History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.t6.1.1

v5.c74.t6.1.1

No mention of Godāvarī has so far been found in the Vedic Literature. In Buddhist works there are traditions about Bāvarī, who was a purohita of Mahākosala and then of Pasenadi, who resided in Assaka's territory in the vicinity of Aḷaka on the Godāvarī and who is said to have sent several disciples to Buddha at Śrāvastī (vide Suttanipāta, S. B. E. vol. X part 2 pp. 184 and 187). The Vārtika 'Saṅkhyāyā nadī-godāvarībhyāṁ ca' on Pāṇ. V. 4 75, expressly mentions Godāvarī and has in view 'Saptagodāvara'. The two Epics and Purāṇas contain numerous references to it. The Vanaparva¹⁶⁰⁹ mentions it as a holy river in the south, abounding in gardens and full of water and resorted to by hermits performing austerities. The Araṇyakāṇḍa of the Rāmāyaṇa (13.13 and 21) speaks of the country well-known as 'Pañcavaṭī' frequented by herds of deer which is near the Godāvarī and about two yojanas from Agastya's hermitage. It is in the Brahmapurāṇa that the Godāvarī and the subsidiary tīrthas on it have been lauded at great length in chapters 70-175. The Tīrthasāra (a part of Nṛsiṁhaprasāda) quotes about 60 verses from chapters 89, 91, 106, 107, 116-118, 121, 122, 128, 131, 144, 154, 159, 172 of the Brahmapurāṇa, which fact shows that the chapters on Gautamī in the present Brahmapurāṇa were part of the Brahmapurāṇa at least some centuries before 1500 A. D. Vide my paper in J.B.B.R.A.S for 1917 p 27-28.