History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.224

v7.c91.224

The Viṣṇu and Padma do not stand alone in this strange story of Viṣṇu himself or through Rudra teaching false doctrines for deluding the ungodly or those that dissented from or reviled the Vedas. There were other Purāṇas that sing the same tune; for example, the Kūrma-purāṇa indulges in a vendetta against many śāstras and systems in several places. A few passages are set out here. (Devī says) 'the various¹⁶⁰¹ śāstras that are found in this world and are opposed to the Vedas and smṛtis are based on *tamas* (ignorance), viz Kāpāla, Bhairava, Yāmala (a class of Tantra works), Vāma (left-hand practices of a class of Tantras), Ārhata (Jain doctrines), these and others are meant for deluding (persons); I produced these śāstras in another birth for deluding people'; 'therefore in order to protect (people) against those who were beyond the pale of the Vedas and for the destruction of sinners we shall, O Śiva, compose śāstras for deluding them; Rudra being thus advised by Mādhava (Viṣṇu) composed śāstras that delude and Viṣṇu also urged on by Rudra did the same, (they produced the śāstras) called Kāpāla, Nākula,¹⁶⁰² Vāma, Bhairava (early and later), Pāñcarātra, Pāśupata and thousands of others; Śaṅkara came down to the earth, wearing garlands of skull-bones and covered with ashes from a cemetery and wearing profuse matted pair, trying to delude this world and engaged in begging for the benefit of these'; 'One should¹⁶⁰³ not honour even by words *Pāñcarātra* and *Pāśupata* people that are heretics, following prohibited avocations and those who follow left-hand *śākta* practices; when Buddhist mendicants, Nirgranthas, those who study the Pāñcarātra doctrines, Kāpālikas, Pāśupatas and other similar heretics, being bad and deluded, eat the śrāddha food (meant for a deceased person) that śrāddha would be of no use in this world and the next.' For details of some of the heretical sects, vide 'Heretical sects in the Purāṇas' by Śrī Radhakrishna Choudhary in ABORI vol 37 (1956) pp. 234-257.