History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t2.197

v5.c74.t2.197

11, 95. 9), in the Viṣṇudharma-sūtra 85.4 (in the form Gayāśīrṣa), Vāmanapurāṇa (22.20 as the eastern *vedī* of Brahmā), Skanda I. 2. 13.21 and even in the Buddhist books such as the Mahāvagga (I. 21. 1, S. B. E. vol. XIII p. 134) in which last it is said that after having dwelt at Uruvelā, Buddha accompanied by a thousand *bhikkhus* went to Gayāsīsa (which is the Pali equivalent of Gayāśīrṣa). Traditions of Gaya as a king of the territories round about Gayā are mentioned in Jaina and Buddhist works. The Uttarādhyayanasūtra (S. B. E. vol. 45 p. 86 and note 3 there) states that he was son of king Samudravijaya of Rājagṛha and became the 11th Cakravartin. The Buddhacarita of Aśvaghoṣa states that Buddha visited the hermitage called a city of the royal sage Gaya, that the saint (future Buddha) fixed his dwelling on the pure bank of the Nairañjanā river (S. B. E. vol. 49 part 1 p. 132, Canto XII. 87-88) and p. 193 (chap XVII. 8 of the same work) and that Buddha went to the hermitage of Kāśyapa at Gayā called Uruvilvā. The same work (S. B E vol. 49 part 1 p. 192) speaks of Dharmāraṇya where dwelt 700 ascetics whom Buddha helped to enter *nirvāṇa*. Viṣṇupada occurs in the Viṣṇudharmasūtra 85 40 as a holy place very fit for śrāddha. In my opinion at least Aurṇavābha held that in a particular region there were three places on which according to the legends current in his day the foot-prints of Viṣṇu's foot could be seen¹⁴⁷¹. Two of these, Viṣṇupada and Gayāśiras are well-known; hence it would not be unreasonable to hold that ‘Samārohaṇa’ is a place and has to be located somewhere near the other two. Samārohaṇa means ‘mounting up’ or ‘ascending’. This word probably refers to the ascent of the hill that rises up from the river Phalgu. It is also possible that it is the same as the Udyanta hill echoing with the warbling (of birds)¹⁴⁷² I therefore hold that at least 600 years before Christ (and hence even before Buddha) there was a tradition about Viṣṇu's footprints in at least two well-known places viz. Viṣṇupada and Gayā-śiras (both in Gayā). Even if some other work does not mention any one of these it does not follow from mere non-mention that that spot was not so named or did not exist.