History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s21.16.2

v1.c6.s21.16.2

are repeated word for word, that very often the Garuḍapurāṇa gives only a summary by omitting and transposing the words and phrases of the original and that sometimes it adds verses of its own. This may be illustrated by what the Garuḍa says on vānaprastha and yati (chap. 102-103, 12 verses in all). Chap. 102 begins 'vānaprasthāśramaṁ vakṣye tac-chṛṇvantu maharṣayaḥ । putreṣu bhāryām nikṣipya vanaṁ gacchet sahaiva vā ॥.' The latter half is a paraphrase of Yāj. III. 45a. Then III. 45b-46 (Mit.) = Garuḍa 102. 2-3a (with slight variations), III. 47 = Garuḍa 102- 4 b-5a ; III. 48 = 3b-4a; III. 49-50 = Garuḍa 5b ('pakṣe māsetha vāśnīyād-dantolūkhaliko bhavet, which summarises and retains some words of the original ), III. 71 = Garuḍa 102. 6a (cāndrāyaṇī svapedbhumau karma kuryāt phalādinā, which includes a few words of III. 49b also), III. 52 = Garuḍa 6b-7a (the last pāda in Garuḍa is 'yogābhyāsāt dinam nayet', while in Yāj. it is 'śaktyā vāpi tapas caret'), III. 53 = Garuḍa 102. 7. Chap. 203 contains only five verses. III. 56, 58-59 = Garuḍa 103. 1b-4a (with variants) and then Garuḍa adds 1½ verses which are not found in Yāj. (viz. 'bhavet-paramahaṁso vā ekadaṇḍī yamāditaḥ ॥ siddhayogas-tyajan deham-amṛtatvam-ihāpnuyāt। dātātithipriyo jñānī gṛhī śrāddhepi mucyate ॥'). The mere fact that a prakaraṇa is omitted in the Garuḍapurāṇa should cast no doubt on the existence of that prakaraṇa in the original Yāj. We do not know on what principles the borrowing took place.