History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t2.209

v5.c74.t2.209

In my opinion the Gayāmāhātmya (Vāyu, chap. 105–112), though possibly later than the main text of the Vāyupurāṇa, cannot be placed so late as the 13th or 14th century A. D. It is really a patch-work from many sources of earlier times such as the Vanaparva, Anuśāsanaparva, Padma I 38, the Nāradīya (uttara) chap. 44-47 Several verses and half verses of it are repetitions (such as the half verse ‘Gayāyām akṣayam śrāddham japahomatapāṁsi ca’ Vāyu 108 35 and Vāyu 82.43 quoted as from Vāyu in Kalpataru on tīrtha p. 167, and Vāyu 110. 29–30 are the same as Vāyu 105.37–38. So also Vāyu 82. 31–33 are the same as Vāyu 110. 51–53. Dr. Barua does not notice that in chap. 82 of the Vāyu (20–24) several sub-tīrthas of Gayā are expressly mentioned viz. Brahmakuṇḍa, Prabhāsa, Pretaparvata, Uttaramānasa, Udīcī, Kanakhala, Dakṣiṇamānasa, Dharmāraṇya, Gadādhara, Mataṅga; so also chap 77. 97–108 mention Gṛdhrakūṭa, hermitage of Bharata, Mataṅgapada, Muṇḍapṛṣṭha and Uttaramānasa. Many of the verses occurring in the Gayāmāhātmya are found quoted in the Smṛticandrikā¹⁴⁷⁶ (about 1150-1225 A. D.) on Śrāddha and Āśauca (without name) as briefly exemplified below. I think that the Gayāmāhātmya is to be assigned to some date between the 7th and 10th centuries A. D.