History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.136

v7.c90.136

The Purānas do not speak with one voice about their own origin and transmission. After declaring that Vyāsa entrusted the preservation and propagation of the Purānas to Sūta, the Vāyu and other Purānas contain a somewhat different version. The Vāyu narrates (61. 55-61): Sūta had six disciples, viz. Sunīti Ātreya, Akrtavrana Kāśyapa, Agnivarcas Bhārdvāja, Mitrayu Vasistha, Sāvarni Saumadatti, Suśarman Śāṁśapāyana. Three of these, viz. Kāśyapa, Sāvarni and Śāṁśapāyana prepared new Purāna-samhitās and Sūta's own was the 4th and the original one. All were divided into four *kāndas*, contained the same sense (matter), but differed in their readings as the *śākhās* of the Veda differ. All had four thousand verses except the saṁhitā of Śāṁśapāyana. These four are said to be the basic samhitās (in Brahmānda II. 35 66) or original samhitās (in Vāyu 61. 58 pūrvasamhitās). The Brahmānda (II. 35. 63-70) has the same account in almost in the same words. Visnu (III. 6. 16-17), Agni 271 (11-12) are briefer but agree in the main with Vāyu. The Bhāgavata (XII. 7. 4-7) differs from all these to some extent That there is some substance in this story appears from stray passages in several chapters of the Vāyu (56. 1, 60. 33-34, 62. 1, 89. 16) and the Brahmānda (II. 34. 34, II. 36. 1 &c.), where Śaṁśampāyana is the inquirer and Sūta replies.