History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.52

v7.c90.52

[^1348 f]: Vide Appendix I on 'yavana' and 'yona' (pp 165-169) in Prof. Narain's 'Indo-Greeks.' He points out that in Karṇaparva (45. 36) Yavanas are described as all-knowing (sarvajña), valiant and different from mlecchas Agni 272, Bhāgavata¹³⁵⁰ XII. 13. 4-8, Vāyu¹³⁵¹ 104. 2-10, Skanda (Prabhāsakhaṇḍa 2. 5-7). There is some difference about the 18 names and great difference as to their extent and contents The Matsya (53. 18-19), Agni 272. 4-5, Nāradīya I. 92 26-28 enumerate the Vāyu as the 4th among the 18 Purāṇas, while most of the others substitute Śivapurāṇa as the 4th in place of the Vāyu The Skanda (in Prabhāsakhaṇḍa 2. 5 and 7) puts Śaiva as the 4th in place of Vāyu and Vāyavīya as the last (probably meaning Brahmāṇḍa thereby). The Devībhāgavata¹³⁵² contains a verse naming the 18 Purāṇas by their first letters in which the Śivapurāṇa is omitted. The Saurapurāṇa (chap. 9. 5-12) enumerates the 18 Purāṇas, places Vāyu as the 4th (and not Śiva) and Brahmāṇḍa as the last. The Sūtasaṁhitā (I. 1. 7-11) names the 18 Purāṇas omitting Vāyu and putting Śivapurāṇa in its place The Dānasāgara in its introductory verses (11-12 on pp 2-3) mentions both Vāyavīya and Śaiva separately. In the verses of the Kālikā-purāṇa quoted by Hemādri on dāna I. p 531, Śiva, Kālikā, Saura and Vahnīja (Āgneya, the genuine one) are included among eighteen principal Purāṇas. On the whole I agree with Dr. A D. Pusalkar¹³⁵³ that it is the Vāyu that is entitled to be regarded as one of the 18 principal Purāṇas and not the Śivapurāṇa Al-beruni in his work on India (composed in 1030 A. D.) sets out one list of Purānas as read out to him from Visnupurāna, which is the same as set out below, except this that the Śaiva-purāna is put in the 4th place instead of Vāyu (Sachau's tr. vol I. p. 131, ed. of 1888) It is clear, therefore, that the list of 18 principal Purānas had been completed long before 1000 A. D. and was introduced in the Visnupurāna many years before that date. Al-beruni furnishes (*ibid* p. 130) another list of the names of 18 Purānas which he had heard, viz. Ādi, Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Narasimha, Vāmana, Vāyu, Nanda, Skanda, Āditya, Soma, Sāmba, Brahmānda, Mārkandeya, Tārksya (i. e. Garuda), Visnu, Brahma, Bhavisya It should be noticed that in this list Vāyu is included (and not Śaiva), that some purānas described in other works as Upapurānas are included (viz Ādi, Narasimha, Nanda, Āditya, Soma and Sāmba) and some works almost unanimously declared to be Mahāpurānas (such as Padma, Bhāgavata, Nārada, Agni, Linga and Brahmavaivarta) are omitted. It follows that some upapurānas such as Ādi, Narasimha, Āditya, Sāmba, Nanda (Nandī?) had been composed at least some time before 1000 A. D. Bālambhatta (latter half of 18th century A. D.) states in his commentary on the Mitāksarā (on Yāj. I. 3) that the Vāyavīya-purāna is also called Śaiva.