Studies in the Epics and Puranas c7.12

c7.12

The Gāthā-Nārāśaṃsīs, Ākhyānas, Itihāsa, Purāṇa, etc. of the Brāhmaṇas, whose recital formed part of the religious ceremonies at the sacrificial and domestic festivals, however, supplied real parallelisms with epic poetry approaching it both in language and metre. These terms are variously used to designate different kinds of narrative or used synonymously. The *Mahābhārata* calls itself alternately as *Itihāsa*, *Purāṇa*, *Kāvya* and *Ākhyāna* in the introductory portion.⁶