History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.25
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.25
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v7.c90.25.1
Early Sanskrit authors like Bāṇa (first half of 7th century A. D.) and commentators like Śabara (not later than between 200–400 A. D.), Kumārila (7th century A. D.), Śaṅkarācārya (between 650–800 A. D.) and Viśvarūpa (800–850 A. D.) leave us in no doubt that in their times Purāṇas existed, the contents of which were just like those of the extant Purāṇas. Śabara in his bhāṣya¹³⁴¹ on Jaimini X. 4. 23, while discussing the question as to what is meant by 'devatā' in relation to sacrifices, states that one view was that they are Agni and others, that are described in the Itihāsa and Purāṇas as dwelling in heaven. Bāṇa in his Kādambarī and Harṣacarita frequently refers to the Mahābhārata and Purāṇas, but two passages from the Kādambarī and one from the Harṣacarita are very interesting. While describing the hermitage of the sage Jābāli Bāṇa employs a śleṣa 'there was Vāyupralāpita (proclaiming by god Vāyu; babbling due to the windy humour) in Purāṇa (but no babbling in the hermitage)¹³⁴². Similarly, in the description of the palace of Tārāpīḍa Bāṇa employs a śleṣa (*double entendre*) comparing it with Purāṇa (the two meanings being 'where the accumulated wealth of the world was arranged in appropriate groups', 'in which there is a description of the whole sphere of worlds each part of which was assigned a proper division').
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In the Uttarabhāga (by the son of Bāṇa) of the Kādambarī it is stated that in all āgamas (sacred works tradition-ally handed down) such as Purāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa and Bhārata there are many stories about curses. The placing of Purāṇas first shows that they were probably more honoured or popular than the Rāmāyaṇa and the Bhārata. In the Harṣacarita¹³⁴³ it is stated that the book-reader Sudṛṣṭi treated Bāṇa and his relatives and friends to a musical recitation of the Purāṇa promulgated by Vāyu, that was sung by the sage (Vyāsa), that is very exten-sive, that is world-wide (i.e. known everywhere), that is holy and that is not different from the career of Harṣa (to which also all the adjectives applied to the Purāṇa are applicable). Here it appears that the Vāyu is expressly mentioned (as *Pava-mānaprokta* and *Pāvana*) and it is further stated that the Purāṇas contained a description of the several divisions of the world. This description applies to such Purāṇas as the Vāyu, Matsya (chapters 114–128), Brahmāṇḍa (II. 15 ff). It may be argued that the Purāṇa mentioned by Bāṇa may be the Brah-māṇḍa since that Purāṇa says1343a in the beginning as well as at the end (IV. 4. 58ff) that Brahmā imparted it to Vāyu, from whom it passed on to several divine and semi-divine personages and ultimately sūta received it from Vyāsa.
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This latter argu-ment is not acceptable, since there was nothing to prevent Bāṇa from expressly saying that the Brahmāṇḍa was the Purāṇa recited by Sudṛṣṭi Kumārilabhaṭṭa in his Tantravārtika refers in several places to the Purāṇas and their contents. A few interesting passages are set out here. On Jaimini I. 3. 1 Kumārila says¹³⁴⁴ 'Therefore the authoritativeness of all smṛtis is established by the purpose which they serve; whatever therein (in smṛtis) is connected with *dharma* and *mokṣa* (is authoritative), because it springs from (is based on) the Veda; whatever concerns wealth (artha) and pleasures is based on the usages of the people. In this way a distinction is to be made. This very reasoning applies to hortatory passages in the Itihāsa and Purāṇas. The Upākhyānas may be explained by the reasoning applicable to arthavādas (i. e they have a purpose and authoritativeness just like the commendatory passages of the Veda). Narration of the divisions of the earth serves the purpose of distinguishing the regions for undergoing the consequences of the (actions that are the) means of dharma and adharma and are partly based on personal experience and partly on the Veda. The orderly presentation of vaṁśas (dynasties) in the Purāṇas is intended to facilitate the knowledge of the brāhmaṇa and kṣatriya castes and their gotras and is based on actual experience and traditional knowledge;
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countries and measures of time are intended to facilitate worldly transactions and astronomical needs and are based on actual perception, mathematics, tradition and inference. The narration of what will happen in the future is based on the Veda, since it conveys knowledge of the variety of the ripening of the consequences of (complying with) *dharma* and of *adharma* and knowledge of the characteristics of *yugas* that have been in operation from time immemorial.' It is clear from this passage that the Itihāsa and the Purāṇas that Kumārila knew contained stories, geography of the earth, dynastic lists, measures of time and description of what will happen in the future. These are matters dealt with in the extant Purāṇas. On Jaimini I 3.7 Kumārila observes: 'In the Purāṇas¹³⁴⁵ it is narrated that in the Kali age there will arise Śākya (Gautama Buddha) and others that will cause confusion about *dharma*, who would listen to their words?' This shows that before the 7th century A. D. the Purāṇas contained descriptions of the nature of Kaliyuga and that the Purāṇas Kumārila knew did not regard Buddha as an *avatāra* of Viṣṇu, but rather condemned him. From the facts that Kṣemendra composed his Daśāvatāracarita in 1066 A. D, that Aparārka (on p 338) quotes a long passage from the Matsya chapter 285, verse seven of which enumerates the ten avatāras of Viṣṇu (including Buddha), and that the Gītagovinda of Jayadeva regards Buddha as an avatāra, it follows that before 1000 A. D.
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Buddha had come to be regarded as an avatāra of Viṣṇu, though before the 7th century some Purāṇas at least had condemned him. In the discussion of the meaning of the word 'svarga'¹³⁴⁶ Kumārila asks: does it mean the region of the stars or does it mean the top of the Meru (mountain) in conformity with Itihāsa and Purāṇas or does it mean only a state of happiness? This indicates that in Kumārila's day Purāṇas contained descriptions of the top of Meru as 'heaven.'