History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.649.2

v4.c63.t2.649.2

293-94) prescribes that one should strengthen the Veda by (the study of) the Itihāsa and Purāṇa and that the Veda fears the man whose knowledge is insignificant 'this man will harm me'. According to the Bhāgavata-purāṇa I. 4. 25 the purpose¹⁶⁹⁸ of the composition of the Mahābhārata was this that as the Veda cannot be learnt by women, śūdras and brāhmaṇas who are so only by birth (and do not study) the sage Vyāsa took compassion on them and composed the Mahābhārata for their benefit. The same must be deemed to be the purpose of the composition of the purāṇas. The Dakṣasmṛti II. 69 prescribes¹⁶⁹⁹ the recitation of itihāsa and purāṇa in the 6th and 7th parts of the day (divided into 8 parts). The Auśanasa smṛti (III. p. 515, Jivananda) prescribes the study of the Veda in the bright half of the months from Māgha after *utsarjana* and the study of the Vedāṅgas and of Purāṇa in the dark half. It appears that some at least of the extant Purāṇas were composed in the first centuries of the Christian era and that from early times they contained dharmaśāstra material. In another section the *purāṇadharma* will be separately dealt with hereafter. Gradually the Purāṇas became very popular in the course of centuries, some of the original rites prescribed by the Veda and the early smṛtis went out of vogue and new modes of worship and rites provided by the Purāṇas came into general observance. The Vedavyāsa smṛti¹⁷⁰⁰ (I.