History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.285

v7.c91.285

It should not be supposed that the Purāṇas are restricted to topics called religious in popular parlance and to the five characteristic topics of creation, re-creation (*sarga*, *pratīsarga* &c.) Some of the Purāṇas contain an exhaustive treatment of the duties of kings, ministers, commander-in-chief, judge, envoy scribes, court physician and of coronation, invasion &c Many of these matters have already been dealt with in vol. III. of the H. of Dh. The most exhaustive treatment of what may be called political matters is found in Matsya chap. 215-226 and 240, Agni 218-242, Viṣṇudharmottara II, chap. 2-7, 18-21, 24-26, 28, 61-63, 66-72, 145-152, 177. Among other Purāṇas Garuḍa I 108-115, Mārkaṇḍeya 24 (in Venk. ed, or 27 in Banerji's ed ), Kālikā 87 contain some discussion of matters political. It should be noticed that both Matsya (240. 2) and Agni (228. 1) employ the two technical words, 'Ākranda' and 'Pārsṇigrāha' that are part of the theory of Maṇḍala in Kauṭilya (VI 2 p 260) explained in H. of Dh. vol. III p. 222. The Matsyapurāṇa is profusely quoted by one of the earliest extant digests on Dharmaśāstra viz. the Kṛtyakalpataru on Rājadhārma (pp. 23, 25-30, 34-38, 42-43, 55-61, 118-122, 123-124, 158-161 and many verses from chap 227 and 241 of the Matsya on the administration of justice in Vyavahārakāṇḍa pp. 342, 345, 348, 377, 406, 409-10, 562, 581, 594-95, 599). The same digest quotes many verses (pp. 9-13, 128, 166, 178-181) from the Brahmapurāṇa which are not found in the printed Brahma (Ānan. ed.), but which are quoted by the Rājanītiprakāśa of Mitramiśra (borrowing from Kṛtyakalpataru) pp. 138, 158, 283, 416-419 and some by the Rājadharmakaustubha of Anantadeva (pp. 326-330) The Viṣṇudharmottara on rājadharma is not quoted in the Kṛtyakalpataru on rājadharma, but it is frequently quoted by the Rājanītiprakāśa e. g. Vi. Dh. II. 18. 1, 5-14 are quoted by R. N. P. on pp. 32-33, Vi. Dh. II. 18. 2-4 are quoted by R N. P. p. 61, Vi. Dh. II. 22. 1-185 are quoted by R. N. P. pp. 66-81 (on mantras to be recited and the several divinities to be invoked at a king's coronation), Vi. Dh. II. 23. 1-13 are quoted by R. N. P. on pp. 82-83 (describing the rewards of the mantras recited in Vi. Dh. II. 22). Vi. Dh. is quoted 21 times by the Rājadharma-kaustubha. These three Purāṇas alone (Matsya, Agni, Viṣṇudharmottara) devote several thousand verses to the topic of rāja-dharma and allied matters. The Garuḍa-purāṇa (I. 108-115) devotes about four hundred verses to Rājanīti (political thought) but many of them are like subhāṣitas (*bon mots*) and are borrowed from Manu (e. g. Garuḍa I. 109. 1 and 52, 110. 7, 115. 63 are respectively Manu VII. 213, VIII. 26, II. 239, IX. 3), the Mahābhārata, the Nāradasmṛti (e. g. 'na sā sabhā' in Garuḍa 115. 52 is Nārada III. 18). The Garuḍa itself states that it will expound the essence of nīti (Rājadhārma) based upon Artha- *śāstra*¹⁶³² and the like; while the colophons at the end of chapters 108-114 aver that they contain the Nītisāra promulgated by Bṛhaspati. One verse is almost the same as the Introductory verse 5 of Bāṇa's Kādambarī¹⁶³³ and I am disposed to hold that it is the Garuḍa that is the borrower.