History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.14.3

v7.c90.14.3

recommends that a householder after a bath in the morning and worship of gods and pitṛs should engage in japa-yajña, in which he should mutter according to his ability parts of the Veda, of Atharvaveda, Itihāsa and Purāṇas and philosophical texts. These passages from Yājñavalkya establish that Itihāsa and Purāṇa went together, that both were works distinct from Vedic literature and that both had attained a status of sacredness and authoritativeness in matters of dharma in the time of the Yājñavalkya-smṛti not later than 3rd century (A. D.). A Vārtika mentioned by the Mahābhāṣya on Pāṇ IV. 2. 59-60 provides for the formation of words with the affix 'thak' (*ika*) in the case of ākhyāna (such as Yāvakrītika, Yāyātika), ākhyāyikā (such as Vāsavadattika, Saumanottarika), itihāsa (aitihāsika), Purāṇa (paurāṇika) in the sense of one who studies or knows that ¹³³⁸ In numerous passages the Mahābhārata mentions Purāṇa in the singular as in Ādi 5. 2, 31. 3–4, 51. 6, 65. 52, Udyoga 178. 47–48, Karṇa 34. 44, Śānti 208. 5, Anuśāsana 22. 12, 102. 21) and sometimes Purāṇas in the plural (as in Ādi 109. 20, Virāṭa 51.10, Strīparva 13. 2, Śānti 339. 106, Svargārohaṇa 5. 46–47 (which refers to Purāṇas as 18)¹³³⁹ Further, the Matsya-purāṇa and a Purāṇa proclaimed by Vāyu are mentioned in the Vanaparva.¹³⁴⁰ It is impossible to hold that all the numerous references to Purāṇas are later interpolations, though a few may be so.