Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c10.68

c10.68

Similarly lists are sometimes given of rishis as present at some gathering, although they belonged to widely different times and could not have been all alive together. The wildest instances of this are the lists of rishis who assembled at the twelve-year sacrifice in Naimiṣa forest;⁶ of those who visited Bhīṣma on his death-bed;⁷ and of those who attended when Yudhiṣṭhira was installed as king.⁸ Kings are sometimes jumbled together.⁹ There are many other instances.¹⁰ This lack of the historical sense must always be borne in mind when dealing with brahmanical statements in tradition; thus the order of the kings in Aitareya Brāhmaṇa vii, 5, 34 is wrong, being inverted for the most part.