Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c7.142

c7.142

There was in fact clear rivalry on the part of the Puranas with the Vedas. First as regards antiquity, Vyāsa is said to have arranged the Veda and formed the four Vedas, and the Puranas, putting aside the account of their origin given above, say he divided the one original Purana into the existing eighteen,¹ thus placing themselves in the same chronological rank with the Vedas. Further, the brahmans asserted that the Veda had existed from everlasting, and the Puranas, while acknowledging its primaeval antiquity, claimed for themselves even prior antiquity. Thus five at least declare that at the beginning of things Brahmā remembered the Purana first of all the scriptures before the Vedas issued from his mouths.²