The Purana Text of the Dynasties of the Kali Age c8: Appendix III. Janamejaya's Dispute with the Brahmans

The Purāṇa Text of the Dynasties of the Kali Age c8

Language: English

Appendix III. Janamejaya's Dispute with the Brahmans

c8.2

The dispute between the Paurava king Janamejaya³ and Vaiśampāyana and other brahmans is narrated in *AMt* 50, 57ᵇ–65 and *AVā* 99, 250–256 and gives us an instance of how the text was revised⁴. The Mt version, which is the oldest, says the king made a successful stand against them for some time, but afterwards gave in and, making his son king, departed to the forest (according to custom); but the Vā version has abridged the inconvenient verses, and says he perished and the brahmans made his son king. This alteration may have been made (1) either in, the Bhaviṣya when it was revised, and so passed into the Vāyu⁵, or (2) in the Vāyu itself; but it is impossible to decide this point, because *eVā* and the Bd, which would have thrown much light on it, have unfortunately lost this passage in lacunae. What is clear is that a story of royal opposition to brahmanic claims was modified early in the 4th century A.D. to maintain brahmanic prestige.

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³ See p. 4, l. 2.

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⁴ See Introdn. §§ 24, 30.

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⁵ See Introdn. § 23.

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As regards MSS, *bdhpMt* omit l. 6, read l. 9 instead of it and omit l. 9 from its place; *cefgjnMt* omit l. 9; *kMt* ll. 9, 20; *lMt* ll. 6–9; *mMt* reads l. 9 instead of l. 6, as well as in its proper place; *a¹dhVā* omit ll. 11–13; *lVā* ll. 11–13, 18–20; *kVā* ll. 14, 15; *lVā* ll. 16, 17; and *efjmVā* want the whole.

c8.7

¹ P. 41, l. 2.

c8.8

*Matsya.* Janamejayaḥ Parīkṣitaḥ putraḥ parama-dhārmikaḥ ¹ brāhmaṇam ² kalpayāmāsa sa vai ³ vājasaneyakam ⁴ sa ⁶ Vaiśampāyanenaiva ⁷ śaptaḥ ⁹ kila ¹⁰ maharṣiṇā na sthāsyatība ¹² durbuddhe ¹³ tavaitad vacanam, bhuvi yāvat sthāsyasi tvam loke ¹⁴ tāvad eva ¹⁶ prapatsyati ¹⁶ kṣatrasya vijayam jñātvā ¹⁹ tataḥ prabhṛti sarvaśaḥ abhigamya sthitāś ²⁰ caiva ²¹ nṛpaṃ ca Janamejayam tataḥ prabhṛti śāpena kṣatriyasya tu yājinaḥ ²⁵ utsannā ²⁶ yājino ²⁷ yajñe ²⁸ tataḥ prabhṛti sarvaśaḥ kṣatrasya ²⁹ yājinaḥ ³⁰ kecic ³¹ chāpāt ³² tasya mahātmanaḥ

c8.9

² In *fhMt* brāhmaṇam, *jMt* brah°.

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³ In *cnMt* makhe; *jMt* makham; *eMt* makha.

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⁴ In *cfgyMt* °yikam; *kMt* °yake.

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⁶ In *hMt* tam.

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⁷ In *cejnMt* °yane caiva.

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⁹ In *benMt* saptaḥ; *hMt* śaptam; *lMt* śapuḥ.

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¹⁰ In *eMt* kali.

c8.16

¹² In *bdMt* °īti.

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¹³ In *jMt* durbuddheḥ.

c8.18

¹⁴ So *CGVa²a⁴Mt*; *iMt* vai loke; *enMt* loke tvam; *a¹a²kMt* loke 'smin; *cMt* lokeṣu. But *bdfghmpMt* sthāsyāmy aham loke, and *jMt* crply.

c8.19

¹⁶ So *CGVa²a⁴Mt*; *mpMt* °paśyati; *eMt* °yaśyati; *dMt* °śatsyati; *jkMt* °vatsyati; *a¹a²cfyhMt* °vartsyati; *nMt* °raśyati; *lMt* °vatsyasi.

c8.20

¹⁹ In *fyjMt* jñātum; *bdhmpMt* substitute l. 9 for this line; see note 20.

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²⁰ In *bcdefgfjMt* sthitaś.

c8.22

²¹ *Ca¹rum* in *cenMt*.

c8.23

²⁵ In *cnMt* yāyinaḥ; *bdfyjmpMt* vājinaḥ; *hMt* rājinaḥ.

c8.24

²⁶ So *ACMt*; *bdhpMt* omit this line, see note 19, but *hMt* has it here also. In *bdMt* uchannā; *mMt* trasyannā above, utsannā here; *hMt* utkalasya.

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²⁷ In *bdmpMt* vājino; *hMt* rāj°.

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²⁸ In *dhmpMt* yajñe.

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²⁹ In *lMt* kṣatra[ya]sya.

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³⁰ In *lMt* yājinā, *fyMt* vāj°; *bdjmpMt* vājinaḥ, *hMt* rāj°.

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³¹ In *cenMt* kaścit.

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³² In *djMt* chāpām.

c8.31

*Vāyu.* Parīkṣitas tu dāyādo rājāsīj Janamejayaḥ ¹ brāhmaṇān kalpayāmāsa sa vai vājasaneyikān ⁵ aśapat tam ⁸ tadāmarṣād Vaiśampāyana ¹¹ eva tu na sthāsyatīha durbuddhe tavaitad vacanam bhuvi yāvat sthāsyāmy aham loke tāvan naitat ¹⁷ praśasyate ¹⁸

c8.32

¹ This is l. 2 on p. 4.

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⁵ In *a³a²dhkLVā* °yakān.

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⁸ So *Ca²lVā*; but *a¹a²yVā* prapatsyati; *bdhkVā* °paśyati.

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¹¹ So *Ca²lVā*; but *a¹a²abdghkVā* °yanam.

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¹⁷ In *a³Vā* naiva.

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¹⁸ So *Ca¹a²lVā*; but *a¹a²yVā* prapatsyati; *bdhkVā* °paśyati.

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abhitaḥ ²² saṃsthitaś ²³ cāpi tataḥ sa ²⁴ Janamejayaḥ

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¹⁵ In *hMt* etat.

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²² In *bhVā* †pravi[ti]taḥ; *dVā* †pracittitaḥ.

c8.41

²³ In *dhVā* sa sthitaś.

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²⁴ In *hVā* †taka sa; *bVā* †takasaj; *dVā* †tak sa.

c8.43

*Matsya.* paurṇamāsena ³³ haviṣā iṣṭvā tasmin ³⁴ prajāpatim sa ³⁵ Vaiśampāyanenaiva praviśan ³⁷ vāritas ³⁸ tataḥ ³⁹ Parīkṣitaḥ suto 'sau vai ⁴² Pauravo Janamejayaḥ dvir aśvamedham āhṛtya ⁴³ mahā-vājasaneyakam ⁴⁴ pravartayitvā taṁ sarvam ⁴⁶ ṛṣir ⁴⁷ vājasaneyakam ⁴⁸

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³³ In dMt *pūrṇa°*.

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³⁴ In fMt *dṛṣṭvā°*; eMt *iṣṭvā te 'smin*; dMt *i tasmin*; nMt *iti 'smin*.

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³⁵ In *a²a³ceknMt tam*; jMt *te*; hMt *tad*; lMt *tad[e]*.

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³⁷ In fMt *vīśat*; cMt *vīśen*; dMt *vīśam*.

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³⁸ In hMt *nāvitas*.

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³⁹ In mpMt *tutaḥ*.

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⁴² In CbdfpMt *so vai*, cenMt *yo°*; hMt *tataḥ śāpāt*.

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⁴³ In jMt *ākṛtya*; pMt *āruhya*.

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⁴⁴ So CbdhjlmpMt; AefgknMt *°yakaḥ*, cMt *°yikaḥ*.

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⁴⁶ In chjMt *tat°*; fgMt *tān sarvān*.

c8.54

⁴⁷ So bcdefglnpMt: ACmMt *ṛṣim*; jMt *ṛser*; hMt reads this half line *svavarcā (for kharvaś ca?) Janamejayaḥ*.

c8.55

⁴⁸ In cMt *°yikam*; efyjklMt *°yakaḥ*.

c8.56

vivāde ⁵⁵ brāhmaṇaiḥ sārdham abhiśapto vanaṁ yayau Janamejayāc Chatānīkas tasmāj jajñe sa vīryavān ⁵⁸ Janamejayaḥ ⁵⁹ Śatānīkam putraṁ rājye 'bhiṣiktavān ⁶¹.

c8.57

⁵⁵ In bdpMt *°lam*; jMt *°do*.

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⁵⁸ In jMt *su-v°*; after this line jMt inserts Mt l. 6 on p. 4.

c8.59

⁵⁹ In nMt *°jayā*; hMt *tatas te tu*.

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⁶¹ In hMt *viprā rāj°*, altered to *putraṁ tasyābhyaṣecayat*.

c8.61

*Vāyu.* paurṇamāsyena haviṣā devam iṣṭvā prajāpatim vijñāya saṁsthito 'paśyat ³⁶ tadvadhīṣṭāṁ ⁴⁰ vibhor makhe ⁴¹ Parīkṣit-tanayaś cāpi Pauravo Janamejayaḥ dvir aśvamedham āhṛtya tato vājasaneyakam ⁴⁵ pravartayitvā tad brahma trikharvī ⁴⁹ Janamejayaḥ 15 kharvaṁ ⁵⁰ Aśvaka⁵¹-mukhyānāṁ kharvaṁ ⁵² Aṅga-nivāsināṁ kharvaṁ ⁵³ ca Madhyadeśānāṁ trikharvī ⁵⁴ Janamejayaḥ viṣādād ⁵⁶ brāhmaṇaiḥ sārdham abhiśastaḥ ⁵⁷ kṣayaṁ yayau tasya putraḥ Śatānīko balavān satya-vikramaḥ tataḥ sutaṁ ⁶⁰ Śatānīkam viprās tam abhyaṣecayan ⁶². 20

Linked texts (4)

Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Vāyupurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
Bhaviṣyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit