History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c90.90

v7.c90.90

There are seven Purāṇas that contain historical material, viz the ancient dynasties down to the time of the Bhārata war and from the Bhārata war to the downfall of the Andhras and the rise of the Guptas, ¹³⁷⁴ viz Vāyu 99. 250-435, Viṣṇu IV 20. 12 to IV. 24. 44, Brahmāṇḍa III, 74 104-248, Bhāgavata IX. 12. 9-16, IX. 22. 34-49 and XII. 17, Garuḍa 140 and 141. 1-12, Bhaviṣya III. 3 and 4 (this account is practically worthless). Matsya contains the fullest list of Āndhra kings and states (273. 16-17) that 29 Āndhra kings will rule for 460 years, while the Vāyu (99 357-358) states that 30 Andhra kings will rule 1374a for 456 (406?) years Both Vāyu (99 355) and Matsya (373 16) ('Pulovā' in Vāyu) make Puloma as the last king of the Āndhras. Ptolemy who published his 'Geography of India' about 150 A.D. states that Ptolemaios was king of Baithana (Paithana) in his days (vide J.I.H. vol. 22, 1943, at p. 84 in an article on 'Apostles of Kalyan'. So that these historical references to Āndhras must be a good deal later than 150 A.D. Only four Purāṇas viz. Vāyu, Brahmāṇḍa, Bhāgavata and Viṣṇu mention in a general way that kings of the Gupta dynasty will rule along the Ganges up to Prayāga, Sāketa (Ayodhyā) and Magadha, but no names of Gupta kings are specified. The passages referring to the Guptas are rather corrupt.1374b It is argued by Pargiter (in 'Dynasties of the Kali age', p. XII.) and others that Samudragupta was a great conqueror as his Allahabad Praśasti shows (Fleet's 'Gupta Inscriptions' No. 1). Most scholars are agreed that the Gupta dynasty began to rule about 320 A.D. It is argued that, if the reviser or revisers of the Purāṇas had known the brilliant campaigns of Samudragupta they would have named him at least and that therefore the revision of the Vāyu took place between 320-335 A. D.