History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.151

v7.c91.151

¹⁵⁴⁸ वेदविप्रतिषेधश्च भवति। चतुर्षु वेदेषु परं श्रेयोऽलब्ध्वा शाण्डिल्य इदं शास्त्रमधिगतवानित्यादिवेदनिन्दादर्शनात् । शाङ्करभाष्य on वेदान्तसूत्र II. 2. 45. शङ्कराचार्य begins 'तत्र भागवता मन्यन्ते, (on ब्रह्मसूत्र II. 2. 42) and under II. 2. 44 he remarks 'न च पञ्चरात्रसिद्धान्तिभिर्वासुदेवादिष्वेकस्मिन् सर्वेषु वा ज्ञानैश्वर्यादितारतम्यकृतः कश्चिद्भेद्योऽभ्युपगम्यते।' It may further he noted that in the Śāntiparva पाञ्चरात्र is called सात्वतधर्म (chap. 348. 34 and 84). बाण in his हर्षचरित (8th उच्छ्वास), while describing the persons professing various religious and philosophical doctrines gathered near the great ācārya Divākara-mitra, separately mentions Bhāgavatas and Pāñcarātrikas 'विटपच्छायासु निष्षण्णै. ...भागवतैर्वर्णिभिः केशलुञ्चनैः कापिलेर्जैनैर्लोकायतिकैः...पौराणिकैः साप्ततन्तवैः शैवैः शाब्दैः पाञ्चरात्रिकैरन्यैश्चात्रै स्वान् स्वान् सिद्धान्तान् शृण्वद्भिः &c.'. What Bāṇa probably means is that भागवत stands for the general cult of bhakti (in the Gītā) and पाञ्चरात्र for one school among भागवतs, that had as its characteristic the doctrine of four vyūhas. This is like ब्राह्मणश्रमणन्याय. The वृद्धहारीतस्मृति (11. 181-192) states that Śāṇḍilya composed a work for performing the worship of Viṣṇu by a non-Vedic procedure, that Viṣṇu cursed him to remain in hell but relented when Śāṇḍilya threw himself on his mercy and reduced the period of hell-residence.