Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c23.91

c23.91

There are reasonable grounds then, chronological and textual, for holding that there were two Parāśaras, and there is no improbability in this, for there were other Parāśaras later still; see chapter XXVII. The same names reappeared, as is proved by the fact that one of Kṛṣṇa Vyāsa's grandsons also was called Kṛṣṇa as the genealogy (lines 2-6) and other authorities that will be noticed say. To this later Parāśara,¹ who lived in Śantanu's time, we may fairly attach the epithet Sāgara or Svāgaja. Svāgaja is not grammatically a properly formed patronymic, but Sāgara is; hence we may prefer the latter and distinguish him as Sāgara, ‘son of Sagara’.² The genealogy would then have blended the two Parāśaras,³ just as it will now be shown to have confused two Śukas, yet its preservation of these two epithets has saved some trace of the distinction.