History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.25

v7.c91.25

The Purāṇas adopt, in spite of the claims made by them here and there about their priority to the Vedas, about their own value and efficacy, the same attitude towards the Veda as the Upanisads do. They treat the Vedas as authoritative and enjoin the employment of Vedic mantras in many rites. The author contributed a paper to the Dr. Kunhan Raja Presentation volume pp. 5–8 on the ‘Vedic mantras and legends employed in Purāṇas’ citing illustrations from the Brahmapurāṇa. A few illustrations from other Purāṇas may be set out here. The Matsyapurāṇa (chap. 93) when describing the procedure of the *homa* to the nine planets prescribes nine Vedic mantras, five of which are different from those provided by Yāj. (I. 300–301). Vide p. 750 above for a comparative table of the two sets of mantras. In the Udvāhatattva¹⁴⁶⁵ Raghunandana remarks that the mantras ‘ā kṛṣṇena’ and others are common to persons following the four Vedas and that Bhavadevabhaṭṭa held the same view. Matsya prescribes that when inauspicious birds (like an owl) or animals cry near a house or enter it, a homa should be performed, or five brāhmaṇas should engage in a japa¹⁴⁶⁶ of the hymn beginning with ‘Devāḥ kapota’ (Ṛg. X. 165. 1–5). In describing the whole procedure of the establishment of images of gods or the *liṅga* (of Śiva), the Matsya (chapter 265) prescribes numerous Vedic verses and hymns for the different parts of the ceremony. For example, for bringing about the purification of the image four mantras are prescribed viz. Ṛg. VII. 49. 1–3 and X. 9. 1; in providing for the placing of a jar full of water near the head of the bed on which the image is to be placed, two mantras ‘Āpo devī’ (Vāj S. 12. 35, Tai. S. IV. 2 32) and ‘āpo asmān mātaraḥ’ (Ṛg. X. 17. 10) are to be recited. Matsya (265. 24–29) prescribes for the japa of several *sūktas* (hymns) by four door-keepers learned in the Vedas that are to stand in the four main directions. The Agnipurāṇa (41. 6–8) providing for the laying down of baked bricks or stones in building a temple prescribes the recital of many Vedic mantras, viz. Ṛg. X. 9. 1–3, Ṛg. X. 9. 4, Ṛg. IX. 58. 1–4, Pāvamānī verses (either Ṛg. IX. 1. 1–10 or verses from Ṛg. IX), Ṛg. I. 24. 15, Ṛg. IV. 31. 1, Vāj S. IV. 36 (Varuṇasya), Ṛg. IV. 40. 5 and the Śrīsūkta (of 29 verses beginning with 'Hiraṇyavarṇām hariṇīm'). The Nāradīya-purāṇa (II. 73. 83-90) contains at end of each of the verses parts of vedic prayer, which occur in Ṛg. VII. 66. 16, Tai. Ār. IV. 4. 2-5 and Vāj. S. 36. 24; Bhāgavata I. 2. 21 (*bhidyate &c.*) is taken from Muṇḍaka Up. II. 2. 8.