall (only)

who had

king,

shall not

be your susten-

be so for twelve years."

taken up water in the palms of his

hands, and was prepared to curse the Muni,

now

con-

sidered that Vasishtha was his spiritual guide, f and, being reminded, I by Madayantf, his queen, that it ill

became him teacher

denounce an imprecation upon a holy

to

who was

the guardian divinity of his race,§

Unwilling to cast the water abandoned his intention. upon the earth, lest it should wither up the grain, and for it was impregnated with his malediction, equally reluctant to throw it up into the air, lest it should blast the clouds, and dry up their contents, he threw it upon his own feet, t Scalded by the heat which the water had derived from his angry imprecation, the feet of the Raja became spotted black and white; ** and he, thence, obtained the name of Kalmasha||

—

pada, or he with the spotted (kalmasha) feet (pada).ff

t In the original, +

II

this consideration is

suggested by Madayanti.

Prasddita, 'appeased.'

This, though implied,

XJX^t

f^^^

I

is

"That water

not expressed in the Sanskrit.

for cursing he

sustenance

nor into the

air,

for

sprinkled his

own

feet with it."

** Thi.s

is

threw neither on the earth

of the grain or of the

borrowed from the scholiast, who says:

clouds;

but he

^^T^Tfft ^""^^T"

BOOK

IV.,

CHAF.

309

IV.

In consequence of the curse of Vasishtha, the Raja

became a cannibal * every

sixth \Yatch of the day, f (for

twelve years), and, in that state, wandered through the forests, and devoured multitudes of men. On one occasion, he beheld a holy person t engaged in dalliance

As soon as they saw his terrific form, and endeavoured to escape; but frightened, were they the (regal) Rakshasa (overtook and) seized the husband. The wife of the Brahman, then, also desisted

with his wife.

from

flight,

and earnestly entreated the savage § (to

spare her lord), exclaiming: pride

II

"Thou, Mitrasaha, art the

of the (royal) house of Ikshwaku,

nant) fiend. 1

It is

not in thy nature,

— not a (malig-

who knowest

the

women, to carry off and devour my husband."** But all was in vain; and, regardless of her characters of

reiterated supplications, he ate the

devours a

Brahman,

deer.ff The Brahman's

as a tiger

wife, furious

with

wrath, then addressed the Raja, and said: "Since you have barbarously disturbed the joys of a wedded pair,

and

killed

my

husband, your death shall be the conse-

at the close of every^ third t Read "every sixth meal-time;" i. e., on -which the comment is: "q^ "^ The original is

W ^%,

day.

*

Muni.

§ Bahu-sasta. II

^

Tilaka.

Rakshasa.

Comment: "^^^iRf tt

I

find paiu.

^^

fTc^^TtHrf:

I

VISHNU PURANA.

310

quence of your associating with your queen."*

So

saying, she entered the flames.

At the expiration of the period

of his curse, Saudasa

Being reminded of the imprecation of the Brahmani, by his wife, Madayanti, he abstained from conjugal intercourse, and was, in consequence, childless; but, having soHcited the interposition of Vareturned home.

Madayanti became pregnant. f The child, howwas not born for seven years, when the queen,

sishtha,

ever,

(becoming impatient), divided the womb with a (sharp) The child was, stone, and was thereby delivered.

Asmaka (from Asman, 'a stone'). The Asmaka was Miilaka, who, when the warrior

thence, called

son of

was extirpated upon earth, was surrounded and concealed by a number of females;: whence he was denominated Narikavacha (having women for armour).^ The son of Miilaka was Dasaratha; his son

tribe

'

His name, Miilaka, or

the stem

'the root',

refers,

also,

to his being

whence the Kshattriya races again proceeded. §

be doubted

if

the purport of his

explained by the

title

Narikavacha

is

It

may

accurately

text.]]

t Hereabouts the rendering is free. Rather, "sxurounded and guarded by garmentless women:" 'J^Vfil",

tf T^Tf*?: "^fr^T^ Tt^fl* §

I

I

^^^ °^ ^^^^^ reading than

this.

See the Bhdgavata-purdna, IX., IX., 40, and Sridhara's supplementa-

tion thereof. II

The Vdyu-purdna

epithet

reports,

as

follows,

on the origin of Mulaka's

BOOK

was Ilavila;* Khatwanga, t

his son

IV.,

CHAP.

311

IV.

was Viswasaha;f

(called, also,)

Dilipa,^

between the gods and the Asuras, being former, to their succour, killed (a

liis

who,

son was

in a battle

called,

number

by the

of) the latter.

Having, thus, acquired the friendship of the deities in heaven, they desired him to demand a boon.

He

said

boon is to be accepted by me, then tell me, as a favour, what is the duration of my life." "The length of your life is but an hour," § the gods replied. On which, Khatwanga^ who was swift of motion, de-

them

to

"If a

:

||

This prince

'

is

confounded with an earlier Dilipa by the

Brahma Purana and Hari Vamsa. ^

Parasurama

is

here intended, according to Sridhara, in his

on the parallel passage which,

verses,

reading,

it

may

Bhdgavata-piirdna,

in the

be conjectured,

— IX.,

comment

Two

IX., 40,

closely correspond,

in

a

correct

the stanza quoted in the preceding extract, appear in

to

the

Linga-purdna, Prior Section, LXVI., 29. *

Not one

of

has this name. Four give Ilivila; others, IdaThe Vdyu-purdna reads, in diiferent MSS., Idavida,

my MSS.

and Ailavila.

vila

Idivida,

and Aidivida; the Linga-purdria,

Aidavida.

Compare

Ilavila; the Bhdgavata-purdria,

the variants noticed in p. 246, note *, supra.

VLswasaha, t The Linga-purdna interpolates Vriddha.sarman before This name is frequently and variously corrupted, especially into I It does not seem necessary to dwell on Kat'wanga and Khat'wanga. these depravations. § II

Muhurta.

Laghima-guna

,

"endowed with

lightness."

of assuming levity," illustrated by "rising along orb."

.

It

must be equally easy

to

Laghiman a-

is

"the faculty

sunbeam,

to the solar

the adept to travel a ray downwards.

See Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p. 250. p. 305, note f • if Vide supra , p. 303, note 1 ;

VISHNU PURANA.

312

scended, in his easy-gliding chariot, to the world of mortals.

own

Arrived there, he prayed, and said: "If

me than

soul has never been dearer to

my

(the sacred)

have never deviated from (the discharge have never regarded gods, men, animals, vegetables, all created things,* as different from the imperishable;! then may I, with unswerving step, attain to that divine being on whom holy sages medi-

Brahmans;

my

of)

if I

duty;

if I

Having thus spoken, he was united with that supreme being, t who is Vasudeva; with that elder § of all the gods, who is abstract existence, and whose

tate!"

||

Thus he obtained absorption, according to this stanza, which was repeated, formerly, by the seven Rishis: "Like unto Khatwanga will be no one upon earth, who, having come from heaven, and dwelt an hour amongst men, became united with the three worlds, by his liberality and know-

form cannot be described.

ledge of truth." ^

*

The term

IT

for his obtaining final liberation

^^'St^'^f^fTT ^I^Ti

*

)

'By

whom

is

rather unusual

the three worlds

were

affected,

Vrikshddika.

t Achyuia. I Paramdtman, § II

Guru. Sattd-mdtrdtman.

^^^f^r^ff rTT Comment:

^^

According to

this,

^^ f^n ^^ %^ ff

Wtf^fT

"ffTTST

^T^T

partially accepted,

I

Jll

f^T ^Tf^I

the last two lines

^^f^f?!

may

be ren-

BOOK

The son was Raghu; or beloved: 'f

313

IV.

Khatwanga was Dirghabahu; his son was Aja;* his son was Dasaratha.^

of

fcj

t|

ii^^fffl

5

+

f^e three worlds being identified with

Supreme. The text says, of

citing §

says, ^[fTf

it,

"J^fTT*

this stanza,

The legend

•

II

^'^ff; there-

is,

from the Vedas.

fore, *

CHAP.

his son

their source, or the

and the Vayu,

IV.,

The

lists

here differ very materially, as the following com-

parison will best show:

dered:

Ramayana.**

Matsya.^f

Vishnu,

"by whom,

Kalmashapada

Kalmashapada

Kalmashapada

arrived here below from paradise, having obtained an

hour's prolongation of

life,

the three worlds were mastered through

wisdom

and self-surrender."

The

scholiast puts

much more

of Vedantism into these verses than

it

likely they were intended to convey.

is

Compare the Harivamsa, last • •j-

line,

is

^Sf^^f^il ff ^

si.

809.

The Bhagavafa-purdiia,

reading, there, in the

IX., X., 1, has Raghu, Pi'ithusravas, Aja.

TSrf^^f^ff can scarcely bear

probable signification, here,

The ordinary

•

is

either of these meanings.

Its

most

'contemplate thoroughly'.

This means 'experienced', i. e., recognized as vanity.' The Vdyu-purdiia has only the last two verses, and does not call them a citation. It reads ^^(?I«f for ^•TTThe Vdyu-purdna uses this expression in connexion with something else: *

§

II

Khafwangada is, moreover, the form here presented. Whether the names particularized here, as in many other

%

lists

through-

out this work, are correctly represented, or not, I do not pretend to pronounce. To this point I have already adverted; giving the reason why

we must,

at present, look with distrust, in

or implied

most

claim to punctual accuracy as

cases,

regards

upon any express

Pauranik minutiae:

In annotating these volumes, all that, as a I., p, 153, note X. have undertaken to do, touching the numerous works referred to in the Translator's commentary, has been, to restrict myself to the most important and most accessible of them, and to collate these, in such

see Vol, rule, I

manuscripts as are within

my

*

my

reach,

and

in

the

printed editions,

best diligence.

Bdla-kdnda, LXX., 40—43; Ayodhyd-kdnda, OX., 29—34.

with

VISHNU PURANA.

314

The god from whose navel

the lotos springs became

fourfold, as the four sons of Dasaratha,— Rama, Laksh-

Ramayaiia.

Vishnu.

Sankharia*

Sudarsana

Agnivarna Sighraga

Maru Prasusrukaf

Ambarisha Nahusha Yayati t

Nabhaga Aja Dasaratha.

The Vayu, Bhagavata,§ Kiirma, and Linga agree with our except

in the

ratha the

reading of a few names:

first;

Vairivira, for Ilavila;

as,

Sataratha,

for ||

text,

Dasa-

and Kritasarman, Vriddha-

sarman, orVriddhakarman, forViswasaha.H TheAgni and Brahma

and Hari Vamsa agree with the second

series,

with similar occa-

showing that the Purarias admit two series, differing in name, but agreeing in number. The Ramayaria, however, differs from both, in a very extraordinary manner; and the sional exceptions;**

variation

is

not limited to the cases specified; as

Bhagiratha, as follows

it

begins with

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

315

IV.

mana, Bharata, and Satrughna,*— for the protection f of Rama, whilst yet a boy, accompanied Viswamitra, to protect his sacrifice, and slew Tadaka. He the world.

afterwards killed Maricha with his resistless shafts :t

Puranas.

Ramayana.§

Bhagiratha

Bhagiratha

Sruta

Kakutstha

Nabhaga

Raghu

Ambarisba

Kalmashapada

[I

Sindhudwipa

Ayutaswa IT Rituparna

Sarvakama Sudasa

Kalmashapada

The

entire

Pauranik

series comprises

Some

of the Ramayaria, sixteen.

• Insert 'as parts of himself,'

t *

names of

the

poem

'^T^J3|«f.

Sthiti, 'stability'.

^^

twenty descents; and that

of the last

^ f^^

TTTt^frrg^TfTr^

"And,

I

at the sacrifice,

he hurled to a distance Slaricha, struck by the blast of his shaft." We read, in the Rdmdyana, Bdla-kdnda, XXX,, 16 18:

—

f^%TT TTT^^I^ TrOTtTf^ TT^^: ^ %^ xr:*tt#w TRt^ ^^f ct:

II

i

^^^ It

^ft^TJiri

f^^:

^^T^^^

II

appears, from this, that Maricha, struck, in the breast, by the wea-

pon Manava, discharged from Rama's bow, was projected, by the impact, a hundred yojanas, into the sea.

The

story of the

§ II

^

death of Maricha, in the guise of a golden deer, at

Rama, is Bdla-kdnda, LXX.,

the hands of

same poem, Aranya-kdnda, XLIV. Ayodkyd-kdMa, CX., 28, 29.

told in the 39, 40;

Corrected from the impossible

Vide supra, p. 303, notes

"Kakutshtha."

4, §, §§,

and

i|||.

VISHNU PURANA.

316

and Subahu and others fell by his arms. He removed the guilt of Ahalya, by merely looking upon her. In the palace of Janaka, he broke, with ease, the mighty bow of Maheswara, and received the hand of Sita, the daughter of the king, self-born from the earth,* as the prize of his prowess, f

surama,

who vaunted

He humbled

the pride of Para-

his triumphs over the race of

Haihaya,t and his repeated slaughters of the Kshattriya tribe.

Obedient to the commands of his

father,

and

cherishing no regret for the loss of sovereignty, § he

entered the forest, accompanied by his brother (Laksh-

mana) and by his wife, where he killed, in conflict, Viradha, Khara, Dushana, ||and other Rakshasas, (the headless giant) Kabandha, and Balinl (the monkey monarch).

occur amongst the

first

of those of the Puraiias

irreconcilable difference in

much

;

but there

is

an

The Agni,

of the nomenclature.

under the particular account of the descent of Rama, has, for his

immediate predecessors, Raghu, Aja, Dasaratha, as

in

our text;

** and the author of the Raghu Vamsa agrees with the Puranas,

from

*

Dili'pa

down"wards.

Ayonijd.

t Virya-iulkd.

II

Corrected

i l ||(J^»|^

I

from "Kharadiishana".

For Khara and

The

original

Diishaiia, see the

is

f^XTTVIT^'

Ramdyana,

I.,

I.,

47; the

Rcghuvaihsa, XII., 42, 46; the Bhdgavata-purdna; IX,, X., 9; &c. &c,

1 cR^t^j^ rf^«l1" Hence I have altered "Bali", which, however, is a form that occurs elsewhere. ** With which of them, except the Agni-purdna? In the Raghuvamia, VI., 74-78, we find Dilipa, Raghu, Aja, and then, in VIII., 29, DasaI

ratha.

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

317

IV.

Having built a bridge across the ocean,* and destroyed the whole Rakshasa nation, he recovered (his bride,) Sita, whom their ten-headed (king, Ravana,) had carried off, and returned to Ayodhya, with her, after she had been purified, by the fiery ordeal, from the soil contracted (by her captivity), and had been honoured by the assembled gods, (who bore witness to her virtue).'

'

This

an epitome of the Ramayaria, the heroic poem of

is

Valmiki, on the subject of Rama's exploits.

yana was published,

with' a translation,

Marshman, several years of the text of the two first

since

first

but a

;

A

part of the

Rama-

by Messrs. Carey and

much more

correct edition

books, with a Latin translation of the

and part of the second, have been more recently published

—

a work worthy of his illustrious name.f summary of the story may be found in Sir William Jones's Works, Maurice's Hindustan, Moor's Pantheon, &c. It is, also, the subject of the Uttara Rama Charitra, in the Hindu Theatre; in the introduction to which an outline of the whole is given. The

by Professor Schlegel,

A

story

is,

therefore, no doubt, sufficiently familiar, even to English

readers. ditions

p.

It

seems to be founded on

and the

historical fact;

of the south of India uniformly ascribe

its

tra-

civilization,

t For Signer Gorresio's edition of the spurious Rdmdyana, see Vol. II., The genuine Rdmdijana—'wh\c\i Professor Wilson does 190, note *.

not seem first

to have known, save in Schlegel's composite edition of the two books, — has been lithographed at Calcutta and Bombay. For

some idea

of the

difference

between the two, the reader

the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society,

Vol. XIX., pp.

is

referred to

303—308, and

I have Part IV., pp. 377 — 418. different commentaries on the real

to Dr. Muir's Original Sanskrit Texts,

seen,

in India,

Rdmdyana;

no

less

than

seven

a copy of one of which,

nearly five hundred years ago.

accompanying the

text,

was transcribed

VISHNU PURANA.

318

Bharata made himself master of the country of the Gandharvas, after destroying vast numbers of them;* and Satrughna, having killed the Rakshasa chief, Lavana, the son of Madhu, took possession of his capital,

Mathura. f Having, thus, by their unequalled valour and might, rescued the whole world from the dominion of malignant fiends, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Satrughna

reascended to heaven, and were followed by those of the people of Kosalat who were fervently devoted to these incarnate portions of the supreme (Vishnu). §

(and his brothers) had (each,) two sons. Kusa and Lava were the sons of Rama; those of Lakshmana were Angada and Chandraketu;il the sons of Bharata

Rama

the subjugation or dispersion of

and the settlement of

civilized

forest tribes of barbarians,

its

Hindus, to the conquest of Lanka

by Rama. *

The

dharvas

original says :

that he destroyed thirty millions

^5^ET'I'^^^^f%^
of terrible gan-

I

Mathura"; the Sanskrit being nivditd. t Rather, "founded the original has nothing corresponding to "his capital". The Vdyu-purdna reads:

.And

Moreover,

the Bhdgavata-pnrdna says, at IX., XI., 14:

f^T ^^^'t Three of

my

'^

^

copies of the

^TT ^T^

t g'TK

II

Viishnu-purdna, and two of the Vdyu, have

Madhura, instead of Mathura. It is not altogether certain that Madhura was not the original name, and even that hoard by Hiouen Thsang. *

Strictly, "people of the

§ This sentence is

city of Kosala,"

<*^\H^«tJK^«tM<^i:

I

very freely rendered.

A Chandraketu, prince of the city of Chakora, who was killed by an emissary of King Sudraka, is mentioned in the Harshacharita. See II

my

edition of the

Vdsavadattd, Preface, p. 53.

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

319

IV.

were Taksha* and Pushkara;t and Subahu and sena^t were the sons of Satrughna.

Siira-

The Vayu specifies the countries or cities over which they Angada and Chitraketu §— as the Vayu terms the latter, —governed countries near the Himalaya, the capitals of which Taksha and Pushkara were were Angadi and Chandravaktra, '

reigned.

||

sovereigns of Gandhara, residing at Takshasila vati.**

1 and Pushkara-

Subahu and Surasena reigned atMathura; and,

we might

in the latter,

be satisfied to find the Suraseniff of Arrian, but that

there is a subsequent origin, of perhaps greater authenticity, in the family of

Yadu, as we

'Kusa

shall hereafter see.U

built

Kusasthali on the brow of the Vindhya, the capital of Kosala;

and Lava reigned

at Sravasti

Two MSS. have

*

(vide supra,

pp. 249, 263) in Uttara

the elongated form, Takshaka.

my MSS.

has Pushkala; and so has the Bhdgavata-purdna. MSS., and most of those of the Vdyu-purdna, have SuraSrutasena: Bhdgavata-purdna, IX., XI., 13. sena. § My MSS. have Chandraketu,— the reading of the RagJmvamsa, XV., 90, also. But Chitraketu is the name in the Bhdgavata-purdna, IX.,

t One of *

my

All

XL,

12. II

Angadi

t^^r^frwTl is,

wtffr

^PR^ ^^:

I

here, located in Karapatha; as I find the

name

spelled.

In

the line following this stanza, the country seems to be named, of which Chandraketu's Chandravaktra was the capital; but, unfortunately, it is

my MSS. The Raghuvamsr, XV., 90, places both the brothers ^ A large number of useful references bearing on

illegible in all

in

Karapatha.

this

city will be

found in Messrs. Boehtlingk and Roth's Sanskrit- Worterbuch, sub voce. **

of

^pmTf^^ f^%


^

'TfTtJRt:

I

Takshasila and Pushkaravati have been identified with the T«|iorA« Ptolemy and the llivxtliuoitg of Arrian. For the people of Gandhara,

see Vol.11., p. 174, note 2.

tt See Vol. II, p. 156, note 2. of this Book. ++ In Chapter XI.

VISHNU PURANA.

320

of Kusa was Atithi; his son was Nishadha; was Nala;^ his son was Nabhas;* his son was Pundarika; his son was Kshemadhanwan; his son was Devanika; his son was Ahinagu;^! his son was Pari-

The son

his son

(northern) Kosala:'

The Raghu Vamsajl Ayodhya,

to

describes

Kusa

that the extending

power of

family, compelled

Rama's

from Kusavati

as returning

after his father's death;

but

seems not unlikely,

it

the princes of the

posterity to

Doab, of the lunar

retire

more

to the

west

and south.

The Bhcigavata

'

as

if

is

the

only Puraria that omits this name;

the author had been induced to correct the reading,

to avoid the necessity of recognizing

H

in order

Vide supra,

two Nalas.

p. 303, note 5. ^

we have two

Here, again,

•

Nabha, in a few MSS.

t

Rum

distinct series of princes, inde-

One

omitted by the Translator.

has here been

of

my MSS.

—that which, I believe, Professor Wilson generally, and all but excluThere is no sively, used,— here exhibits the mutilation ^rft '^'^'^ ^Ruru, however, :

in

§ This extract

In a verse a

Vdyu-purdna.

the

Query, ofitlT^, is

little

in

'Kosala'?

from a somewhat long quotation in the Vdyu-purdna. before these,

we

are told that

Rama

^ ^^^f^TfW

established a rule

•

of ten thousand years:

TT?^ TT^H^T^fi:

I

compare the Linga-purdim, Prior Section, LXVI., 37. From the same work, XV., 97, it appears on what ground See the Translator identified one of the Kusasthalis with Kusavati

With II

this

XVI., 25.

Vol.11., p. 172, note::.

^ Ho reads— IX., And

Nabha's son

XII.,

is

1,— Nabha,

Puudarilia.

in its stead:

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

321

IV.

patra;* his son was Dala;^f his son was Chhala;^* his son

was Uktha;^§

his son

was Vajranabha;

pendently of variations of individual names. of the text, with which the

Brahma and Hari

the

his son

Instead of the

Vayu and Bhagavata

Varfisa indifferently, conform,

the Matysa, Linga, Kiirma, and Agni, the following

list

and

nearly,

we :

have, in

Ahinagu,

||

Sahasraswa (Sahasraya, or Sahasrabala), % Chandravaloka, Tarapida (or Taradhisa), Chandragiri, Bhanuratha (or Bhanumitra),** and Srutayus, with which

whom

adds Bahula,ff

the

killed

list

ends,

from Devanika, but seven

therefore,

Variisa gives

Agnivariia.

much

Bala: Bhagavata.

*

Sthala: Bhagavata.

'

*

same

in the other series.

list

The

as our text, ending with

++

'

Vaihsa.

the

enumerating,

:

or eight princes, to the

Great War, instead of twenty-three, as

Raghu

except in the Linga,

by Abhimanyu

Nala: Hari Vamsa, Sala:§§ Vayu and Brahma. Sila: Raghu

|| ||

Omitted

Bhagavata

:

.

ITIT

leave it very dubious whether the name is Paripatra or There are two mountaiu-ranges, one imaginary, and the other

My MSS.

Pariyatra.

which there

regarding

real,

being Paripatra or Pariyatra.

A

is,

likewise,

See Vol.11.,

uncertainty as to

p. 123,

the

name

note +; p. 128, notes,

1.

8.

MS. gives Bala, * I find Sala in one MS. § The HarivaMa, si. 825, 826, has Ahinagu, Sudhanwan, Sala, Uktha. For Sala I find Nala and Gaya, in some MSS. In some MSS. of the Linga-purdna the name is Ahinara. t

single

II

%

Here,

**

Bhanuchandra seems

ft ++

I

I

believe,

the Linga-purdna inserts Subha. to be the reading of the

Linga-purdna.

find Brihadbala.

Vide infra,

My MSS.

p.

324, note

||.

Vdyu-purdna have Bala. The Raghuvamsa, XVIII., 17, make Sila son of Pariyatra, nil Not so. and mentions no one corresponding to Chhala. ^f The Raghuvamsa has Unnabha, son of ^ila. The Vdyu-purdna seems §§

to exhibit III.

of the

Auka. 21

322

VISHNU PUR ANA.

was Sankhanabha;^* '

Sankha: Brahma.

^

Dushitaswa: Vayu.

+

was Dhyuslntaswa;"f

his son

his

Khagai'ia: Bhagavata. §

Adhyiishitaswa:

H

Brahma.

Vidhriti:

Bhagavata.

•

One MS.

Clihampaua.

gives Sankhaila; one,

t By the kindness of Professor Monier Williams, of Oxford, I am enabled to state, that one of the MSS. of the text of the Vishnu-purdna

which formerly belonged

Adhyushitaswa; another,

Wilson has

to Professor

fT(ft

shitaswa; another, (T
e.,

i

the text and the other

MSS.

one which has

or else

^-

^m

Dhyu-

Vyutthitaswa, or Avyutthitaswa.

my own MSS.

commentary here read

— except

T^^T^wH^*!!^')

"^f^flT^.) the same name,

ffrft

fitft

both

that contain

^t?^fTT'^I; while my

^f^rTT^: ,— give rf^T^-

Dhyushitaswa and Vyushitaswa. ^ ^' Uj T^SPf^ fTT^* the name — corrupted, in some copies, into Vyushitaswa, Dhyushitaswa or

fcfrn"'^!

5

'•

^-f

is

Vdyu-purdna, where we read:

in the

In the Ilarivaiiiia,

MSS.,

is,

likewise,

the

true

undoubtedly, Dhyushitaswa.

reading,

as

shown by

my

best

This has been corrupted into Vyu-

shitaswa, and regularized into Adhyushitaswa.

Vyutthitaswa looks

like a

heedless and uninquiring venture at emendation, on the part of the com-

mentator on the Vishnu-purdna. Conclusively, we find, in the Raghuvaiida, XVIII., 23:

^TTf^^ ^ ^f^ciTg^n^: "On

his [Sankhana's] death,

II

one endued with the effulgence of the sun,

handsome as the Aswins, and whom those conversant with antiquity call Dhyushitaswa,— the horses of /u's troops having encamped on the declivity of the sea-shore,— acceded to the dignity of his fathers."

My

best

MSS. of the Raghuvamia read as above and the best MSS. commentary that I have access to give, likewise, Dhyushi;

of Mallinatha's

taswa.

Moreover, from a grammatical point of view,

Kalidasa's very

etymology, and, similarly, Mallinatha's gloss, unquestionably favour

name,

The

this

as against Vyushitaswa,

strange, but not unjustifiable,

name Dhyushitaswa would

naturally

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

323

IV.

son was Viswasaha;** his son was Hiranyanabha,f a pupil of the mighty Yogin Jaimini, and communicated the knowledge of spiritual exercises t to Yajnavalkya. " The son of this saintly king was

who was

'

Omitted: Brahma and Bhagavata.

"

Omitted: Brahma and Hari Variisa; but included, with simi-

by the Vayu, § Bhagavata, and Raghu Vaihsa.

particulars,

lar

provoke, to a careless

a surmise of mistake;

scholar,

'^ and ^,

semblance between

We

support such a surmise.

see how,

thus

in

and the close

re-

may have seemed

written,

hastily

all

likelihood,

to

Vyushi-

taswa originated. in the former edition of the work under none of the MSS. that were used by Professor Wilson; and I have dismissed it for Dhyushitaswa. It may be added, that Vyutthitaswa is the name in the translation of the Vishnu-purdna that was

"Abhyutthitaswa", the name

annotation,

is

in

prepared for the Professor in Bengal. Messrs. Boehtlingk and Roth, in to Professor Lassen,

— who

unavowed

insert Adhyushitaswa, an

Turning,

for

comparison,

we here

stucker,

find

their

Abhyutthitaswa

is

work

— for

"very diseased," recourse vention, there

is

reason

Kalidasa's word

time,

and equally

the

of Dr.

long and short vowels, but

is

Adhyushitaswa,— a name

to the verb lish,

suspect,

should seem

Gold-

only scrupulously

constituent participle of which,

had

is

to

not

without any care of verification.

manifestly,

registered;

have found nowhere,

Dictionary

Sanskrit

critical

holding with Professor Wilson, even to his

doing so in silence, and,

from Professor Wilson,

alteration of Adhyushitaswa.

the

to

very

that

Sanskrit- IViJrterbuch, referring

copies

confessedly

of the to

I

rendered

a mere inAt the same

cegrotare,

grammarians.

have escaped the observation of

the learned and researchful lexicographer. X II

Vdyu-purd/ia and Raghuvarnsa. And Uarivamsa. § Sankhaiia On this and "Diishitaswa", see note t in the preceding page and :

the present, *

And

so reads the

Vdyu-purdna.

t In one view, the Bhdgavata-purdna, IX., XII., 2, 3, has, instead of Ahinagu, &c., Aniha, Pariyatra, Bala, Sthala, Vajranabha, Khagaua, Vidhiiti, *

§

Hiranyanabha.

The expression "knowledge of spiritual exercises" is Premising the name of Viswasaha, the Vdyu-purdna Hiranyanabha seems, thus,

to be called the

to render yoga. states:

Vasishfha of Kosala.

21"

But

324

VISHNU PURANA.

Pushya;*

his son

his son

was

supra where Kausalya is, likewise, given as synonym of Hirariyanabha f being, as the commentator ob-

See, also, p. 58, the

was Dhruvasandhi;^

^

;

serves, his Viseshai'iam, his epithet or attribute,

The Vayu,

Kosala.

but, in the Bbagavata,

commentator, §

to

^^ITTc^rt^^ thor of the

— born in, or king of,

him t^TT^TTrHI ^11^^ Kausalya is referred, by the

accordingly, terms +

the epithet

'>

Yajnavalkya, the pupil of Hiranyanabha:

^^^^^ ^fTT^Ttlt

Raghu

^'TT^T^?!^

'^r[\

The au-

I

meaning of the

Variisa, not understanding the

term, has converted Kausalya into the son of Hiraiiyanabha.

Raghu

The Bhagavata,

Variisa, XVIII., 27.

the prince the pupil of Jaimini

^"^'^ f^^J

more

the Vayu,

;

correctly, ^t?T«T^

'the pupil of the sage's grandson'.

J

||

like our text, calls

There seems

however, something unusual in the account given of the

to be,

relation

,

borne by the individuals named

pupil of Jaimini, Hiraiiyanabha (vide supra, p. 58);

is

to each

,

but Yajnavalkya

the teacher of the Vaja-

is

saneyi branch of the Yajus {vide supra, p.

some MSS. have Kausilya, not Kausalya. Then follows the stanza:

H^l

p. 58,

note

f.

I

associated with five hundred Samhitds.

Here, as before, Hiraiiyanabha

is

*

828,

827,

Neither of them

57).

Vide supra,

xfr^^ tf»T%: fwm: ^(T: ¥ifg

In the Ilarivamia, U.

As a Sama-veda

other.

a teacher of the

we

find

Dhyushitaswa,

and then

Pushya. t Corrected from "Hiraiiyagarbha", a mere :

slip of the

pen.

IX., XII., 4:

^^ ^fr^^f^t^^^rf^H^TR: "C'est de ce maitre que

Kosala, apprit cultes

si

le

le

II

Richi Yadjnavalkya,

Yoga de TEsprit supreme,

puissantes, et qui tranche le lien

du

qui etait ne dans le

ce IToga qui doune des facceur."

§ Sridhara. The Raghuvaihsa, proceeding, makes Kausalya father of Brahmisht'ha II him, father of Pntra; and him, father of Pushya.

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

325

IV. t

Sudarsana; his son was Agnivarna; his son was Sighra; was Maru,' who, through the power of devotion (Yoga), is still living in the village called Kalapa,* and,

his son

be the restorer of the Kshattriya race in the solar dynasty, f Maru had a son named Prasusruta; his son was Susandhi;: his son was Amar-

in a future age, will

sha;§ his son was Mahaswat;^ his son was Visrutavat;*ll and his son was Brihadbala,t who was killed, in the

is

specified,

by Mr. Colebrooke, amongst the

Yoga

Patanjala or

authorities of the

philosophy; nor does either appear as a dis-

the ciple of Jaimini, in his character of founder of

Mimansa

school.

**

Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. I. ' Arthasiddhi: Brahma Puraiia and Hari Varhsa. '

Maruta Brahma Purana and Hari Variisa. These authoritiesff :

omit the succeeding four names. 3

Sahaswat: Vayu.

*

Viswasahwan:t+ Bhagavata.

Kaliyadwipa. • The Harivamsa has Kalapadwipa; some MSS. reading supra, p. 197, note For the situation of the tillage of Kalapa, vide ^^^ir^^TT^^f^TTT Hf^^f^ The Vdyu-purdna t Kshattras in the nineteenth seems to declare, thkt he ^ill reestablish the coming yuga: ^ ||.

^^Tf^^

I

Some MSS. read T^^^"^^'', 'twenty-ninth.' have + All my MSS. but two— showing Susandhi,— the reading

of the Bhdgavata-purdna,

Sugavi.

IX., XII., 7.

Sandhi

is

The Vdyu-purdna

has Susandhi, distinctly.

§ Amarshaua: Bhdgavata-purdna. One MS. has Viswavaha. II

5[

The Bhdgavata-purdna,

IX.,

XII.,

7,

8,

names Viswasahwan, Pra-

senajit, Takshaka, Bfihadbala. ** Or Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

tt Harivanda, it. 829, 830. + Corrected from "Viswasaha."

I.,

pp.

230—236, 296.

VISHNU PUR ANA.

326

Great War,* by Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. f These are the most distinguished princes in the family of Ikshwaku. Whoever Hstens to the account of them will be purified from all his sins/ +

'

The

list

closes here; as the author of the

Puranas, Vyasa,

contemporary with the Great War. The line of Ikshwaku resumed, prophetically, in the twenty-second chapter.

is

• Bhdrata-yuddha. the press. t The former edition had "Anjuna", by error of

is

CHAPTER Kings of Mithila. Legend Janaka.

Sacrifice of Siradhwaja.

of Kusadhwaja.

THE

Origin of Sita.

Descendants

Kriti the last of the Maithiha princes.

son of Ikshwaku,

who was named Nhni,

was

tuted a sacrifice that years,

V.

of Nimi, the son of Ikshwaku. Birth of

to

^

insti-

endure for a thousand

and apphed toVasishtha

to offer the oblations.*

had been preengabut that, if the years, hundred ged, by Indra, for five Raja would wait for some time, he would come and officiate as superintending priest, f The king made no answ^er; and Vasishtha went away, supposing that he Vasishtha, in answer, said, that he

had assented. : When the sage had completed the performance of the ceremonies he had conducted for Indra, he returned, with

all

speed, to Nimi, purposing to ren-

When he arrived, however, and found that Nimi had retained Gautama and other priests to minister at his sacrifice, he was much dis-

der him

the like office.

and pronounced upon the king, who was then a curse, to this effect, that, since he had not in-

pleased, asleep,

timated his intention but transferred to Gautama the duty he had first entrusted to himself, Vasishtha, Nimi ,

'

None

of the authorities,

except the

Vayu and Bhagavata,

contain the series of kings noticed in this chapter.

"Chose Yasisht'ha as the hotri" literally. t Ritwig. ^ Here the scholiast quotes a proverb, W(^

•

may

,

^^TmW^^Pl.

"^'^ich

be translated, almost -word for word, "Silence implies consent."

VISHNU PURANA.

328

should, thenceforth, cease to exist in a corporeal form.

and knew what had happened, he, denounced, as an imprecation upon his unjust preceptor, that he, also, should lose his bodily existence, as the punishment of uttering a curse upon him, without previously communicating with him. Nimi

When Nimi woke,

in return,

then abandoned his bodily condition. The spirit of Vasishtha, also, leaving his body, was united with the spirof Mitra and Varuna, for a season, until, through

its

their passion for the

nymph

again, in a different shape.

Urvasi, the sage was born

'^

The corpse

of

Nimi was

preserved from decay, by being embalmed with fraoils and resins; and it remained as entire as if it were immortal, ^f When the sacrifice was concluded,

grant

This shows that the Hindus were not unacquainted with the art of embalming dead bodies. In the Kasi Khaiida,

*

Egyptian s. 30,

an account

given of a

is

Brahman who

carries his mother's

bones, or, rather, her corpse, from Setubandha (or to Kasi.

For

this

purpose, he

first

washes

it

Rameswara)

with the

five

ex-

cretions! of a cow, and the five pure fluids, (or, milk, curds, ghee,

He

honey, and sugar). §

*

For a more

Texts, Part

I.,

literal

pp. 73,

then embalms

it

with Yakshakardama ||

rendering of this sentence, see Original Sanskrit The notes in the latter page may, also, be 74.

consulted to advantage.

il(^ir<^

^^?im^

I

^^ ^^^

c!^^

I

The whole

of this para-

graph would admit of being much more closely Englished. * They can hardly be generalized as "excretions". For particulars, see note •• to p. 193, supra.

So says Raghunandana, in the Jyotistattwa. According to Colebrooke, in his edition of the Amara-ko^a, it consists of "camphor, agallochum, musk, and bdellium (or else the three first, with saffron and sandal-wood), in equal proportions." § II

BOOK

329

CHAP. V.

IV.,

who had come

the priests applied to the gods,

to re-

ceive their portions, that they would confer a blessing

upon the author of the ing to restore

him

acceptance, saying: of

sacrifice.

to bodily life;

"0

deities,

worldly suffering, there

all

The gods were willbutNimi declined its

who is

are the alleviators

not, in the world, a

deeper cause of distress than the separation of soul and body. all

To

It

is,

therefore,

my

wish to dwell in the eyes of

beings, but never more to this desire the

by them,

resume a corporeal shape."

gods assented; and Nimi was placed,

in the eyes of all living creatures; in conse-

quence of which, their eyelids are ever opening and shutting.

*

(a composition of agallochum, camphor,

musk,

and a resin called Kakkola), and envelopes

Netra vastra (flowered muslin), Pattambara

it,

saffron, sandal, severally, with

(silk),

Surasa vastra

(coarse cotton), Manjishthavasas f (cloth dyed with madder), and Nepala Kambala (Nepal blanketing). He then covers it with pure clay,

and puts the whole into a

taka).

t

coffin of

copper (Tamra sariipu-

These practices are not only unknown, but would be

thought impure, in the present day.

This legend would connect the word ^JrTT'^'JT^f'T^^ ^W> wink with the name of Nimi. t Corrected from "Manjishfha", which means only "dyed with madder". *

fftft

nimisha,

I

'

',

^r^^wq^ l^jm ^"R^ ^^^Tir In the text of

but the latter

is

my

^w.

rffft

it^ ^

ii

^Tf^^^T¥^

I

MS., pattambara and surasavastra do not appear;

given as a gloss on netravastra.

VISHNU PURANA.

330

no successor, the Munis, apprehensive of the consequences of the earth being without a ruler, agitated the body of the prince,* and produced, from it, a prince, who was called Janaka, froni being born

As Nimi

left

without a progenitor, f In consequence of his father being without a body (videha), he was termed, also,

Vaideha (the son of the bodiless) and (he, further, received the name of) Mithi, from (having been produced by) agitation (mathana)/ The son of Janaka was Uda;

These legends are intended to explain, and were, probably, the terms Videhat and Mithila, applied to the country upon the Gunduk and Coosy§ rivers, the modern Tirhoot. '

suggested by,

The Ramayaria'!

places a prince

named Mithi between Nimi and

have ^"^T^lt, by which we are to understand the nether the ararii fire, by attrition, at sacrifices, containing a socket, into which the king's body was introduced, by way On the reading "^TT^T, things would be reversed, and of upper arani. All

my MSS.

—

piece of timber used to produce

a socket for the upper arani would be furnished in the royal corpse.

The Vdiju-purdna says

A

very complete dissertation on the arani will be found in Dr. Gold-

stiicker's Sanskrit Dictionary, sub voce.

t
^

^*{lO

^% ^'RT^'T^^t I

of the peculiar

way

in

^"Rrr^^TQ

I

It

^as

which he was engendered, that he was

called Janaka.

The Bhagavata-purdiia,

"On *

IX., XIII., 13, says:

Tappela Djanaka a cause de

Corrected from "Vaideha".

§ For these two rivers, see Vol. II

Bdla-kd/ida,

LXX.,

4.

la

maniere dont

See Vol.11., II.,

p.

p.

il

165.

146, note 3.

etait

ne",

etc.

BOOK

IV.,

CHAP.

331

V.

vasu;* his son was Nandivardhana; his son was Suketu;*!" his

son was Devarata; his son was Bfihaduk-

wasMahavirya;§ his son wasSatyadhriti;'| was Dhrishtaketu; his son was Haryaswa; his son was Maru; his son was Pratibandhaka;^ his son wasKritaratha;** his son wasKrita;ff his son wasVi-

tha;+ his son his son

Janaka, whence comes the name Mithiki. list

the successor of Ninii,

is

as the father of Sita.

One

also

In other respects, the

of kings of Mithila agrees, except in a few names.

,

renowned

different

from Janaka who

of them

as a philosopher

— which,

,

Parana, Nimi founded a

Gautama.

does not appear,

According

city called Jayanta,

The remains of a

t+

•

—

is,

city called

Vayu Asrama of

to the

near the

Janakpur, on the north-

ern skirts of the district, are supposed to indicate the city

Janaka, celebrated

and patron of philosophical

Mahabharata, Moksha Dharma.

teachers.

is

site

of a

founded by one of the princes so named.

Two

of

my MSS. have Udaravasu. my MSS. have Swaketu.

But Suketu is the accepRdmdyana, Bdla-kdnda, LXXL, 5, 6; &c. &c. X Brihadratha: Rdmdyana. § Mahavira: Rdmdyana. Two MSS. give Sudhriti, the reading of the Rdmdyana and Vdyupurdna. The Bhdgavata-purdna exhibits Sudhriti and Sudhfit in one and the same stanza. t The majority of

ted reading, as in the

II

^ In one copy I find Pratika. Pratindhaka is read in the Rdmdyana and Vdyu-purdrm, and is, almost certainly, the correct name. Pratipaka The Bengal Rdmdyana has, the Bhdgavatas ordinary corruption. is according to Signor Gorresio, Prasiddhaka. ••

One MS. has Kfitiratha; another, Srutiratha. Kirttiratha is the Rdmdyana and Vdyu-purdna. The Bengal Rdmdyana has

reading of the

Krittiratha, in Signor Gorresio's edition,

tt I find Kriti. The Rdmdyana, the Vdyu-purdna, and the Bhdgavata have Devamidha.

VISHNU PURANA.

332

budha;* his son was Maliaclhnti;t his son was

Kriti-

rata;: his son was Maharoman;§ his son was Suvarnaroman;l| his son was Hraswaroman; his son was Si-

radhwaja.

Siradhwaja ploughing the ground, to prepare

it

for

a sacrifice (M^hich he instituted), in order to obtain progeny, there sprang up, in the furrow,! a damsel, who be-

came

his daughter,

Sita.^'""''

This identifies Siradhwaja

'

in-law of Rama.

The

The brother

Avith the

second Janaka, the father-

story of Sita's birth, or, rather, discovery,

narrated in the Arariya Karida of the

is

of Siradhwaja

Parvan of the Mahabharata, and

in the

Ramayana,

the

Vana

Vayu, Brahma Vaivarta,

Kalika, and other Puranas.

•

Visruta

is

the

name

in the

Bhdgavata-purdna.

them is, perThe RdmdMahanyai'ta seems to have Mahidhraka, corrupted, in some copies, into dhraka; while the Bengal recension has Andhaka. Kirttirata: Rdmdyana and Vdyu-purdna, X Kraturata occurs in one MS. t The Vdyu-purdna shows both this and Vide infra, haps, for the sake of metre.

§

The

inferior character of the

evidenced by the fact that

it

One

Dhi'iti.

note

p. 335,

of

t-

Bengal recension of the Rdmdyana

here reads, at variance with

all

is

authority,

Kfitiroman. II

A

^

we read

of the

'on his

Sire,

to be here

**

Swariiaroman, the synonymous reading of the Vdyu-purdna, and of the Bhdgavata. ploughshare'; for which the word for 'plough' seems

single copy has

Rdmdyana,

used by synecdoche.

In the Bhdgavata-purdna,

IX., 13, 18,

as follows

The Vdyu-purdna, having named Siradhwaja, says:

^f^wT

if^
^^

€tfn Trrr

^nf^^

i

^aiiisapayana interrupts with questions, which the other interlocutor, Siita,

answers as follows:

^f^%% ii^^% ^^g^ ^ft^r:

I

BOOK

CHAP.

IV.,

333

V.

was Kusadhwaja, who was king of Kasi:^* hef had a son, also, named Bhanumat.^ The son of Bhaniimat was Satadyumna;t his son was Suchi;§ his son was his son

Urjavaha;!!

The Ramayaria**

'

the correct reading. shi in the

was Satyadhwaja;t

says, 'of Sankasya',ff

Fa Hian found

++

the

Doab, about Mainpooree. §§

his son

which

is,

was

no doubt,

kingdom of Sang-kia-

Account of the Foe-kue-

The Bhagavata makes Kusadhwaja the son of Siradhwaja.Ul ^ The Bhagavata differs from our authority, here, considerably, by inserting several princes between Kusadhwaja and Bhanumat or, Dharmadhwaja, who has two sons, Ki'itadhwaja and Khaiidiki.f

II

kya: the former

numat.***

•

The

the father of Kesidhwaja; the latter, of Bha-

is

See the

text of all

And

Sankasya'.

last

Book

my MSS.

of the Vishnu.

but two has ^T^Tl^rTfV'Tffli king of See the quotation ,

'

herewith agrees the Vdyu-purdna.

in note ***, below.

I

have corrected the Translator's "Sankas'ya".

t Namely, Siradhwaja. +

One MS.

§ In the II

Or the

One MS. has

^ "

gives

Pradyumua: Vdyu-purdna.

Sudyumna.

Vdyu-purdna the name equivalent

Urjavaha,

is

in

Muni.

some copies;

as

in

the

Vdyu.

Urja.

Variants, each in one MS.: Satadhwaja and Bharadwaja.

Bdla-kdiida,

LXXI.,

19.

Just before, the

Rdmdyana

states that

Ku-

sadhwaja conquered Sankasya from Sudhanwau. t+ *+

And

so reads the

§§ For Sankasya, Bengal, 1865, Part Illi

^% ***

Vdyu-purdna.

See note

***,

below.

See the note next following.

See the

its

site,

(fee,

see the Journal of the Asiatic Society of

195—203. Journal of the Royal Asiatic I.,

pp.

Society, Vol. V., p. 121.

See the next note. This requires correcting.

XIII., 19

According

to the

Bhdgavata-purdna, IX.,

— 21, Siradhwaja begot Kusadhwaja; he, Dharmadhwaja; he, Krita-

dhwaja and Mitadhwaja; Ki'itadhwaja, Kesidhwaja; Mitadhwaja, Khandikya; Kesidhwaja, Bhanumat,

But the Vishnu-purdna has the support of the Vdyu-purdna, with regard to the relationship between Siradhwaja, Kusadhwaja, and Bhanumat:

334

VISHNU PURANA.

Kuni;^* his son was Anjana;f his son was Ritujit;: his son was Arishtanemi;^ his son was Srutayus;§ his son was Suparswa;|| his son was Sanjaya;^ his son was Kshemari;^! his son was Anenas;^ his son was Minaratha;^*^' his son was Satyaratha; his son was Satyarathi;^ his son was Upaga;'ff his son was Sruta;^ his son was Saswata;^'^ his son was Sudhanwan;:: his sonwasSubhasa;§§ his son was Susruta;^' his son was

Sakuni; and the

'

Between

last of the series,

according to the Vayu.[||[

and Suchi the series of the Bhagavata Sanadhwaja, Urdhwaketu, Aja, Purajit.Ht The following va-

^

is:

riations are

this jirince

from the same authority.

Chitraratha.

*

*

Omitted.

«

Samaratha.

^

Omitted.

«

Upaguru.

=>

Kshemadhi.***

^ '° Upagupta. Vaswananta. " Yuyudhan, f ff Subhashana, Sruta.

The Vdyu-purdna has Sakuni; and then follow Swagata, Suvarchas, Sutoya, Susruta, Jaya, &c. t In one copy, Arjuna. Kratujit, in two MSS.; Kuntijit, in one.

I

§ II

A

single MS. gives Satayus. Suparswaka, the longer form,

^ One MS.

in

the Bhdgavata-purdna.

has Kshemadhi; another has Kshemavat, followed by Vara-

whom comes Satyarathi. One copy has Manaratha. Also see tt 111 one MS. the name is Upagupta.

matha, after

"

the last note.

In another MS., which I purchased at Ajmere, occur Upagu, Upagupta, Upayuta, Swaga (Swagata?), Suvarchas, Suparswa, Sustuta, Jaya, &c. Compare note •, above. XX Vasuvarchas, in one copy.

§§

One MS.

nil

See note

^^

*

gives Subhavya. *,

above.

Corrected from "Purujit". Corrected from "Kshemadhi".

+tt Corrected from "Yuyudhana".

BOOK

335

CHAP. V.

IV.,

r

Jaya; his son was Vijaya; his son was Rita;* his son was Sunaya;^ his son was Vitahavya; his son was Dhriti;f his son was BahuUiswa; his son was Kriti,t with whom terminated the family of Janaka. These are the kings of Mithiki, who, for the most part, § will

be^ proficient in spiritual knowledge.^

Sunaka.

'

'

^T(il f^^T^grf^Wl'

"

ies

but

;

why

"

is

^rf^^^rf^ll

the future verb, 'will be',

the reading of is

Descendants of two of the other sons of the

^

ticed in the

Bhagavata.

From Nriga

,

it

the cop-

all

used does not appear.

Manu

are no-

said, proceeded Su-

is

mati, Bhiitajyotis, Vasu, Pratika, Oghavat, and his sister

The Linga**

married to Sudarsana.l

vati,

Nriga,

Ogha-

gives three sons to

— Vfisha, Dhrishtaka, and Rariadhrishta,ff

and alludes

to a

legend of his having been changed to a lizard, by the curse of a Narishyanta's descendants U were Chitrasena, Daksha,

Brahman.

Madhwat, §§ Purva, Indrasena,

Vitihotra, Satyasravas, Urusravas,

* Krita seems to be the name in the Vdyu-purdna. t The Vdyu-purdna seems to place, here, Manodhfiti, whom it forthwith Perhaps the first name is a lengthening of the second, to calls Dhriti.

out the line.

fill

Vishnu-purdi'm,

Vide supra, p. 332, note \. I procured from Arrah,

which

One

of

gives,

my MSS.

of the

instead of Vita-

havya, Dhritahavya, followed by Sanjaya, Jitaswa, Dhriti. gives him a son, Vasin. I The Bhdgavaia-purdna § II

Prdchuryeiia, 'abundantly'.

One

of

my MSS.

^'qf^; and

has the present,

this tense is implied

in the parallel passage of the Bhdgavata-purdna.

^

*

Bhdgavata-purdna, IX.,

t'aketu,

It

II.,

17, 18.

Prior Section, LXVI., 46; where,

looks as

It

however,

I

find Dhrishfa,

if

there were

some confusion between

these persons and the

Alaisya-purdna's sons of Dhrisht'a and their father. Vide supra, \l

Bhdgavata-purdna, IX.,

§§

I

find

wrong.

Dhfish-

and Ranadhrisht'a.

Midhwas.

Pauriinik

II.,

19

Professor Wilson's

names

p.

255, note

2.

— 22. "Madhwat"

is,

almost certainly,

that are restrictively so, are, with rare exceptions,

VISHNU PURANA.

336

Devadatta, Agnivesya (also called Jatukarria*), a form of Agni,

and progenitor of the Agnivesya Brahmans. f In the Brahma Parana and Hari Vamsa, the sons of Narishyat— whom the commentator on the latter considers as the same with Narishyanta,

—are termed Sakas that the son

Yania.

As

of Narishyanta

:

but this

was Dama,

or,

latter affiliation is stated in

this

would appear as

Manu

(Sacaj or Scythians); whilst, again,

if this

is

it is

t

said,

as differently read, the authorities,

it

Narishyanta was one of the sons of the

only a proof of the carelessness of the compi-

lation; for, in the Vishnu, §

rishyanta, the father of

Vayu, and Markandeya Puranas, Na-

Dama,

is

the son of Marutta, the four-

teenth of the posterity of Dishta or Nedishfha.jj

significant.

In

the generality

'of

instances,

into rather remote antiquity, that there

is

it

is

only when we recede

a difficulty in

proper names amenable to etymological investigation. *

Likewise called Kanina.

t The Agnivesyayanas. *

We

§

Vide supra,

II

have, here, only two forms of one name. p. 353.

Corrected from "Nedisht'a."

making Hindu

337

CORRIGENDA, See Vol.

p. 3, note «.

P.

4,

Read

1.

1.

1.

P.

note

13,

p.

11.,

vata-purdna, V., 1,28:

P. 13,

&c.

p. 26, note 2.

Urja.

See Vol.

P. 11, note *.

II.,

100,

note

^^^mf^

1.

We

^^"nTf

read, in

'^^:

J^

the

Bhdga-

^T^tT"

Read Uru.

1.

For the Manu's

§.

wife,

Sraddha, see

p.

233, note

§.

The

Muir reminds me, is Sraddhadeva, of which Sraddhadeva is a corruption. Sraddhadeva is, however, appropriate to Yama. See Original Sanskrit Texts, Part 1., p. 209, note 66 (2nd ed.).

Manu's correct

epithet, as Dr.

Also see the Mahdhhdrata, ^dnti-parvan, si. 9449. See p. 232, note H, foot P. 13, note +t- For Dhfisht'u read Dhrishnu. of the page. Preface, Burnouf, in his Bhdgavata-purdt'm, Vol. Ill P. 13, note §§. p. CVI., takes the printer's error "Sanyali", in the former edition, for a real reading. The commentary there spoken of as ampler than end. P. 14, note the other is so, I am now convinced, only by interpolations; and these are comparatively rare, after the first few chapters of Book 111. See note Its last sentence may be a misstatement. P. 16, note «. below, on p. 24, note 1. See p. 80, note f. P. 16, note t. I owe to Dr. Muir the indication of sdvarnya and P. 22, 1. 2 ab infra. ,

,

—

sdvarni in the Rigveda, X., LXU., 8 11; and of the Muni SamvaVdlakhilya, III., 1. See, further. Original raiii, in the same Veda, Sanskrit Texts, Part 1., p. 217, note 71 (2nd ed.). 1 am unable to decipher, in any of my MSS. of tho P. 24, note 1 Vdyu-purdna, the passage there abstracted in translation. The ninth Manu and the eleventh are called Dakshaputra P. 24, 1. 3. and Dharmaputra, in a Pauranik extract already referred to: see Vol. II., p. 339, supplement to p. 131, note ^. P. 26, P. 26,

on

1.

1.

1.

6.

Read

Rishis.

"Dharma-savarni."

p. 24,

See supplementary note, just above,

3.

1

Many P. 28, 1. 6. incorporated in

particulars regarding the Manus, which I have not annotations, may be found in Messrs. Boehtlingk

my

and Roth's Sanskrit- Worterbuch, sub voce P. 29, notes,

P. 34, notes, P. 34, note

1.

2 ab infra.

1.

7.

For

^^

For Vamra, son

§.

TT'ST.

Read Sdnti-parvan. read ^ET^TTof Vikhanas,

see

Professor

Wilson's

Translation of the Rigveda, Vol. I., p. 293, note a. For Traijaruni read Traiyarui'ii. P. 34, notes, last line. See p. 221, note \. P. 37, notes, 1. 11 ab infra. P. 40, notes,

1.

11 ab infra.

P. 40, notes, P. 44, notes

1.

9 ab infra.

III.

f and

+•

Read Tljf^^c^^.

Read paiubandha. The commentator on the Vishnu-purdna says:

22

COBRIGENDA,

338 P. 52, note f. line

Read ^J^T^^.

1.

See p. 323, note* §. P. 58, note f. For the tecLnicality vaitdna, P. 63, 1. 3. See, in explanation note 2.

§.

p. 90, III.,

P. 67, P. 68,

1.

p.

1,

of

1.

same work. Part

II.,

1,

Read Agneya. For the artha-sdstra, see the Mitdkshard on the Yajnavalkya-

1.

1.

2.

smriti,

II.,

edition

see Dr. Stenzler's

note of gdthd, the

Aswalayana's GHhyasutra, Part P. 66, note

&c.

21.

II.,

,

In the Matsya-purdna, Chapter CXXVIII., the brahmastra f. is represented as shot from a bow. For Bhrigu, in connexion with fiery weapons, see p. 291, text and note X.

P. 84, note

P. 86,

I.

Read

4,

P. 88, notes,

Siidra,

Read

8.

1.

^T^^^f^.

In the Nirnayasindhu, the passage cited

P. 89, note +.

is

attributed to

Gautama.

P

1857,

B,fol. 10

III.,

P, 90, notes,

Bombay

the Nirnayasindhu,

Compare

11.6—11.

90, notes,

edition of

r.

Read '^TTaT. Sayaiia Acharya, however, commenting on

2 ab infra.

1-

P. 93, note 2.

brdhmana,

VII.

,

IX.,

%H"T«5T^T^f'nT^

"Sacrifice to the gods,

tli^e

Aitareya-

'^^ '^^T'T^'^

following iruti:

the

cites

read the Yedas, beget

I

offspring." See, further, the Kaushitaki-brdhmaiia Upanishad, dranyaka Upanishad, VI., IV.

See p. 123, note ||. f. Compare pp. 146, 147, text 98, 1. 7 ab infra. Read III., A, fol. 30 v. 103, notes, U. 5, 6. See p. 197, note 1. 104, notes, last line.

and the Briliad-

P. 94, note P. P. P. P.

107,

note

smriti,

P.

The Mitdkshard, commenting on the Ydjnavalkya^^^^TT: ^fTT f^^T^^TT'^Tt ^J

I. 7,

I.,

has:

et seg. 1.

9.

the Rigveda, Vol. P. 139, 1. 2 ab infra.

^T^

I

For Mitra,

109, note *. XII., 121.

P. 118, 11. 5, P. 123, notes,

and notes.

(fcc,

see, further, the Laics of the

I

Mdnavas,

See p. 171, note §. For swdhd, see Professor Wilson's Translation of I.,

p. 34,

note

The double

a.

asterisks

should be attached to the

word "towel". P. 141, note *, P. 146,

II.

1

—

1.

4.

^T%^^

Read

12 ah infra.

The

original

ftrg:

is

X^^W^-

as follows:

^T^ ^-m g%

^'tft^^

i

a son is born, the bathing of the father, in his clothes, is Let him perform the jdta-karman, also, and the irdddha occasions." joyous for Compare p. 98, 11. 7—4 ab infra, the original of which is as follows:

""When

enjoined.

g^^ ^^rT

fxmT

^?n"t

^t^^^trt^pr:

ii

CORRIGENDA, P. 146, note *. P. 151, notes,

1.

See p. 291, note ». 4 ab infra. Read T<^f\i^\ ^cT^lTTft.-

Compare

P. 152, note ^.

purdna,

339

&c.

quoted in the

the followiiig- stanza,

Nirnayasindlm,

referred to the Kurmaedition, III., C, fol.

Bombay

18 v.:

See

P. 158, note X\. P. 159, notes.

P. 160, note X. P, 161, notes,

P.

221, note

For

t-

f^TTT:

See

p.

3.

Read Attah. Read •^f^'€|^^^i.

I.

162, note :,

p.

\2 ah infra

1.

1.

1.

147, notes,

1.

read

f^^ rfj:

•

iT

note +. Hemadri's quotations from the Nandi-purdna are, I too incorrect to be transcril)ed. They recognize five classes of pitris: Ae^iiishwattas, Barhishads. Kavyas, Sukalins, and Vyamas.

P. 166,

find,

The Ndgara-khanda

of the

Skanda-purdna names

six classes:

Agnish-

In wattas, Barhishads, Ajyapas, Somapas, Rasmipas, and Upahutas. the Vishnudharinottara we find seven classes, in two groups: SuKravyadas, Upabhaswaras, Barhishads, Agnishwattas, without l^orm ;

hiitas,

Ajyapas, Sukalins, possessing forms. The Srdddhakalpa, from is very full on the subject of the

which these particulars are taken, piiris.

The Vakni-purana reckons seven

classes

of pitris,

entitled

Su-

bhaswaras, Barhishads, Agnishwattas, Ajyapas, Upahutas, Kravyadas, and Sukalins. It agrees, thus, precisely, with the Visknudharmottara, as just above referred to. In the Mahdbhdraia, SabJid-parvan, si. 341, the names are given of classes of pitris called, agreeably to the best MSS. within my 463, seven In *7. 461 reach, Phenapas, Ushmapas, and Sudhavats. classes are enumerated: Vairajas, Agnishwattas, Garhapatyas, Somapas, Ekasringas, Chaturvedas, and Kalas:

—

fxmwt

^

tTT^^

TT!TTf^^f%

^H^ 5^^^

iT^^T'TT ^fMNI-niiy ^T^fT

^tTT(?fT ^T^JT^TT: ftTfTTt

"5^

I

^g^

^%'w

^^f^^fTT:

^^^ f^T^ ^^

I

II

II

The last-named classes are said to be honoured among the four Compare p. 163, note f. castes. In the itigveda, X., XIV. and XV., we read of the Kavyas, Barhi-

—

compare p. 1 66, note shads, Agnishwattas, Upahutas, &c. &c. and the distinction is, thus early, made of pitris into the divisions of Agni;

,

dagdhas and Anagnidagdhas. To exhaust the subject of these demigods, or even to collect all the more ancient passages in which they figure, would require considerable research.

22*

340

CORRIGENDA,

&c.

In the Vdyu-purdna, the origin of the pitris

cf^T^

fxraft

5^ %^ %g

^t:

stated as follows:

is

fTfi:

^nn f ST^ fq?TT^t fT^ ^ ^i?r^ "Regarding father, he

I

II

himself as a [Prajapati] thought upon these sons he created Fathers (Pitris) from his armpits, in the interval between day and night. Hence these Fathers are gods: therefore that sonship belongs to them. He cast aside the body with which the Fathers were created." Original Sanskrit Texts, Part I., pp. 78, 79. (2nd ed.). P. 170, note ||. In p. 66, note §, the Pitri-gitd is instanced as a speci:

men

of a gdthd.

For further information regarding the sacrificial fires, commentary on the fourth chapter of the Prasna Upanishad. read rj ^^• P. 184, notes, last line. For <^ P. 175, note

§,

see Sankara Acharya's

^^

P. 188, P. 190,

1.

2

1.

15.

Read Sraddha. The work there named seems

to

be entitled, in preference,

Vahni-purdna. P. 190,

Read

18.

1.

'^[^W^T^m^'^

P. 194, note •*, 1. 1. Read priyangu. P. 196, note Compare p. 130, note •. P. 198, notes, 1. 9. Read vague sense, P. 205, 11. 6 et seq. ab infra. The original ||

Iff

.

is

as follows:

^ WWWt^TSIT^T^W^ ^T^T

cf^T^f^^-R^'T

f^

T?1?IT?T1

mW[^

II

II

They are the Saptatantavas a sect of Jainas? named, as are the Jainas, in the Harshachariia. See my edition of the Vdsavadattd, Preface, p. 53, P. 215, notes, 1. 2 ab infra. Trisanku, the P>uddhist, uses the following P. 209,

note

1.

Were

" Quand ils veulent manger de la voici le moyen qu'ils emploient: ils tuent les animaux en pronon9ant des Mantras, parce que, disent-ils, les brebis ainsi immolees vont droit au ciel. Mais si c'est la le chemin du ciel, pourquoi done ces Brahmanes n'immolent-ils pas aussi avec des Mantras eux et leurs femmes, leur pere et leur mere, leurs freres et leurs soeurs, leurs fils et leurs Jilles? * • « Non, il n'est pas vrai que I'eau lustrale et que les Mantras fassent monter au ciel les chevres et les brebis; toutes ces inventions sont des moyens employes par ces mechants Brahmanes pour satisfaire leur desir de manger de la viande." Burnoufs Introduction a I'Histoire du Buddhisme Indien,

language regarding Brahmans: viande,

Vol.

I.,

p,

P, 221, notes,

209. 1.

6.

Read

^

Ht«Tr«l^ and

^jftlT^-

Read Triyarui'ii, P. 221, notes, 1, 6 ab infra. P. 230, note || See, further. Vol. II., p. 27. P, 231, note |!. The legend of the Aitareya-brdhmaria, there referred to, is translated, by Dr, Muir, as follows: "The brothers of Nabhane.

CORRIGENDA,

341

&c.

dishfha disinherited him, whilst he was living in the state of a Brahmacharin. Coming (to them), he said: 'What share have you given They replied: '(We have given thee) this judge and dito me?' vider, (as thy share).' Inconsequence, sons, even now, speak of their father as the 'judge and divider.' He came to his father, and said: 'Father, they have given thee to me, as share.' His father answered: 'Do not, son, care about that. Tliese Angirases are performing a sacrifice, in order to (secure) the heavenly world; but, as

my

my

often as they come to the sixth day (of the ceremony), they become bewildered. Make them recite these two hymns (R. V., x., Gl and 62) on the sixth day; and, when they are going to heaven, they will give thee that provision of a thousand which has been made for the sacrifice.' He said: 'So be it.' He approached them, saying: 'Receive me, the son of Mann, ye sages.' They replied: 'With what object dost thou speak?' He said: 'Let me make known to you this sixth day; and then you shall give me this sacrificial provision of a thousand, when ye are going to heaven.' 'Let it be so,' they answered. He made them repeat these two hymns on the sixth day. They then knew the sacrifice and the heavenly world. Hence, when any one repeats these two hymns on the sixth day, it is with a view to a knowledge of the sacrifice, and to the revelation of the heavenly world. When they were goin? to the heavenly world, they said to him: 'This thousand, Brahman, is thine.' As he was collecting (the thousand), a man in dark clothing rose up before him, from the north, and said: 'This is mine; what remains on the spot is mine.' Nabhanedisht'ha replied: 'But they have given it to me.' (The man) rejoined: 'It belongs to (one of) us; let thy father be asked.' He went to his father, who asked: 'Have they not given thee (the thousand), my son?' 'They did give it to me,' he replied; 'but a man in dark clothes rose up before me, from the north, and took it from me, saying, 'This is mine; what remains on the spot is mine." His father said: 'It is his; but he will give it to thee.' He returned, and said (to the man): 'This is thine, reverend sir; so my father says.' (The man) replied: 'I will give it to thee, who hast spoken the truth.' Wherefore one who has this knowledge should speak only truth. That is a hymn which bestows a thousand, that Nabhanedisht'ha hymn. A thousand falls to his lot, he knows the heavenly world on the sixth the man who knows this." Original Sanskrit Texts, Part I., day pp. 192, 193, (2nd ed.).

—

—

A relative passage, referred to in p. 257, note f, is then given, from the Taittiriya-samhitd of the Yajurveda: "Manu divided his property to his sons. He disinherited his son Nabhanedisht'ha, who was living as a Brahmacharin. He came and said: 'How hast thou disinherited me?' 'I have not disinherited thee,' replied (his father); these Angirases are celebrating a sacrifice. They do not know the heavenly world. Declare to them this Brdhmana; and, when they He are going to heaven, they will give thee the cattle they have.' declared the Brdhmana to them; and, when they were going to heaven, they gave him the cattle they had. Rudra came to him, as he was on the place of sacrifice, employed with the cattle, and said: 'These are my cattle.' 'But,' replied Nabhanedisht'ha, 'they have given them to me.' 'They have not power to do so: that which is Hence, the left on the place of sacrifice is mine,' answered Rudra. place of sacrifice must not be approached. (Rudra further) said: 'Give '

COKRIGENDA,

342 me

a share

offered

him

the sacrifice,

in

and

I

&c.

shall

not injure thy cattle.'

He

soma and flour. Then Rudra did not injure Whenever any one knows this libation of soma and flour,

this libation of

his cattle.

Rudra does not injure his cattle." According to the Linga-purdna, the Manu's 6 ah infra. and their names are as in the Mdrka/icleya-purdna, sons were nine; saving that Dhfisl I'ui and Arisht'a take the places of Dhrishta and Except for Arisht'a instead of Disht'a, the nine names, in Disht'a. the Brahma-purdna, are the same as those in the Mdrkandeya-purdna. The Vahni-purdiHi gives Manu ten sons, with appellations altogether peculiar, as a wbole; and the same may be said of the Matsya-purdna, my MSS. of which here present, for the rest, a good number of va-

and

offers it up,

P. 232, notes,

P.

1.

rious readings. 23.H, notes, 1. 13.

Read Ramayana. Read ^^cTT

P. 240, notes, last line.

See

P. 2-16, note *.

mana, of the

p.

311, note *.

The ensuing legend is taken from the Satapatha-brdh1, etc.: Chyavana of the race of Bhrigu, or Chyavana race of Angiras, having magically assumed a shrivelled form,

P. 248, note

||.

IV., V.,

Saryata, the descendant of Maou, wandered over He sat dowu in the neighbourhood [of [world], with his tribe. Chyavana]. His youths, while playing, fancied this shrivelled magical body to be worthless, and pounded it with clods. Chyavana was incensed at the sons of Saryata. He created discord among them, so

was abandoned. this

that father fought with son, and brother with brother. Saryata bethought him, 'what have I done, in consequence of which this calamity has befallen us?' He ordered the cowherds and shepherds to be called,

'which of you has seen anything hereto day?' They replied, magical body which lies there is a man. Fancying something worthless, the youths pounded it with clods.' He yoked his chariot, Saryata knew, then, that it was Chyavana. and, taking his daughter Sukanya, drove off, and arrived at the place where the Rishi was. He said, 'Reverence to thee, Rislii! I injured thee, because I did not know. This is Sukanya: with her I appease His tribe was, in consequence, thee. Let my tribe be reconciled.'

and

said,

'this shrivelled

it

was

reconciled; and Saryata, of the race of Manu, strove that he might never again do injury to any one. Now, the Aswins used to wander They approached Sukanya, and over this world, performing cures. They said to wished to seduce her; but she would not cons nt. her: 'Sukanya, what shrivelled magical body is this by which thou liest? Follow us.' She replied: '1 will not abandon, while he lives, the this.

man He

to

whom my

said,

The Rishi became aware of father gave me.' 'Sukanya, what was this that they said to thee?' She

told it to him. When informed, he said, 'If they address thee thus again, say to them, ye are neither complete nor perfect, and yet ye speak contemptuously of my husband;' and, if they ask 'in what respect are we iiiconiplete and imperfect?' then reply, 'make '

my

husband young again, and I will tell you.' Accordingly, they came She answered, 'Ye are again to her, and said the same thing. neither complete nor perfect, and yet ye talk contemptuously of my husband." They inquired, 'In what respect are we incomplete and imperfect?' She rejoined, 'make my husband young again, and I

CORRIGENDA,

343

&c.

They replied, 'take him to this pond, and he shall She took him to the forth with any age which he shall desire. pond: and he came forth with the age that he desired. The Aswins then asked, 'Sukanya, in what respect are we incomplete and imTo this the Rishi replied: 'The other gods celebrate a sacriperfect?' That is the refice in Kurukshetra, and exclude you two from it. The Aswins then spect in which ye are incomplete and imperfect.' departed, and came to the gods who were celebrating a sacrifice, when the Bahishpavamdna text had been recited. They said, 'InThe gods replied, 'We will not invite you; vite us to join you.' for ye have wandered about very familiarly among men, performing The Aswins rejoined, 'Ye worship with a headless sacrifice.' cures.'

will tell you.'

come

They asked, 'How [do we worship] with a headless [sacrifice]?' The Aswins answered, 'Invite us to join you, and we will tell you.' The gods consented, and invited them. They offered this Aswina draught (graha) to the Aswins, who became the two adhwaryu priests of the It is related, in the sacrifice, and restored the head of the sacrifice. Brahmana of the Divakirttyas, in what manner they restored the head Dr. Muir, in the Journal of the Royal of the sacrifice," etc., etc. Asiatic Society,

New

Series, Vol.

pp. 11

II.,

—

13.

The proper name Ikshwaku occurs in the Rigveda, X., LX., 4., on which Professor Max Miiller remarks: ^'This is the first Ikshwaku, and the only one in the Rigveda. I take it of mention not as the name of a king, but as the name of a people, probably, the people who inhabited Bhajeratha, the country washed by the Journal of the Royal Asiatic northern Ganga or the Bhagirathi."

P. 259,

1.

1.

—

Society,

New

Series, Vol.

Read

P. 264, note \.

II.,

p.

462, note

1.

^f^^^ rll^TfR

See p. 319, nore 1. P. 264, note |!. Prishthatas rather means, there, 'behind him.' P. 269, note f. For note f read note I. There must be P. 283, notes, 1. 7 ab infra. an omission, in- the Vdyu-purdna, before the verse there quoted

from

it.

Another inconsistency of the Rdmdyana

P. 297, note I.

may

be

men-

In the Aranya-kdMa, XIV., 8, 9, Marichi, Kasyapa, and Elsewhere in the same Vivaswat are spoken of as sons of Brahma. we have seen, they are represented as being, respectively, as poem, grandfather, father, and son. A better rendering is as follows: "With a view to the P, 308, note f. preservation from injury of the grain and the clouds, he threw that water for cursing neither on the earth nor into the air," &c. tioned.

P. 312, notes,

1.

4 ab infra.

Read

^f^.

A special reason for my having declined to enter into P. 313, note f. particulars as to what is found in the Matsya-purdna is, that the copies of it accessible to me are, for the most part, exceedingly incorrect, and, in the matter of proper names, exhibit the widest discrepancy. I may add, that my MSS. seem to support the list of names

to

which

P. 316, notes,

1.

this

note

5 ab infra.

Berlin, printed by

is

appended.

Read

Unger brothers

Bali.

(C.

Unger), Printers to the King.

[

DATE DUE

\'U

I

'. .

1

!

!

t

I

1