History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.153

v7.c90.153

Some of these remarks are very important and the original verses are set out in the note below.¹¹⁰⁵ He states that he did not draw upon the Bhāgavata, the Brahmāṇḍa and the Nāradīya as dānas are absent therefrom. He did not rely in his work upon the Liṅgapurāṇa, though it is a large work, because its essence, he decides, is the same as the treatment of Mahādānas declared in the Matsyapurāṇa, the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa has been assiduously utilised by him only up to the (vratavidhis of) 7th tithi, but he discards the procedures of the 8th and 9th tithis (of the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa), since they are overwhelmed (tainted) with (the doctrines of)¹¹⁰⁶ heretical sects (Tāntrikas, Bauddhas, &c.); both the Viṣṇurahasya and Śivarahasya, though well-known among people, have not been accepted in this work, since they are considered to be mere compilations; the Bhaviṣyottara (Purāṇa) which is followed in peoples' practices and is not in conflict (with orthodox views) has been excluded from this work, since no indications (evidence) of its authoritativeness could be found; the following are ignored in the Dānasāgara for reasons stated: three khaṇḍas, viz. those concerned with the tales of Pauṇḍra, Revā and Avanti of the Skanda apart from a part of it that is prevalent (among people), the Tārkṣya (i e. Garuḍa) purāṇa, another Brahmapurāṇa, another Āgneya (i. e. Agnipurāṇa), a Viṣṇupurāṇa containing 23000 verses, another Liṅgapurāṇa containing six thousand verses; all these have been discarded for various reasons such as the procedure of dīkṣā (initiation of a disciple by a guru in a cult like the Tāntrika or Pāñcarātra or Pāśupata) or of the establishment of an image, heretical reasoning, testing of jewels, stories of the doings of (persons of) false genealogies, treating of such matters as dictionaries and grammar, containing incoherent tales and contradictions, because they lead to the misleading of people by the description of or reference to Love affairs, to those who are buffoons, or are heretics or make their livelihood by displaying some sign (such as matted hair), the Devīpurāṇa has not been utilized in this work, because it is not included in the enumeration of the number of Purāṇas and Upapurāṇas (in various works), because it contains delusive acts1406a and because it approves of heretic śāstras.