Studies in the Epics and Puranas c11.2

c11.2

It was my proud privilege some time back to get guidance regarding methods of comparative study to be employed in studying Vedic and Purāṇic problems from Shri K. M. Munshi. Many a time I was wonderstruck by his profound study and scholarship, perfect grasp of the subject, clear insight and rare intuition which enabled him to portray ancient history as it happened thousands of years ago. Not only did he stress on me his point of view in the matter of the historicity of the Bhārata war, but impressed on me, from the very beginning, his firm belief that Kuruśravaṇa and Kuru-Saṃvaraṇa were one and the same person; the latter word, according to the Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata, denotes two names, viz. Kuru and Saṃvaraṇa, of son and father. It may, however, be noted that Kuru-Saṃvaraṇa can be taken to show the patronymic of Kuru, meaning Kuru, son of Saṃvaraṇa. This problem of the identity of Kuruśravaṇa and Kuru-Saṃvaraṇa fascinated me for some time, and I am recording below my investigations which go to make at least a prima facie case for the identity of the personages.¹