A History of Indian Literature v1.c9.s8: The Harivaṃśa, an Appendix to the Mahābhārata
A History of Indian Literature v1.c9.s8
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The Harivaṃśa, an Appendix to the Mahābhārata
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¹ *Cf.* A. Holtzmann, *Das Mahābhārata*, II, pp. 272-298, and E. W. Hopkins, *Gleanings from the Harivaṃśa* in Festschrift Windisch, pp. 68 ff. The Harivaṃśa has been translated into French by S. A. Langlois, Paris, 1834-35.
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What has been said in the preceding chapters must suffice to give an idea of the *eighteen books* (parvans) of the Mahābhārata. The Indians, however, regard also the Harivaṃśa, a work which is in reality a Purāṇa and is also occasionally called "Harivaṃśa-Purāṇa" as part of the Mahābhārata. Yet the book is not even by the Indians termed a nineteenth "Parvan," but a *Khila*, *i.e.* a supplement or appendix to the Mahābhārata. This "appendix," it is true, is a work of 16,374 verses (Ślokas), that is, longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey put together. But its literary value is by no means in direct proportion to its size. It is above all not a "poem," in no sense the work of any *one poet*, but a jumbled or quite loosely connected mass of texts—legends, myths and hymns—serving for the glorification of the god Viṣṇu. The Harivaṃśa is not even the work of *one compiler*. The last third of it is surely only a later appendix to the appendix, and also in the remaining parts of the work many portions were probably inserted at quite different times.
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The connection of the Harivaṃśa with the Mahābhārata itself is purely external and is limited essentially to the fact that the same Vaiśampāyana who is said to have recited the whole Mahābhārata to Janamejaya,² is also regarded as the reciter of the Harivaṃśa. In connection with the frame story of the Mahābhārata, Śaunaka, at the beginning of the appendix, requests Ugraśravas, after he has told him all the beautiful stories of the Bhāratas, to relate something about the Vṛṣṇis and Andhakas—the families to which Kṛṣṇa belongs.
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² See above, pp. 323 f.
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Thereupon Ugraśravas remarks that exactly the same request had been made by Janamejaya to Vaiśampāyana after the recitation of the Mahābhārata, and the latter had then related all that which he himself was now going to repeat. Thus all that follows is placed in the mouth of Vaiśampāyana. Besides this, in a few verses at the beginning and a complete lengthy song at the end of the appendix,¹ the praise of the Mahābhārata including the Harivaṃśa is sung in extravagant verses, and the religious merit acquired by the reciting and hearing of the whole poem is emphasized. This exhausts practically everything whereby the Harivaṃśa itself shows its connection with the Mahābhārata. As far as the contents are concerned, the Harivaṃśa has no more in common with the Mahābhārata than the Purāṇas; for many legends, in particular brahmanical legends and myths, which occur in the Mahābhārata, reappear in different versions in the Harivaṃśa as well as in the Purāṇas.
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¹ Adhyāya 323, see below.
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The Harivaṃśa consists of three great sections, the first of which is entitled Harivaṃśaparvan. The title "Harivaṃśa," *i.e.* "genealogy of Hari,"² which was given to the whole appendix is in reality only applicable to this first book. It begins in the manner of the Purāṇas with a rather confused account of the Creation and all sorts of mythological narratives, thus of Dhruva, who became the Pole Star (62 ff.), of Dakṣa and his daughters, the female ancestors of the gods and demons (101 ff.), and others. The story of Vena, the Titan who was opposed to the Veda and to sacrifice, and his son Pṛthu, the first king of men, is narrated in detail.³ Numerous legends, for instance those of Viśvāmitra and Vasiṣṭha (706 ff.) are worked into the genealogy of the solar dynasty (545 ff.), *i.e.* of King Ikṣvāku and his descendants, who trace their origin back to the sun-god. Regardless of any connection with this genealogy there is then inserted a ritual portion about the fathers and the sacrificial service due to them.¹ Then follows (1312 ff.) the genealogy of the lunar dynasty, which sprang from Atri, the son of the moon-god (Soma). One of Soma's grandsons was the renowned *Purūravas*, whose love adventures with *Urvaśī* are related in a very archaic form which rather closely approaches the Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa.² Among the descendants of Purūravas are Nahuṣa and Yayāti. Yadu, the son of the latter, is the ancestor of the Yādavas, to whom Vasudeva belongs, as whose son Kṛṣṇa the god Viṣṇu is born on earth. After the genealogy of the human Kṛṣṇa has thus been given, there follow a series of songs (2131 ff.) dealing entirely with the *god Viṣṇu* and thus, to a certain extent, containing the divine previous history of Kṛṣṇa.
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² *Hari* is one of the most usual of the innumerable names of the god Viṣṇu.
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³ *Pṛthūpākhyānā*, Adhy. 4-6, vss. 257-405.
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¹ *Pitṛkalpa*, "ancestral ritual," Adhy. 16-24, vss. 835-1311. The story of Brahmadatta, who understands the languages of the animals, is inserted in Adhy. 21, vss. 1185 ff.; this is translated and discussed by Th. *Benfey* in "Orient und Occident," Vol. II, 1862, pp. 133-171, and by *Leumann*, WZKM., 6, 1892, pp. 1 ff.
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² Adhy. 26, vss. 1363-1414, translated by K. *Geldner* in "Vedische Studien" I, p. 249 ff. Cf. above p. 209.
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The second great section of the Harivaṁśa, entitled Viṣṇuparvan,³ deals almost exclusively with Kṛṣṇa, the god Viṣṇu become mortal. All the stories of the birth and childhood, the heroic deeds and love adventures of the human, often all-too-human, cowherd-god, are related here at great length; they are also related in greater or less detail in some of the Purāṇas, and have made the name *Kṛṣṇa* one of the most familiar to every Hindu. While the best and wisest among the Viṣṇu-worshippers honour Kṛṣṇa above all as the herald of the pious doctrines of the Bhagavadgītā, it is the Kṛṣṇa of the *legends*, as they are related in the Harivaṁśa and in the Purāṇas, who is now honoured and worshipped as a lofty god, and now exalted as an ideal of the most perfect manhood, by the millions of Hindus of all classes throughout India till the present day. It is this god of the legends, and not the Kṛṣṇa of the Mahābhārata, the cunning friend of the Pāṇḍavas, of whom the Greek Megasthenes already talked as the “Indian Hercules.” In order to give at least an idea of these Kṛṣṇa legends which are important alike in the history of literature and the history of religion, the contents of the second section of the Harivaṃśa shall here be briefly sketched.
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³ Adhy. 57 ff. = vss. 3180 ff.
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In the town of Mathurā there reigned a bad king *Kaṃsa*. To him Nārada announced that he would meet his death at the hands of the eighth son of *Devakī*, the sister of his father and the wife of *Vasudeva*. Then Kaṃsa determines to kill all Devakī's children. He has Devakī closely guarded by his servants, and six of her children are killed immediately after birth. The seventh child, that brother of Kṛṣṇa who is later known as “*Rāma* with the ploughshare,” “Balarāma,” or “Baladeva,” is rescued by Nidrā,¹ the goddess of sleep, by her transferring the boy, before he is born, from the womb of Devakī to that of *Rohiṇī*, another wife of Vasudeva. The eighth son, however, and this was Kṛṣṇa, was exchanged by Vasudeva himself, immediately after birth, in order to rescue him from Kaṃsa, with the daughter of the cowherd *Nanda* and his wife *Yaśodā*, who was born at the same time. So the little daughter of the latter is dashed against a rock by Kaṃsa, while Kṛṣṇa is regarded as the son of a cowherd and grows up among the cowherds. Rāma, too, is entrusted to the protection of the cowherd family by Vasudeva, and the two boys grow up together in the cowherds' station. Even as a suckling Kṛṣṇa performs wondrous miracles. One day, when his foster-mother Yaśodā, after having laid the sleeping child under a waggon, lets him wait too long for food, he begins to struggle impatiently with hands and feet, and finally overthrows the heavy waggon with one foot. In mad merriment the boys Kṛṣṇa and Rāma later rush through forest and field, and make much trouble for the simple cowherd's wife. On one occasion she hardly knows what to do, so she ties a rope round little Kṛṣṇa's body and fastens him tightly to a heavy mortar, saying angrily: "Now run, if thou canst." But the boy not only drags away the mortar with him, but as the mortar gets caught between two gigantic trees, he tears out the mighty trees by their roots. Horrified, the cowherds and the foster-mother see the boy sitting laughing between the branches of the trees, but he himself is uninjured.
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¹ Perhaps the circumstance that Nidrā is also the name of Durgā, gave rise to the interpolation of a hymn to this goddess, the *Āryāstava* (Adhy. 59 = vss. 3268-3303). But the interpolation of such hymns (stotras) is characteristic of all Purāṇas.
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After seven years had elapsed, the boys grew tired of the cowherds' station. So Kṛṣṇa caused innumerable wolves to issue from his body, which frightened the cowherds so much that they decided to wander further. They wandered with their flocks to the Vṛndā-forest. Here the boys now run happily through the forest. But one day Kṛṣṇa strolls alone—now playing now singing, now whistling on a leaf, now blowing on the cowherd's flute—along the banks of the river Jumnā, and reaches the deep lake in which the snake-king *Kāliya* dwells, who, with his retinue, poisons the water of the Jumnā and makes the whole neighbourhood unsafe. With swift determination, Kṛṣṇa plunges into the lake, in order to overcome the frightful dragon. Soon the five-headed, fire-breathing monster appears, and a host of snakes rush furiously upon the youthful hero, surrounding and biting him. But he soon frees himself, presses the heads of the monster on the ground, and jumps with force on to the middle head, so that the dragon confesses himself conquered and retreats into the deep with the whole brood of snakes.
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Soon afterwards he also slays the demon *Dhenuka*, who, in the form of an ass, guards the mountain Govardhana. Another demon, the giant *Pralamba*, does not venture to tackle Kṛṣṇa, but is slain by Rāma, the brother of the latter.
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In the autumn the cowherds, according to their custom, wish to arrange a great feast in honour of the rain god *Indra*. Kṛṣṇa will have none of this worship of Indra. "We are cowherds who wander through the forests, who always live by the wealth of cows, the cows are our deity, the hills and forests." (3808) In such words he invites the cowherds to arrange a mountain-sacrifice instead of the Indra celebration, which the cowherds do. At this Indra is so enraged that he sends down a frightful storm. But Kṛṣṇa lifts up the mountain Govardhana and holds it like an umbrella over the cowherds and their flocks, so that they are entirely sheltered. After seven days the storm ceases, Kṛṣṇa restores the mountain to its place, and Indra humbly recognises in Kṛṣṇa the exalted god Viṣṇu.
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Then the cowherds praise and worship him as a god, but he smilingly declares that he only desires to be their relative; the time will come later when they will recognise his true nature. And, as a cowherd among cowherds, he lives in youthful happiness. He organises bull-fights and tournaments with the strongest among the cowherds. On the lovely autumn nights, however, his heart rejoiced in the round dances,¹ which the beautiful cowherdesses, who are all enamoured of the hero-youth, perform in the moonlight, singing of his deeds and jestingly imitating his play, his merry glance, his gait, his dancing and his singing.
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¹ These are the dances called *Rāsa* or *Hallīśa*, accompanied by pantomimic representations, and which still to-day take place in some parts of India, and, for instance, in Kathiawad are still known by a name corresponding to the Sanskrit "Hallīśa." (Cf. the Indian monthly magazine "East and West," Vol. I, 748 f., May, 1902.)
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Once, when Kṛṣṇa was enjoying himself with the cowherdesses, *Ariṣṭa*, a demon in the form of a bullock, appeared. Kṛṣṇa tears out one of his horns and slays him with it.
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The fame of all the heroic deeds of Kṛṣṇa reaches the ears of Kaṃsa and causes him anxiety. In order to get him out of the way, he sends for the two youthful heroes to come to Mathurā, where, at a festival, they are to fight with his best wrestlers. But no sooner has he arrived in the town than Kṛṣṇa performs wonderful miracles and feats of strength. Thus he bends the king's great bow, which even the gods cannot bend, with such strength that, with a tremendous crash, it breaks in twain. Kṛṣṇa pulls out the tusk of an elephant which Kaṃsa lets loose upon the youths, and kills the elephant with it. The two powerful champion wrestlers with whom Kaṃsa confronts the youths are also killed by them. Filled with rage, the king now commands that the cowherd-youths and all cowherds shall be driven out of his kingdom. Then Kṛṣṇa springs like a lion upon Kaṃsa, drags him by his hair into the centre of the arena and kills him.
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After some time the two brothers go to Ujjein, in order to learn the art of archery from a famous teacher there. A son of this teacher has perished in the sea, and as his fee, he demands that Kṛṣṇa shall bring him back this son. Then Kṛṣṇa descends into the underworld, overcomes the god of death, Yama, and brings the boy back to his father.
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In order to avenge the death of Kaṃsa, his father-in-law *Jarāsandha* goes forth with many allied princes to fight against the Yādavas, besieges Mathurā, is repeatedly repulsed by Kṛṣṇa, but always renews his attacks, until at last he is compelled to retreat. These battles with Jarāsandha are described in a long series of narratives.
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In the same way the following narrative of the rape of *Rukmiṇī* is spun out.¹ King Bhīṣmaka of Vidarbha has promised his daughter Rukmiṇī in marriage to King Śiśupāla, and the wedding was about to be celebrated. Then Kṛṣṇa comes with his brother Rāma to the marriage-feast and *kidnaps* the bride. The deeply-offended princes pursue him, but are repulsed by Rāma. Rukmin, the brother of the kidnapped girl, swears he will never return to his native town, unless he has killed Kṛṣṇa and brought his sister back. A fierce fight takes place, in which Rukmin is defeated; but in response to the entreaties of Rukmiṇī Kṛṣṇa grants him his life. In order not to break his oath, Rukmin founds a new town for himself. In Dvārakā the marriage of Kṛṣṇa with Rukmiṇī takes place. With her he begets ten sons, but later marries seven queens and sixteen thousand other wives, with whom he begets thousands of sons. *Pradyumna*, a son of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī,² later marries a daughter of Rukmin, and their son Aniruddha marries a grand-daughter of Rukmin. At the marriage of Aniruddha, Rāma and Rukmin quarrel over a game of dice, and the latter is slain by Rāma. In connection with this there is a glorification of the deeds of Rāma.³
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¹ Into the old legend, in which Kṛṣṇa appears as *hero* later portions are here interpolated, in which he appears as god Viṣṇu in his full divinity.
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² He is an incarnation of the god of love.
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³ *Baladevamāhātmyakathana*, Adhy. 120, 6766-6786.
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Then follows the story of the slaying of *Naraka*.⁴ This Naraka is a demon, who has stolen the ear-rings of Aditi, and also otherwise gives the gods much trouble. At the request of Indra Kṛṣṇa fights against him and kills him.
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⁴ *Narakavadha*, Adhyāyas 121-123=6787-6988.
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The next narrative⁵ shows us Kṛṣṇa in a battle against Indra. The seer Nārada once brought Kṛṣṇa a blossom from the heavenly tree *Pārijāta*, which Kṛṣṇa gave to his beloved Rukmiṇī. Then Satyabhāmā, one of his other wives, grows terribly jealous, and sulks until Kṛṣṇa promises to bring her the whole Pārijāta-tree from heaven. But as Indra will not willingly surrender the tree, Kṛṣṇa challenges him to fight. This leads to a long and violent battle between the two gods, which, however, is finally settled peaceably by Aditi, the mother of gods.
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⁵ *Pārijātaharaṇa*, Adhy. 124-140=6989-7956. A hymn to Śiva is inserted (*Mahādevastavana*), Adhy. 131=7415-7455.
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There follows a rather extensive didactic portion,⁶ only very slightly connected with this long section, and really belonging to scientific eroticism, the *Kāmaśāstra*. This is an instruction (in the form of a conversation between the wives of Kṛṣṇa and the wise Nārada, who, however, refers to *Umā*, the wife of Śiva, as his authority) upon *Puṇyakas* and *Vratakas*, *i.e.* ceremonies, festivals and vows, by means of which a wife can make her body pleasing to her husband and assure herself of his favour. But as these ceremonies are efficacious only for virtuous wives, a few instructions upon the duties of wives (7754 ff.) are given at the beginning.
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⁶ *Puṇyakavidhi*, Adhy. 136-140=vss. 7722-7956.
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The next section¹ again relates Kṛṣṇa’s battles with the demons. The Asuras of the “six towns” (*Ṣaṭpura*) steal the daughters of the pious Brahmadatta. Kṛṣṇa comes to his rescue and kills Nikumbha, the king of the Asuras, and restores the Brahman his daughters.
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¹ *Ṣaṭpuravadha*, Adhy. 141-144 = vss. 7957-8198.
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Then follows an entirely Śivaite passage,² which has nothing to do with Kṛṣṇa, and relates how the thousand-headed demon *Andhaka* is killed by Śiva.
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² *Andhakavadha*, Adhy. 145 f. = vss. 8199-8300.
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The following section³ reverts to Kṛṣṇa and relates another story of the killing of the Asura Nikumbha. The Yādavas, with Kṛṣṇa and Rāma at their head, undertake a pilgrimage to the sea to a sacred bathing-place in order to celebrate a great joyous festival there. Kṛṣṇa with his sixteen thousand wives, Rāma with his only wife Revatī, and youths of the Yādavas with thousands of courtesans give themselves up to playing and singing, feasting and drinking, and all kinds of enjoyments in the water and on the sea-shore.⁴ During these festivities the demon Nikumbha kidnaps *Bhānumatī*, a daughter of the Yādava Bhānu. Kṛṣṇa’s son Pradyumna pursues the Asura and brings the stolen one back, while Kṛṣṇa himself kills Nikumbha.
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³ *Bhānumatīharaṇa*, Adhy. 147-149 = vss. 8301-8549.
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⁴ The brilliant description of these voluptuous scenes fills two cantos (147 f. = 8301-8470).
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The following cantos⁵ deal almost exclusively with *Pradyumna*, the son of Kṛṣṇa. First the story of the marriage of Pradyumna with *Prabhāvatī*, the daughter of the Asura *Vajranābha*, is related, in which the heavenly flamingoes intervene in bringing about the bond of love just as in the Nala-song flamingoes are the messengers of love between Nala and Damayantī. In order to win Prabhāvatī, Pradyumna, disguised as an actor, comes with a whole troupe of actors to the court of Vajranābha. Then all sorts of plays are performed,¹ with which the Asuras are greatly charmed. But Pradyumna uses the lovely nights for secretly enjoying the pleasures of love with Prabhāvatī. Finally Vajranābha hears of the love-intrigue, and, full of anger, he is about to have Pradyumna thrown into fetters. But the latter kills the warriors who rush towards him, and the Asura king himself. Thereupon he enters Dvārakā with his beloved one.
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⁵ Adhy. 150 ff. = vss. 8550 ff. Freely rendered into German in the beautiful poem “Pradyumna” by *Schack*, “Stimmen vom Ganges,” pp. 67 ff.
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¹ This (8672 ff.) is *perhaps* one of the oldest, certainly one of the most interesting mentions of dramas and dramatic performances in Indian literature. Not only scenes from the life of Kṛṣṇa are here produced, but dramatizations of the great epic Rāmāyaṇa and of the story of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (*cf.* above pp. 399 ff.) are also expressly mentioned. Unfortunately the age of this piece called "Pradyumnottara," is quite uncertain. *Cf.* Sylvain Lévi, "Le théâtre indien," Paris, 1890, pp. 327 ff., and A. B. *Keith*. The Sanskrit Drama, Oxford 1924, pp. 28, 47 f.
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The second narrative² treats of the youthful love of *Pradyumna*: how he is kidnapped by Asuras seven days after his birth and grows up in the house of the demon *Śambara*; how Māyāvatī, the wife of the latter, burns with love for the beautiful youth and enlightens him on the fact that he is not her son, but the son of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī; how Pradyumna then kills Śambara after a desperate fight³ and finally, united with Māyāvatī, returns to his native town, where he is joyfully received by his parents.
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² *Śambaravadha*, Adhy. 163-167 = vss. 9208-9487.
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³ In this he is helped by Durgā, whom he invokes in a hymn (*Pradyumna-kṛta Durgāstava*, Adhy. 166 = 9423-9430).
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For no reason at all, the daily prayer of Rāma,⁴ a litany consisting of an enumeration of divine beings, is inserted here.
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⁴ *Baladevāhnika*, Adhy. 168 = vss. 9488-9591.
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After a few shorter pieces, legends and speeches in praise of Kṛṣṇa, the book concludes with the story of the "battle of Bāṇa"⁵ and the love affair of *Aniruddha*, the son of Pradyumna, with *Uṣā*, the daughter of the Asura-king Bāṇa. The latter is a favourite of the god Śiva. Kṛṣṇa comes to the aid of Aniruddha, who is hard pressed by Bāṇa; and the fighting with Bāṇa leads to a violent battle between Śiva and Viṣṇu, by which the whole world is seriously menaced. But Brahman comes to the aid of the earth and creates peace between the two gods, by declaring that Śiva and Viṣṇu are one. Here follows a hymn (stotra) glorifying these two as identical deities.¹ With the marriage of Aniruddha and Ūṣā, which is celebrated with great magnificence in Dvāravatī, the book ends.
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⁵ *Bāṇayuddha*, Adhy. 175-190 = 9806-11062.
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¹ *Hariharātmakastava*, Adhy. 184 = vss. 10660-10697. This is one of the *few* places in Indian literature where there is a mention of *Trimūrti*. For *Hari* (Viṣṇu) and *Hara* (Śiva) are not only identical with each other, but also with *Brahman*.
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The intermingling of stotras (hymns) as that of Viṣṇu-Śiva here, shows particularly to how great an extent the Harivaṁśa is a collection of texts for *religious* purposes, and not an epic poem.²
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² How largely the Harivaṁśa is regarded as a religious book, is proved by the circumstance that it is the custom in the courts of justice in Nepal to place a copy of the Harivaṁśa on the head of the witness, if he is a Hindu, in the same way as the Koran is placed upon the head of a Mohammedan. (A. Barth, Religions of India, p. 156 note).
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But while in Book II there are still some remains of a *Kṛṣṇa epic* which must certainly once have existed, Book III, called Bhaviṣyaparvan (11063 ff.), is only a loose collection of Purāṇa texts. The title Bhaviṣyaparvan, *i.e.* “section of the future” refers only to the first cantos of this book, which contain prophecies regarding the coming ages of the world. Here is related the story of a horse-sacrifice which Janamejaya wished to offer; but Vyāsa foretells him that this sacrifice would not be successful, for the godless age of Kali will dawn, which will be followed only a long time later by the Kṛta-age of virtue and piety. This section³ forms a complete whole and is even termed an independent poem. Then follow, without any connection, two different accounts of the Creation.⁴ A third section deals in great detail with the incarnations of Viṣṇu as a boar, a man-lion and dwarf.⁵
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³ Adhy. 191-196 = vss. 11063-11278. The passage is commended, in 11270 ff., as a great ornate poem (mahākāvyam). But verses 11082 ff. already say clearly that the Harivaṁśa *is concluded*, and that the story of Janamejaya's horse-sacrifice only forms *an appendix to the Harivaṁśa*. The subsequent sections are most probably only later additions.
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⁴ *Pauṣkaraprādurbhāva*, Adhy. 197-222 = vss. 11279-12277.
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⁵ Adhy. 223-263 = vss. 12278-14390. Brahman begins a hymn to Viṣṇu (Viṣṇu-stotra) 12880 ff. (Adhy. 238). Kaśyapa utters a hymn in prose to the “Great Spirit” (Mahāpuruṣastava) 14114 ff. (Adhy. 259).
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Next follows a section which, like the last one in Book II, pursues the tendency to harmonise Viṣṇu- and Śiva-worship. Alternately Viṣṇu sings a hymn to Śiva and Śiva to Viṣṇu.¹ The next passage again deals with a heroic deed of Kṛṣṇa, namely the slaying of King *Pauṇḍra*, who rises up against Kṛṣṇa.² The last longer section of the Harivaṃśa is the legend (upākhyāna) of the two Śiva-worshippers *Haṃsa* and *Ḍimbhaka*, who are humiliated by Kṛṣṇa-Viṣṇu.³
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¹ Kailāsayātrā, Adhy. 264-281 = vss. 14391-15031. Adhy. 278; Īśvarastuti, Adhy. 279 and 281. Viṣṇustotra.
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² *Pauṇḍrakavadha*, Adhy. 282-293 = vss. 15032-15375.
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³ *Haṃsaḍimbhakopākhyāna*, Adhy. 294-322 = vss. 15376-16139.
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There is appended yet another long canto which, in most extravagant fashion, tells of the merit of reading the Mahābhārata and the reward of heaven which awaits the reader, and further prescribes the presents which one should give to the readers (vācaka) after the close of every parvan, and finally ends with a song in praise of the Mahābhārata as the most sacred and most exalted of all “text-books” (śāstra).⁴ Above all, however, it is boasted that the work serves for the glorification of Viṣṇu, for: “In the Veda, in the Rāmāyaṇa and in the sacred Bhārata, O bravest of Bharata’s descendants, everywhere, at the beginning, at the end, and in the middle *Hari* is glorified.”⁵
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⁴ Adhy. 323 = vss. 16140-16238: *Sarvaparvānukīrttana*. The enumeration of the parvans partly contains other names than our editions. The contents of this adhyāya coincide with similar songs of praise in Book I of the Mahābhārata. *Cf.* above, pp. 325 f.
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⁵ Verse 16232.
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Strange to say, after all the glorifications of Viṣṇu, and after the actual conclusion of the book, there still follows a canto⁶ in which the god Śiva comes into his own, and it is related how he destroyed the three castles (Tripura) of the demons. Yet even here a final verse in praise of the “great yogin” Viṣṇu is added.
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⁶ *Tripuravadha*, Adhy. 324 = vss. 16239-16324.
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The book finally concludes with a short summing-up of the contents of the Harivaṃśa and an enumeration of the religious gains one acquires by hearing this "Purāṇa."
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The fact that the Harivaṃśa is absolutely and entirely a *Purāṇa* is also shown by the numerous, often literally identical, coincidences with passages in several of the most important Purāṇas.[^1) Nevertheless, it was necessary to speak of the Harivaṃśa here, and not only later in the chapter on the Purāṇas, not only because this work is regarded by the *Indians* as belonging to the Mahābhārata, but also because this supplement and the way in which it is added to the epic is peculiarly adapted for throwing light on the history of the Mahābhārata itself. We will now turn to this history.
Linked texts (6)
- Mahābhārata — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Veda — Sanskrit
- Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Vālmīkirāmāyaṇa — Vālmīki, Sanskrit
- Kāmaśāstra — Sanskrit
- Tripuravadha — Rudraṭa, Sanskrit