History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.168.2

v7.c90.168.2

1 employs the word 'prādurbhāva' (ataḥ param Hareḥ puṇyaṁ prādurbhāvam) and in the colophons of all chapters from 36 to 53 the word 'prādurbhāva' is used. The Matsya 247 1 starts with 'prādurbhāvān purāṇeṣu Viṣṇoramitatejasaḥ'. In 247. 19-21 the Matsya employs the word 'avatīrṇaḥ' with regard to Vāmana and Nṛsiṁha and in 246. 4 'avatīrṇo jagadyoniḥ..... Vāmaneneha rūpeṇa &c.'. Padma V. 13. 182 speaks of twelve avatāras; Viṣṇu V. 16 also uses the word 'avatāra'. On p. 199 he gives a table of passages that are common to Manu, Yāj, Nārada and Viṣṇudharmottara, on p. 200 another table of passages common to Bharata's Nāṭyaśāstra and Viṣṇudharmottara, and on page 202 a table of passages common to Matsya and Viṣṇudharmottara and holds that the Matsya borrows. This is a most astounding proposition. The Matsya does not even mention the Viṣṇudharmottara as an Upapurāṇa; the only sure and earliest date is that the latter is mentioned by Alberuni. That does not carry the matter beyond 900-1000 A. D. The Matsyapurāṇa might have been tampered with. The reasons assigned for his opinion by Prof. Hazra are, to say the least, flimsy and unconvincing. It is further to be noted that there are twelve verses that state that some phenomena are not to be held to be utpātas, that are common to Matsya 229. 14-25, Viṣṇudharmottara (II. 134. 15-26) and the Bṛhatsaṁhitā (45. 83-94), which are quoted by the Adbhutasāgara pp. 743-744 as occurring in all these three and in Bārhaspatya.