History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.159

v7.c90.159

The principal points that emerge from Ballālasena's remarks on Purāṇas are that he included both Vāyu and Śiva among the principal Purāṇas (sometimes called Mahāpurāṇas), that there were two Purāṇas called Liṅga, Brahma, Āgneya and Viṣṇu, that the four counterparts bearing these names were not treated as authoritative (one pseudo-Liṅgapurāṇa having 6000 verses and one Viṣṇu having also 23000 verses being unauthoritative), that he abhorred Tāntrik rites and therefore totally discarded the Devīpurāṇa and parts of Bhaviṣya, that he did not utilize three named sections of the Skanda, that he did not regard the Garuḍa as authoritative. It may be stated here that acc. to the (printed) Kūrma I. 1. 17-20 some Upapurāṇas such as Skanda, Vāmana, Brahmāṇḍa and Nāradīya bear the same names as the Mahāpurāṇas. Prof Hazra relies upon a passage quoted from the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa¹⁴⁰⁸ by Kalpataru (Brahmacārikāṇḍa p. 25) wherein it is said that the appellation Jaya is applied to 18 Purāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa, Viṣṇudharmādiśāstras, Śivadharma, Mahābhārata, Sauradharmas and Mānavadharmas (Manusmṛti?). I shall discuss the question of Viṣṇudharmapurāṇa later. But I have serious objections against the antiquity and authenticity of this passage. Being quoted in the Kalpataru it may be earlier than 1050 A. D. That is all. In order to glorify the 18 Purāṇas the meaning of Jaya is extended. Jaya is applied only to the Mahābhārata in the latter e. g. Udyogaparva 136. 18-19 and Svargārohaṇika 5. 49 and 51 quoted in note 1369 above. Hence this passage was inserted very late after all 18 Purāṇas had been composed i e. after the 9th century A. D. Besides the plural ‘Viṣṇudharmādiśāstrāṇi’ shows that many works are meant and not *one*, i. e. the meaning is that all śāstras dealing with Viṣṇudharmas and the like. If a single work were meant, one expects ‘Viṣṇudharmādiśāstram ca’ and that would have not spoilt the metre. Besides, the Kalpataru itself indicates that this verse about ‘Jaya’ was cited by some authorities as ‘Smṛti’. Therefore, it is doubtful if it is a genuine Bhaviṣya passage. Ballālasena mentions only eight Upapurāṇas on dānas by name (including the four mentioned by the Matsya).