History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.281

v7.c91.281

Descriptions of each of the ten well-known avatāras occur in several Purāṇas; for example, Matsya avatāra is described in Matsya chap. 1-2, Agni 2, Narasiṁha 37, Kūrma in Agni 3, Bhāgavata I 3 16, VIII 7-8-10, Narasiṁha 38, Varāha in Matsya 247-248, Vāyu 6 11-26, Bhāgavata III. 13. 18-45, III. 19. 25-30, Narasiṁha 39; Narasiṁha avatāra in Brahma 58. 12 ff, 213. 43 ff, Matsya 161-163, Bhāgavata I 3. 18, VII. 8. 18, Narasiṁha-purāṇa 41-44, Vāmana in Brahma 73 and 213 80-185, Vāyu 98, 74-87, Vāmanapurāṇa 78 51, Bhāgavata VIII. 18. 12 to VIII. 22. 33, Narasiṁha 45; Paraśurāma in Matsya 244-246, Bhāgavata IX. 15 13, IX. 16. 1-26 and vide above pp. 89-90 and note 204; Rāma in Brahma 176, Agni 5-11 (the seven *kāṇḍas* of the Rāmāyaṇa are summarised), Vāyu 88. 183-198, Bhāg. IX. 10-11, Padma IV. 1-68, Narasiṁha 47-52, Kṛṣṇa in Brahma 14-17, 180-212, Agni 12-15, Bhāg X. 3, 44-45, 50-52 &c., XI. 1 and 30, Narasiṁha 53; Buddha in Brahma 180. 27-39, Agni 16. 1-3, Varāha 180. 27-29, 213 32 ff., Padma VI. 31. 13-15, Bhāg I. 3. 24, Kalkin—Vide H. of Dh. III. pp. 923-925 for references. The avatāras and their *jayantīs* are described in many Dharmaśāstra works, but the Todarānanda, vol. I. edited by Dr P. L. Vaidya in the Ganga Oriental Series probably contains the longest account of the ten avatāras (pp. 39-386) Thousands of verses are devoted by the Purāṇas to each of the topics of *dāna* (gifts), *śrāddha*, *tīrtha* and *vrata* and they have been quoted at length by works on Dharmaśāstra It would be