Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c18.19

c18.19

² It should be noted that a curious statement occurs in the Ayodhyā genealogy in six Puranas, which speak of Rāma at a much later time, in the reign of king Mūlaka (chap. VIII). Vā 88, 178–9 and Bḍ iii, 63, 178–9 say Mūlaka was in fear of Rāma and lived protected by a guard of women (nārī-kavaca). Lg i, 66, 29, Kūr i, 21, 14, Viṣ iv, 4, 38 and Bhāg ix, 9, 40 say much the same. This must be connected with the statement in MBh xii, 49, 1770–8, which says that a thousand years after Rāma had destroyed all the kṣatriyas, a fresh generation of them, including Pratardana and others, had grown up, and he destroyed them all again and again till twenty-one times; and with the further statement (ibid. 1792–3) that then Sarvakarman, who is placed as king of Ayodhyā at the same time as Mūlaka (chap. VIII), was brought up in secret. All this MBh account is brāhmanic and mostly fable; hence these two statements are of no chronological value, and the statement about Mūlaka would seem to be a reflex of the fable, incorporated in the Ayodhyā genealogy, while the secret bringing up would explain the phrase nārī-kavaca. This matter is further noticed in chap. XXV. A similar fanciful mistake, MBh v, 146, 4978–81.