Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c10.160

c10.160

It is clear therefore that the kṣatriya tales found in the Puranas, especially those that are genuinely kṣatriya, belonged to the ancient body of tradition prior to the composition of the Purana. This is a very important conclusion. The Puranic brahmans took over the kṣatriya traditions; some they preserved without modification; but others they re-shaped more or less according to brahmanic ideas, and these form a considerable portion of the intermediate or combined class mentioned above. Different stages of that process are discernible, as has been noticed.