History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.770.2

v6.c82.770.2

(if not earlier) they came to be the designations of the ages of man. The early Gupta inscriptions refer to Kṛtayuga as a cycle of great virtues (as in the Bilsad stone pillar Inscription of Kumāragupta in Gupta Samvat 96 in 'Gupta Inscriptions' p 44, the Chammak copperplate of Vākāṭaka Pravarasena II in 'Gupta Inscriptions' p 237, Pattan plates of Pravarasena II. in E. I. 23 p. 81. The theory of Yugas, Manvantaras and Kalpas is elaborated among ancient works in the Mahābhārata (Vana-parva, chapters 149, 188 and Śāntiparva, chap 69 and 231–232), Manu I. 61–74, 79–86, Viṣṇudharmasūtra chap. 20. 1–21, Viṣṇu-purāṇa 1 3, 6 3, Brahmapurāṇa 5. 229–232, Matsya 142–145, Vāyu chap 21, 22, 57, 58, 100, Kūrma I. chap 51 and 53, Brahmāṇḍa II. 6 and 31–36, III 1, Mārkaṇḍeya 58 64, 66–70, 71–97 (has the longest account of Manvantaras), and by astronomical writers and works such as Āryabhaṭa, Sūryasiddhānta, Brahmagupta, Siddhāntaśiromaṇi. None of these works enables us to furnish a satisfactory explanation about the rise of this system of Kalpas, Manvantaras and Yugas Pargiter (in AIHT p 175) thinks that the division into four ages had a historical basis. That may or may not be so. But what historical explanation can be offered about manvantaras and kalpas is not stated anywhere. The theory of yugas concerned only Bhāratavarṣa as stated in several Purāṇas.