History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c94.109

v7.c94.109

Vide Bhāgavatapurāṇa III. 26. The Varāhapurāṇa (B. I. ed. of 1893) narrates the story of king Aśvaśiras to whom Kapila and Jaigīṣavya (the prince of Yogins) came after he had performed the avabhṛtha bath and was surrounded by brāhmaṇas and who asked them how the highest Nārāyaṇa was to be worshipped, when the two told him that they were themselves Nārāyaṇa. On his doubting these words of theirs Kapila assumed the form of Viṣṇu and Jaigīṣavya of Garuḍa and after other similar wonders, the king requested that his doubt whether Mokṣa is attained by him who follows karmamārga or jñānamārga be resolved. The same Purāṇa in chap. 25 (verses 1-5) declares that *avyakta*, the first tattva, made up of three (guṇas) arose from the highest Puruṣa, from the union of the two ahaṅkāra was produced also called mahat, that Puruṣa is named Viṣṇu or Śiva while avyakta is called Umā, Devī or Śrī and Guha (Kārtikeya) is ahaṅkāra. The Bhāgavatapurāṇa (I. 3. 10) mentions Kapila as the fifth avatāra of Viṣṇu (vide above p. 1373) and (in X. 8. 37-38) states that when Yaśodā asked the child Kṛṣṇa to open his mouth she saw inside the mouth the whole world, the five elements, the indriyas, mind, mātrās and the three guṇas. Even great poets like Kālidāsa and Bāṇa are fond of utilising Sāṅkhya doctrines and terminology. For example, vide Kumārasambhava II. 4 (Guṇatrayavibhāgāya &c.), Raghuvaṁśa X. 38 (aṅgināṁ tamasevobhau guṇau prathamamadhya-mau), Raghuvaṁśa VIII. 21 (Raghurapyajayad-guṇa-trayaṁ prakṛtistham &c.); Kādambarī, very first verse (rajojuṣe janmani...triguṇātmane namaḥ).