Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c8.43

c8.43

The compilation of the original Purana and even of the four versions into which it developed does not mean that all the traditions existing at that time were collected therein, and in fact it would have been impossible to condense them all into the 4,000 verses of which those collections consisted. There must have been much other tradition surviving about ancient times; just as there were traditions about later kings (which were not admitted into the Puranas because they belonged to later times), as indeed Kālidāsa testifies when he alludes to old villagers who were well acquainted with the stories about king Udayana.² Such outstanding traditions about ancient times were no doubt taken up and incorporated and so contributed to the augmentation of the Puranas. As specimens of such may probably be reckoned the story about Bhīṣma and Ugrāyudha,¹ Sagara’s campaign in west India,² the genealogy of a branch of kings descended from the Yādava Lomapāda,³ which appear in single passages only. The Mahābhārata also incorporated many such traditions, which are introduced as extraneous vehicles of instruction; such as the stories of Lopāmudrā and Agastya,⁴ of Marutta and Saṃvarta,⁵ and of Nala.⁶