f ::tet^_ "^^f Vt "^r^^ >y ls ' ( * . )li«» V i^« i'l ■ V mm iii;;';:;;ii>';yy'v mm- 'i .l:'J.' I.'! ];; If '.v.''''-'i /<< ^^ JAM 801925 ^ BLI 135 F8A3 '86 4- V. 5: I J/- W R k S BY THE LATE HORACE IIAYMAN WILSON, M.A., F.R.S., MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY, OF THE ASIATIC SOCIETIES OF CALCUTTA AND PARIS, AND OF THE ORIENTAL SOCIETY OF GERMANY; FOREIGN MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE; MEMBER OF TIIK IMPERIAL ACADEMIES OF ST. PETERSBURGH AND VIENNA, AND OF THE ROYAL ACADEMIES OF MUNICH AND BERLIN; PH.D. BRESLAU ; M. D. MARBURG, ETC.; AND BODEN PROFESSOR OF SANSKRIT IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. VOL. X. FIRST PART. LONDON: TRUBNER & CO., 60, PATKRNOSTER ROW. 1870. • * I ' D THE VISHNU PURANA: A SYSTEM OP HINDU MYTHOLOGY AND TRADITION. TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL SANSKRIT, AND ILLUSTRATED BY NOTES DERIVED CHIEFLY FROM OTHER PURANAS, BT THE LATE H. H. WILSON, M.A., F.R.S., BODKN PliOFESSOK OF SANSKRIT IiN THK LNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, ETC., ETC. EDITED BY FITZEDWARD HALL. VOL. V. FIRST PART. LONDON: TRiJBNEK & (JO., 60, PATERiNOSTER ROW. 1870. The Second Part containing the Index will complete the Vishiiu Purai'ia, VISIINU PURANA. BOOK V. (continued). CHAPTER XVII. Akriira's meditations on Krishna: his arrival atGokula: his delight at seeing Krishna and his brother. xiKRURA, having set off in his quick travelling-car, proceeded to visit Krishna at the pastures* of Nanda; and, as he went along, he congratulated himself on his superior good fortune, in having an opportunity of be- holding a descended portion of the deity. f "Now," thought he, "has my life borne fruit; my night is fol- lowed by the dawn of day: since I shall see the coun- tenance of Vishnu, whose eyes are like the expanded leaf of the lotos. I I shall behold that lotos-eyed aspect § of Vishnu, which, when seen only in imagination, takes away the sins of men. I shall, to-day, behold that glory of glories, II, the mouth of Vishnu,! whence proceeded • Gokula. t Namely, Chakrin, in the original. * Here follows, in the Sanskrit, a stanza left untranslated: ^^ % ^€tji% %% ^^ ^ ^n?i^T fTT: I Sridhara gives this stanza; but Ratnagarbha does not appear, from my MSS. of his commentary, to recognize it. § Literally, "the lotos-eye." II ^"T \in4;;IIH I Variant, preferred by the commentator Ratnagarbha. >irr^^«(Mi, "light of the gods". % The original has Bhagavat. V. 1 2 VISHNU PURANA. the Vedas and all their dependent sciences.* I shall see the sovereign of the world, by whom the world is sustained; f who is worshipped as the best of males,! as the male of sacrifice § in sacrificial rites. I shall see Kesava, who is without beginning or end; by wor- shipping whom with a hundred sacrifices, Indra ob- tained the sovereignty over the gods. That Hari, whose nature is unknown to Brahma, Indra, Rudra, the Aswins, the Vasus, Adityas, and Maruts, will (this day,) touch my body. The soul of all, the knower of all, he who is all, and is present in all, he who is per- manent, undecaying, all-pervading, will converse with me. He, the unborn, who has preserved the world in the various forms of a fish, a tortoise, a boar, a horse, ^ ' The commentator |1 explains this to mean Hayagriva, — or Vishnu with the neck and head of a hoise,— who, it is said, in the Second Book 1 of the Bhagavata, appeared at the end of a great * To render veddnga. f Akkilddhdra. X Purushottama. See Vol. I., p. 16, note X. § Yajna-purusha. See Vol. I., p. 163, note «. II The words of the commentators are, in common, simply ^"5^; | ' ^ ^^ 1 ^1 I But I show, presently, that they must be wrong % The passage referred to is Chapter Vil., 11, where Brahma is the speaker. The original and Burnoufs translation are subjoined: ^■p^ w^^^^^: -g^ffti^ ^^' II "Dans mon sacrifice, Bhagavat lui-meme fut HayaQircha, le male du sacrifice, dont la couleur est celle de Tor, dont les Vedas et les sacri- fices sont la substance, et les divinites Tame; quand il respira, de ses narines sortirent de ravissantes paroles." Professor Wilson's view of the meaning of the stanza just quoted is more than usually imaginative. BOOK v., CHAP. xvir. 3 a lion,* will, this day, speak to me. Now, the lord of the earth, who assumes shapes at will, has taken upon him the condition of humanity, to accomplish some object cherished in his heart. That Ananta, who holds Sacrifice performed by Brahma, and breathed from his nostrils the texts of the Vedas. The fourth Avatara is always, else- where, said to be the Vamana, or dwarf, f III the Bhdgavata-purdf'ia, YIIL, XXIV., 7 , 8 , it is said, that, as Brahma slumbered, the Vedas slipped out of his mouth, and Hayngriva came, and furtively carried them off. Ilari, or Vishnu, it is subsequently stated, at last slew Hayagriva. According to Vol. II., p. 125, Vishnu is worshipped, in Bhadraswa, as Hayasiras, — the Haynsirslia of the verses cited above, and of the B/iaga- vata-purdna , V., XVllI., 1. For A.swa.'iras, as an epithet of Nara- yana, or Vishiui, see the Mahdbhdrata, Sdnti-parvan, il. 13100, &c. With this divinity Professor Wilson has confounded the demon Haya- griva, for whom see Vol. 11., p. 70, note §, and p. 210, note 1. A.swa- griva, mentioned in the Mahdbhdrata, Adl-parvan, ,41 25>!3, is, presumably, identical with the latter, who has a fellow in Aswa.siras, — ibid., si. 2531 and 2646. The passage in Vol.1., Preface, p. LXXXVL, where "Vishnu, as Ha- yagriva" is spoken of, I have not yet been able to verify. In the mean- time, it may pretty safely be surmised that there is a mistake. Hayaf5irsha, Haya.siras, and Aswasiras are, being interpreted, 'Horse- headed'; Hayagriva and Aswagriva, ' Horse -necked. ' In the Sabdakalpadruma, the iirst definition of Hayagriva makes him an epiphany of Vishiiu, for the sake of recovering the Vedas, which had been carried oft" by Madhu and Kait'abha. The passage there quoted— Mahdbhdrata, Sdnti-parvan, U. 13497— 13503,— does not, however, men- tion Hayagriva at all, but Aswasiras. My friend Mr. C. P. Brown informs me, that, in the Madras Presidency, Hayagriva is a not uncommon name for a Brahman to bear. The fact is noteworthy. Hayagrivahan, "Slayer of Hayagriva," is an epithetical designation of Hayasirsha, /. e., Vishnu. * Siihha; which here denotes nri-simha, the commentators say. See Vol IV., p. 277, text and note X- t See Vol. III., p. 18, text and note 1. 1* 4 VISHNU PIJRANA. the earth upon his crest, and who has descended upon earth for its protection, will (this day,) call me by my name. Glory to that being, whose deceptive adoption of father, son, friend, brother, mother, and relative the world is unable to penetrate! Glory to him, who is one with true knowledge, who is inscrutable,* and through whom, seated in his heart, the Yogin crosses the wide expanse of worldly ignorance and illusion! I bow to him, who, by the performers of holy rites, is called the male of sacrifice (Yajnapurusha); by pious worshippers f is termed Vasudeva; and, by the cultivators of philosophy,: Vishnu. May he in whom cause, and effect, and the world itself is compre- hended be propitious to me, through his truth; for always do I put my trust in that unborn, eternal Hari, by meditation on whom man becomes the repository of all good things." § His mind thus animated by devout faith, and medi- tating in this manner, Akrura (proceeded on his road, and) arrived at Gokula a little before sunset, at the time of the milking of the cows.|| And there he saw Krishna, amongst the cattle, dark as the leaf of the * Ameya. t Sdiwata. I Veddnta. g^^R^ f^m ^^Tf^ ^T^ ifT^ II II The original here has "at the milking-place of the cows", "^T^W'T ^r^TB[, I Sridhara's and Ratnagarbha's comment: ■^T^^TI ^I'T^T'T I BOOK v., CHAP. XVII. full-blown lotos; his eyes of the same colour,* and his breast decorated with the Srivatsaf mark; long- armed, and broad-chested; having a high nose,+ and a lovely countenance brightened with mirthful smiles; treading firmly on the ground, with feet whose nails were tinted red ; clad in yellow garments, and adorned with a garland of forest-flowers; § having a fresh- gathered creeper in his hand, |j and a chaplet of white lotos-flowers on his head.t Akrura** also beheld, there, Balabhadra, white as a swan, a jasmine, or the moon, and dressed in blue raiment; having large and powerful arms,ff and a countenance as radiant as a lotos in bloom,— like another Kailasa-mountain, crested with a wreath of clouds. When Akrura saw these two youths, his counte- nance expanded with delight,*! and the down of his body stood erect (with pleasure). For this he thought to be supreme happiness and glory; this, the double manifestation of the divine Vasudeva. §§ This was the twofold gratification of his sight, to behold the creator t See Vol IV., p. 268. II ^Ij^ •ll'?t'?|r(l^tjm^ I Variant, accepted by the commentator Ratna- garbha: %^^^rR^T^ 71^ I ♦♦ Yada-nandana, "descendant of Yadu," in the orginal, ft Add "and shoulders". 6 VISHNU PURANA. of the universe: now he hoped that his bodily form would yield fruit, — as it would bring him in contact with the person of Krishna,*— and that the wearer of infinite forms would place his hand on his back; the touch of whose finger alone is sufficient to dispel sin, and to secure imperishable felicity; that hand which launches the fierce irresistible discus, blazing with all the flames of fire, lightning, and the sun, and, slaugh- tering the demon -host, washes the collyrium from the eyes of their brides; that hand into which Bali poured water, and thence obtained inefikble enjoy- ments below the earth, f and immortality, and do- minion over the gods for a whole Manwantara, without peril from a foe. "Alas! He will despise me for my connexion with Kamsa,— an associate with evil, though not contaminated by it. How vain is his birth, who is shunned by the virtuous! + And yet, what is there, ft ^aTTTcTfT ^Trf^f : I t The original implies that Bali, who had dwelt below the earth, ob- tained, &c. : ***** ^f%W«ft^T- For Bali, — a Daitya, son of Virochana, — successively sovereign of Pa- tala and an Indra, see Vol. II., p. 69, and p. 210, note 1; Vol. III., p. 18, note I, and p. 23. The translation, towards the end of the present chapter, is very free, generally. rj^5*[ fH^T^ Wf^rfr ^: II BOOK v., CHAP. xvn. 7 in this world, unknown to him who resides in the hearts of all men, who is ever existent, exempt from imperfection, the aggregate of the quality of purity, and identical with true knowledge?* With a heart wholly devoted to him, then, I will approach the lord of all lords, the descended portion of Purushottama, of Vishnu, who is without beginning, middle, or end." Some of my MSS. have, instead of -T ^ft-TlM^H. ^^^T«?>M^dH I This variant is noted by the commentator Ratnagarbha, and appears in the text of Sridhara. CHAPTER XVIII. Grief of the Gopis, on the departure of Krishna and Balarama with Akriira: their leaving Gokula. Akriira bathes in the Yamuna; beholds the divine forms of the two youths, and praises Vishnu. THUS meditating, the Yadava approached Govinda, (and addressed him,) and said "1 am Akriira," and bowed his head down to the feet of Hari.* But Krishna laid upon him his hand, which was marked with the flag, the thunderbolt, and the lotos, and drew him (towards him), and affectionately embraced him. Then Ramaf and Kesava entered into conversation with him, and, having heard from him all that had occurred, were much pleased, and led him to their habitation: there they resumed their discourse, and gave him food to eat, and treated him with proper hospitality. + Akriira told them how (their father) Anakadundubhi,§ the princess Devaki, and (even his own father,) Ugra- sena had been insulted by the iniquitous demon, || Kamsa: he also related to them the purpose for which he had been despatched. When he had told them all these things, the destroyer of Kesinll said to him: "I * ^T^ ^^^^ flTT^T IT' I f The original has Bala. § See Vol. IV., p. 101, text and note 1. II Ddnava. % KeH-sudana. Compare the cognate epithet of Kfishiaa, Madhusii- dana, "slayer of Madhu.' BOOK v., CHAP. xvin. 9 was aware of all that you have told me, lord of liberal gifts.* Rama and I will go, to-morrow, to Mathura, along with you. The elders of the cowherds shall ac- company us, bearing ample ofFeriugs.f Rest here to- night, and dismiss all anxiety, t Within three nights I will slay Kaiiisa and his adherents." Having given orders, accordingly, to the cowherds, Akrura, with Kesava and Rama, § retired to rest, and slept soundly in the dwelling of Nanda. The next morning was bright; and the youths prepared to de- part for Mathura, with Akrura. The Gopis, seeing them about to set forth, were much afflicted; they wept bitterly; their bracelets were loose upon their arms; and they thus communed together: || "If Go- vinda depart for Mathin-a, how will he return to Go- kula? His ears will there be regaled with the melo- dious and polished conversation of the women of the city. Accustomed to the language of the graceful females of Mathura, he will never again endure the rustic expressions of the Gopis. Hari, the pride of the station,^ is carried otf; and a fatal blow is inflicted upon us by inexorable destiny. Expressive smiles, soft language, graceful airs, elegant gait, and significant * Here follows a stanza left untranslated: These verses are recognized, in their texts and comments, by both the scholiasts. Furthermore, they are found translated at length in Professor Wilson's Hindu-made English version. f Updyana. § Balabhadra, in the Sanskrit. II The translation is, hereabouts, free and expanded. ^ Goshiha. 10 VISHNU PURANA. glances belong to the women of the city.* Hari is of rustic breeding; and, captivated by their fascinations, what likelihood is there of his returning to the society of any one amongst us?f Kesava, who has mounted the car, to go to Mathura, has been deceived by the cruel, (vile), and desperate Akrura. Does not the un- feeling traitor know the affection that we all here feel for our Hari, the joy of our eyes, that he is taking him away? Unkind that he is, Govinda is departing from us, along with Rama. Haste! Let us stop him. Why talk of telling our seniors that we cannot bear his loss? What can they do for us, when we are consumed by the fires of separation? The Gopas, with Nanda at their head, are, themselves, preparing to depart. No one makes any attempt to detain Govinda. Bright is the morning that succeeds to this night, for the women of Mathura; for the bees of their eyes will feed upon the lotos-face of Achyuta. Happy are they who may go hence without impediment, and behold, enraptured, Krishna on his journey. A great festival will give pleasure, to-day, to the eyes of the inhabitants of Ma- thura, when they see the person of Govinda. t What a blissful vision will be seen by the happy women (of the city), whose brilliant eyes shall regard, unchecked, ^l[fW^f^ TT1?T^: ^t^ g^f^TfWfT?^ II BOOK v., CHAP. XVIII. 11 the countenance of Krishna!* Alas! The eyes of the Gopis have been deprived of sight by the relentless Brahma, f after he had shown them this great treasure. In proportion as the affection of Hari for us decays, so do our limbs wither, and the bracelets slip from our arms.t And now the cruel Akriira urges on the horses. All conspire to treat unhappy females with unkindness. Alas! alas! We see, now, only the dust of his chariot- wheels. And now he is far away ; for even that dust is no longer to be seen." Thus lamented by the women, § Kesava and Rama quitted the dis- trict of Vraja.^ Travelling in a car drawn by fleet horses, they arrived, at noon, at the banks oi the Ya- muna, when Akrura requested them to halt a little, whilst he performed the usual daily ceremonial in the ' In the Bhagavata, Hari Vaiiisa, &c., several adventures of Krishna, during his residence^pt Vraja, are recorded, of which our text makes no mention. Of these, the two most popular are Krishna's taking away the clothes of the Gopis whilst bathing, and his liberating the Gopas from the mouth of Aghasura, i — dis- guised as a vast serpent, — into which they had entered, thinking it a cavern in a mountain. The omission of these two legends, or of any of the rest, is not much to be regretted. * The original has Adhoksbaja, for the signification of which word see Vol. I., p. 28, notet t Vidhatri, in the Sanskrit. Vide infra, p. 15, note ^. II That is to say, Agha the Asura. He was Kamsa's generalissimo; and it seems that little more than this fact is known of him. See the Bhdgavata-purdna, X., Prior Section, Chapter XII. 1 2 VISHNU PURANA. river/* Accordingly, the intelligent Akrura bathed, and rinsed his mouth; and then, entering the stream, he stood meditating upon the supreme being, f But he beheld (mentally,^) Balabhadra, having a thousand hooded heads, a garland of jasmine-flowers, and large red eyes,: attended by Vasuki,§ Rambha,|| and other mighty serpents,! praised by the Gandharvas, deco- rated with wild flowers, wearing dark-coloured gar- ments, crowned with a chaplet** of lotoses, ornamented with brilliant ear-rings, inebriate, and standing at the bottom of the river, in the water. ^ On his lap he also ' The noonday prayer, or Sandhya. ^ By his Dhyana, or force of meditation, in which it is at- tempted to bring before the mind's eye some definite form of the object of adoration. In this case, Akrura is compelled to see a form he did not anticipate. The Hari Variisa, f f very clumsily, sets him to meditate upon the serpent Sesha, which spoils the story; intended, as that is, to exhibit the identity of Balarama and Krishna with the Supreme. ^ Balarama was, thus, visible in his real character of Sesha, tt — the chief of serpents, the couch of Vishnu, and supporter of the world. The Yamuna is here called Kalindi. t To translate Brahma. § See Vol. II., p. 74. II See Vol. II., p. 287, note «. The conjecture which I there ventured thus turns out to be correct. ^ Pavandiin. ** Avatamsaka. tt Chapter XCIII. :: See Vol n., pp. 74 and 85, and p. 211, note 1 ; also, Vol.111., pp. 30, 31. BOOK v., CHAP. XVIII. 13 beheld, at his ease,* Krishna, of the complexion of a cloud, ^ with full and coppery eyes, having an elegant form, and four hands, armed with the discus and other weapons, wearing yellow clothes, decorated with many- coloured flowers, and appearing like a cloud embel- lished with streams of lightning and the bow of Indra.f His breast was marked with the celestial sign;* his arms were radiant with bracelets; a diadem shone on his brow;§ and he wore a white lotos for his crest. || He was attended by SanandanalT and other holy sages, who, fixing their eyes upon the tips of their noses, were absorbed in profound meditation.** Wlien Akriira beheld Balaramaf f and Krishna in this situation, he was much amazed, and wondered how they could so quickly have got there from the chariot. He wished to ask them this; but Janardana deprived him of the faculty of speech, at the moment. Ascend- ing, then, from the water, he repaired to the car; and there he found them both, (quietly) seated, in the same human persons as before. Plunging, again, into the water, there he again beheld them, hymned, as before, ' Or, rather, he beheld Ghanasyama, — an appellation of Krishna, who is so called from being as black (syama) as a cloud (ghana). * Aklisht'a, t Sakra, in the original. * To render irivatsa. Vide supra, p. 5. II Avatainsaka. ^ See Vol. II., p. 226; and p. 227, note 1. tt The Sanskrit has Bala. 14 VISHNU PURANA. by the Gandharvas, saints,* sages, f and serpents. Apprehending, therefore, their real character, he thus eulogized the eternal deity, who consists of true knowledge:* "Salutation to thee, who art uniform and manifold, all-pervading, supreme spirit, of inconceivable glory, and who art simple existence !§ Salutation to thee, inscrutable, who art truth, and the essence of obla- tions! j| Salutation to thee. lord, whose nature is unknown, who art beyond primeval matter, who existest in five forms,! as one with the elements, with the faculties,"* with matter, with the living soul, with supreme spirit Iff Show favour (to me), soul of the universe, essence of all things, perishable or eternal, whether addressed by the designation of Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, or the like. I adore thee, god,^ whose nature is indescribable, whose purposes are in- scrutable, whose name, even, is unknown; §§ for the at- * Muni. t Siddha. II Havis. ^ See Vol. I., p. 2, note 1, where this passage is referred to and en- larged on. ** Indriya. ft Atman and paramdtman. The first is the same as jivdtman. See Vol. IV.. p. 253, note «. XX Parameswara. §§ ^•TT'^'^^lf^^TT I Abhidhdna here takes the place of the more ordinary ndman, the term rendered "appellation", just below. See Vol. IV., p. 346, supplement to p. 267, note *. BOOK v., CHAP. xvm. 15 tributes of appellation or kind* are not applicable to to thee, who art that/ the supreme Brahuia, eternal, unchangeable, uncreated. f But, as the accomplish- ment of our objects cannot be attained except thi-ough some specific form,t thou art termed, by us, Krishna, Achyuta, Ananta, or Vishnu. § Thou, unborn (divinity), art all the objects of these impersonations: thou art the gods, and all otlier beings; thou art the whole w^orld; thou art all. Soul of the universe, thou art exempt from change; and there is nothing except thee in all this existence. Thou art Brahma, Pasupati, Ar- yaman,j| Dhatri, and Vidhatri;1I thou art Indra,** air, fire, the regent of the waters, ff the god of wealth,:: and judge of the dead;§§ and thou, although but one, pre- sidest over the world, with various energies addressed to various purposes. Thou, identical with the solar ray, createst the universe; all elementary substance is ^ Tad, 'that'; all that is, or that can be conceived. * It should seem, from a collation of passages, that jdti, the expres- sion here used, is synonymous with riipa. Do ndman and jdti signify 'genus' and 'species'? See Vol. II., p. 328, text and note :; and p. 337, supplementary note to p. 59, 1. 8. t Aja. : ^5^^^^ I II Corrected from "Aryaman". ^ Dhatri and Vidhatri are said to be Brahma as protector and creator. See Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.1., p. 191. In lieu of Dhatri, some MSS. yield Vishnu. ♦* To represent (ridasapati, 'lord of the gods.' ft Toyesa\ Varuua, to-wit. :: D/iana-pati ; namely, Kubera. §§ The original yields Antaka, who is one with Yama. See Vol. II., p. 216, note 1. 16 VISHNU PURANA. composed of thy qualities; and thy supreme form is denoted by the imperishable term sat (existence). To him who is one with true knowledge; who is, and is not, perceptible, * I bow. Glory be to him, the lord Vasudeva, to Sankarshana, to Pradyumna, and to Ani- ruddha!"^ ' Akrura's piety is, here, prophetic: the son and grandson of Krishna (see Vol. IV., p. 112,) are not yet born. But this is the Vaishnava style of addressing Krishna, or Vishnu, as identical with four Vyiihas, — 'arrangements' or 'dispositions', — Krishna, Balarama, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. f See the Asiatic Re- searches, Vol. XVI., p. 35.+ In this, as in several other places, the Vishnu Puraria differs from some of the other narratives of Krishna, by the length and character of the prayers addressed to Vishnu. The Hari Vaiiisa. for instance, here has no prayer or panegyric at all; the Bhagavata inserts one. * Sat and asat, 'real' and 'unreal'. t Ratnagarbha, one of the commentators on the Vishnu-purdna, refers, to a similar purport, to the Mahdbhdrata. The passage intended is, apparently, in the Sdnti-parvan, — M. 12888, et seq. X Or Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., p. 45. CHAPTER XIX. Akn'ira conveys Krishna and Rama near to Mathura, and leaves them : they enter the town. Insolence of Kan'isa's washerman : Krishna kills him. Civility of a flower-seller : Krishna gives him his benediction. THUS, the Yadava (Akrura), standing in the river, praised Krislina, and worshipped him with imaginary* incense and flowers. Disregarding (all) other objects, he fixed his (whole) mind upon the deity; and, having continued, for a long time, in spiritual contemplation, f he (at last,) desisted from his abstraction , conceiving he had effected the purposes of soul.t Coming up from the water of the Yamuna, he went to the car; and there he beheld Rama and Krishna, seated as before. As his looks denoted surprise, Krishna said to him: "Surely, Akrura, you have seen some marvel in the stream of the Yamuna; for your eyes are staring, as if with astonishment." Akrura replied: "The marvel that I have seen in the stream of the Yamuna I behold before me, even here, in a bodily shape; for he whom I have encountered in the water, Krishna, is, also, your wondrous self, of whose illustrious person the whole world is the miraculous development. § But * Mano-maya. t Braluna-hhvta. This is in the same stanza with what immediately follows, and should have been connected with it, in the translation. V. 2 18 VISHNU PUR AN A. enough of this. Let us proceed to Mathura. I am afraid Kaiiisa will be angry at our delay: such is the wretched consequence of eating the bread of another."* Thus speaking, he urged on the quick f horses; and they arrived, after sunset, at Mathura. When they came in sight of the city, Akriira said to Krishna and Rama: "You must now journey on foot, whilst I pro- ceed alone in the car.+ And you must not go to the liouse of Vasudeva; for the elder has been banished, by Kaiiisa, on your account." Akrura, having thus spoken, left them, and entered the city; whilst Rama and Krishna continued to walk along the royal road. Regarded, with pleasure, by men and women, they went along sportively, looking like two young elephants. As they roamed about, they saw a washerman § colouring clothes; and, with smiling countenances, they went and threw down some of his fine linen. || The washerman w^as the servant of Kaiiisa, made insolent by his master's fa- voiu';t and he provoked the two lads with loud and •j- Vdta-Tamhas. § Rajaka. From the context the word seems to denote a dyer. II ^^%fTt f^^Tfw ^^J^jf^ ^f^TT'i'ft I The lads did not "throw down some of his fine linen", but asked bini for it. '^f^TlfW ff^ i* ^^^ reading preferred by the commentator Ratna- garbha; ''^f^'^^T'T'^^ that accepted by Sridhara: and neither of them mentions that of the other. H ^^^ T^W. ^^^ l?^T^T^^f^^^: I Instead of IT^T^T*, f^oiiK* MSS. have TTHT^To. BOOK v., CHAP. XIX. 19 scurrilous abuse, until Krishna struck him down, with his head to the ground, and killed him. Then, taking the clothes, they went their way, clad in yellow and blue raiment, until they came to a flower-seller's shop. The flower-seller looked at them with astonishment, and wondered who they could be, or whence they could have come. Seeing two youths so lovely, dressed in yellow and blue garments, he imagined them to be divinities descended upon earth. Being addressed by them with mouths budding like lotoses, and asked for some flowers, he placed his hands upon the ground^ and touched it with his head, saying: "My lords have shown me great kindness, in coming to my house,* — fortunate that I am. I will pay them homage." Having thus spoken, the flower-seller, with a smiling aspect, gave them whatever choice flowers they selected, to conciliate their favour. Repeatedly prostrating f him- self before them, he presented them with flowers, beautiful, fragrant, and fresh. + Krishna, then, being much pleased with him, gave him this blessing: "Foi-- tune, good friend, who depends upon me, shall never forsake you. Never shall you suffer loss of vigour or loss of wealth. As long as time shall last, your descend- ants shall not fail. § Having long tasted various de- t 3?l!I^, which implies nothing more than a respectful inclination of the head and uplifting of the hands. * Amala. This lection, Ratnagarbha's, is the one followed hy the Translator. Sridharas and that of nearly all my best MSS. begins the verse with the words ^^"t^^T^ I 2* 20 ' VISHNU PURANA. lights (on earth), you shall, finally, obtain, by calling me to recollection, a heavenly region, the consequence of my favour. Your heart shall ever be intent on righteousness; and fulness of days shall be the portion of your posterity. Your descendants shall not be sub- ject to natural infirmities, as long as the sun shall en- dure."* Having thus spoken, Krishna and Rama,f worshipped by the flower-seller, went forth from his dwelUng. ^ ' These incidents are told, with some unimportant difll'erences, in the other accounts of Krishna's youth. ^ITTT^^frT *Tf THT1 ^T^f^l^f ^fT^fTT t Baladevii, in the orij)iiial. CHAPTER XX. Krishna ami KalaniiiiH meet Kubja; she is nuuh' straiglit liy thf former: they proceed to the palace. Krishna breaks a bow- intended for a trial of arms. Kamsa's orders to his servants. Public games. Krishna and his brother enter the arena : the former wrestles with Chaniira, the latter, with Mushtika, the king's wrestlers, who are, both, killed. Krishna attacks and slays Kamsa: he and Balarama do homage to Vasudeva and Devaki: the former praises Krishna. AS they proceeded along the high road, they saw comhig (towards them) a young gh'l, who was crooked? carrying a pot of unguent. Krishna addressed her sportively, and said: "For whom are you carrying that unguent? Tell me, lovely maiden;* tell me truly." Spoken to as it were through affection, Kul^a,t well disposed towards Hari, replied to him also mirthfully, being smitten by his appearance: "Know you not, be- loved, that I am the servant of Kaihsa, and appointed, crooked as I am, to prepare his perfumes?: Unguent ground by any other he does not approve of: hence I am enriched through his liberal rewards." Then said Krishna: "Fair-faced damsel, give us of this unguent,— * Indivara-lochand. t No proper name, here and near the top of the next page, but "the deformed girl". The word kubjd is rendered "crooked", above. The name of the damsel, we are thus told, was Naikavakra. In the Bhdyavata-fjurdna, X., Prior Section, XLIL, 3, her nauio appears as Trivakra. She was so called, the commentator Sridhara remarks, be- cause triply deformed,— namely, in the neck, in the chest, and in the ■waist. 22 VISHNU PURANA. fragrant, and fit for kings, — as much as we may rub upon our bodies." "Take it," answered Kubja. x4nd she gave them as much of the unguent as was suf- ficient for their persons. And they rubbed it on va- rious parts of their faces and bodies,^ till they'"^' looked like two clouds, one white and one black, decorated by the many-tinted bow of Indra. Then Krishna, f skilled in the curative art, took hold of her, under the chin, with the thumb and two fingers, and lifted up her head, whilst, with his feet, he pressed down her feet; and, in this way, he made her straight. When she was thus relieved from her deformity, she was a most beautiful woman;: and, filled with gratitude and affection, she took Govinda by the garment, and invited him to her house. Promising to come at some other time, Krishna § smilingly dismissed her, and then ' They had their bodies smeared in the style called Bha- ktichchheda (^fW'^^T^f^'HT^) ; that is, witli the separating or distinguishing (chheda) marks ofVaishriava devotion (bhakti), — certain streaks on the forehead, nose, cheeks, breast, and arms, which denote a follower of Vishnu. See the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XVI., p. 33. II * The original here gives thein the epithet purusharshahha. t Sauri, in the Sanskrit. See the original in the next annotation. ^^7^^ fft^r^nT're ir^-^»ir^MTfi!pTT ii For some of the additions to the literal sense of the original, the Translator has drawn on Sridhara. § The Sanskrit has Hari. II OrProfessor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., p. 41. BOOK v., CHAP. XX. 23 laughed aloud, on beholding the countenance of Bala- deva.^* Dressed in blue and yellow garments, and anointed with fragrant unguents, f Kesava and Kama proceeded to the hall of arms, which was hung round with gar- lands.* Inquiring of the warders which bow he was to try, and being directed to it, he took it and bent it. § But, drawing it with violence, he snapped it in two; ^ and all Mathura resounded with the noise which its fracture occasioned. Abused by the warders for breaking the bow, Krishna and Rama retorted, and de- fied them, and left the hall. |j When Kamsa knew that Akrura had returned, and heard that the bow had been broken, he thus said to Chanura and Mushtika, (his boxers): "Two youths, cowherd boys, have arrived. You must kill them both, in a trial of strength, If in my presence ; for they prac- ' The story is similarly told in the Bhagavata, &c. ' The bending or breaking of a bow is a favourite incident in Hindu heroic poetry ; borrowed, no doubt, from the Rama- yaiia, where, however, it has an object: here it is quite gratuitous. * Rama, in the original. t HfW^I^ I H HjI HT^^ I See note 1 in the preceding page. I According to the original, in all my MSS., &c., the youths, not the hall, were thus adorned. Instead of ^TiTt'l ^> the lection of Sridhara, Ratnagarbha has tSU^TT^, and says that we here have the name of the bow, Ayogava. The commentators mention and explain other readings; and my MSS. supply still more. ^ Malla-yuddha. See note ^ in p. 39, infra. 24 VISHNU PURANA. tise against my life. I shall be well pleased if you kill them in the match, and will give you whatever you wish; not else. These two foes of mine must be killed by you, fairly or unfairly. The kingdom shall be ours in common, when they have perished." Having given them these orders, he sent, next, for his elephant- driver, and desired him to station his (great) elephant, Kuvalayapida,— who was as vast as a cloud charged with rain,~near the gate of the arena, and drive him upon the two boys, when they should attempt to enter. * When Kaihsa had issued these commands, and ascertained that the platforms were all ready (for the spectators), he aw^aited the rising of the sun, uncon- scious of impending death, f In the morning, the citizens assembled on the plat- forms set apart for them; and the princes, with the ministers and courtiers, + occupied the royal seats. Near the centre of the circle, judges of the games § were stationed by Kamsa, whilst he himself sat apart, close by, upon a lofty throne. Separate platforms were erected for the ladies of the palace, |i for the Instead of ^^®, there occurs, as a common variant, the lection accepted by Sridhara, ?T>J^ j This, mistaken for ^^*, with the supposition that t^T^T ''^•T'S misread w<*«./«, is here used to translate mada, the ichor which exudes from the temples of a rutting elephant. Mant is an adjective, signifying 'i)riiud', 'in rut'. t Nilakai'it'ha and Arjuna Misia. To the scantlings of scholia, adduced in the following pages, that are taken from the former, I have annexed his name. The remaining ehicidations which Professor Wilson indicates to be comuientatoiial are derived from the latter. 30 VISHNU PURANA. driver, they had slain, and armed with his tusks, Ba- labhadra and Janardana confidently* entered the arena, theatre, or covered edifice. If a building at all, it was merely a sort of stockade. One commentator f calls it "a place made for seeing the sacrifice": V^^^^'^WT^ Ifff ^T'T^ I C) Mancha- nam avalokakah (TT^T«TT'T°rWtcfi^:)- The Mancha is commonly understood to signify a raised platform, with a floor and a roof, ascended by a ladder: see Dictionary. (^) Mancha- vata (^R^^TZ)- Vtita is either 'site' or 'inclosure,' and is used, here, without much affecting the sense of Mancha. The compound is explained, by the commentators, t 'prepared places' (Tl^f^ffWFr^r:), or 'the sites of the platforms' (Trg^g^;R^:). (^)The Srei'iis (^iq^^t), as- sociations of artificers practising the same art. One of the com- mentaries understands the term to be here used to denote, not their station, but their labours: "The structure was the work of the artificers" ("JT'^^ ^T'^Tt'l 1^)- (^) Several words occur, here, of technical import. The passage is: Valabhi is said, by the commentator, to mean a structure with a pent roof, supported by six columns; Kuti, a circular one, having seven roofs (something, perhaps, like a Chinese pagoda,) and four columns. The Eka-stambha is a chamber, supported by one column: ^^nftfVl^^^rfr ^^r^W^^Tf^TW^f^^ ^Z'WTf^: I ^Tttif^ "Rf ^Tf*f: W\2W, ^H^f^^g^^: ill (") Saranirvyiiha f Nilakant'ha. I The ensuing definitions I find in Arjuna Misra only. § Some MSS. begin this line with "^tITT'TTT** • II What is meant, here, as the first sentence is from Nilakai'it'ha, who therein explains, first, ^^f^f^fi^: , and then l^^fif; , which he reads instead of eR'J^'fiTI . Tlie rest of the Sanskrit, giving a definition of the latter term, is, perhaps, altered from the same commentator. BOOK v., CHAP. XX. 31 like two lions amidst (a herd of) deer. Exclamations of pity arose from all the spectators, along with ex- (^Tf'T^^^)* It is difficult to understand the necessity of rafters in an inclosure in wliicin the phitfornis and stages seem (o liavc been erected independently of any Hoor or wall; hut the coni- nientaryf explains Nirvyuha, "strong brackets, projecting from a house : " ^^f^^f ?^ ^TI^nTT ^fTfW^rT^H\<^M I fur ^ER | (') Aslishta-suslishla-niancharohai'iam. Tiie lirsl e[)ithel is ex- plained, 'not contracted' ( ^SI^i^fT^rTJ^) ; t the second, 'well con- structed' (^T^'^f^rlJi;) ; and. for the 'ascending" (Aroliana), we have 5^'CTT«T''rf^'^'^ 'where was a line of steps' or 'ladders'. There is another reading of the text, however, whicli may be rendered: "Having steps well securi'd in their a.scent above" (^^^T!r^'?T^§ TWT^^^Pl)- (')' Seats for kings' (^T?T^- •Tlf^ )• (') Such is the literal purport of Sanchara-patlia-saidvula (^FT^TT^^^^r^) ; i'"plyi"g? possibly, the fornialion of passages by fences on either side. ('°) This is doubtful. The phrase is (H^^ rT^'fe^Tf^^O Chhannam tad-vedikabhili. Chhanna means, literally, 'covered,' and can scarcely be used in the sense of 'overspread' or 'filled with.' Vedika means an elevated Hoor or terrace, with which a hall or edifice cannot well be 'covered', and, therefore, requires the sense here given to Chhanna. The commentators are silent. (") The Manchavatas and Valabhis, as above. The other term is Vithi, 'a shop,' 'a stall,' 'a terrace,' 'a road.' ('-)Let them be Vapushmantali (^j'CfT.fT:), "having painted or sculptured figures" (f^"=?^"^^f^g^TO- ^ Tl'f^ other * I have altered, here and below, "7iiryyulta'\ ami the same form ia Sanskrit. ^li^f^^W '!? a variant, f Nilakai'it'ha'.s. I Nilakai'it'ha's explanation of ^Slf^R^ I § ^^^^r^WTfWH— t'le reading- ni Arjiiua Misia,— luul '^^^TfjPS'S- Wf^'g are fuiliier variants that 1 tiuci. II See the original, at the foot of p. 26, supra. ^ Niiakai'itha. 32 VISHNU PURANA. pressions of astonishment. "This, then," said the people, "is Krishna. This is Balabhadra. This is he commentary renders it merely 'pleasant' or 'agreeable' (^^Ijft"^:). ('^) 'Covered above with cloths' (■^^•ft'jftTTT'^'^')- '^he use of the awning or Shamiyana is very common in India. ('^)For the wrestlers to rub over their bodies, to absorb the perspiration (*TWr^t ^^T^^T^^T^Ji:)- ('^) This is, all, rather questionable. The passage is, most usually: Vali, or Bali, in one sense, means 'the edge of a thatch,' and may be put for some sort of temporary structure, — a kind of re- tiring or refreshment-room for the boxers and wrestlers. In some copies, it is read XTZT^T^IT^iTTI, "beautiful with cloths spread," on which the performers may sit, when disengaged; perhaps, a sort of carpet on the ground. ("^) The expression iS, again, Vali (^^Jf^'^'Refi^Rl'ffT^)- Another sense of the word is "offering of viands, or of the remains of a sacrifice, to all beings;"* but that cannot be its purport here: nor is it ever used in the sense of viands in general. The verb Kalp or Klip also usually implies 'making'. ('^)Manchavata;f 'in the Samaja' or 'assembly'. ('") Maharanga (^^TT^)' "^^^ great place of the performance." Ranga is 'acting' or 'representation'; also, the place or site of it. ('")A11 the copies consulted, except one, offer an irregularity of construction, which, although defended by the commentators, is a license scarcely allowable. The epithets of the first verse are, all, in the plural number; they then occur in the singular, to agree with the only substantive in the description, Samajavata. According to the commentaries, the plural term Manchah' (?T^T0 understood is the substantive to the epithets of the first stanza; and Samajavata (the singular), to those of the other verses. This awkwardness is, however, avoided by the reading of an old and very good copy, which puts it, all, in the singular ;+ as: * See Vol. JIT., p. 118, and p. 220, note 1. t To render " platt'oims ". My oldest MS. has ?ig^*rr: I + So do the Calcutta edition of the Hnrivamia, my oldest MS., and, so far as I know them, MSS. generally. BOOK v., CHAP. XX. 33 by whom the fierce night-walker Putand was slain;* by whom the waggon was overturned, and the two ^1^T^"n5^^^ ^rT^Tf^^jt^fT: II (-°)Tlie expression is Charana ; literally, 'foot;' explained, by the coninientator, f Stambha, 'post' or 'pillar'. (-')Tbe reading of most of the copies is Sayanottania (lJ''!r'ftTTT), which may be taken as the sense of Talottania, 'couches or benches with cush- ions.' (■")Manchagaraih (jtWTIITO^ ' t^'"POi""T ''0"^*'S-' ('■^)0>", 'fronting to the east' (■JrrW^O+ (") Nirmuktaili (f^^#:) ; ex- plained, by the commentator, § to mean 'fine threads', 'net-work', or 'gauze', through which persons, females especially, may see, without being seen. (") ^^^^^Wlf^: tfrfT^f^: I ('■'')"With ridges and projections" (^^x^"R^f Tf^)- 'i'lie commentator || explains this: "with flags on the top of them" (^3tlfT:^^ T{^ cff^Or). (") This appears to be intended for an epithet of the women; although Astaraiia is not usually applied to dress: Phala, of course, is 'fruit'. Avadan'isa is explained, in lexicons, "what is eaten to excite thirst:" one comment** gives it, "what may be sucked," as tamarinds and the like. Changeri is ex- plained '^fluids for drinking, made with sorrel or acid fruits"; that is, sherbets. (") ^TT^IlfT^T: "i" ^arTTTITfT^T: is :«ii epithet of the Prekshagara, ff or look-out house of the women (WtWt F^T^5^:), situated on the tops of their houses, according ♦ See Vol. IV , p. 276. t ? * Nilakanfha. § Idem. II Idem. t Parts of two Hnes. See the original, in p. 29, supra. " Nilakai'it'ha's. tt The original exhibits the pliual, as does the translation which Pro- fessor Wilson here annotates. V. 3 34 VISHNU PURANA. Aijuna-trees felled. ""' This is the boy who trampled and danced on the serpent Kaliya;f who upheld the mountain Govardhana for seven nights ;+ who killed, as if in play, the iniquitous Arishta,§ Dhenuka, || and Kesin.lf This, whom we see, is Achyuta.** This is he who has been foretold by the wise, skilled in the sense of the Pnrai'ias, as Gopala, who shall exalt the de- pressed Yadava race. This is a portion of the all- existing,f f all-generating Vishnu, descended upon earth. to the coimiHMitators;:: '^ft^fT ^ ^TT^TWTITt cT"^*!^!: * * * TT^TT^Tt ; an arrangement very compatible witli the form of Indian houses, which have flat roofs, commonly enclosed by a trellis-work or jalousie of niasoiu-y. §§ It is observable, that, in the Vishnu Furana, and in the Mahabharata, on various public occasions, the women take their places on the platforms, or in the pavilions, without curtains or screens. • See Vol. IV„ pp. 279 aud 281. t Ibid., p. 291. X Ibid., pp. 315, 316. § Ibid., pp. 333, 334. II Ibid., pp. 297, 298. ^ Ibid., p. 340. ** Here the original, according to all my MSS., &e., has the following stanza, unrendered by the Translator, as in his Hindn-made version: 3T^7f?T ^^^T ^f^^^'f^nrvT^'i: ii Both the commentators recognize these verses; and Ratnagarl)ha ex- pounds them. ft Sarva-bhi'ita. Ratnagarbha explains it by sarvdtman. II The words quoted are Nilakant'ha's. Arjuna Misra has something different. §§ Professor Wilson's translation of the two passages quoted in pp. 25, 26, and pp. 27, 28, supra, and his notes on the same, have suggested numerous remarks which I have withheld: the subject of this episodical matter not being one with which the Vishnu-purdna is very intimately connected. BOOK v., CHAP. XX. 35 who, will, assuredly, lighten her load." Thus did the citizens describe Rama and Krishna, as soon as they appeared; whilst the breast of Devaki glowed with maternal affection;* and Vasudeva, forgetting his in- firmities, felt himself young (again), on beholding the countenances of his sons as a season of rejoicing. The women of the palace, and the wives of the citizens, wide opened their eyes, and gazed intently upon Krishna, f "Look, friends," said they to their com- panions; "look at the face of Krishna. His eyes are reddened by his conflict with the elephant; and the drops of perspiration stand upon his cheeks, outvying a full-blown lotos in autumn, studded with alitterini£ dew.t Avail yourself, now, of the faculty of vision. Observe his breast,- the seat of splendour, marked with the mystic sign, § — and his arms, menacing de- struction to his foes. Do you not notice Balabhadra, dressed in a blue garment,— his countenance as fair as the jasmine, as the moon, as the fibres of the lotos- stem? See how he gently smiles at the gestures of Mushtika and Chanura, as they spring up. And now behold Hari advance to encounter Chanura. What! Are there no elders, judges of the field? || How can the delicate form of Hari, — only yet in the dawn of Here we have an expression of the idea, that, when a woman is deeply moved in her maternal feelings, she experiences a secretion of milk. X This sentence is somewhat interpolated, and otherwise freely rendered, Avasydya, as appears from the context, here means, as the commentators interpret it, 'hoar-frost,' rather than "dew", § To render Srivatsa. See Vol. IV., p. 268. II Yukta-kdrin. 3' 36 VISHNU PUR AN A. adolescence,— be regarded as a match for the vast and adamanthie bulk of the great demon?* Two youths, of light and elegant persons, are in the arena, to op- pose athletic fiends, headed by the cruel Chahura.f This is a great sml in the judges of the games, for the umpires to suffer a contest between boys and strong men." As thus the women of the city conversed (with one another), Hari, having tightened his girdle, danced in the ring, shaking the ground (on which he trod). Ba- labhadra, also, danced, slapping his arms in defiance. Where the ground was firm, the invincible Krishna contended, foot to foot, with Chahura. The practised demon Mushtika was opposed by Balabhadra. Mu- tually entwining, and pushing, and pulling, and beating each other with fists, arms, and elbows, pressing each other with their knees, interlacing their arms, kicking with their feet, pressing with their whole weight upon one another,^ fought Hari and Chanura. Desperate ' The terms here used are technical, and refer to the estab- lished modes of wrestling amongst Hindu athletje.§ 1. Saiiini- pata (^sf^xncT) is described "mutual laying hold of." || 2. Ava- dhi'ita (^^^ff), "letting go of the adversary." 3. Kshepana (%X?W) "pulling to and casting back." 4. Musbti-nipata (^fs- t T*^ f 5Tf%ffr Tt w^^ ^^^^r^ I I Vyatikrama. § The following- definitions are taken from the two commentaries. II ^T^T ^^^^ I Siidhava. 'Mutual onset', q-JI^^X; ^^^: I Ratna- garbha. BOOK v., CHAP. XX. 37 was the struggle, though without vvea})ons, lind one for life and death, to the great gratification of the f^TXrnr), * "striking with fists." 5. Kila-nipataim (^^f^TfT«T), "striking with the elbow." li. Vajra-nipatana (^^f«Tmrr^), "striking with the fore-arm. "f 7. Janu-nirghata (^^f^^^TfT), t "pressing or striking with the knees." 8. Bahu-vigliattaiia (WT^- f <^^ e *T), § "interlacing the arms." i). Padoddhuta (m«^^fT), "kicking." !| 10. Prasfishtal (IT^ST), "intertwining of the whole hody." In some copies,** another term occurs, Asma-nirghata (^SRT^rf^T^TfT), "striking with stones," or "striking blows as hard as with stones;" for stones could scarcely be used in a * The original has no such term, but ^fgf^: , "with the tists." t Aratni-dwaya. Aratni never, I believe, signifies "fore-arm"; and the definition of the fifth technicality shows that it cannot bear the im- port of 'elbow', its more ordinary signification, when it does not denom- inate a measure. Again, as it does not here mean 'fist',— one of its senses, — it seems likely that it must denote the ulnar side of the hand. So, indeed, the term is explained by Arjuna Misra, where he comments on the MaJidhhdrata, Vana-parvan, si. 15781, His words are: '^■^if^'TT I : The Sanskrit has SIT^fH: > simply. See note *», below. § I find a different reading. See note •*, below. The Translator's de- finition, which is conjectural, is little likely to be correct. ! tIWT^r%XTip^; | XTT^t Tn^fifft^^'TJi: I Ratnagarbha. ^ Variant: prasrisht'a. ♦♦ The subjoined verse is rejected, without remark, by Ratnagarbha, and is .absent from my two old copies of the mere text, but occurs, though uncommented, in Sridhara's text, and in several of my M8S.: Some excellent copies give, instead of "^^n^f'Tm^: , "^T^Rf^- ^: I Professor Wilson, when he accepted, in his translation, the seventh and eighth technicalities, should have accepted aima-nirghdta , also, ■which cannot be divorced from the other two, since it stands, in the original, between them. 38 VISHNU PURANA. Spectators.'^ In proportion as the contest continued, so Chanura was gradually losing something of his origi- nal vigour,! and the wreath upon his head trembled from his fury and distress;^ whilst the world-compre- hending + Krishna wrestled with him as if but in sport. Beholding Chaniira losing, and Krishna gaining, strength, Kan'isa, furious wath rage, commanded the music to cease. As soon as the drums and trumpets were silenced, a numerous band of heavenly instru- ments was heard in the sky;§ and the gods invisibly exclaimed: "Victory to Govinda! Kesava, kill the demon Chanura!" Madhusiidana, having, for a long time, dallied with his adversary, at last lifted him up, contest specified as "one without weapons" || (^ V}M * * ' Krishna contended with Chaniira, "who, through distress and anger, shook the flowers of his crest : " The two last terms are explained: "the flower of the wreath on his head:" ^^mTt^rf jxqji; | ** + Jagan-maya. II As to the use of stones in the combat, which is designated as asastra, we must suppose, — if the verse quoted above has not been foisted into the text, — that the term mstra, embodied in this epithet, is employed technically, so as to comprehend those rude and ready missiles. ^ See note •, above, ** Ratnagarbha. BOOK v., CHAP. XX. 89 and whirled him round, with the intention of putting an end to him. Having whirled Cluinuru round a hundred time?;, until his breath was expended in the air, Krishna'^' dashed him on the ground, with such violence as to smash his body into a hundred frag- ments, and strew the earth with a hundred pools of gory mire.f Whilst this took place, the mighty Bala- devawas engaged, in the same maimer, with the demon bruiser, t Mushtika. Striking him on the head with his lists, and on the breast with his knees, he stretched him on the ground, and punimelled him there, till he was dead. Again, Krishna encountered the royal bruiser § Tosalaka, |l and felled him to the earth with a blow of his left hand. When the other athletic If • Called, in the original, not by his name, but by the epithet ami- trajit. t ^3]»n^TwtfZfT%^ '^■^^''^' ^^^"^ ^^'^ I * Malla. § Malla-rdja, "prince of mallas". For malla, see note ^, below. II Corrected from "Tomalaka". Professor Wilson's MS. may have shown a broken ^. Most copies yield Tosalaka, the reading, apparently, accepted by Ratnagarbha, and that of the Bhdgavata-purdna, which has, likewise, the short form, Tosala. In very good MSS. of the Ilari- vaiida I find Toshala and Toshalaka. Professor Wilson's Bengal translation has Salaka. f Malla; which Professor Wilson renders, indifferently, by "athlete", "boxer", and "bruiser". The last two terms are inadequate, while the first is inadequative, as being much too wide for the occasion. 'Pancra- tiast', in an accommodated acceptation, may answer to represent malla.^ for the pancratiast fought nude, whereas it appears that his Hindu ana- logue contended clothed. The fighting of Hari, Chaiiiira, and Baladeva clearly evinces, that the malla-yuddha corresponded to the classical :iHyy.inaia; namely, says Retnagnrlihn, at the recol- lection of Krishna's having lifted up Mount Govardhana. 46 VISHNU PURANA. Ugrasena his (splendid) hall, Sudharman/' Tell him that Krishi'ia commands him to send the royal hall, the unrivalled gem of princely courts, for the assem- blage of the race of Yadu. "f Accordingly, Vayu + went, and delivered the message to the husband of Sachi,§ who II (immediately) gave up to him the hall Sudharman; and Vayu conveyed it to the Yadavas, the chiefs of whom, thenceforth, possessed this celes- tial court, emblazoned with jewels, and defended by the arm of Govinda. t The two excellent Yadu youths, versed in all knowledge, and possessed of all wisdom,** then submitted to instruction, as the disciples of teachers. Accordingly, they repaired to Sandfpani — who, though born in Kasi,ff resided at Avanti,^ — to study (the science of) arms, and, becoming his pupils, were obedient and attentive to their master; exhibiting * Or the name may be read Sudharma. Both forms are authorized. + The Sanskrit has Pavana. § In the original, Sachipati, an epithetical designation of Indra. See Vol. II., p. 72, note 2. II Here the original calls Indra by his appellation Purandara. 1^1' ^^T?^TSTt 'ftf^^^^f^^f^Tci; II The ordinary reading, and that accepted by Ratnagarbha, ends the second line with -^^'^Ji I ** Sarva-jndna-maya. tt Kdsya, "of the Kasi tribe." See my Benares, &c,, p. 9, note 1; also, Vol. IV., p. 345, supplement to p. 159, note ft- But the Trans- lator has the support of both the commentators. Kdiya is the word used in the corresponding passage of the Bhdyavata-purdna, viz., X., Prior Section, XLV., 31 ; but Sridhara offers no explanation of it. II The city so called. The Sanskrit has Avantipura. See Vol. III., p. 246. I have corrected "Avanti". BOOK v., CHAP. XXI. 47 an example, to all men, of the observance of instituted rules.* In the course of sixty-four days,f they had gone through the elements of military science, with the treatises on the use of arms, and directions for the mystic incantations, which secure the aid of super- natural weapons. ^+ Sandipani, astonished at such pro- ficiency, and knowing that it exceeded human faculties, imagined that the Sun and Moon had become his scholars. When they had acquired all that he could teach, they said to him: ''Now say what present shall be given to you, as the preceptor's fee."§ The prudent Sandipani, perceiving that they were endowed with more than mortal powers, requested them to give him his dead son, (drowned) in the sea of Prabhasa." ' They read through the Dhanur-veda, || which treats of mi- litary matters; with the Rahasya, 'the mystical part, ' IF and the Sangraha, 'collection' or 'compendium', — said to be, here, the Astra-prayoga, ** 'the employment of weapons.' ^ Prabhasa is a place of pilgrimage in the west of India, on the coast of Gujerat, near the temple of Somanatha, and town of Puttun Somnath. It is also known by the name of Sonia- tirtha; Soma, or the Moon, having been here cured of the con- "An example of the observance of instituted rules" is to translate dchdra. See Vol. III., p. 107, note +. t Altordtra, 'nyctbemera. ' The term, apparently, is chosen with a view to imply diligent studentship. + Those three expansions are to represent the expressions specified in note 1 in this page. § Uuru-dakshiiui. \\ See Vol. III., p. C7. % The mantras and Upanishads, the commentators allege. ** Sridhara and Ratnagarbha. 48 VISHNU PURANA. Taking up their arms, they marched against the Ocean. But the all-comprehending Sea said to them: "I have not killed the son of Sandipani.* A demon f named Panchajana,t (who lives) in the form of a conch-shell, seized the boy. He is still under my waters. § On hearing this, Krishna plunged into the sea; and, having slain the vile Panchajana, he took the conch-shell,— which was formed of his bones, (and bore it as his horn),— the sound of which fills the demon-hosts with dismay, animates the vigour of the gods, and annihi- lates unrighteousness. || The heroes also recovered the boy from the pains of death, and restored him, in his former person, to his father. Rama and Janardana suiiiptioii brought upon him bj the imprecation of Daksha, liis father-in-law. Mahabharata, Salya Parvan ; Vol. 111., p. 249. I ^^■R ^ ^^ 5^ Iff: ^T^^^frf^ II Various MSS. have, instead of ^^TT^m"^: , ^T^f ^: > m^m"^: . gj^-j^: , and ^^^T■> 1 ' The name of Muchukunda, as one of the sons of Mandhatri, t+ • Prdhdra; 'strong buildings', Ratnagarbha says, t See Vol. II., p. 240, text and notes. § The Sanskrit has Govinda. i| Mahd-yogin. ^ Sudurmati. tt These words are interpolated by the Translator. +J Corrected from "Mandhatri". 58 VISHNU PURANA. Having burnt up the iniquitous Yavana, and behold- ing the foe of Madhu, Muchukunda asked him who he was. "I am born," he repUed, "in the Lunar race, in the tribe of Yadu, and am the son of Vasudeva." Muchukunda, recollecting the prophecy of old Garga, fell down before the lord of all, Hari, saying:" Thou art known, supreme lord, to be a portion of Vishnu;* for it was said, of old, by Garga, f that, at the end of the twenty-eighth Dwapara age, Hari would be born in the family of Yadu. Thou art he, without doubt,— the benefactor of mankind; for thy glory I am unable to endure. Thy words are of deeper tone than the muttering of the rain-cloud; and earth sinks down beneath the pressure of thy feet. As, in the battle be- tween the gods and demons, the Asuras were unable to sustain my lustre, so even am I incapable of bearing thy radiance. :t Thou alone art the refuge of every occurs in Vol. III., p. 268; but no further notice is taken of him. The Bhagavata§ specifies his being the son of that king, and relates the same story of his long sleep as the text. The same occurs in the Hari Vamsa. ]| The general character of the legends in this chapter is that of reference to something familiar, rather than its narration. In the Hari Vanisa the opposite extreme is observable; and there the legends are as prolix as here they are concise. The Bhagavata follows a middle course; but it seems unlikely, that, in either of the three, we have the original fables. Instead of f^'^l^^Kj:, some MSS. have f^fmi: "CFT^: | t Probably, the Garga mentioned in Vol. II., p. 213. § X., Latter Section, II. II Chapter CXV. BOOK v., CHAl*. XXIII. 59 living being who has lighted on the world. Do thou, who art the alleviator of all distress, show favour upon me, and remove from me all that is evil.* Thou art the oceans, the mountains, the rivers, the forests; thou art earth, sky, air, w^ater, and fire: thou art mind, in- telligence, the unevolved principle,! the vital airs, the lord of life; the soul;: all that is beyond the soul; the all-pervading; exempt from the vicissitudes of birth; devoid of (sensible properties,) sound and the like; undecaying, illimitable, imperishable, subject neither to increase nor diminution :§ thou art that which is Brahma,— without beginning or end. From thee the immortals, the progenitors, theYakshas, Gandharvas, || and Kiiimaras, the Siddhas, the nymphs of heaven, H men, animals, ** birds, reptiles, ff deer,:: and all the vegetable world, proceed; and all that has been, or will be, or is now, moveable or fixed. All that is amor- phous, or has form; all that is gross, subtile, moveable, or stable,§§ thou art, creator of the world; and beside thee there is not anything. lord, I have been whirl- f Avydkrita. : ruins. § Ndsa. II Corrected from "Gandharbhas". % Apsaras. " Pasu, which often means 'sacrificial animals'. Compare the title Pasupati; also, the terms paMbhandhn and nirudhapaiubandha. Vol. HI., p. 40, note §, and p. 113, note f. ft Sarisripa; rather "reptiles" than "insects", as it is rendered in Vol. II., p. 92. :: 'Wild beasts', rather; mriga. §§ Ratnagarbha has, instead of T|^ ^^ f^T' ^!^fTT fT^ ■ :"i^l this reading gets rids of two tautologies; for "moveable or fixed" occurs just before. 60 VISHNU PURANA. ed round, in the circle of worldly existence, for ever; and have suffered the three classes of affliction;* and there is no restf whatever. I have mistaken pains for pleasures, like sultry vapours t for a pool of water; and their enjoyment has yielded me nothing but sor- rov^. § The earth, dominion,' forces, treasures, friends,! children, wife, dependants, all the objects of sense,** have I possessed, imagining them to be sources of happiness; but I found, that, in their changeable na- ture, ff lord, they were nothing but vexation. The gods themselves, though (high) in heaven, were in need of my alliance. Where, then, is everlasting repose? Who, without adoring thee,— who art the origin of all worlds,— shall attain, supreme deity, that rest vs^hich endures for ever? Beguiled by thy delusions, and • These are alluded to in the opening stanza of the Sdnkhya-kdrikd: ft ^T^TT^ ^t^T'TTTcirnfrii^TTrfi: II "Because of the disquietude which results from threefold pain, there arises a desire to know the means of doing away therewith effectually. If it be objected, that, -visible means to this end being available, such de- sire is unprofitable, I demur; for that these means do not, entirely and for ever, operate exemption from disquietude.'' The three sorts of pain, the ddhydtmika, ddhihhautika, and ddhidaivika, are, in the words of Colebrooke, "evil proceeding from self," "from ex- ternal beings," and "from divine causes". See his Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p. 238. t Nirvriti. X Mriga-trishnd, the mirage. II Rdsht'ra. ^ Insert 'adherents', paksha. ** ■ST^TWT fw^r^v I ft ■'TfrWr^) 'i» the end,' 'at last,' 'after all.' BOOK v., CHAP. xxm. 61 ignorant of thy nature,'" men, after sutfering the various penalties of birth, death, and infirmity, behold the countenance of the king of ghosts, f and sufter, in hell, dreadful tortures,— the reward of their own deeds. Addicted to sensual objects, through thy delusions I revolve in the whirpool of selfishness and pride; and, hence, I come to thee, as my final refuge, who art the lord deserving of all homage, than whom there is no other asylum ;t my mind affiicted with repentance for my trust in the world, and desiring the fulness of fe- licity, emancipation from all existence." § + Preta-rdja, an epithet of Yama. § f^^T% ^fxTJTfrtrrf^ ^rrfn^^: i This means: "longing for emancipation, — of uncreated glory." So says Ratnagarhha, who also allows the epithet of 'emancipation' to signify "resort of perfect yogins". Sridhara gives the second interpretation only. The 'emancipation' of the Hindus i.s not release "from all existence", but from consciousness of pleasure and pain. The distinction is, at all events, good, as a piece of idealism. CHAPTER XXIV. Muchukunda goes to perform penance. Krishna takes the army and treasures of Kalayavana, and repairs, with them, to Dwaraka. Balanlma visits Vraja: inquiries of its inhabitants after Krishna. THUS praised by the wise Muchukunda, the sove- reign of all things, the eternal lord, Hari, said to him: "Go to whatever celestial regions you wish, lord of men, possessed of might irresistible, honoured * by my favour. When you have fully enjoyed all heavenly pleasures, you shall be born in a distinguished family, retaining the recollection of your former births; and you shall, finally, obtain emancipation, "f Having heard this promise, and prostrated himself before Achyuta, the lord of the world, Muchukunda went forth from the cave, and, beholding men of diminutive stature, now first knew that the Kali age had arrived. The king, therefore, departed to Gandhamadana, + the shrine § of Naranarayaha, || to perform penance. Krishna, having, by this stratagem, destroyed his * Ufabrimldta. ^TfTT^ft ^rSTHT^TTHfr ^^*r^T^^f% II + Probably, the mountain spoken of in Vol. II., p. 115. § Sthdna. A shrine of Naranarayana is referred to in Chapter XXXVII. of this Book. II A name of Krishna, for which see the Mahdhhdrata, Sdnti-parvan, il. 12658; also, the Bhdgavata-purdria, V., XIX., 9. "In various parts of the Mahdhhdrata, Krishna and Arjuna are singu- larly represented as having formerly existed in the persons of two Rfshis, Narayana and Nara, who always lived and acted together." Original Sanskrit Texts, Part IV., p. 19i?. The Devarshis Nara and Narayana are mentioned in Vol. I., p. Ill, note 1; and in Vol. III., p. G8, note 1. Also see Vol. IV., p. 246, note 1. BOOK v., CHAP. XXIV. 63 enemy, returned to Mathura, and took captive his army, rich in horses, elephants, and cars, which he conducted to Dwaraka,* and delivered to Ugrasena; and the Yadu race was relieved from all fear of inva- sion, f Baladeva, when hostilities had entirely ceased, being desirous of seeing his kinsmen, went to Nanda's cow-pens, t and there again conversed with the herds- men and their females, with affection and respect. By some, the elders, he was embraced; others, the juniors, he embraced; and with those of his own age, male or female, he talked and laughed. § The cowherds made many kind speeches to Halayudha;[| but some of the Gopis spoke to him with the affectation of anger,! or with feelings of jealousy, as they inquired after the loves of Krishna with the women of Mathura. "Is all well with the fickle and inconstant Krishna?" said they. "Does the volatile swain, the friend of an instant, amuse the women of the city by laughing at our rustic efforts (to please him)? Does he ever think of us, singing in chorus to his songs? Will he not come here once again, to see his mother? But why talk of these things? It is a different tale to tell, for him without us, and for us without him. Father, * The original has Dwaravati, of •which "Dwaraka" is a synonym, t Pardhhibhava. X Nanda-gokula. ^7^ ^% ^ lit%^M JM^MI ^^ *^^T II The Translator's specifications of "elders", &c., are taken from the coniuientators. |( "riough.share-weaponeti," literally; a name of Baladeva or Balaldia- dra. Vide supra, p. 51, text and note |i. % Prema-kUpita. Compare the terms in Vol. IV., p. 323, notes § and «». 64 VISHNU PURANA. mother, brother, husband, kin,— what have we not abandoned for his sake? But he is a monument of ingratitude.* Yet tell us, does not Krishna talk of coming here? Falsehood is never, Krishna, to be uttered by thee. Verily, this is Damodara,f this is Govinda, who has given up his heart to the damsels of the city,— who has, no longer, any regard for us, but looks upon us with disdain." + So saying, the Gopis, whose minds were fixed on Krishna, § addressed Rama, in his place, calling him Damodara and Go- vinda, || and laughed, and were merry ;1I and Rama consoled them by communicating to them agreeable, modest, affectionate, and gentle messages from Krishna. With the cowherds he talked mirthfully, as he had been wont to do, and rambled, along with them, over the lands of Vraja. ^ ' This visit of Balaruma to Vraja is placed, by the Hari Vamsa, anterior to the fall of Mathura; by the Bhagavata, long subsequent to the establishment of the Yadus at Dwiiraka. t See Vol. IV., p 281. "Of this Damodara, or Govinda, whose heart is attached to the women of the city, the love has departed, as towards us; and^ therefore, lie is hard to be seen. And yet he delights us." Ratnagarbha has ^T'jft^TT^; ^'- e., he puts 'Damodara' in the voca- tive. By reading, also, ^ITfTlf^f^I . — in which, likewise, he is peculiar, — he gives the sentence a very different meaning; but his explanation of this expression by JlrllTirH! can scarcely be accepted. § Hari, in the original. II The Sanskrit has Krishna. ^Wf • W< '^^ f frWT Irf^fT^: II CHAPTER XXV. Balarauia linds wine in the hollow of a tree ; becomes inebriated ; c'oniinnnds the Yamuna to come to him, and, on her refusal, drags her out of her course: Lakshmi gives him ornaments and a dress : he returns to Dwaraka. and marries Revati. WHILST the mighty* Sesha/f tlie upholder of the globe, was thus engaged in wandering amidst the for- ests, with the herdsmen, in the disguise of a mortal, —having rendered great services to earth, and still considering what more was to be achieved,— Varuna, t in order to provide for his recreation, said to (his wife,) Varuni§ (the goddess of wine): "Thou, Madira,!! art ever acceptable to the powerful Ananta. t Go, there- fore, auspicious and kind goddess,** and promote his enjoyments." Obeying these commands, Vtiruni went and established herself in the hollow of a Kadamba- tree, in the woods of Vrindavana. Baladeva, roaming about, (came there, and,) smelling the pleasant fra- grance of liquor, ff resumed his ancient passion for strong drink. The holder of the ploughshare, II observ- ' The great serpent, of whom Balarama is an incarnation. * Mahdtman. t See Vol. II., pp. 74, 85, and 211, note 1. X See Vol, II., p. 85. § See Vol. I., p. 14G, note 1; and Vol. II., p. 212. II Different, of course, from the Madira named in Vol. IV., p. 109. % The same as Sesha. See Vol. II., p. 211. •* 4\-^ ^^ 7T^ I Ratnagarbha reads, instead of W^, f|^| | tf Madird. \\ Langalin, in the original; the same, in effect, as Halayudha. Vide supra, p. 03, note j|. V. 6 66 VISHNU PURANA. ing the vinous drops distilling from the Kadamba-tree, was much delighted, (and gathered) and quaffed them/ along with the herdsmen and the Gopis; whilst those who were skilful with voice and lute celebrated him in their songs.* Being inebriated (with the wine), and the drops of perspiration standing like pearls upon his limbs, he called out, not knowing what he said:"f Come hither, Yamuna river. I want to bathe." The river, disregarding the words of a drunken man, came not (at his bidding). On which, Rama,t in a rage, ' There is no vinous exudation from the Kadamba-tree (Nau- clea Kadaniba) ; but its flowers are said to yield a spirit, by distil- lation ; — whence Kadambari § is one of the synonyms of wine, or spirituous liquor. The grammarians, however, also derive the word from some legend; stating it to be so called, because it was produced from the hollow of a Kadamba-tree on the Go- mantall mountain: ^?l«fm^^ ^i^^^ZTT^TrTT I The Hari Variisa, H which alone makes the Gomanta mountain the scene of an exploit of Krishna and Rama, makes no mention of this origin of wine; and the Bhagavata** merely says, that Varuni took up her abode in the hollow of a tree.ff There must be some other authority, therefore, for this story. This verse, it is observable, has an excessive syllable at the end of its first half. t Vihwala. \ The Sanskrit has Langalin. See the preceding page, note \X. § Personified, Kadambari is said to be daughter of Chitraratha and Madira. For Chitraratha, see Vol, II., p. 86, note 1. II Corrected, here and below, — and in the Sanskrit, — from "Gomantha". For the mountain in question, see Vol. II., p. 141, note 2, ad finein. The llarivaihm places it near the Sahya mountains. % Chapter XCVII. *• X., Latter Section, XVI , 19. It Compare the Harivat'ida, Chapter XCVIII. BOOK v., CHAP. XXV. 67 took up his ploughshare,* which he plunged into her bank, and dragged her to him, calling out:f "Will you not come, you jade?+ Will you not come? Now go where you please, (if you can)." Thus saying, he com- pelled the dark river to quit its ordinary course, and follow him whithersoever he wandered throuoh the wood. § Assuming a mortal figure, |j the Yamuna, with distracted looks, approached Balabhadra,t and en- treated him** to pardon her, and let her go. But he replied: "I will drag you with my ploughshare, in a thousand directions, since you contemn my prowess and strength. "ff At last, however, appeased by her reiterated prayers, he let her go, after she had watered all the country.^ +t When he had bathed, the goddess ' The Bhagavata and Hari Vamsa§§ repeat this story; the latter, very imperfectly. The former adds, that the Yamuna is • Hala. Vide supra, p. 51, note ||. X Papa. Sridhara, like one of my MSS. unaccompanied by commentary, has, not W^, but IfXtrrT, the reading followed by the Translator. II ^or importing "in multiplied persons." §§ Our Purana is at variance with itself as to the number of Krishna's wives. See "Vol. IV., p. 112, with which compare pp. 81, 82, supra. 106 VISHNU PURANA. ferent forms did the foe of Madhu* multiply himself; so that every one of the damsels thought that he had wedded her, in his single person, f And the creator of the world, Hari, the assumer of universal shape, abode severally in the dwelling of each of these his wives.* * Madhusiidana, ^^^ mtW^fW ^1^Pl»f!^Tf^f?T II Sridhara, at least according to my single MS. of his commentary, begins this stanza with ^^ctmi^M«i| , at the expense of metrical correct- ness. : f^iTT^ ^ ^Tr^ST m^ 'rig %^^: i CHAPTER XXXIl. Children of Krishna. L'i^sha, the daughter of Bai'ia, sees Aniriuldha in a dream, and becomes enamoured of him. PARAS ARA. — I have enumerated to you Pra- clyumna and the other sons of Rukmihi. Satyabhama bore Bhanu* and Bhaimarika.f The sons of Rohini wereDipthnat, Tanirapaksha,t and others. The power- ful Samba § and other sons were born of Jambavati. Bhadravindajj and other vaUant youths were the sons of Nagnajiti. Saibya (orMitravindal) had several sons, of whom Sangramajit was the chief. Vrika and others were begotten (by Hari) on Madri.** Lakshmana had Gatravat and others; and Sruta and others were the sonsff of Kaluidi^tt Krishna §§ had sons, also, by his ' The Bhagavata says, each of his eight queens had ten sons, • Two MSS. have Bharu. t Corrected from " Bhairika. " In giving this mangled form of the name, Professor Wilson was misled by an error in his favourite MS. The scansion of the line shows that a syllable is missing. Messrs. Boht- lingk and Roth have helped to perpetuate "Bhairika". + Corrected from "Tamrapakshi", in which reading Professor Wilson was again led astray by an error in the MS. referred to in the last note. Messrs. Bohtlingk and Roth wrongly credit our Translator with "Tam- rapakshin". One of my MS. yields Tamravarna; another, "Diptimat and others". Also vide supra, p. 79, note «» . § Corrected from "Samba", || My Ajmere MS. has Bhadramanda. ^ Supplied by the Translator, on the authority of the commentator Sridhara. Ratnagarbha considers Saibya as one of Krishna's eight wives of the first order; but he does not identify her, by name, with any one of those specified in note § to p. 78, supra. ** Vide supra, p. 81, note •. tf There were three of them, — unnamed, — according to the reading of my Arrah MS. J* Vide supra, p. 78, note §, and p. 81, note 1. §§ Chakrin, in the original. 108 VISHNU PURANA. other wives,— in all, one hundred and eighty thousand. The eldest of the whole was Pradyumna, the son of Rukmini: his son was Aniruddha, from whom Vajra"* was born: his mother was IJsha,f — the daughter of Bana, and granddaughter of Bali, + — whom Aniruddha won in war. § On that occasion, a fierce battle took place between Hari and Sankara, in which the thousand arms of Baha were lopped away by the discus of the former. I j Maitheya.— How happened it, (venerable) Brahman, that a contest on account of Usha arose between Sival! and Krishna? And in what manner did Hari cut otF the thousand arms of Baha?** This, illustrious sir, thou art able to narrate, f f Parasara.— Usha, the daughter of Baha, having seen Parvati sporting with (her lord,) Sambhu, was inspired with a wish for similar dalliance. The beauti- ful Gauri, ++ who knows the hearts of all, said to Usha: and gives the ten names of each set, with one or two excep- tions. §§ * Corrected from "Vraja". See Vol. IV., pp. 112, 113. t Corrected, here and everywhere below, from "Usha", which, like- wise, occurs, but not in our Purana. I See Vol. II., p. 69. § The original is ^fif^^^t T% ^^« I II The Sanskrit has Chakrin. f Hara, in the Sanskrit. tt The original adds: ^^f^^f^ wTff ^^ ^gt^mt it: I So reads Sridhara. Ratnagarbha has: II The same as Parvati. See Vol. I., p. 104, note 1. §§ Vide supra, p. 79, notes •, t, §, H, and *»; p. 81, notes • and f; and p. 82, note 11||. BOOK v., CHAP, xxxir. 109 "Do not grieve. You shall have a husband."* "But when will this be?" thought Usha to herself. "Or who will be my lord?" On which, Parvati continued: "He who shall appear to you, princess, in a dream, on the twelfth lunation t of the light half of Vaisakha, he will be your husband.": Accordingly^ as the goddess had foretold, on that lunar day a youth appeared (to Usha,) in a dream, of whose person she became enamoured. When she woke, and no longer perceived him, she was overcome with sorrow, and, unrestrained by mod- esty, demanded of her companion whither he had gone. The companion and friend of the princess was Chitra- lekha, the daughter of Kumbhanda,§ the minister of Bana. "Of whom do you speak?" inquired she (of Usha). But the princess, recollecting herself, was ashamed, and remained silent. [ At length, however, Chitralekha conciliated her confidence; and she related to her what had passed, and what the goddess had foretold; and she requested her friend to devise some means of uniting her with the person whom she had beheld in her dream. 1 Chitralekha then delineated the most eminent gods,*^ demons, tt spirits,:: and mortals, and showed them (to t By this word Professor Wilson intends, at vari;\noe with scientific precedent, and otherwise entirely without justification, 'lunar day'. : In this sentence, and in the next, the Translator, with commendable taste, has not reproduced the grossness of the original. § Corrected from "Kubhai'iAa ". *• Sura. tt Oaitya. H Gandharva. 1 10 VISHNU PURANA. Usha). Putting aside the portraits of gods, spirits, snake-gods,* and demons, f the princess selected those of mortals, and, amongst them, the heroes of the races of Andhaka and Vfishni.+ When she came to (the likenesses of) Krishna and Rama, she was confused with shame. § FronT (the portrait of) Pradyumna she modestly averted her eyes ; but, the moment she be- held the pictiu'e of his son, the object of her passion, her eyes wide expanded, and all her bashfulness was discarded, ij "This is he! This is he!" said she (to Chitralekha). And her friend, who was endowed with magic power, t bade her be of good cheer, and set off, through the air, to Dwaraka.** * Uraga. t Asura. For Andhaka and Vrishui, see Vol. IV., pp, 71, et eeq. § Lajjd-jada. ^ Yoga-gdmin. ** Dwaravati, in the original. CHAPTER XXXIII. Hiina solicits Sivii for wjir : finds Aniruddlia in tlie palace, and makes him prisoner. Krishna, Balarama. and Pradyumna come to his rescue. Siva and Skanda aid Biina: th(! former is dis- abled; the latter, put to flight. Bana encounters Krishna, who cuts oft' all his arms, and is about to put him to death. Siva intercedes; and Krishna spares his life. Vishnu and Siva are the same. BEFORE this took place, Bai'ia had been engaged in the achii-ation of the three-eyed* (god), and had thns pi-ayed to hini: "lam huniiHated,t loi-d, by (the possession of) a thousand arms in a state of peace. Let some hostiUties ensue, in which I may derive some advantage from their possession. Without war, what is the use of these arms? They are but a burthen to me.": Sankara repUed: "When thy peacock-banner shall be broken, thou shalt have war,— the delight of the evil spirits that feast on the flesh of man." § Bai'ia, pleased (by this promise), proffered his thanks;! to Saihbhu, and returned to his palace, where he found his standard broken; at which his joy was increased. At that time, the nymph Chitralekha returned (from Dwaraka), and, by the exercise of her magic power, brought Aniruddha (along with her). The guards of • Trilochana. See Vol. I., p. 141. t Nirviiina. |l The Sanskrit has simply 1TT!rR|' | 112 VISHNU PUR AN A. the inner apartments, discovering him there with Usha,* reported it to the king, who immediately sent a body of his followers (to seize the prince). But the valiant youth, taking up an iron club, slew his assail- ants ;f on which, Bana mounted his car, advanced against him, and endeavoured to put him to death. Finding, however, that Aniruddha was not to be sub- dued by prowess, he followed the counsel of his min- ister, and brought his magical faculties into the conflict, by which he succeeded in capturing the Yadu prince, and binding him in serpent-bonds. I When Aniruddha was missed from Dwaravati, and the Yadavas were inquiring of one another whither he had gone, Narada came to them, and told them that he was the prisoner of Bana; having been conveyed, by a female possessed of magic faculties, to Sonita- pura, ^§ When they heard this, they were satisfied; ' The synonyms of Soriitapura, in the Trikanda Sesha, |i are Devikota, Banapura, Kotivarsha, and Ushavana. H The first is, usually, considered to be the modern Devicotta, in the Carnatic, which is commonly believed to be the scene of Baria's defeat. The name, however, occurs in other parts of India: in the Deccan, on the banks of the Godavari, — according to Wilford, the capital of Munja (Asiatic Researches, Vol. IX., p. 199); and in Assam, § The translation, hereabouts, is rather free. II II.. I., 17. % The better reading, it seems, is Umavana, as in the Uairna-koia, IV., 43, where, also, we find all the synonyms of Sonitapura which are specified above. BOOK v., CHAP. XXXIII. 113 for they had imaghied lie had been taken away by the gods, (in reprisal for the Parijata-tree).* Krishna,! therefore, immediately summoned Garnda, who came with a wish;* and, mounting upon him, along with Bala and Pradyumna, he set off for the city of Bana. On their approach to the city, they were opposed by the spirits who attend on Rndra:§ but these were soon destroyed by Hari; and he and his companions reached the vicinity of the town. || Here, mighty Fever — an emanation from Maheswara,t having three feet and three heads \ — fought desperately with Vishnu,** in defence of Bana. Baladeva, upon w^hom his ashes were near Gwalpara, as the city of the Daityas. Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIV., p. 443. Hamilton ff notices the remains of a city, so called, in Dinajpoor. In the Kalika Puraiia, Baria is described as the friend and, apparently, neighbour of Naraka, king of Prag- jyotisha++ or Assam ' Alluding to the three stages of febrile paroxysms, or to the recurrence of tertian ague. A contest with this enemy, in the course of military operations, is an allegory which the British armies in India too often illustrate. t The Sanskrit has Hari. * I. e., "at his wish". § The Translator takes from Sridhara this explanation of pramatha. ii 5Ttfl%% TT^f ^^^T^53?^(3I^: I ^ Mdheswara is the word translated by "an emanation from Maheswara." ** Sdriiga-dhaiiwan, "arme.l with the bow Sarnga," is the term by which Krishna is here called, in the original. ft History, &c. of Eastern India, Vol. II., p. 660. \\ Vide supra, p. 54, note 1; p. 55, note I; and p. 88, note 1. V. 8 114 VISHNU PURANA. scattered, was seized with burning heat, and his eyehds trembled; but he obtained relief by clinging to the body of Krishna. * Contending, thus, with the divine holder of the bow,f the Fever (emanating from Siva) was quickly expelled from the person of Krishna by Fevert which he himself engendered. § Brahma, || be- holding the impersonated malady bewildered by the beating inflicted by the arms of the deity, entreated the latter to desist; and the foe of Madhu refrained, and absorbed into himself the Fever he had created. If The rival Fever then departed, saying to Krishna: "Those men who call to memory the combat between us shall be (ever) exempt from febrile disease."** Next, Vishnu overcame and demolished the five fires,^ff and, with perfect ease, ++ annihilated the army ' The Ahavaniya, Garhapatya, Dakshiria, Sabhya, and Ava- sathya are the five fires; of which the three first have a religious, and the other two, a secular, character. The first is a fire pre- ^^TT? ^^^^fxT ^^TTT^f^^W^: II t To render Sarngin, as Krishna is denominated from his bow spoken of in note ** in the preceding page. + Vaishnava is the epithet given it in the Sansltrit. § Krishna here figures as a practitioner of homoeopathy. II Pitamaha, in the original. ci ^^ ^i2rfnT[#(2iTf ^^: fx?ffTHf : ii ^T(5I%^ ^ t^^ i^^^T^^f^^: II ** Vijwara. ■ft "Tlie protectors of that city", — namely, Bai'ia's, says Ratnagarbha. ++ ++ BOOK v., CHAP. xxxm. 115 of the Danavas. Then the son of BaH (Baiia), with the whole of the Daitya* host, assisted by Sankara and Karttikeya,f fought with Sauri. A fierce combat took place between Hari and Sankara. All the regions shook, scorched by their flaming weapons; and the celestials felt assured that the end of the universe was at hand. Govinda, with the weapon of yawning, set Sankara a- gape; and then the demons t and the demigods at- tendant upon Siva§ were destroyed on every side; for Hara, overcome with incessant gaping, sat down in his car, and was unable longer to contend with Krishna, whom no acts affect. || The deity of war, Karttikeya,t wounded in the arm by Garuda,** struck by the weapons of Pradyumna, and disarmed by the shout of pared for oblations at an occasional sacrifice ; the second is the household fire, to be perpetually maintained ; the third is a sacri- ficial fire, in the centre of the other two, and placed to the south; the Sabhya is a fire lighted to warm a party ; and the Avasathya, f f the common domestic or culinary fire. Manu, III., 100, 185, tt and Kulliika Bhatta's explanation. §§ * Daiteya, in the Sanskrit. t See Vol. I., Preface, p. LXXXIX. ; and Vol. II., p. 23. + Daiteya. § In definition of pramatha. II Aklisht'a-karman, "unweariable." ^ For "the deity of war, Karttikeya," the Sanskrit has, simply, Guha. ** Professor Wilson has followed the reading of Sridhara, as it appears in the only copy of his commentary to which we, in common, have had access,— l^^'^fl^T^*. . Ratnagarbha adopts the ordinary lection, ^T^- ft Corrected from "Avasatthya." ++ Neither thence nor from Kulliika's comments is mnch to he gleaned touching the five fires. §§ Also see Vol. III., p. 175, note §; and Vol. IV., p. 11, note 1. 8* 116 VISHNU PURANA. Hari,* took to flight. Baiia, when he saw Sankara disabled, the Daityas destroyed, Guhaf fled, and Siva's followers t slain, § advanced, on his vast car,— the horses of which were harnessed ij by Nandisa, — H to encounter Krishna and his associates Bala and Pra- dyumna.** The valiant Balabhadi-a, attacking the host of Bana, wounded them, in many ways, with his ar- rows, and put them to a shameful rout;ff and their sovereign beheld them dragged about by Rama, +1 with his ploughshare, or beaten, by him, with his club, or pierced, by Krishna, §§ with his arrows. He, therefore, attacked Krishna; and a fight took place between them. They cast at each other fiery shafts, that pierced through their armour: but Krishna intercepted, with his arrows, those of Bana, and cut them to pieces. Bana, nevertheless, wounded Kesava; and the wielder of the discus wounded Bana; and both, desirous of victory, and seeking, enraged, the death of his antag- onist, hurled (various) missiles at each other. When • The original has Krishna. t /. e., Karttikeya. + To render pramatha-sainya. § ^T^^^TT) "by the bearer of the bow Sarnga", the original par- ticularizes. 1 1 Read 'driven', — sangrihita. ^ Also called Nandi and Nandin. Generally he is represented as a follower of Siva. See Vol. I., Preface, p. LXXXIX., and p. 122. ** The Sanskrit here calls hiiu by his patronym, Karshi'ii. Ratnagarbha ends the second verse with VJ^Tfl'^TP^rT^rf: ; and some MSS. give, with this reading, ^^H^ , instead of TT^^^^I *l Bala, in the original. §§ The Sanskrit has Chakrin. BOOK v., CHAP. XXXTII. 117 an infinite number of arrows* had been cut. to pieces, and the weapons began to be exhausted,! Krishna: resolved to put Bana to death. The destroyer § of the demon-host, therefore, took up his discus, Sudarsana, blazing with the radiance of a hundred suns As he|| was in the act of casting it, the mystical goddess Ko- tavi, t the magic lore of the demons, stood, naked, before him.^**^ Seeing her before him, Krishna, ff with unclosed eyes, cast Sudarsana, to cut off the armstt of Bana. The discus, dreaded, in its flight, by the whole of the weapons of the demons, lopped off, successively, ' Kotavi (efitZ^) is said to be an eighth portion of Rudraiii, and the tutelary goddess of the Daityas, composed of incantations (?Tn^W?f\')-§§ The Hari Varhsa' |i calls her, also, Lamba, and in- timates her being the mother of Bana, and as identical with Durga. The word, in the lexicons, designates a naked woman, and is, thence, applicable to Durga, in some of her forms. • The Sanskrit yields "all the arrows". t •^51^ ^ ^t^fTT in^^W I Ratnagarbha explains this as follows: * Hari, in the original. § Read "enemy'', — art. \\ Here called, in the original, by his epithetical appellation, Madhu- dwish, or Madhuvidwish, according to various copies. % Variant: Kodavi. And Ratnagarbha, in my best MSS., has Kot't'avi. Ratnagarbha says: ^^^ ^(?lf^^T T^^^Rf^ ^^^^fTF I Also see note §§, below. •H- The Sanskrit has Hari. *t '^^^. according to Sridhara. WTF^^ i^ Ratnagarbha's reading. §§ This is from Sridhara, who says: ^ZTt ^T ^^TTT f^^T" *< «T^* for ^Tf ¥f% ^- One other variant which I find is "^T¥^% rl^; and my Ajmere MS. interpolates, after the first verse of the extract: I Umdpati. BOOK V. CHAP. XXXIII. 119 the dissevered arms of Bana, approached Govinda, to solicit a suspension of hostiUties,* and said to him: "Krishna, Krishna, lord of the world, I know thee, first of spirits, t the supreme lord, infinite felicity, without beginning or end, and beyond all things.: This sport of universal being, in which thou takest the persons of god, animals, and men, is a subordinate attribute of thy energy. § Be propitious, therefore, lord, (unto me). I have given Bana assurance of safety. Do not thou falsify that which I have spoken. He has grown old in devotion ll to me. Let him not incur thy dis- pleasure. The Daitya has received a boon from me; and, therefore, I deprecate thy wrath." When he had concluded, Govinda, dismissing his resentment against the Asura, looked graciously on the lord of Uma,t the wielder of the trident,** and said to him: "Since you, Sankara, have given a boon unto Bana, let him live. From respect to your promises, my discus is arrested.f f The assurance of safety granted by you is granted (also,) by me. You are fit to apprehend that you are not distinct from me.t: That which I am thou art; and t Purushottama. X " Beyond all things " is to render para. II Sathsraya. % Umdpati. *• Sula-pdni, :: ?T7Ttif^f^wTT(3n^ ^l^if^ ^t i "You must perceive," &c. 120 VISHNU PURANA. that^ also, is this world, with its gods, demons, * and mankind. Men contemplate distinctions, because they are stupified by ignorance," So saying, Krishna went to the place where the son of Pradyumnaf was con- fined. The snakes that bound him were destroyed, being blasted by the breath of Garnda; and Krishna, placing him,! along with his wife, upon the celestial bird, § returned, with Pradyumna and Rama, to Dwa- raka. Ml ' There can be little doubt that this legend describes a serious struggle between the Saivas and Vaishnavas, in which the latter, according to their own report, were victorious; and the Saivas, although they attempt to make out a sort of compromise between Rudra and Krishna, are obliged to admit his having the worst of the conflict, and his inability to protect his votary. The Bha- gavata tells the story much as the text. The Hari Vanhsa ampli- fies, even more than usual ; the narrative occupying nearly se- venty pages of the French translation. The legend is to be found, to the same purport, but in various degrees of detail, in the Agni Purana, Kurma Purana, Padma Purana (Uttara Khanda), Va- mana Purana, and Brahma Vaivarta Purana, (Krishna Janma Khanda). * Asura. t In the original, Pradyumni. Aniruddha is intended. X The Sanskrit has Anirnddha. § To represent Garutiuat, II ^T^T^ItT^T TT^^Tf^T^^Ti: ^T^ I "Rama, Karshni, and Damodara went to the city of Dwaraka. CHAPTER XXXIV. Paiindraka, aVasiideva, assumes tho insiij;iiia and style of Krishna, supported by the king of Kasi. Krishna marches against and destroys them. The son of the king sends a magical being against Krishna: destroyed by his discus, which also sets Be- nares on fire, and consumes it and its inhabitants. MAITREYA.— Of a truth, the divine Sauri, having assumed a mortal body, performed great achievements in his easy victories over Sakra, and Siva,* and all their attendant divinities. f I am now desirous to hear from you, illustrious (sage), what other mighty exploit the humiliator of the prowess of the celestials per- formed. Paras ARA. — Hear, excellent Brahman, t with rev- erent attention, an account of the burning of Varanasi§ by Krishna, in the course of his relieving the burthens of the earth. II There was a Vasudeva who was called Paundraka,^ ' From being, the commentator IT says, king of Puridra.** The • Sarva, in the original. * Viprarski; the same as Brahmarshi, for which term see Vol. III., p. 68, text and note 1. § Corrected, here and everywhere below, from "Varanasi" or "Va- rana."5i." II »{|e said of the remainder of the paragraph. 128 VISHNU PURANA. The army of Kasi,* and the host of the demigods attendant upon Siva, f armed with all kinds of weap- ons, then sallied out, to oppose the discus; but, skilled in the use of arms, he consumed (the whole of) the forces by his radiance, and then set fire* to the city, in which the magic power of Siva§ had concealed herself.* Thus was Varanasi burnt, with all its princes and their followers, its inhabitants, horses, elephants, and men, treasures and granaries, houses, palaces, jj and markets, t The whole of a city that was inacces- sible to the gods** was, thus, wrapped in flames by the discus of Hari, and was totally destroyed. The discus, then, with unmitigated wrath, and blazing fiercely, and far from satisfied with the accomplishment of so easy a task, returned to the hand of Vishhu.'ff ' According to the Bhagavata, the magical being, himself, destroys Sudakshiria and his priest; but Sudarsana consumes the people and the city. The Padma ascribes the destruction of the king and all his city to the discus. The Hari Varhsa closes its narrative with the death of Pauhdraka, and makes no mention of the destruction of Benares. The circumstance ++ is alluded to, in a preceding section (s. 159), by Narada, when detailing the exploits of Krishna. * In this legend, again, we have a contest between the followers • KdU-bala; which may mean either "the army oftheKasis" or "the army of the king of the Kasis." t This phrase is to represent pramatha. X ^'tcfT implies combustion. § "The magic power of Siva" is to render krityd. 11 Prdkdra. 1 Ghatwara. 1+ The latter portion of this paragraph is translated very freely. XX Namely, of the burning of Benares, BOOK v., CHAP. XXXIV. 129 of Vishnu and Siva intimated; as, besides the assistance given, by the latter, to Paundraka, Benares — Varariasi or Avimuktu, * — has been, from all time, as it is at present, the high place ot the Saiva worship, f There is, also, an indication of a Vaishnavti schism, in the competition between Pauiidia and Krishna for the title of Vasudeva and the insignia of his divinity. * Corrected from "Atimukti". Vide supra, p. 126, text and note ff. t See my Benares, (fee, p. 18, note 2. V. CHAPTER XXXV. Samba carries off the daughter of Duryodhana, but is taken pri- soner. Balarama comes to Hastinapura, and demands his liberation: it is refused: in his wrath, he drags the city towards him, to throw it into the river. The Kuru chiefs give up Samba and his wife. MAITREYA.— I have a (great) desire to hear, (ex- cellent) Brahman, some further account of the exploits of Balarama.* You have related to me his dragging the Yamuna, f and other mighty deeds; but you can tell me, venerable sir,+ some other of his § acts. Parasara.- Attend, Maitreya, to the achievements performed by Rama, who is the eternal, illimitable Sesha, the upholder of the earth. At the choice of a husband by the daughter 1 1 of Duryodhana, the princess was carried off by the hero Samba, the son of Jamba- vati.t Being pursued by Duryodhana,** Karna,ff Bhishma,U Drona, and other celebrated chiefs, who were incensed at his audacity, he was defeated and taken prisoner. §§ When the Yadavas heard of the oc- * Balabhadra, in the Sanskrit. t Vide supra, pp. 65 — 68. + Mahdbhdga. § Bala's, according to the original. II Her name was Lakshniaiia, according to the Bhdgavata-purdna, X., Latter Section, XVIII., 1. ^ Vide supra, p. 79, note ^; and p. 107. ♦♦ See Vol. IV., p. 158. ft Ibid., pp. 102 and 126. II Ibid., p. 157. The translation of this stanza, as will be seen, is considerably interpolated. BOOK v., CHAP. XXXV. 131 currence, their wrath was kindled against Duryodhana and his associates; and they prepared to take up arms against them.* But Baladeva,f in accents interrupted by the effects of ebriety, t forbade them, and said : " I will go, alone, to the sons of Kuru. § They will liberate Samba, at my request." Accordingly, he went to the elephant-styled city|| (Hastinapura), but took up his abode in a grove without the town, which he did not enter. When Duryodhana and the rest heard that he t had arrived there, they sent him a cow, a present of fruits and flowers, and water.** Bala received the offer- ing in the customary form, and said to the Kauravas: "Ugrasenaff commands you to set Samba at liberty." When Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Duryodhana, and the others heard this, they were (very) angry; and Bah- likaU and other (friends of the) Kauravas, who looked upon the Yadu race as not entitled to regal dignity, said to the wielder of the club:§§ "What is this, Bala- bhadra, that thou hast uttered? What Yadava shall give orders to the chiefs of the family of Kuru?]! {j If Ugrasena issues his mandates to the Kauravas, then t The Sanskrit has Bala. § Kaurava. II I find two readings,- -f^nt TTI^Tl^ and •TTT T^^l^i^ I f^^ ^T^T?r^: m ^m7{ ^^fr% ii § Murdhan. II Vajrin, i. e,, Indra. % Daiiya-pakshopakdrin. •• "Attendant spirits" is to render guhyaka. The Guhyakas attended on Kubera. See Vol. I., p, 122; Vol. III., p. 116, note f. BOOK v., CHAP. XXXVI. 139 to heaven. Many such inimitable* deeds were wrought by the ilkistriousf Baladeva, (the impersonation of) Sesha, the supporter of the earth. ^ ' This exploit of Balarama is, also, similarly, but more vul- garly, related in the Bhagavata. It is simply said, in the Hari Variisa, * — and erroneously, — that Mainda§ and Dwivida were conquered by Krishna. * Aparimeya. t Dhimat. * SI. 9802. § Corrected from "Menda". CHAPTER XXXVII. Destruction of the Yadavas. Samba and others deceive and ridi- cule the Rishis. The former bears an iron pestle: it is broken, and thrown into the sea. The Yadavas go to Prabhasa, by desire of Krishna: they quarrel and fight, and all perish. The great serpent Sesha issues from the mouth of Rama. Krishna is shot by a hunter, and again becomes one with universal spirit. IN this manner did Krishna, assisted by Baladeva, destroy demons* and iniquitous monarchs, for the good of the earth; and, along with Phalguna,^f also, did het relieve earth of her load, by the death of innumer- able hosts. § Having, thus, lightened the burthens of the earth, ^nd slain many (unrighteous princes), he exterminated, by the pretext of an imprecation de- nounced by Brahmans, his own (Yadava) race. Then, quitting Dwaraka, and relinquishing his mortal being, || ' A name of Arjuna, the great friend of Krishna, to whom the latter served as charioteer, in the war between the Pandus and Kurus. * Daitya, + For the various names of Arjuna, and their origin, see the Mahdbhd- rata, Virdta-parvan, H. 1375, et seq. t The orip^inal here names Hari. § ^R^^T^rf% Ufl *=( ^Tft. I For akshauhini, vide supra, p. 50, notes 2 and ♦». II My Arrah MS. here inserts as follows: 1»^T ^TRTTf^ ^T^tW ^^■Rt ff ff^T^^T II CHAP. XXXVII. 141 the self-born reentered, with all his emanations/ his own sphere of Vishnu.*'" Maitreya.— Tell me how Janarclana effected the destruction of his own race, under the plea of Brah- manical imprecation; and in what manner he relin- quished his mortal body. ^ Parasaka.— At the holy placef Pindaraka,^: Vis- wamitra,§ Kanwa, 1| and the great sage Narada were ' With Balarama, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and the rest. ^ The legend of the destruction of the Yadava race and the death of Krishna appears, probably, in its earliest extant form, in tlie Mausala Parvan of the Mahabharata. It foims the nar- rative portion of the Eleventh Book of the Bhagavata; having been previously briefly adverted to in the First and Third Books ; and it is summarily told in the Uttara Khanda of the Padma Puraria, ^ The village of Pindaraka, still held in veneration, is situated in Gujerat, about twenty miles from the north-west extremity of the Peninsula. Hamilton, Vol. I., p. 664. ^^"^f^^ IcTT^^ ^^T^ 'TfT^ II A second of my copies gives the same verses, with the variation of only three words. It is not palpable that this passage is an interpolation. The first Hne of it does not repeat the sense of what immediately precedes it,— Professor Wilson's "relinquishing his mortal body", — the Sanskrit of which is M^rr 'TT«1"^* > «'• according to both the commentators, ^^m«iT^) "personation of man." t Mahd-tirtha. X Connected, perhaps, with Pindaraka, son of Vasudeva and Rohii'u. See Vol. IV., p. 109, text and note t+- § See Vol. III., p. 14, note 1, near the end. II Ibid., p. 57. 142 VISHNU PURANA. observed by some boys of the Yadu tribe. Giddy with youth, and influenced by predestined results,* they dressed and adorned Samba, the son of Jambavati, as a damsel; and, conducting her to the sages, they ad- dressed them with the usual marks of reverence, and said : "What child will this female, the wife of Babhru, f who is anxious to have a son, give birth to?" The sages, who were possessed of divine wisdom, were veiy angry to find themselves thus tricked by the boys, and said: "She will bring forth a club, that shall crush the whole of the Yadava race." The boys, thus spoken to by the sages, went and related all that had occurred to Ugrasena; and (as foretold,) a club was produced from the belly of Samba. Ugrasena had the club— which was of iron,— ground to dust, and thrown into the sea; but the particles of dust (there) became rushes.^ There ' The term is Eraka (^4,«Hl), which is explained, in some medical lexicons, "a kind of grass." The commentator + also calls it a kind of grass; and, in the text of the Mahabharata, the term subsequently used, and as synonymous with it, is Triha (fTTJr)? 'grass.' The Mahabharata, when describing the aifray which follows, mentions, that the grass, or rushes, on being plucked by Krishna and the Yadavas, turn to clubs. The text, and that of the Bhagavata, here say, that the powdered particles, floating on the sea, became rushes. Or the latter may imply, that they fastened upon grass or weeds. The commentator, however, explains, that, the particles of iron being borne to land, they were so transformed. The Mahabharata says nothing of the piece t See Vol. IV , p. 72. fT'^jf^^'^T^ I Ratnagarbha. BOOK v., CHAP. XXXVII. 143 was one part of the iron club which was like (the blade of) a lance,* and which the Andhakas could not break, t This, when thrown into the sea, was swal- lowed by a fish : the fish was caught, the iron spike was extracted from its belly, and was taken by a hunter named Jaras.: The all-wise§ and glorious Madhusu- dana did not think fit to counteract what had been predetermined by fate. Then there came to Kesava, when he was private and alone, a messenger from the gods, who addressed him with reverence, and said: "I am sent to you, lord, by the deities. And do thou hear what Indra,|| together with the Viswas, 1 Aswins, ** Maruts, Adityas, Rudras, and Sadhyas, respectfully represents. "More than a hundred years have elapsed since thou, in favour to the gods, ff hast descended upon earth, for which could not be pounded; and this seems to be an embellish- ment, either of our text or the Bhagavata. The Mahabharata, however, adds another precaution, which the two others have left unnoticed. Ugrasena causes a proclamation to be made, that none of the inhabitants of Dwaraka shall, thenceforth, drink wine, on pain of being impaled alive; and the people, for some time, ob- serve the prohibition. • Tomara. t The original yields 'triturate': ^iff^ig ^^"T I * Corrected from "Jara". Vide infra, p. 152, note X. II Sakra, in the Sanskrit. ^ Vide supra, p. 101, note *. Ratnagarbha reads 'Vasus'. My Ajmere MS. yields "Adityas, Rudras, Sadhyas, Aswins, Vasus, Agnis, Maruts, &c.," and in this order. •* I have inserted this word, inadvertently omitted l>y the Translator. tt f^t: ^hTOTf^fi: I 144 VISHNU PURANA. the purpose of relieving it of its load. The demons* have been slain, and the burthen of earth has been removed. Now let the immortals once again behold their monarch in heaven, f A period exceeding a cen- tury has passed. Now, if it be thy pleasure, return to Swarga. This is the solicitation of the celestials. But, should such not be thy will, then remain here as long as it may be desirable to thy dependants."^: To this, Krishna replied : § "All that thou hast said I am well aware of. The destruction of the Yadavas by me has commenced. The burthens of the earth are not re- moved, until the Yadavas are extirpated. I will eifect this, also, in my descent, and quickly; for it shall come to pass in seven nights. When I have restored the land of Dwaraka to the ocean, and annihilated the race of Yadu, I will proceed to the mansions of the immortals. Apprise the gods, that, having abandoned my human body, and accompanied by Sankarshana, I will then return to them, i The tyrants that oppressed the earth, ' Nothing of this kind occurs in the Mahabharata. Our text, therefore, offers an embellishment. The Bhagavata, again, im- proves upon the text; for, not content with a messenger, it makes Brahma (with the Prajapatis), Siva (with the Bhiitas), Indra (with the other divinities), all come, in person; indicating, evidently, a * Daitya. 3n^ T?^Tf^ ^nT^ tt%w ^^T ff : II BOOK v., CHAP. XXXVII. 145 — Jarasandha and the rest,— have been killed: and a youth, even, of the race of Yadii. is, no less than they, an incumbrance. When, therefore, I have taken away this great weight upon earth, I will return to protect the sphere of the celestials. * Say this to them." The messenger of the gods, having received this reply, bowed, and took his heavenly course to the king of the gods. The mighty (Krishna) now beheld signs and por- tents, f both in earth and heaven, prognosticating, day and night, the ruin of Dwaraka. ^ Showing these to the later date, as plainly as the addition of the text shows it to be subsequent to the date of the legend in the Mahabharata. ' The Mahabharata, which delights in describing portents and signs, does not fail to detail them here. A dreadful figure, death personified, haunts every house, coming and going no one knows how, and being invulnerable to the weapons by which he is as- sailed. Strong hurricanes blow; large rats multiply, and infest the roads and bouses, and attack persons in their sleep; Sarikas (or starlings,) utter inauspicious screams in their cages; storks imitate the hooting of owls; and goats, the howling of jackals; cows bring forth foals ; and camels, mules ; food, in the moment of being eaten, is filled with worms; fire burns with discoloured flames; and, at sunset and sunrise, the air is traversed by headless and hideous spirits. There is more to the same eff'ect, which neither our text nor the Bhagavata has ventured to detail. The whole passage has been published in Maurice's Ancient History of Hindustan, Vol. H., p. 463; translated, apparently, by the late Sir Charles Wilkins. The names have been much disfigured either by the copyist or compositor. * Amara-loka. t "Sign.« and portents" is to render utpdta. V. 10 1 46 VISHNU PURANA. Yadavas, he said: "See! Behold these fearful phe- nomena! Let us hasten to Prabhasa, to avert these omens."* When he had thus spoken to the eminent Yadava,t the illustrious Uddhava: saluted and said to him: "Tell me, lord, what it is proper that I should do. For it seems to me, that thou wilt destroy all this race. The signs (that are manifest) declare (nothing less than) the annihilation of the tribe." Then Krishna § replied to him: "Do you go by a celestial route, which my favour shall provide you, to the holy (place) Ba- darikasrama, I! in the Gandhamadana mountain, the shrine of Naranarayana;t and, on that spot, sanctified by them, thou, by meditating on me, shalt obtain per- fection,"* through my favour. When the race (of Yadu) shall have perished, 1 shall proceed to heaven; and the ocean shall inundate Dwaraka, when I have quitted it." Accordingly, Uddhava, thus instructed ff by Kesava, saluted him with veneration, and departed to the shrine of Naranarayana. * ' In the Mahabharata, it is said, merely, that Uddhava, who was versed in Yoga, foreseeing the destruction of the Yadavas, This verse is recognized by Sridhara, but not by Ratnagarbha; and the sense is complete without it. My Ajmere MS. gives it; my Arrah MS. omits it. I See Vol. IV., p. 113, notes 1 and t- § Bhagavat, in the original. II Ratnagarbha calls this hermitage^by its shorter name, Badari, instead of Badarika, the form preferred by Sridhara. % We have already had mention of it. Vide supra, p. 62. •• Siddhi. ff Anumodita, BOOK v., CHAP, xxxvir. 147 Then the Yadavas ascended their rapid cars, and drove to Prabhasa, ' along with Krishna, Rama, and the rest of their chiefs." They bathed there; and, ex- cited* by VasLideva, the Kukurasf and Andhakas in- dulged in liquor. As they drank, the destructive flame of dissension was kindled amongst them by mutual collision, and fed with the fuel of abuse. Infuriated bv the divine influence, they fell upon one another with missile weapons; t and, when those were expended, they had recourse to the rushes § growing nigh. The rushes in their hands became like thunderbolts; and they struck one another, with them, fatal]! blows. went away; that is, according to the commentator, he practised penance, and went to heaven: ^fJ^TT ^ITT^TEI ^<^<4i*1 I The Bhagavata, taking the hint, makes much more of it than our text, and expands it into a long course of instruction, given by Krishna to Uddhava, occupying 150 leaves. ' Vide supra, p. 47, note 2. By sending the Yadavas to Prabhasa, (the commentator asserts,) Krishna prevented, pur- posely, the Yadavas from obtaining Mukti, 'final liberation', which would have been the consequence of dying at Dwaraka. Death at Prabhasa conferred only Indra's heaven. ^ The Mahabhiirata describes them as going forth with horses, elephants, and cars, and their women and abundance of good cheer, and varieties of wine and meat: * Anumodita. f Corrected, here and frequently elsewhere, from "Kukkuras". + Sastra, which almost always signifies an edged weapon, in contra- distinction from astra, 'a missile weapon'. § Erakd. Vide supra, p. 142, note 1. II Suddruna. 10 • 148 VISHNU PURANA. Pradyumna, Samba, Kritavarman, * Satyaki,t Anirud- dha, Pfithu, Viprithu, : Gharuvarman, § Charuka, | Aki'ura, and many others struck one another with the rushes, which had assumed the hardness of thunder- bolts \ Kesava interposed, to prevent them; but they thought that he was taking part with each, severally, ' The Bhagavata, like the text, adverts only in this general manner to the conflict; but the Mahabharata gives the particulars. Yuyudhanal reproaches Kritavarman with having aided Aswat- thanian ** in his night-attack on the Paridu camp, and killing war- riors in their sleep. Pradyumna joins in the abuse. Kritavarman retorts. Krishna looks at him angrily Stityaki repeats the story of the Syamantaka gem, by which he accuses Kritavarman of being an accomplice in the murder of Sattrajitaff (See Vol. IV., pp. 75, et seq.). Satyabhama, t+ the daughter of the latter, then mixes in the quarrel, and incites Krishna to avenge her; but Sat- yaki anticipates him, and murders Kritavarman. Saineya§§ and the Bhojas attack Satyaki ; the Andhakas defend him; and the affray becomes general. Krishna attempts to part the combatants, until Pradyumna is killed; and, then, taking up a handful of rushes, which become an iron club, he kills, indiscriminately, all that come in his way. The conflict continues, until the greater part of the combatants have fallen, including all Krishna's sons; and he then, in wrath, sweeps off all the survivors, except Babhru and Daruka, with his discus. • See Vol. IV., p. 99. t Ibid., p. 93. + For these two brothers, see Vol. IV., p. 96. § I know nothing of him. In Vol. IV, p. 113, we have a Sucharu. One of my MSS. has Charudharman. !| The same as Charu, for whom see p. 78, supra. ^ The same as Satyaki. See Vol. IV., p. 93. ♦♦ See Vol. IV., p. 147. ft Corrected from "Satrajit". :: See Vol. IV., p. 80. §§ Was this Satyaka, Satyaki's father? See Vol. IV., p. 92. BOOK v., CHAP. XXXVIT. 149 and continued the conflict. Krishna, then, enraged, took up a handful of rushes, to destroy them; and the rushes became a club of iron. And with this he slew many of the murderous Yadavas; whilst others, fight- ing fiercely, put an end to one another. The chariot of the holder of the discus,* named Jaitra, was quickly carried off by the (swift) steeds, and swept away by the sea, in the sight of Daruka, (the charioteer). The discus, the club, the bow, the (quiver, the shell, and the sword t (of Kesava), having circumambulated their lord,: flew^ along the path of the sun. In a short time there was not a single Yadava left alive, except the mighty Krishna and Daruka. ^ Going tow^ards Rama, who was sitting at the root of a tree, they beheld a large serpent coming out of his mouth. Having issued from his mouth, the mighty § snake proceeded towards ' The Mahabharata, as observed at the end of the last note, adds Babhru: but it presently gets rid of him. Krishna sends him to take care of the old people, the women, and children, in Dwaraka, whilst Daruka goes to bring Arjuna to their aid. But, as he goes along, — overcome with grief for the loss of his kindred, and approaching separation from Krishna, — he is killed by a club that is cast from a snare, or trap, set by a hunter. Krishna then goes to Dwaraka, and desires Vasudeva to await the coming of Arjuna; after which, he returns to Rama, and sees the phenom- enon described in the text; the serpent being Sesha, of whom Balaraiua was the incarnation. The Bhagavata does not mention this incident; merely observing, that Rama, by the power of Yoga, returned into himself, — that is, into Vishnu. • Ckakrin. t Vide supra, p. 124; also, a passage towards the end of Chapter VII. of Book VI. I Hari, in the Sanskrit. § Mahdhhoga. 150 VISHNU PURANA. the ocean, hymned by saints, * and by other great ser- pents. Bringing an offering of respect. Ocean came to meet him; and, then, the majestic being, adored by at- tendant snakes, entered into the waters of the deep.f Beholding the departure of (the spirit of) Balabhadra,t Kesava said to Daruka: "AH this is to be related, by you, to Vasudeva and Ugrasena. Go and inform them of the departure of Balabhadra, and the destruction of the Yadavas; also, that I shall engage in religious meditation, and quit this body. Apprise Ahuka,§ and all the inhabitants of Dwaraka, ^ that the sea will inun- date the town. Be ready, therefore, in expectation of the coming of Arjuna; and, when he | quits Dwaraka, no longer abide there, but go whithersoever that de- scendant of Kuru shall repair. Do you, also, go to the son of Kunti, If and tell him, that it is my request that he will grant what protection he can to all my family. ' The women, the elders, and the children, amongst whom, as we shall presently see, was Vajra, the son of Aniruddha,** who was established as chief of the Yadavas at Indraprastha, and who, therefore, escaped the destruction which overwhelmed their kins- men, the Vrishnis, Kukuras, and Andhakas, of Dwaraka. This was a fortunate reservation for the tribes which, in various parts of Hindusthan, — both on the Ganges and in the Deccan, — profess to derive their origin from the Yadavas, ff * Siddha. X Bala, in the original. § Father of Ugrasena. See Vol. IV., p. 98. I Here called Paiidava, in the Sanskrit. ^ Kauuteya; namely, Arjuna. See Vol. IV,, pp. 101, 102, anil 159. •• Vide supra, p. 108, text and note *. ft See Vol, IV., p. 58, notes 2 and §. BOOK v., CHAP. XXXVII. 151 Then depart, with Arjuua and all the people of Dwa- ravati; and let Vajra be installed sovereign over the tribe of Yadu."* Dariika, being thus instructed, prostrated himself, again and again, before Krishna, and walked round him repeatedly, and then departed, as he had been desired; and, having conducted Arjuna to Dwaravati, f the intel- ligent (servant of Krishna) established Vajra as king. The divine Govinda, then, having concentrated in him- self that supreme spirit + which is one with Vasudeva, was identified with all beings. ^ Respecting the words of the Brahman,— the imprecation of Durvasas,^§— the ' The process is explained by the commentator: i "By the force of Dhyana (or abstraction), Krishna satisfies himself that he is Brahma (^^^^frrfTT WTt^T), or universal spirit; and is, next, convinced, that he is, therefore, all things (^^^rn«?T^^^); by which his individuality ceases." ^ The story is told in the Mahabharata. U Durvasas was, on one occasion, hospitably entertained by Krishna; but the latter omitted to wipe away the fragments of the rjieal which had fallen on the foot of the irascible sage, who, thereupon, foretold, that Krishna should be killed as in the text. * "^^"^ ^%^ T5?J ^jf^rfM ^ H T5R^ I So Sridhara. Ratnagarbba reads: t Corrected, here and just above, from "Dwaravati". The original has Dwaraka. § ^^TOT ^^^'R' I See, for Durvasas, Vol. 1., pp. 135 and 154. II What follows is taken from Sridhara, whose words are: ^TSlf'T ■^n^W H fTT''IWl'^[%f7T T^T'f^'SI^i I Ratnagarbba comments to the same ett'ect. ^ And it is told briefly by both the commentators on the Vishnu-purdna, 152 VISHNU PUKANA. illustrious Krishna* sat engaged in thought, f resting his foot upon his knee. Then came there a hunter, named Jaras,^+ whose arrow was tipped with a blade made of the piece of iron of the club, which had not been reduced to powder; § and, beholding, from a distance, the foot of Krishna, he mistook it for part of a deer, and, shooting his arrow, lodged it in the sole."^ || Approachhig (his mark), he saw the four-armed king, and, falling at his feet, repeatedly besought his for- giveness, exclaiming: "I have done this deed unwit- tingly, thinking I was aiming at a deer. Have pity upon me, who am consumed by my crime! For thou art able to consume me."t Bhagavat replied: "Fear ' This is an allegorical personage, however; tor Jara signifies 'infirmity', 'old age', 'decay.'** ^ The Bhagavata explains how this part of the foot became exposed. Krishna had assumed one of the postures in which ab- straction is practised. He had laid his left leg across his right thigh, by which the sole of the foot was turned outwards. • This name and its epithet are supplied by the Translator. t ^^r^: I I Corrected from "Jara", which the original cannot yield, as a huntress would be called luhdhaki. The original is as follows : Compare note + in p. 143, supra. Also see the Mahdbhdrata, Man- sala-parvan, si. 126, et seq. This compound is descriptive of ^f^cTcfi; | il A free translation. Ratnagarbha begins this verse with the words ^??|"fTt •TTTiTTr'T'T I " To this speculation it is difficult to assent. See note +, above. BOOK v., CHAP. XXXVII. 153 not, thou, in the least.* Go, hunter, through my fa- vour, to heaven, the abode of the gods." As soon as he had thus spoken, a celestial car appeared; and the hunter, ascending it, forthwith proceeded to heaven. Then the illustrious (Krishna), having united himself with his own pure, spiritual,! inexhaustible, inconceiv- able, unborn, undecaying, imperishable, t and univer- sal spirit, which is one with Vasudeva, abandoned his mortal body and the condition of the threefold qual- ities. ^§ ' He became Nirguria, 'devoid of all qualities.' |i t Brahma-bhuta. I The epithet aprameya, 'boundless', is here omitted. 1 Thus explain both Sridhara and Ratnagarbha. CHAPTER XXXVIII. Arjuna comes to Dwaraka, and burns the dead, and takes away the surviving inhabitants. Commencement of the Kali age. Shepherds and thieves attack Arjuna, and carry off the vs^oraen and wealth. Arjuna regrets the loss of his prowess, to Vyasa, who consoles him, and tells him the story of Ashtavakra's cursing the Apsarasas. Arjuna and his brothers place Pari- kshit on the throne, and go to the forests. End of the Fifth Book. ARJUNA, having found the bodies of Krishna and of Rama, performed, for them and the rest (of the slain), the obsequial rites.* The eight queens of Krishna, who have been named, f with Rukmini at their head,+ embraced the body of Hari, and entered the (funeral) fire.^ Revati, also, embracing the corpse of Rama, entered the blazing pile, which was cool to her, happy in contact with her lord.§ Hearing these events, Ugrasena and Anakadundubhi, with Devaki and Rohini, committed themselves to the flames.^ The ' The Mahabharata takes the wives of Krishna, first, to Indra- prastha : and there Rukmini and four others burn. But Satya- bhama and others become ascetics, going to perform Tapasya in the forest. ' It is merely said, in the Mahabharata, that Vasudeva ex- pired; on which, four of his wives burnt themselves. * "Obsequial rites" is to render saihskdra. t Vide supra, pp. 78, et seq., and p. 107. + ^f^JHlftlT^^T: , " Rukmini and the rest." BOOK v., CHAP, xxxvin. 155 last ceremonies* were performed, for all these, by Ar- juna, who, then, made all the people leave the city, and tookVajra with him. The son of Kuntif conducted the thousands of the wives of Krishna, with Vajra and all the people, from Dwaraka,+ with tenderness and care, and travelled slowly away. The Sudharman § palace and the Parijata-tree, which had been brought to earth by Krishna, both proceeded to heaven; and, on the same day that Hari departed from the earth, the powerful dark-bodied | Kali (age) descended/ The ocean (rose and) submerged the whole of Dwaraka, ex- cept alone the dwelling of the deity of the race ofYadu.t The sea has not yet been able to wash that (temple) away; and there Kesava constantly abides, (even in the present day). Whoever visits that holy shrine— the place where Krishna pursued his sports,— is liberated from all his sins.^** ' The Kali age commenced from the death of Krishna, ac- cording to the usual notions; but it is commonly supposed to commence a little later, or with the reign of Parikshit. ff '^ The Bhagavata agrees with the text, in excepting the temple of Dwaraka, and asserting that it still remains, in direct contra- diction of the Mahabharata, which declares, that the sea did not spare any part whatever. It is clear, therefore, that, when the latter was compiled, the temple was not standing, and that it was * Preta-kdrya. t Kaunteya. Vide supra, p. 150, note % . I Dwaravati, in the Sanskrit. § Vide supra, p. 46, text and note • . II Kdla-kdya. There are three nniinportant variants. Ratnagarbha notes and elucidates two of them. H '^S^efO]'^, "the temple of the Yadus." *• This sentence greatly abridges the original, f}- See Vol. IV, p. 230, note •, and p. 233. 156 VISHNU PUR AN A. The son of Pritha* (Arjuna,) halted the people (he had brought from Dwaraka,) in the Panchanada coun- try, ^ in a rich and fertile spot. But the desires of the robbers (of the neighbourhood) were excited, when they observed so many widowed females,— also, such great riches,— in the possession of Arjuna* alone. f erected between the date of the compilation and that of the two Purarias. The present shrine, which is held in great repute, stands at the extremity of the peninsula of Gujerat. It is still an object of pilgrimage. It was so in the reign of Akbar (Ayeen Akbaree); and has been so, no doubt, from a remote period. The image formerly worshipped there was carried off 600 years ago ; and this was, most probably, subsequent to the date of both the Purarias : for the idol was a form of Krishria, called Raria- chhor, — a popular divinity, unknown in the Paurariik pantheon. Another image was substituted in place of that which was taken away. Notwithstanding the testimony of our text, and that of the Bhagavata, the originality of the temple is disputed; and a place thirty miles south from Poorbundur is said to be the spot where Dwaraka was swallowed up by the ocean. Hamilton (from Macmurdo, &c.). Vol. I., p. 662. ' "The country of the five rivers,"* the Punjab: — rather an out-of-the-way route from Dwaraka to Dehli. • Partha, in the oripcinal. See Vol. IV., pp. 101, 102. Ratnagarbha reads as follows: f?T ^W^ ^^JTRT ^^^t OTf ^TT : II And herewith agree my Ajmere and Arrah MSS. In no MS. do I find, in lieu of ^jf^wfT . ^irf^'fTj which might suggest Professor Wilson's "such great riches." + The original is tj^cf?' ^^ , Most probably the tirtka called Pan- chanada is intended ; for which see the Mahdbhdrata, Vana-parvan, il. 5025, 5086; and elsewhere. BOOK v., CHAP, xxxvin. 157 Inflamed by their cupidity, they assembled the vil- lainous Abhiras, ' * and said to them : -'Here is this Ar- juna,— immensely rich,f and having numerous women, whose husbands have been slain,— passing confidently amongst us; a disgrace to all brave men.t His pride is raised by the death of Bhishma, Drona, Jayadratha, Karna, and others (whom he has slain). He does not know the prowess of (simple) villagers. Up! up! Take your long thick staves. § This stupid fellow despises us. Why should we not lift up our arms?" So saying, they rushed, armed with cudgels and clods of earth,;. ' Abhiras mean 'herds ;' 1 and they are, afterwards, called, by Arjuna, Gopalas, 'herdsmen.' The pastoral tribes of the west of India, and, particularly, those of Afghanistan, almost always combine the character of freebooter with that of shepherd. t I find, everywhere, V*^) 'archer." See note + in the preceding page. Instead of *I^fTt> f^'^ffT is preferred by Rutnagarbha, according to my oldest copy of his commentary. And so reads my Arrah MS. My Ajmere MS. gives, in the place of the verse beginning as above, a whole stanza, and one of very different import. § f f ^^^1 T^T'n ^^rT I Ratnagarbha lias ^RfT^T^ I II Nothing to yield ''clods of earth" is read in the text as alone I find it: ^I^lfr^^^qlnT ri ^M fi\^^-^l^ II Sridhara and Ratnagarbha: '^ifSlTfTWT: I ^^TJ^T^^: I ^"^^T- fT?t!r« I ^T^^Tf^W* I Professor Wilson must have supposed that the reading was ^^flfTW*. I % 1 know no authority for this meaning. For the Abhiras, see Vol. II., p. 168, notes 4, etc.; p. 185, notes 2, etc. 158 VISHNU PURANA. upon the people, who were without their lord.* Ar- junaf encountered + them, and said to them, in deri- sion : "Retire, wretches, ignorant of what is right, unless ye are desirous of dying." But they disregarded his menaces, and seized his treasures, and his women,— the wives of Viswaksena. Thereupon, Arjuna began to brace his heavenly bow, Gandiva, irresistible § in battle. But it was in vain ; for, in spite of all his efforts to tighten it, it continued flaccid. Neither could he call to recollection the incantations of the superhuman weapons. I Losing all patience, he launched, as best he might, his shafts upon the enemy; but those shot from Gandiva merely scratched the skin. The arrows given him, by Agni,t to carry certain destruction,** now were, themselves, destroyed, and were fatal to Arjuna, in his contest with herdsmen. He endeavoured to recall the might of Krishna,- animated by which, his numerous arrows had overthrown mighty kings;— but he tried in vain : for, now, they were put aside by the peasants;!! or they flew at random, wide of their aim. It His arrows being expended, he §§ beat the ban- The widows above spoken of are intended, t Kaunteya, iu the Sanskrit. Vide supra, p. 150, note ^. + fifcfW ; implying that Arjuna desisted from encountering the Ahhiras. § Ajara. II T ^^TT fl^T^TfW f^nT^Wf^ mi^^: I % In the original, Vahni. •* The epithet thus rendered is akshaya, 'indestructible.' tt Abhira. ^^^T iTT^^t: ^^^T ^g^> f^m: ii §§ Here Arjuua is called Dhauanjaya, in the original. BOOK v., CHAP, xxxviir. 159 ditti with the horn of his bow: but they only laughed at his blows; and the barbarians,* in the sight of Ar- juna,f carried off all the women of the Vrishni and Andhaka tribes, and went their way. ^ Then Jishhut was sorely distressed, and lamented bitterly, exclaiming: "Alas! alas! I am deserted by my lord!" And he wept; and, in that instant, the bow and (heavenly) arms, his car and steeds, perished entirely, like a donation to an unlearned Brahman. § "Resist- less," said he, "are the decrees of fate, by whom feeble- ness has been inflicted upon me,— deprived of my illus- trious friend,— and victory given to the base. ;[ These two arms are mine; mine is this fist; this is my place; If I am Arjuna: but, without that righteous aid, all these are pithless. The valour of Arjuna,*"' the strength of Bhima,tt was, all, his work; and, without him, I am overcome by peasants::: it cannot be from any other ' The principal wives of Krishna, however, according to the Mahabharata, escaped. The occurrence is described, there, much in the same way, but more briefly. It is not detailed in the Bha- gavata. • Mkchchha. t Paitha, in the Sanskrit. : Still another name of Arjuna. Vide supra, p. 156, note •. If ^T«f fRT I His position as an archer, says Ratnagarbha: \IT^- ** To render Arjimatwa. ft *fN^ ^H^»l I \\ Abhira. 160 VISHNU PURANA. cause." So saying, Arjuna* went to the city of Ma- th ura,f and there installed the Yadava prince, Vajra, as its king. There he+ beheld Vyasa, who was living in a wood; and he approached the sage,§ and saluted him respectfully. The Muni surveyed him for some time, as he lay prostrate at his feet, and said to him:|| "How is it that I see you thus shorn of your lustre ?ir Have you been guilty of illicit intercourse with women?** Or of the death of a Brahman? Or have you suffered some grievous disappointment, that you are so dejected ?ff Have your prayers for progeny, or other good gifts, proved fruitless? Or have you indulg- ed improper passions, that your lustre is so dim?tt Or are you one that devours the meal he has given to the Brahmans? Say, Arjuna, have you seized upon the substance of the poor? Has the wind of a winnowing- basket lighted upon you? Or has an evil eye gazed upon you, Arjuna, that you look thus miserable ?§§ Jishiiu, in the original. This is one of the many names or epithetical designations of Arjuna. t Sridbara and Ratnagarbha notice a variant expressing that Arjuna went from Indraprastha to Hastinapura. My Ajmere and Arrah MSS. simply substitute Indraprastha for Mathuia. + The Sanskrit has Phalguna. § Mahdbhdga. It Partha is the word here used. •* This sentence is to render "^^"^Wt-S •TI^'I^ I Both Sridhara and Ratnagarbha dwell at length on the first of tLese words and its variant ^■^"?:^T I tt ^s^T^: I ^TRT^TfTT^T ^ 7fTTf% f^^mim: II §1 f^'^TR: I BOOK v., CHAP. XXXVIII. 161 Have you been touched by the water of a finger-nail? Or has the water of a water-jar sprinkled you? Or, what is, most probably, the case, have you been beaten by your inferiors in battle?"* Arjuna,f having sighed deeply, related to Vyasa all the circumstances of his discomfiture, and continued: "Hari, who was our strength, our might, our heroism, our prowess, our prosperity, our brightness, has left us, and departed. Deprived of him, our friend, illus- trious, and ever kindly speaking, we have become as feeble as if made of straw, t Purushottama, who was the living § vigour of my weapons, my arrows, and my bow, II is gone. As long as we looked upon him, fortune, fame, wealth, dignity! never abandoned us. But Govinda is gone from amongst us. That Krishna has quitted earth, through whose power Bhishma, Drona, the king of Anga,** Duryodhana, and the rest were consumed. Not I alone, but Earth, has grown old, miserable, ff and lustreless, in the absence of the holder of the discus. II Krishna, through devotion to whom Bhishma and other mighty men perished like * The Translator has here somewhat departed from the order of the original. t Partha, in the original. ^^ ^^ ^ %^ ^TcTI*^U!*4i4l T^ II Ratnagarbha begins this stanza with ^l^UT' *• ^■■> "^(T^TJ^^ he says. § Miirtta. II Substituted, l)y the Translator, for Gandiva. ^ Unnati. ** Anga-rdja. Kan'ia is intended. ft ^H^^rr-^n i n Chakrin. Y. 11 162 VISHNU PURANA. moths in the flame of my valour, is gone; and I am, now, overcome by cowherds. * The bow Gandiva, that was famed throughout the three worlds, has been foiled, since he has departed, by the sticks of peas- ants, f The myriads of women over whom I was lord have been carried off from me by thieves, armed but with cudgels. The whole households of Krishna, Krishna,^ has been (forcibly) carried away by peasants, who, with their staves, have put my strength to shame. That I am shorn of my lustre I do not marvel: it is wonderful that I live. Surely, grand-sire, I alone am so shameless as to survive the stain of indignity in- flicted by the vile."§ Vyasa replied to Arjuna, and said: "Think no more, my son, II of your disgrace. It does not become you to grieve. Know that time subjects all beings to similar vicissitude. ^ Time effects the production and dissolu- tion of all creatures. All that exists is founded on time. Know this, Arjuna, and retain your fortitude. Rivers, seas, mountains, the whole earth, gods, men, animals, trees, insects** are, all, created, and, all, will be de- A name of Vyasa. ff f^'iT %^^ ir#^ ^m%Tf^ f^f^cr: ii t Abhira. X Avarodhana. Ratnagarbha explains it to mean '^•ffmT! ^T^'T' ^^T^TTT^ T^T^ f^Wr^f^ f^fTT^f II 11 The original has Partha. ** Sarisripa; 'reptiles.' Vide supra, p. 59, note ff. ft So the scholiasts allege. BOOK v., CHAf. XXXVIII. 163 stroyed, by time. Knowing that all that is is the effect of time, be tranquillized.* These mighty works f of Krishna, whatever they have been, have been per- formed to relieve earth of its burthens: for this he has come down. Earth, oppressed by her load, has had recourse to the assembly + of the immortals; and Ja- nardana, who is one with time, has descended on that account. This object has been, now, accomplished. All the kings (of the earth) are slain; the race of Vrishni and Andhaka is destroyed: no more remained for him to accomplish. § Therefore has the lord de- parted whither he pleased, his ends being, all, fulfilled, jj At the period of creation, the god of gods creates; in that of duration, he preserves ; and, at the end (of all), he is mighty to annihilate. If Now all is done. Therefore, Arjuna,** be not afflicted by thy defeat. The prowess of mortals is the gift of time.ff Bhishma, Droria,U Karna. and other kings have been slain by thee alone. This was the work of time: and why, therefore, should not thy discomfiture, by those less than thou art, ^T^(?T^W: I ^T^^^Ji: I Ratnagarbha. t " Mighty works '" is to render mdhdtmya. X Samiti. § Add "on earth": *rf^f!% | II Kritokritya, 'satisfied,' 'happy,' ** Partha, in the original. tt H^fiff H^^T%^ g^mwt ^TT^^n: I \X 1 have inserted this name, to conform the translation to Sridhara's text, which Professor Wilson, no doubt, hereabouts follows. Ratuagarbha's reading yields Bhishma and Droiia, omitting Kariia; and therewith my Arrah MS. harmonizes. 11' 164 VISHNU PURANA. occur?* In like manner as, through thy devotion tof Vishnu, these were overthrown by thee, so, at last, has thy defeat by miserable thieves been wrought by time.+ That divinity, assuming various bodies, pre- serves the world; and, in the end, the lord of creatures destroys it. In the birth of thy fortunes, § Janardana was thy friend; in their decline, || thy enemies have been favoured by Kesava. Who would have believed that thou shouldst slay all the descendants of Kuru, and kindred of Ganga?t Who would have believed that peasants** should triumph over thee? Be assured, son of Pritha,ff that it is (but) the sport of the univer- sale Hari, that the Kauravas have been destroyed by thee, and that thou hast been defeated by herdsmen. §§ With respect to the women whom thou lamentest, and who have been carried off by the thieves, hear from me an ancient story, which will explain why this has happened. || || "In former times, a Brahman, named Ashtavakra,^ ' The story of Ashtavakra is related in the Mahabharata.ll He was the son of Kahoda, *** who, neglecting his wife, was rebuked t Read "through the might of": -^g^fT^T I § ^^¥W I II ^^T^ I 1 To render Gangeya. ** Abhira. ■j-f Partha is the original word. ** Sarva-bhuta. Vide supra, p. 34, text and note ff. §§ Abhira. II 1 7{jmi ^^TfTT ^rsj^Tfi? T?i: II 238 VISHNU PURANA. sion, by the mind, of that visible form of Vishnu, without regard to subsidiary forms, is, thence, called Dharana;* and I will describe to you the perceptiblef form of Hari, which no mental retention will manifest, except in a mind that is lit to become the receptacle of the idea, ^t The meditating sage must think (he be- holds internally the figure) of Vishnu, as having a pleased and lovely countenance, with eyes like the leaf of the lotos, smooth cheeks, § and a broad and brilliant forehead; ears of equal size, the lobes of which are decorated with splendid pendants; a painted neck;|| and a broad breast, on which shines the Srivatsat mark ; a belly falling in graceful folds, with a deep- seated navel : ** eight long arms, or else four ; and firm and well-knit thighs and legs, with well-formed feet and toes. Let him, with well-governed thoughts, con- ' The explanation of Dhararia given in the text is rendered unnecessarily perplexed by the double doctrine here taught, and the attempt to combine the abstractions of Yoga theism with the sectarian worship of Vishnu. In dhdraiid, or 'fixed attention', no mediate rest is required, such as is spoken of in note + to p. 231, supra. t Murtta. § Su-kapola. II ? The original has oo^ci^ri^^ | Sridhara and Ratnagarbba say: % See p. 5, and p. 124, note ^, supra. BOOK VI., CHAP. VII. 239 template, as long as he can persevere in unremitting attention, Hari,* as clad in a yellow robe, ^'earing a (rich) diadem (on his head), and brilliant armlets and bracelets f (on his arms), and bearing (in his hands) the bow, the shell, the mace, the sword, the discus, the rosary, + the lotos, and the arrow. '§ When this image never departs from his mind, whether he be going, or standing, or be engaged in any other voluntary act, then he may believe his retention to be perfect. The sage may then meditate upon the form of Vishnu If without (his arms, —as) the shell, mace, discus, and bow,— and as placid, and bearing (only) his rosary.** When the idea of this image is firmly retained, thenff he may meditate on Vishnu without his diadem, brace- lets, ++ or other ornaments. He may, next, contemplate him as having but one single limb, and may then fix his Mdiole thoughts §§ upon the body to which the limbs belong. This process of forming a lively image in the mind, exclusive of all other objects, constitutes ' The two last implements are from the comment: the text specifies only six. ^ OS e t Keyiira and kataka. X Akaha-valaya. § Vide supra, pp. 124 and 149. li Budha. ^ Bhagavat, in the original. ** Aksha-siitraka. ft ¥T v:^ ^^rrrwT cTi^^^T^^fT^ t\7[\ i XX Key lira. 240 VISHNU PLRANA. Dhyana (or meditation), which is perfected by six stages;^ and, when an accurate knowledge of self, free from all distinction, is attained by this mental medi- tation, that is termed Samadhi.^* ' They are :f 1. Yama, &c., acts of restraint and obligation ;t: 2. Asana, sitting in particular postures ;§ 3. Prariayania, modes of breathing; li 4. Pratyahaia, exclusion of all external ideas ; H 5. Bhavana, apprehension of internal ideas;** 6. Dharana, fixation or retention of those ideas, ff * The result of the Dhyana or Samadhit+ is the absence of all idea of individuality, when the meditator, the meditation, and the thing or object meditated upon are, all, considered to be but one. According to the text of Patanjali: "Restraint of the body, reten- tion of the mind, and meditation, which, thence, is exclusively confined to one object, is Dhyana. The idea of identification with the object of such meditation, so as if devoid of individual nature, is Samadhi:- '^f^i^f^Tf^-?:Trr cTrRtil^^rrT^ffT >2TTT*l I fT^" rT^gTR ITW^TW'. ^t^t^^T^ ^^ II t I do not know whence this classification is taken; and I doubt its correctness exceedingly. According to the Yoga-idstra, II., 29, the six stages preceding dhyana are yama, niyama, asana, prdridydma, pratyd- hdra, and dhdrand. Yama and niyama can scarcely, from their very nature, be taken as parts of a whole ; and bhdvand is not at all a stage subservient to the attainment of yoga. X Vide supra, p. 230, notes * and f. § Ibid., note \\. II Ibid., p. 231, note |{. If Ibid., p. 232. ♦* Ibid., p. 233, note 1. tt Ibid., p. 2S8, note •. XX These, 'contemplation' and 'meditation', are never to be considered as synonyms. See note f, above. §§ Here we have an extract from the Yoya-idstra, — III., 1 — 3. These BOOK VI., CHAP. VII. 241 "(When the Yogin has accomphshed this stage, he acqiures) discrimhiative kiiov^^ledge, which is the means of enabUng Uving soul, when all the three kinds of apprehension are destroyed, to attain the attainable supreme Brahma/* Embodied spirit is the user of the instrument, which instrument is true knowledge; and, by it, that (identification) of the former (with Brahma) is attained/'' Liberation, which is the object to be effected, being accomplished, discriminative knowledge ceases. When endowed with the appre- hension of the nature of the object of inquiry,f then * The expressions of the text are somewhat obscure; nor does the commentator t make them much more intelligible, until he cuts the matter short, by stating the meaning to be, that "discri- minative knowledge enables the living spirit to attain Brahma:" • The text is very elliptical and obscure. Having stated that embodied spirit (Kshetrajna) is the Karariin, the possessor or user of the Karana, which is knowledge, it adds %5f ff"^ fffT. literally, "by that, of that, that;" i. e., Tat, "that which is;" and Brahma, or supreme spirit, is the attainment of that spirit which abides in body by that instrument, or discriminative knowledge, of which it has become possessed through perfect meditation: %Tfr: ^TW^ WN ^TW ^'T fT^ ricl I f^^T^ ^fw^iit t lffTirWTfWW^% II fwN f^wrt^ I aphorisms are read as follows: ^IfWcjf^T^^ VTT^ I W^ TT(?T%- ^fTRrTT wrjt; I fT^^'n^^f^T^ ^^:q^52ifHW ^wrf^: i Thus we have definitions of dhdrand, dhydna, and samddhi. HiMun*<«tw'n?n ir^'^xrw^^TW'T: ii I Ratnagarbha. V. 16 242 VISHNU PURANA. there Is no difference between it (individual,) and su- preme spirit:* difference is the consequence of the ab- sence of (true) knowledge. When that ignorance which is the cause of the difference between individual and universal spiritf is destroyed, finally and for ever, who shall (ever) make that distinction (between them) which does not exist? Thus have I, Khandikya, in reply to your question, explained to you what is meant by contemplative devotion, both fully and summarily. What else do you wish to hear?" Khandikya replied (to Kesidhwaja, and said): "The explanation which you have given me of the real na- ture of contemplative devotion has fulfilled all my wishes, and removed all impurity from my mind. The expression 'mine', which I have been accustomed to use, is untruth, I and cannot be otherwise declared by those who know what is to be known. The words T and 'mine' constitute ignorance; but practice is influenced by ignorance. Supreme truth § cannot be defined; for it is not to be explained by words. Depart, therefore, Kesidhwaja. You have done all that is necessary for my (real) happiness, || in teaching me contemplative devotion, — the inexhaustible bestower of liberation from existence. " ^ Accordingly, King Kesidhwaja, after receiving suit- able homage from Khandikya, returned to his city. * Five kinds of emancipation are enumerated in the Bhdgavata-pu- rd/ia, III, XXIX., 13: sdlokya, sdrsht'i, sdmipya, sdriipya, and ekatwa. t The original words are dtman and Brahma. \ Asat. § Paramdrtha. II Sreyas. ^ Vimukti. Vide supra, p. 61, note §. BOOK vr., CHAP. vn. 243 Kh^ndikya, having nominated bis son Raja/ retired to the woods, to accomphsh his devotions; his whole mind being intent upon Govinda. There, his entire thoughts being engrossed upon one only object, and being purified by practices of restraint, self-control, and the rest,* he obtained absorption into the pure and perfect spiritf which is termed Vishnu. Kesidhwa- ja, also, in order to (attain) liberation, became averse from his own perishable works, and lived amidst ob- jects of sense (without regarding them), and instituted rehgious rites without expecting therefrom, any ad- vantages to himself.: Thus, by pure and auspicious fruition, being cleansed from (all) sin, he, also, ob- tained that perfection which assuages all affliction for ever. • The commentator, in order to explain how Khandikya should have given what he did not possess, states that it is to be understood that Kesidhwaja relinquished to him the kingdom. Or the term Raja may denote merely "master of, or acquainted with, mystic prayers, or Mantras:" ^^T TTT^TR ^'r^lf^^Tf^ I This is to render Brahma. 16* CHAPTER VIII. Conclusion of the dialogue between Parasara and Maitreya. Re- capitulation of the contents of the Vishnu Purana: merit of hearing it: how handed down. Praises of Vishnu. Conclu- ding prayer. I HAVE now explained to you, Maitreya, the third kind of worldly dissolution, or that which is absolute and final, which is liberation and resolution into eter- nal spirit/ I have related to you primary and second- ary creation, the families (of the patriarchs), the (periods of thej Manwantaras, and the genealogical histories* (of the kings). I have repeated to you, (in short,) who were desirous of hearing it, the imperish- able Vaishnava Purana, which is destructive of all sins, the most excellent of all holy writings, and the means of attaining the great end of man. If there is anything else you wish to hear, propose your quest- ion, and I will answer it. Maitreya. — Holy teacher, f you have,^ indeed, re- lated to me all that I wished to know; and I have lis- tened to it with pious attention, t I have nothing further to inquire. The doubts inseparable from the ' The term is Layo Brahmarii (gf^ sfW^)' which means 'a melting away,' 'a dissolution', or 'fusion;' from the root Li (^), 'to liquefy,' 'to melt,' 'to dissolve.' • VaMdnucharita. t Bhagavat. 1 Bhakti. BOOK VI., CHAP. vra. 245 mind of man have, all, been resolved by you;* and, through your instructions, I am acquainted with the origin, duration, and endf of all things; with Vishnu, in his collective fourfold form;' his three energies;^ and with the three modes of apprehending the object of contemplation. '^t Of all this have I acquired a know^ledge, through your favour; and nothing else is worthy to be known, when it is once understood that Vishnu and this world are not (mutually) distinct. Great Muni, I have obtained, through your kindness, all I desired,— the dissipation of my doubts ;§ since you have instructed me in the duties of the several tribes, and in other obligations; the nature of active life, and discontinuance of action ; and the derivation of all that exists from works. j| There is nothing else, venerable Brahman, that I have to inquire of you. And forgive me, if your answers to my questions have imposed upon you any fatigue. Pardon me the trouble ' Or with Vishnu in the four modifications described in the First Book, IF — spirit, matter, form, and time. See Vol. I., pp. 18, 19. * Or Sakti, noticed in the last Chapter; — p. 235, supra. ' Or Bhavanas, also described in the preceding Chapter; IT — p. 233, supra. • fyjf^^T: ^^^ %?T^ ^T'to: ^fT*i: I t Samyama. See Vol. I., p. 26, note *. § Apasandeha. ^ Substituted for "section". 246 VISHNU PURANA. that I have given yon, through that amiable quality of the virtuous which makes no distinction between a disciple and a child.* Parasaha. — I have related to you this Puraha, which is equal to the Vedas (in sanctity), and by hear- ing which, all faults and sins whatever are expiated. In this have been described to you the primary and secondary creation, the families (of the patriarchs), the Manwantaras, the regal dynasties;! the gods, Daityas, Gandharvas, serpents,: Rakshasas, Yakshas, Vidyadharas, Siddhas, and heavenly nymphs ;§ Munis endowed with spiritual wisdom, and practisers of de- votion; n the (distinctions of the) four castes, and the actions of the most eminent amongst men;1I holy places on the earth, holy rivers and oceans, sacred mountains, and legends** of the (truly) wise; the duties of the different tribes, and the observances enjoined by the Vedas. ft By hearing this, all sins are, at once, ob- literated. In this, also, the glorious H Hari has been re- vealed,— the cause of the creation, preservation, and de- struction of the world; the soul of all things, and, him- self, all things; §§ by the repetition of whose name man f Vamsdnucharita. \ Uraga. § Apsaras. 1 twt f^t^¥^ftm 'ttt: I ** Charita II Bkagavat. §§ Sarva-bhuta. BOOK VI., CHAP. VIII. 247 is. undoubtedly, liberated from all sins, which fly like wolves that are frightened by a lion. The repetition of his name with devout faith* is the best remover of all sins; destroying them, as fire purifies the metal (from the dross). The stain of the Kali age, which ensures to men sharp punishments in hell, is, at once, effaced by a single invocation of Hari. f He who is all that is— ,the whole egg of Brahma, with Hiranyagarbha, Indra,: Rudra, the Adityas, the Aswins, the winds, the Kiiiinaras, the Vasus, the Sadhyas, Viswadevas, the (celestial) gods,§ the Yakshas, serpents,!! Rakshasas,f the Siddhas, Daityas, Gandharvas, Danavas, nymphs,** the stars, asterisms, planets, the seven Rishis,ft the regents and superintendents of the quarters,:: men, Brahmans, and the rest, animals tame and wild,§§ in- sects, |i|l birds, ghosts and goblins, "H^ trees, woods, mountains, rivers, oceans, the subterrene regions. *#* * Bhakti. * Devendra, in the original. § Sura. !' I do not find them named in the Sanskrit. ^ The original yields Rakshases. •* Apsaras. t+ See Vol. II., p. 226. ^ , ♦* " The quarters and superintendents of the quarters : t%J^«!a ns< "^^sa I - fi iq- f Tf fi f; I The term Dhishnyadhipati is synonymous with Dikpala; for which, see Vol. III., 170, note §. Sridhara — if I may judge from the single MS. of his commentary which is accessible to me,— has f\J^o , with reference to the like of which, see Vol. IV., p. 164, note § . |§ Faiu and mriga. \\\\ Sarisripa. Vide supra, p. '236, note f; also, Vol. I., p. 84, note §. ^5[ These two terms are to render H?Tf^I I Corrected from "legions". *** 248 VISHNU PrKANA. the divisions of the earth, and all perceptible objects,— he who is all things, who knoweth all things, who is the form of all things, being without form himself, and of whom whatever is, from (Mount) Meru to an atom, all consists, — he, the glorious Vishnu, the de- stroyer of (all) sin, — is described in this Purana. By hearing this (Purana) an equal recompense is obtained to that which is derived from the performance of an Aswamedha sacrifice, or from fasting at (the holy places) Prayaga,^' Pushkara,f Knrukshetra, + or Ar- buda. § Hearing this (Purana) but once is as effica- cious as the offering of oblations in a perpetual fire for a year. The man who, with well-governed pas- sions, bathes at Mathura, on the twelfth day|| of (the month) Jyeshtha,^ and beholds (the image of) Hari, obtains a great recompense :t so does he who, with mind fixed upon Kesava, attentively recites this Pu- ' This month is also called Jyeshtha-miila, *'* which the com- mentator ff explains to mean the month of which the root or cause (Mula) of being so called is the moon's being full in the constel- lation Jyeshtha. But it may be so termed, perhaps, from the lunar asterism Mula, — which is next to Jyeshtha, — falling, also, within the moon's passage through the same month. * See Vol. III., p. 246, note 2; and Vol. IV., p. 218, note J. t See Vol. I., Preface, p. XXX.; and Vol. II., p. 96. + See Vol. II., p. 133, note 1; and p. 142, note 4. § For this mountain, vide ibid., p. 131, note 1, and p. 141, note 2; also. Vol. IV., p. 222, note X. II Insert "of the light fortnight". ^ TTT^'HT ''?TTT Tf^T^ I This means, that he obtains emancipation. ** See note f in the next page. tt Both the commentators give the ensuing explanation. See, further, Nilakant'ha on the Mahdbhdraia, Anuidsana-parvan, si. 4609. BOOK VI., CHAP. VIII. 249 rana. The man who bathes in the waters of the Ya- muna, on the twelfth lunation* of the light fortnight of the month in which the moon is in the mansion Jyeshtha,f and who fasts and worships Achyuta in (the city of) Mathura, receives the reward of an un- interrupted Aswamedha. Beholding the (degree of) prosperity (enjoyed by others) of eminence, through (the merits of) their descendants, a man's paternal an- cestors, his parents, and their parents exclaim:! "Who- soever of our descendants, having bathed in the Ya- muna, § and fasted, will worship Govinda in Mathura, in the light fortnight of Jyeshtha, will secure for us eminent exaltation ; H for we shall be elevated by the merits of our posterity. " A man of good extraction will present obsequial cakes to his fortunate (ancestors) in the Yamuna, having worshipped Janardana in the hght fortnight of Jyeshtha. ** But the same degree of merit that a man reaps from adoring Janardana ff at that season, with a devoted heart, and from bathing in the Yamuna, and effecting the liberation of his pro- genitors by offering to them (on such an occasion,) obsequial cakes, he derives, also, from hearing, with equal devotion, a section of this Purana.:: This Pu- • Vide supra, p. 109, note f. t "The month", &c. is to translate Jyeshfhd-mula. I The extract is said, by ^ridhara, to be from the Pitri-gitd. See Vol. III., p. 66, note §; and p. 170, text and note ||. § Kalindi, in the oridnal. See Vol. IV., p. 286, note «. \\ The original is Jyesht'hd-mula. f Aiddhi. •* Jyesht'hd-mula, in the Sanskrit, ft The original has Krishna. :: ^^TSTT^ fT^T^fTT ^^W^T^ ^fWTT^ I 250 VISHNU PURANA. rana is the best of all preservatives for those who are afraid of worldly existence, * a certain alleviation of the sufferings of men, f and remover of all imperfections. This (Puraha), originally composed by the Rishi (Narayaria), was communicated, by Brahma, t to Ri- bhu;§ he related it to Priyavrata,jj by whom it was imparted to Bhaguri.t Bhaguri recited it to Tama- sitra;^** and he, to Dadhicha, ff who gave it to Sa- raswata. II From the last Bhfign §§ received it, who imparted it to Purukutsa;|ji; and he taught it to Nar- mada. The goddess tt delivered it to Dhritarashtra, *** ' This name is also read Tambamitra. f f f One copy bas Tava mitraya,t+t "to thy friend," as if it was an epithet of Dadhicha: but the construction of the verse requires a proper name. "Bhaguri gave it to Tambamitra; and he, to Dadhicha :'§§§ * Sariisdra. i Literally, "a cnre for men's bad dreams": ^t^lRTni'f •flTT'^ I * Called, in the original, by his epithet Kamalodbhava, — the same as Abjayoni. See Vol. I., p. 17, note t. § See Vol. 1., p. 77, note 1; and Vol. IL, p. 330. jl Ibid., pp. 107, et seq. ^ For a Bhaguri, see Vol. II., p. 113, note 1 •* This reading I find nowhere. See, further, note fft, below. ft Correct from "Dadicha". See Vol. I., p. 124; also. Professor Wil- son's Translation of the Rigveda, Vol. I., p. 216, note a, and p. 310, note a. :: See Vol. I., p. 17. §§ Ibid., p. 100. {|{{ Ibid., p. 17; Vol, III., p. 268, text and note t, and p. 283. ^^ Literally, Narmada. *♦• See Vol. 1., p. 188, note 1: and Vol. II., p. 74. ttt So reads, like, my Ajmere MS., my oldest MS. of all. Ratnagarbha has Tambhamitra; and my Arrah MS. yields Stambamitra. Ill This is Sridhara's lection. §§§ Corrected from "Dadhichi". BOOK VI., CHAP. VIII. 251 the Naga king,* and to Apnrana,t of the same race,* by whom it was repeated to their monarch, § Vasuki.;! Vasiiki communicated it to Vatsa;^ and he, to Aswa- tara, from whom it successively proceeded to Kambala and Elapatra.** When the Muni Vedasiras descended to Patala,tt he there received the whole (Purana) from these Nagas, t+ and communicated it to Pramati.§§ Pramati consigned it to the wise Jatukarna;!'|| and he taught it to many other holy persons. Through the blessing of Vasishtha1f% it came to my knowledge'.; and I have, now, Maitreya, faithfully imparted it to you. You will teach it, at the end of the Kali age, to Samika. ^ *** Whoever hears this great mystery, which ' A different series of narrators f f f has been specified in the First Book,— Vol. 1., p. 17. * The original has only Naga. t Corrected from "Purana". See Vol. II., p. 288. From note * to ihid., p. 290, it seems that other Puranas read Varuna and Aruna (?). : The original is VfTTT^T^ TT'll^R^UIItl ^ I Apiirana is not, then, said to be "of the same race" [n the passages referred to in the preceding note, he figures as a Gramani or Yaksha. § Literally, "to the king of the Nagas", •TTI'i.'T^Jfl^ I I; See Vol. 11., p. 74, and p. 86, note 1. 1[ For the Naga called Vatsa, see Vol. II., p. 287, note «. •• For Aswatara, Kambala, and Elapatra, see Vol. II., p. 74. t+ The original seems to denote that Vedasiras became master of PataU: \l By the word %5f, immediately following the mention of Elapatra, it is implied that from him alone the Purana passed to Vedasiras. §§ Variant : Pramita. II j Some of my best MSS. give Jatiikarnya. For both names, see Vol, III., p. 36, text and note *. ^% Pulastya, according to my Ajmere MS. •** Variants : Sauika, Sanika, and Sinika. For Samika, see Vol. 1., Preface, p. LV. ttt On which Ratnagarbha remarks; ^"^ ^H^r^l«?TT!^7' *H^*^^- 252 VISHNU PURANA. removes the contamination of the KaU, shall be freed from all his sins. He who hears this every day, acquits himself of his daily obligations to ancestors, gods, and men.* The (great and) rarely attainable merit that a man acquires by the gift of a brown cow,f he derives from hearing ten chapters of this (Purana).^ He who hears the entire (Purana), con- templating, in his mind, Achyuta, — who is all things, and of whom all things are made; who is the stay of the whole world, the receptacle of spirit; who is knowledge, and that which is to be known; who is without beginning or end, and the benefactor of the gods, + - obtains, assuredly, the reward that attends the uninterrupted celebration of the Aswamedha rite. § He who reads, and retains with faith this (Purana), in the beginning, middle, and end of which is described the glorious Achyuta, the lord of the universe in every stage, ] the master of all that is stationary or moveable, composed of spiritual knowledge, ^ acquires such pu- rity as exists not in any world, — the eternal state of perfection,** (which is) Hari. The man who fixes his ' This seems to be an injudicious interpolation: it is not in all the copies, ff t Kapild. According to Golebrooke, "when applied to a cow, this term signifies one of the colour of lac dye, with black tail and white hoofs," Two Treatises on the Hindu Law of Inheritance, p. 131, note. + Amara. § Vdjimedha, in the original. ft Sridhara ignores it; otherwise it seems to be recognized. BOOK VI., CHAP. vin. 253 mind on Vishnu goes not to hell. He who meditates upon him regards heavenly enjoyment only as an im- pediment; and he whose mind and soul are penetrated by him thinks little of the world of Brahma: for, when present in the minds of those whose intellects are free from soil, he confers upon them eternal freedom. What marvel, therefore, is it, that the sins of one who repeats the name of Achyuta should be wiped away? Should not that Hari be heard of whom those devoted to acts worship with sacrifices, continually, as the god of sacrifice;* whom those devoted to meditation f con- template as primary and secondary, composed of spirit; t by obtaining whom, man is not born, nor nourished, § nor subjected to death; who is all that is, and that is not, (or both cause and effect); who, as the progenitors, receives the libations |j made to them; who, as the gods, accepts the offerings If addressed to them; the glorious being who is without beginning or end; whose name is both Swaha** and Swadha;^** who is the abode of all spiritual power; in whom the limits of finite things cannot be measured; and who, when he enters the ear, destroys all sin?^ ' The words or prayers employed in presenting oblations with fire. ' The text has: f^¥t% IIH^fnT ffnT ^Iff^ ^^ ^ ^ffr ffr: II Mana commonly means 'pride;' but here it seems most appro- * Yajneiwara. t Yogin. t Brahma-maya. § The original has ^ ^^ ^^^ %^ | 1 1 Kavya. ^ Uavya. •• See Vol. III., p. 122, note X, ad finem. 254 VISHNU PUR AN A. I adore him, that first of gods, Purnshottama,* who is without end and without beginning, without growth, without decay, f without death :+ who is substance that knows not change. I adore that ever inexhaustible spirit, § who assumed sensible qualities; ! who, though one, became many; who, though pure, became as if impure, by appearing in many and various shapes; who is endowed with (divine) wisdom, and is the author of the preservation of all creatures, t I adore him, who is the one conjoined essence and object of both meditative wisdom and active virtue; who is watchful in providing for human enjoyments; who is one with the three qualities; who, without undergoing change, is the cause of the evolution of the world; who exists of his own essence, ever exempt from decay.** I constantly adore him, who is entitled heaven, ft ^ii') ^i"®? water, earth, and ether ; ++ who is the priately rendered by its radical import, 'measure.' The measures which are for the determination of measurable things are not applicable to Vishnu. * Tff|"«jf^ Y^^TfWT^'ft^'fl I t Parindma. \ Apakshaya. For avyaya, see Vol. I., p. 17, note *, tt Vyoman, the same as dkd4a, which is generally rendered 'ether'. See Vol. I., p. 34, note • . The only reading which I find is We have had "ether" just above, in the Trauslator's "heaven"; and ♦+ BOOK VI., CHAP. VIII. 255 bestower of all the objects which give gratification to the senses; who benefits mankind with the instruments of fruition; who is perceptible, who is subtile, who is imperceptible. May that unborn, eternal Hari, whose form is manifold, and whose essence is composed of both nature and spirit,* bestow upon all mankind that blessed state which knows neither birth nor decay! there is no sixth element. In the MS. which Professor Wilson used in preference to any or all others, the letters ®'?[^- in this passage look very like ?5, for which he probably took them, not noticing the two letters following, making up "V*^*""' ^"*^ ^'^" '^ ""^ °f ^^* words for "ether". Vide supra, p. 198, text, with notes + and ^. AIMM^NDIX. [No one among the contenipoiaiies of Professor Wilson is known to have qaal'fied himself more adeqnately than Colonel Vans Kennedy for disenssing the subject of the Puranas ; and it has, therefore, been considered that the following correspondence must, with all its defects, possess, to the readers of these volumes, sufficient interest to justify its republication in this place. The seven letters of which it consists — namely, five entitled On Pro- fessor Wihon''s Theory respecting the Puranas, the Professor's Reply, and the Colonel's Rejoinder, — originally appeared in the London Asiatic Journal for 1840 and 1841, addressed to its editor. F. H.] Sir: In the learned and ingenious remarks con- tained in the Preface to his Translation of the Vishnu Purdna, Professor Wilson remarks that the Puranas "may be acquitted of subservience to any but sectarial itnposture. They were pious* frauds for temporary pur- poses;"f and that they "are, also, works of evidently different ages, and have been compiled under different circumstances, the precise nature of which we can but imperfectly conjecture from internal evidence, and from what we know of the history of religious opinion in In- dia. It is highly probable that, of the present popular forms of the Hintlu religion, none assumed their actual state earlier than the time of SankaraAcharya, the great Saiva reformei", who flourished, in all likelihood, in the eighth or ninth century. Of the Vaibhnav a teachers, Ra- * Colonel Kennedy omitted this word. + Vol. 1., Preface, p. XI. V. 17 258 VISHNU PURANA. manuja dates in the twelfth century; Madhwacharya, in the thirteenth ; and Vallabha, in the sixteenth; and the Puranas seem to have accompanied, or followed, their innovations; being obviously intended to advocate the doctrines they taught."* He further observes that "a very great portion of the contents of many [of the Puranas], some portion of the contents of all, is gen- uine and old. The sectarial interpolation, or embellish- ment, is always sufficiently palpable to be set aside without injury to the more authentic and primitive material; and the Puranas, although they belong es- pecially t to that stage of the Hindu religion in which faith in some one divinity was the prevailing principle, are, also, a valuable record of the form of Hindu belief which came next in order to that of the Ve- das.": And yet Professor Wilson, at the same time, maintains that religious instruction is not one of the five topics which are treated of in a genuine Purana, and that its occurrence in the Puranas now extant is a decisive proof that these are not the same works, in all respects, that were current, under the denomination of Puranas, in the century prior to Christianity. These, however, and similar remarks contained in that Preface, seem to be inconsistent and inconclusive; for, if the Puranas, in their present form, are of so modern a date, and if the ancient Puranas are no longer extant, by what means can it be ascertained that any portion of the contents of the works now bearing the name of Puranas is genuine and old? • Vol. I., Preface, p. XVI. t Colonel Kennedy— a very heedless quoter, — had "essentially". : Vol. I., Preface, pp. XL, XII. APPENDIX. 259 Professor Wilson rejects, as not belonging to the Pu- ranas, in the time of Amara Siiiiha (B. C. 56), all those parts of the present Puranas which relate to the rites and observances and to the theology of theHindus; but it is those parts only which admit of being compared with other Hindu works, and with all that is known of the Hindu religion. It is, also, unquestionable that certain works denominated Puranas have been imme- morially considered, by theHindus, as sacred books;* and it must be evident that, unless the doctrines of the Hindu religion were inculcated in those works, they could contain nothing which could communicate to them a sacred character. The opinion, therefore, of Professor Wilson, that the genuine Puranas treated of profane subjects only, is, obviously, incompatible with that profound reverence with which the Puranas are regarded by all Hindus, even at the present day. The only argument, also, which he has adduced in support of this opinion depends entirely upon the use and meaning of the term pancha-lakshana^ as applied to a Purana. But the passage in Sanskrit, quoted in the note in page YH., does not admit of the restricted sense which Professor Wilson has given to it; because the first of the five topics ^ there mentioned, or sm^ga, is inadequately expressed f by "primary creation, or cos- mogony." This will be at once evident by a reference ' The five topics, as explained by Professor Wilson, are : " 1. Primary creation, or cosmogony; 2. Secondary creation, or the destruction and renovation of worlds, including chronology; 3. Genealogy of gods and patriarchs; 4. Reigns of the Manus, or periods called Manwantaras; and, 5. History." ?? t But see what the Colonel says in p. 299, note 2, infra. 17* 260 VISHNU PURANA. to the contents of the Translation of the Vishnu Pur ana^ where, imder 5rtr^a, are enumerated:* Vishnu, the ori- gin, existence, and end of all things ; his existence be- fore creation; his first manifestations; description of Pradhana, of Prakriti, of the active tiause; development of effects, of the mundane egg. For the description of all that precedes the appearance of the mundane egg, which occurs in the Vishnu and other Pnranas, is the most abstruse and sacred part of Hindu theology; as if explains the real nature of the Supreme Being, and of those manifestations of his divine essence which lead men to believe in the actual existence of a material world. The first, therefore, of the five topics treated of in a genuine Puraha, according to Professor Wilson, necessarily includes religious instruction; because the antecedents to creation could not have been described without, at the same time, explaining the distinction between the one sole-existing spirit and those illusive appearances which seem to be composed of matter. The second, also, of those topics is, equally, of a reli- gious nature; for an account of the destruction and renovation of worlds must, necessarily, include a de- scription of the means and agents employed, by the Supreme Being, for those purposes. Under the first two topics, consequently, is comprised a great part of what is contained in the Purarias, as at present extant: namely, a desci'iption of the real essence of the Su- preme Being, and of the illusive nature of the uni- verse; of the production of Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, and their female energies ; of the origin of angelic beings and holy sages; and of all the circumstances relating * This is not a fair representation. AlTEiNDlX. 261 to the repeated creation, destruction, and renovation of the world; and it may, therefore, be justly con- cluded, that these subjects were also treated of in the eighteen Purai'ias, as originally committed to writing, and that the term pancha-lakshana affords no grounds for the conclusion which Professor Wilson has de- duced from its use and meaning. But those parts of the present Puranas which re- late to festivals, rites, and observances, and to the worship of particular deities, may appear to support this remark of Professor Wilson: "They [the Puranas] are no longer authorities for Hindu belief, as a whole: they are special guides for separate and, sometimes, conflicting branches of it; compiled for the evident purpose of promoting the preferential, or, in some cases, the sole, worship of Vishnu, or of Siva."*"* It is not clear what is here meant by the "Hindu belief, as a whole;" for there are, I believe, no traces, now extant, of the Hindu religion having ever existed as one uniform system of belief in one and the same deity. But the antiquity of the Upanishads is not dis- })uted; and, in one or other of them, the attributes of the Supreme Being are distinctly ascribed to Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Devi, Surya, and Ganesa; and, conse- quently, when the Upanishads were composed, there must have been some Hindus who paid a preferential worship to one or other of those deities. These, how- ever, are precisely the same deities to whom the attri- butes of the Supreme Being are ascribed in one or other of the Puranas; and, therefore, if the antiquity • Vol. I., Preface, p. V. 262 VISHNU PURANA. of the Upanishacls be admitted, the variety of deities proposed for worship in the Puranas now extant can be no proof that these works were recently compiled, for sectarian purposes. The Vedas, indeed, have not yet been so examined as to admit of its being deter- mined whether the same distinction is to be found in them; but Mr. Colebrooke has stated that the wliole of the Indian theology is founded on the Upanishads, and that several of them, which he has described, were extracts from the Vedas. The six deities, therefore, just mentioned, were, mostjprobably, objects of worship, when the religious system of the Vedas flourished; and it must, in consequence, be altogether improper to consider the worshippers of one of those deities, in preference to the others, as sectarians, if, by this term, is intended such sectarians as have existed in India in later times. For, according to the principles of the Hindu religion, there is unity in diversity; and, hence, it is held that these apparently different deities are merely variant forms of one and the same Supreme Being, and that, consequently, the worship of any one of them is equally holy and effective,— as it is, in fact, the adoration of the Supreme Being in that particular form. Sectarianism, at the same time, consists in the exclusive, and not merely preferential, worship of a particular deity; but in not one of the Puranas is there a single intimation, or injunction, which, virtually, or expressly, sanctions the rejection of the worship of Vishnu, or Siva, or of any of the other six deities. The orthodox Hindus, therefore, are, even at the present day, votaries, but not sectaries, of either Vishnu or Siva; and such they appear to have been from the APPENDIX. 263 remotest time,— as the particular worship of Brahma has long ceased, and, though particular worshippers of Si'irya and Ganesa have existed, and, perhaps, still exist, in India, they have never been numerous, and the worship of Devi has degenerated into rites and ceremonies which, though practised by many Hindus, are, generally, considered to be contrary to the tenets and ritual of the Hindu religion/ Professor Wilson also has not explained the secta- rian purposes to promote which he thinks the works at present bearing the names of Puranas were com- piled in a period so comparatively modern as that between the eighth and seventeenth centuries. But he cannot mean to contend that Vishnu and Siva were not objects of worship in the earliest times of the Hindu religion, or that they were worshipped with the same rites and ceremonies; and, if not, the mere ascribing, in those works, preeminence to either Vishnu or Siva, and a superior excellence to the worship of either of those gods,— which is all that occurs of them,— can be no proof that the Puranas, as now extant, are mere modern works, compiled for sectarian purposes; because in not one of the eighteen Puranas is it, in any manner, intimated that Vishnu or Siva ought not to be worshipped; and, on the contrary, numerous passages occur in them, in which precisely the same rewards are promised to the worshipper of either god. So far, indeed, is any one of the Puranas from incul- cating the exclusive worship of either Vishnu or ' I here merely allude to the worship of Devi by the sacri- fice of animals, and not to the abominable worship described in the Tantras. 264 VISHNU PURANA. Siva, that Vishnu is introduced, in some of them, teaching the w^orship of Siva, and, in others, Siva, teaching the worship of Vishnu. The only distinction which appears to exist between these gods is, that, in particular Puranas, each is represented as the Supreme Being, when the other becomes, in a certain sense, in- ferior, without, however, detracting from his divine excellence. It is, also, remarkable that it is not in separate Puranas only that preeminence is ascribed to either Vishnu or Siva, or even to Brahma; but this ascription occurs in the very same Purana. For, as far as I have observed, there are only five Puranas in which the supremacy is uniformly ascribed to the same god: namely, the Ling a and Skanda^ in which Siva is identified with the Supreme Being; the Vishnu and Bhdgavata, in which this honour is attributed to Vishnu; and the Brahma Vaivarta, in which Krishna is represented as the Supreme Being, and his favourite mistress, Radha, as his sakti or energy. When, there- fore, in the Puranas as now extant, equal reverence is given not only to Vishnu and Siva, but to four other deities, and when nothing occurs, in them, which in the least sanctions the rejection of the worship of those deities, or in any manner condemns or disparages it, it seems evident that such works could not have been composed for the sectarian purpose of promoting the exclusive worship of either Vishnu or Siva, or of any other god. ^ ' I should except the Brahma Vaivarta Purana (for I have not met with any Upanishad in which Krishna is represented as the Supreme Being) ; but this Purana appears to me to be of APPENDIX. 265 It is, as the same time, impossible to understand why Professor Wilson should have been so anxious to establish, in that Preface, that the Piirahas now extant are mere modern compilations, and that a genuine Punina treats of profane subjects only, when, in p. XCVIL, he makes these remarks: "That Brah- mans unknown to fame have remodelled some of the Hindu scriptures, and, especially, the Puranas, cannot reasonably be contested, after dispassionately weighing the strong internal evidence, which all of them afford, of the intermixture of unauthorized and comparatively modern ingredients. But the same internal testimony furnishes proof, equally decisive, of the anterior exist- ence of ancient materials; and it is, therefore, as idle as it is irrational, to dispute the antiquity or authenti- city of the greater portion of the contents of the Pu- ranas, in the face of abundant positive and circumstan- tial evidence of the prevalence of the doctrines which they teach, the currency of the legends which they narrate, and the integrity of the institutions which they describe, at least three centuries before the Christian era." For the natural conclusion from such premisses must, necessarily, be, that the Puranas now extant are the very same works which were known, under that denomination, three centuries before the Christian era, but that they, at the same time, afford strong internal testimony of an intermixture of unauthorized and comparatively modern ingredients. But, to invert this conclusion, and to suppose that, because some parts a much more ancient date than that ascribed to it by Professor Wilson. 266 VISHNU PURANA. of the present Puranas are, perhaps, modern, there- fore these works must be modern compilations, is, ob- viously, contrary to every principle of just reasoning; because, as it is admitted that ancient materials existed anterior to the supposed compilation of the present Puranas, and as no cause can be assigned for their dis- appearance — if such existed, — in the tenth or eleventh century, it is most reasonable to conclude that the Puranas now extant do, actually, consist of those very materials, and that they are, in fact, the very same works which were current, under that denomination, in the time of Amara Siihha. Professor Wilson, how- ever, seems to have given more weight to the internal testimony arising from those passages of the Puranas which he thinks have a modern appearance, than to that which results from those parts which the Puranas must have contained from their first composition, in order to entitle them to a sacred character and to that reverence with which these works have been always regarded by the Hindus. But the fixing the precise date when the Puranas received their present form is a question of little or no consequence, when it is ad- mitted that there is "abundant positive and circum- stantial evidence of the prevalence of the doctrines which the'y teach, the currency of the legends which they narrate, and the integrity of the institutions which they describe, at least three centuries before the Christian era." The Puranas, therefore, cannot be— as also remarked by Professor Wilson, in p. XI.,— pious frauds, written for temporary purposes, in subservience to sectarial imposture. But these are the principal grounds on APPENDIX. 267 which he rests his opinion, that the Puranas now ex- tant did not receive their present form until a thousand years after the birth of Christ. Professor Wilson, how- ever, does not explain in what this imposture con- sisted, or for what sectarian purpose it was intended. That there are, at this day, and may have been, for many centuries, exclusive worshippers of Vishnu, or Siva, is undoubted; but, as I have before observed, this exclusive worship is not sanctioned by anything that is contained in the Puranas now extant; nor do they, in any manner, countenance those more obscure sects which have existed in India in later times. The opinion, also, of Professor Wilson, that "the designa- tion of Sakti may not be correctly applicable to the whole [oi the Rdjasa division of the Puranas], although it is to some of the series; for there is no incompati- bility in the advocacy of a Tantrika modification of the Hindu religion by any Purana,"* is, unquestion- ably, erroneous; because, in not one of the eighteen Puranas is there the slightest indication of the Tantrika worship, or the slightest allusion to it; for the worship of Devi, in the form of Durga or Kali, by blood, flesh, and spirituous liquors, is essentially different from that of Devi as Sakti: in the one, it is her image which is worshipped, and, in the latter, it is a naked virgin. ^ Had, however, imposture for sectarian purposes been the object for which the Puranas were written, it must have been evident in every part of them; but, on the Strictly speaking, not the virgin, but the XTSig of the virgin. • Vol. I., Preface, pp. XXI., XXII. 268 VISHNU PLIRANA. contrary, I have no doubt that, were they carefully and dispassionately examined, it would satisfactorily appear that they contain nothing which is incompatible with those principles of the Hindu religion which are universally acknowledged by all Hindus. The argu- ment, consequently, deduced from the assumption that the Puranas, as now extant, are pious frauds, and, therefore, modern compilations, is refuted by the whole scope and tendency of those works; nor, w^ere it even proved that interpolations and additions have taken place in them, would this circumstance detract from the authenticity of such portions of them as afford strong internal evidence of their antiquity. But what more conclusive evidence of their antiquity can be re- quired than — as is admitted by Professor Wilson him- self,— their containing a correct description of the doc- • trines, the legends, and the institutions of the Hindu religion which were prevalent in India three centuries before the Christian era? For it is, obviously, much more probable that the present Puranas are works which were then extant, than that eighteen different persons should, each, have conceived, thirteen hundred years afterwards, the design of writing a Purana, and should have been able to compile or compose, so ac- curately, eighteen different works which correspond so exactly in numerous essential and minute par- ticulars. The eighteen Puranas, also, as Professor Wilson states, consist of 400.000 slokas, or 1.600.000 lines; and it must, therefore, be evident that nothing but the most attentive examination of the whole of such extensive works, and a thorough knowledge of the APPENDIX. 269 exact state of India, and of all the changes which may have taken place, in the country and amongst the people, during the last two thousand years, could enable any person to fix, with any degree of certainty, from the internal evidence of the Puranas, the date when each of them was composed. A name, a circum- stance, or even a legend may have a modern appear- ance; but its recentness, or antiquity, can only be de- termined by there being some known facts with which it can be compared; and it is the want of such facts, in the present state of our knowledge of Hindu histoiy, that renders all reasoning, with respect to the dates of the events mentioned in the Puranas, so completely inconclusive. Most of the legends, also, are of a mira- culous nature; and no date, therefore, can be inferred from them. Professor Wilson, however, undeterred by such considerations, has not hesitated to fix the time when each Purana was composed, and to place the compilation of the Puranas, as now extant, between the eighth and seventeenth centuries. But his reasons for assigning so modern a period to the compilation of those works appear to rest, principally, if not en- tirely, on the contents of the different Puranas not cor- responding with his preconceived opinion of what a Purana ought to be. For Professor Wilson thus ob- serves, with respect to the Brahma Vaivarta Purana-. "The character of the work is, in truth, so* decidedly sectarial, and the sect to which it belongs, so distinctly marked,— that of the worshippers of the juvenile Krishna and Radha, a form of belief of known modern origin, — that it ca n scarcely hav e found a notice in a • Colonel Kennedy omitted the words "in truth, so". 270 VISHNU PURANA. work to which, like the Matsya, a much more remote date seems to belong. Although, therefore, the Matsya may be received in proof of there having been a Brah- ma Vaivarta Purana at the date of its compilation, de- dicated especially to the honour of Krishna, yet we cannot credit the possibility of its being the same we now possess."^* Thus, Professor Wilson decides, not only that "the Brahma Vaivarta has not the slightest title to be regarded as a Purana," f but, also, that the Purana which bore that name is no longer extant; and yet he adduces neither argument nor proof in support of this decision, and of his gratuitous as- sumption that this Purana owes its origin to the modern sect of the worshippers of the juvenile Krishna. He admits, also, that the first three Books (or nearly two- thirds,) of this Purana are occupied in the description of the acts of Brahma, Devi, and Ganesa; but he does not explain why the supposed sectarian writer, instead of composing a work solely in honour of Krishna, and in support of his sect, has dedicated so great a part of the Purana to the celebration of other deities. In the same manner, Professor Wilson remarks, with respect to the Vdmana Fur ana: "It is of a more tolerant ' The object of this Purana is to represent Krishna as the Supreme Being, and Radha, as his energy ; and it is, therefore, altogether improbable that it should have been compiled for the purpose of promoting the modern worship of the juvenile Krishna, or that a modern work should have been written, and substituted in the place of the Brahma Vaivarta Purana mentioned in the Matsya. * Vol. I., Preface, p. LXVI. t ibid., p. LXVII. APPENDIX. 271 character than the Puranas, and divides its homao:e between Siva and Vishnu with tolerable impartiality. It is not connected, therefore, with any sectarial prin- ciples, and may have preceded their introduction. It has not, however, the air of any antiquity; and its compilation may have amused the leisure of some Brahman of Benares three or four centuries ag-o."** But this, surely, is not the manner in which the ques- tion whether the Puranas, as now extant, are ancient and original compositions, or mere modern compila- tions, ought to be discussed,— far less, decided. On the contrary, the particular passages of the Puranas which are supposed to be modern ought to be adduced, or referred to; and it should, then, be shown that the cir- cumstances and events, or the doctrines and legends, mentioned in them could not be of an ancient date, because they had occurred, or had been introduced, in modern times, or that they were posterior to modern events of known dates; and, as, therefore, Professor Wilson has not followed this method, but trusted to conjecture and inferences deduced from erroneous pre- misses, it seems evident that his speculations respect- ing the modern period in which the present Puranas were composed must be considered to be either ground- less or not yet supported by the requisite proof. ' As, however, Professor Wilson places the introduction of sectarial principles in the eighth or ninth century, f tlie date of the Vdmana Furdna, if compiled previous to their introduction, must be the eighth century, at least, and not the fourteenth or fifteenth. • Vol. I., Preface, p. LXXVI. t Vide supra, p. 257. 272 VISHNU PURANA. The preceding observations will have, perhaps, evinced that the remarks contained in Professor Wil- son's Preface to his Translation of the Vishnu Purdria have been written under the impression of two con- flicting opinions: for he is obliged to admit that the Puranas now extant were compiled from ancient ma- terials, and that they are "a valuable record of the form of Hindu belief which came next in order to that of the Vedas"; and yet he contends that those works are pious frauds, written for temporary purposes, in subservience to sectarial imposture. But both these opinions cannot be correct; and it must, therefore, be most accordant with probability to conclude that, although interpolations and additions may, possibly, have taken place in the Puranas, as now extant, they are, still, in all essential respects, the very same works which have been, from remote times, held sacred by the Hindus. That, however, alterations have been made in the present Puranas is a mere supposition, which has never yet been supported by any clear and satisfactory proof; and the inconsistent and incon- clusive reasoning, employed by a person so well ac- quainted with the Puranas as Professor Wilson, to prove that they are mere modern compilations, must, alone, evince that the internal evidence of the Pura- nas, even in their present form, affords such incontro- vertible proof of their antiquity, that even those who wish to contest this are obliged to admit it, and to ex- plain it by having recourse to the conjecture, that an- cient materials existed, from which those parts of the extant Puranas which are, most probably, ancient, were compiled. But, as this conjecture is altogether gra- APPENDIX. 273 tuitous, and unsupported by proof, it may be much more reasonably concluded that the Puranas now ex- tant are the very same works which have been always known, under that denomination, from the remote time when they were originally composed;* and Professor Wilson himself remarks that "they never emanated from any impossible combination of the Brahmans to fabricate for the antiquity of the entire Hindu system any claims which it cannot fully support ;"f and that "the origin and development of the doctrines, tradi- tions, and institutions [described in the Puranas now extant,] were not the work of a day; and the testimony that establishes their existence three centuries before Christianity carries it back to a much more remote antiquity,— to an antiquity that is, probably, not sur- passed by any of the prevailing fictions, institutions, or beliefs of the ancient world." t Vans Kennedy. Bombay^ 28th August^ 1840. Sir: In the letter which I addressed to you on the 28th ult., I confined myself to such observations as seemed to evince that the remarks contained in Pro- fessor Wilson's Preface to his Translation of the Vishnu Furdna were written under the impression of two conflicting opinions, which could not, both, be correct. As my attention has, thus, been again directed to the question whether the eighteen Puranas, as now extant, * Of this untenable position Colonel Kennedy nowhere offers any proof t Vol. I., Preface, p. XL ^ Ibid., p. XCIX. V. 18 274 VISHNU PURANA. are ancient compositions, or modern compilations, I am induced to enter into a further discussion of this subject. For it is evident that, if the works now known under that denomination were written between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries, for temporary purposes, in subservience to sectarial imposture, they cannot be a valuable record of the form of Hindu be- lief which came next in order to that of the Vedas. Nor can they, indeed, afford any authentic information with respect to the state of the Hindu religion previ- ous to the twelfth century; because, even admitting that those works may have been partly compiled from ancient materials, there are no means now available by which what is genuine and old that may be con- tained in them can be distinguished from what is sup- posed to be spurious and modern. The limits of a preface may have prevented Pro- fessor Wilson from fully discussing this question; but, as that Preface extends to seventy-five quarto pages, it is most probable that he has, at least, stated, in it, the principal reasons which induce him to consider the Puranas to be modern compositions. To me, how- ever, it appears that those reasons, instead of sup- porting Professor Wilson's opinion, should lead to a directly contrary conclusion. The arguing, in particu- lar, that, because not one of the present Puranas cor- responds with the term pancha-lakshana, or "treatises on five topics ", — which is given as a synonym to a Purana, in the vocabulary of Amara Siinha,— therefore it is decidedly proved "that we have not, at present, the same works, in all respects, that were current, under the denomination of Puranas, in the century APPENDIX. 275 prior to Ghristiaiiity,"* is, certainly, altogether incon- clusive. For a mere descriptive tei-m cannot be re- ceived as proof, when the argument itself admits that the works which it w^as intended to describe are no longer extant, and that, consequently, there are no means of determining w^iether the term did, or did not, apply strictly to those works. On the supposition, also, that the Puranas now extant are modern compo- sitions, w^ritten in imitation of the ancient Puranas, it must be evident that those works could not have been restricted to the treating only of the five topics men- tioned by Professor Wilson ; for he himself observes that the description of a Purana, included in the term pancha-lakshana, is utterly inapplicable to some of the present Puranas, and that to others it only partially applies. But, though it may be supposed that the Brah- mans might possibly recompose their sacred books, it is altogether improbable that they would so alter them, as to leave no resemblance between the original and its substitute; and, consequently, had the pre- scribed form for the composition of a Purana re- quired the treating of five topics only, in that pre- cise form would the present Puranas (if modern com- pilations,) have, no doubt, been written. As, therefore, they do not exhibit that form, and as they could not have succeeded to the reverence in w^hich the ancient Puranas were held, unless they resembled those works, (at least in form,) it is most reasonable to conclude that a Purana, as originally composed, w^as not "a treatise on five topics." The miscellaneous nature, conse- q uently, of the contents of the present P uranas cannot • Vol. I., Preface, p. XI. 18 • 276 VISHNU PURANA. be admitted as a valid objection to their antiquity, on a mere supposition, which is not only improbable in itself, but v^hich is, also, disproved by the sacred character that has been immemorially ascribed to the Puranas, which, it is obvious, they could not have re- ceived, had they treated only of the profane topics mentioned by Professor Wilson. The argument also supposes that the original eight- een Puranas were current prior to the Christian era; and, before, therefore, the conclusion can be granted, the time and manner in which those works have be- come extinct should be proved: for, as numerous Sanskrit works which were, unquestionably, extant at the commencement of the Christian era, have been preserved until the present day, nothing but satisfac- tory proof can establish that the Puranas alone, al- though held to be sacred books, have completely dis- appeared. It requires to be particularly considered that the Puranas consist of eighteen distinct works, comprising an aggregate of 1.600.000 lines,* and that India, more than one million of square miles in extent, has been, during the last two thousand years, divided into at least ten distinct regions, f differing in language and in local customs and prejudices. Were it, there- fore, even conceded that the Brahmans, since the Christian era, had succeeded in suppressing the whole of the eighteen Puranas, and in substituting other works in their place, in some one or other region of India, still copies of the original Puranas would have • See Vol. I., Preface, p. XXIV. t For the particulars of this unscientific classification, see Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. II., p. 179. APPENDIX. 277 been preserved in the other regions. Nothing but the entire extirpation of the Brahmanical religion, through- out the whole of so extensive a country, could have effected the complete destruction of such voluminous works,— the more especially, as their sacred character would have rendered their preservation an object of constant solicitude. But, until a complete suppression of the ancient Puranas had been effected, other works could not have been substituted in their place; and, thus, the objection to the supposition that the Puranas, as now extant, were not written until between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries becomes insuper- able. For, admitting the dates assigned to each of the Puranas by Professor Wilson, it may be asked: Was the ancient Purana, bearing the same name, extant until it was superseded by the modern one, or was it not? In the first case, in what manner was its supersession accomplished? Professor Wilson extends the period during which he supposes the Puranas to have re- ceived their present form, to eight centuries; and he, thus, admits that the replacing of the ancient Puranas by new works did not proceed from a combination of the Brahmans to remodel the Hindu religion on new but premeditated principles. It becomes, therefore, impossible to understand how any individual could, without the consent and assistance of the Brahmans, effect the suppression of an ancient Pnraria, and the substitution, in its place, of a w^ork of his own compo- sition or compilation, throughout the whole of India. If, for instance, the Bhdgavata was written by Bopa- deva, at Doulutabad, in the twelfth century, was the original Bhdgavata then in existence, or not? If it 278 VISHNU PURANA. was, what reason, consistent with probability, can be assigned for supposing that the Brahmans of all India would have suppressed one of their sacred books, to which they ascribed a divine origin, and received, as entitled to the same reverence, the acknowledged com- position of an obscure grammarian ? The supposition is, evidently, absurd. It is strange, also, that Mr. Cole- brooke should have remarked that "Bopadeva, the real author of the Sri Bhdgavata, has endeavoured to reconcile all the sects of Hindus, by reviving the doctrines of Vyasa. He recognizes all the deities, but as subordinate to the Supreme Being, or, rather, as attributes or manifestations of God:"^ for, with the omission of the word "attributes", this is precisely the same doctrine which is invariably taught in each and all of the eighteen Puranas. The B hag avata, there- fore, as now extant, could not have been written for the purpose of inculcating a new doctrine; for, in that respect, it entirely corresponds with the other Pura- nas: nor is the representation, in it, of Vishnu as the Supreme Being inconsistent with the principles of the Hindu religion as explained in the other Puranas. It, in consequence, does not afford the slightest internal evidence of its having been written for the purpose of sectarial imposture ; nor have I observed, in it, any passage which indicates that this Purana could not have been written prior to the twelfth century. If, however, the original Bhdgavata was not then in Asiatic Researches, Vol. VII., p. 280. Or Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p. 197. APPENDIX. 279 existence, the objection still remains insuperable; for nothing can render it in the least probable that the Brahmans of all India would receive the composition of an obscure individual as a sacred book entitled to their reverence. It must, also, be evident that, if the Puranas which were current in the century prior to the Christian era have not been suppressed, there can be no reason for supposing that they have not been preserved until the present day. But it seems un- questionable that the Puranas then current could not have been subsequently suppressed, and other works substituted in their place, unless the Brahmans of all India had combined together in order to effect that object; and Professor Wilson, himself, remarks that the Puranas, in their present form, "never emanated from any impossible combination of the Brahmans to fabricate for the antiquity of the entire Hindu system any claims which it cannot fully support."* A com- bination, therefore, of the Brahmans being considered to be impossible, it must appear most probable that the eighteen Puranas have been preserved, during the last eighteen hundred years, in the same manner as other Sanskrit works of the same period have been preserved, and that the present Puranas are, in fact, in all essential respects, the same works which were current, under that name, in India in the century prior to the Christian era.f Another argument adduced by Professor Wilson, in * Vol. I., Preface, p. XI. t Throughout this critique, Colonel Kennedy seems to ignore the predictive sections of the Puranas, — a very essential feature in almost all of them. 280 VISHNU PURANA. support of his opinion, is the sectarian tendency of the Puranas. But he does not clearly explain what he means by that term; and, in his "Sketch of the Religious Sects of the Hindus," he has observed: "This is not the case, however, with the first two on the list, the Saurapatas and Ganapatas: these are usually, indeed, ranked with the preceding divisions, and make, with the Vaishnavas, Saivas, and Saktas, the five orthodox divisions of the Hindus."^ In this passage, however, some inadvertency must have occurred : for, according to Professor Wilson's own account, the Saktas cannot be included among the orthodox divisions of the Hin- dus; and I suppose, therefore, that the worshippers of Devi were here intended. But Vishnu, Siva, Devi, Surya, and Ganapati are the very deities, and the only ones, whose worship is described or mentioned in the Puranas; and, as this is admitted to be orthodox, it must follow that the Puranas could not have been written for sectarian purposes. What are the sects, therefore, to which Professor Wilson alludes, in that Preface, is not apparent. But his notion of a sect would seem to originate in this singular opinion, which he has expressed with respect to the Pauranik account of the Hindu religion : " The different works known by the name of Puranas are, evidently, derived from the same religious system as the Ramayana and Ma- habharata, or from the mytho-heroic stage of Hindu belief."* For, in both those poems, the passages which ' Asiatic Researches, Vol. XVII., p. 230. f • Vol. I., Preface, p. V. t Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., pp. 265, 266. APPENDIX. 281 relate to the legends and tenets of the Hindu religion are merely incidental, and do not form a principal part of those works; while, on the contrary, the legends and tenets of the Hindu religion are not only the principal but the sole, subject of the Puranas. It is much more probable, therefore, that such incidental notices of those topics as occur in the two poems were derived from the Puranas, than that such extensive works as the Puranas— which embrace all the details of Hindu mythology, and all the abstruse doctrine of Hindu theology,— were derived from poems which are, princi- pally, of an historical character. To conclude, conse- quently, that, because those topics are treated of at much greater length in the Puranas than in the Rd- may ana and Mahdbhdrata, therefore the Puranas were written at a later period than those poems, is, evi- dently, erroneous. At the same time, on what grounds does Professor Wilson suppose that there ever was a "mytho-heroic stage of Hindu belief"? He merely says that Rama and Krishna "appear to have been, original- ly, real and historical characters," who have been "ele- vated to the dignity of divinities,"* and that the Puranas belong, essentially, to that stage of Hindu belief "which grafted hero-worship upon the simpler ritual "f of the Vedas. But Professor Wilson adduces neither argu- ment nor quotation in support of this opinion; and it is, therefore, sufficient to observe that, in the Puranas, the Rdrndyana, and Mahdbhdrata, Rama and Krishna are invariably described, not as mere men, but as in- • Vol. I., Preface, p. IV. t 3id., p. XII. 282 VISHNU PURANA. carnate forms of Vishnu, and that not a single passage can be produced, from those works, which inculcates hero-worship. Professor Wilson, however, not only remarks that "Siva and Vishnu, under one or other form, are al- most the sole objects that claim the homage of the Hindus, in the Puranas,"* but also rests much of his reasoning, with respect to the date when each Puraha, as at present extant, was composed, and to its having been written for sectarian purposes, on the character of Krishna as a hero-god. For, in describing the Brahma Pur ana, he observes: "Then come a number of chapters relating to the holiness of Orissa, with its temples and sacred groves dedicated to the Sun, to Siva, and Jagan- natha, ^— the latter, especially. These chapters are char- acteristic of this Purana, and show its main object to be the promotion of the worship of Krishna as Jaganna- tha."^f With regard, also, to the Vishnu Fur ana, he re- marks: "The fifth book of the Vishnu Purana is exclu- sively occupied with the life of Krishna. This is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Puraha, and is one argument against its antiquity." + And this objection he explains, in speaking of the Brahma Vawarta Pu- rana, where he observes that the decidedly sectarial ' A name of Krishna. ■^ Professor Wilson states, at the same time, that the legend of Jagannatha occupies one-third only of this Purana; from which it would be more just to conclude that its main object could not be the promotion of the worship of Jagannatha, • Vol. I., Preface, p. V. t Ibid., p. XXVIII. Ibid., p. CIX. APPENDIX. 283 character of that Purana shows that it belongs to the sect, of known modern origin, which worship the ju- venile Krishna and Radha.* But Professor Wilson does not specify the forms of Siva, the worship of which is mentioned in the Puranas, as he states; and, on the contrary, it is unquestionable that, in those works, it is strictly enjoined that Siva should be wor- shipped under no other figure or type than that of the Linga; and, as Siva was never incarnate, there could be no form under which he could be worshipped. With regard, also, to Vishnu, Professor Wilson con- fines his remarks to the eighth incarnation only, that of Krishna. But the Puranas contain long details re- lating to the incarnation of Vishnu in the human forms of Ramachandra and Parasurama; and why, there- fore, should Krishna alone be considered as a real historical character who has been elevated to the dignity of divinity? The answer is obvious. There is a sect, of known modern origin, who worship the ju- venile Krishna and Radha; and it may, in consequence, be concluded that the Puranas in which Krishna is mentioned were written for the purpose of promoting the extension of that sect. But, as no sect has selected Ramachandra or Parasurama as the peculiar object of their worship, no argument could be founded on the mention of their names in the Puranas; and, therefore, it was unnecessary to notice them. But they were, both, greater heroes than Krishna, and lived several centuries before him;f and, had, consequently, hero- • Vol. I., Preface, p. LXVI. \ The Colonel is precise, here, beyond all reasonable warrant. 284 VISHNU PURANA. worship ever prevailed in India, it must seem most probable that it would have originated with Rama- chandra,— whose expedition to Lanka is the subject of a celebrated and revered poem,— had the Hindus ever considered him to be merely a mortal prince. It is, however, needless to continue these observations; for Professor Wilson has, himself, refuted his own opinion; as he has also remarked that Krishna is not repre- sented in the character of Bala Gopala (the object of worship of the modern sect,) in the Vishnu and Bhd- gavata Purdnas,^ and that the life of Krishna in the Brahma Fur ana "is, word for word, the same as that of the Vishnu Puraha;"t to which I add, that Krishna is not represented in that character in the Brahma Vaivarta Pur ana: for it is in those Puranas only that the life of Krishna is described at length; and, in them, Krishna invariably appears and acts as a human being, except on occasions when he exerts his divine power; but he is, at the same time, frequently acknowledged and adored as Vishnu in the incarnate form of Krishna/ ' I do not exactly understand what Professor Wilson means by this remark : "Rama, although an incarnation of Vishnu, com- monly appears [in the Edmdyana,] in his human character alone." \ I suppose he means, that Rama is seldom described, in that poem, as exerting his divine power ; for he always appears, in it, as a man, even when he acts as a god. Nor can 1 understand what the notion is which Professor Wilson has formed of a divine incarnation; for he observes that the character of Krishna is very contradictorihj described in the Mahdhhdrata, — \x&wa\\y, * Vol. I,, Preface, p. XXII. Colonel Kennedy here misrepresents. t Ibid., p. XXIX. : Ibid., p. XV. APPENDIX. 285 All suppositions, therefore, that hero-worship ever prevailed in India, or that it is inculcated in the Pu- rai'ias, or that Vishnu and Siva have ever been wor- shipped under any other figure or type than such as exist at the present day, are entirely groundless. It will hence appear that this remark of Professor Wilson must be erroneous: "The proper appropriation of the third [Rcijasa,^] class of the Puranas, according to the Padma Puraha^ appears to be the worship of Krishna .... as the infant Krishna, Govinda, Bala Gopala, the sojourner in Vrindavana, the companion of the cowherds and milkmaids, the lover of Radha, or as the juvenile master of the universe, Jagan- natha."* But, hi the same manner as Professor Wilson thus appropriates, on no grounds whatever, one class of the Puranas to the worship of Krishna, he also ap- propriates another class, the Tdmasa, to the Tantrika worship. For he remarks: "This last argument is of weight in regard to the particular instance specified; and the designation of Sakti may not be correctly ap- plicable to the whole class, although it is to some of the series: for there is no incompatibility in the advo- cacy of a Tantrika modification of the Hindu religion by any Purana."f That is, that there is no incompati- as a mere mortal, though frequently as a divine person. But is not that precisely the character of an incarnation, — a man, occa- sionally displaying the powers of a god ? ' The Puranas are divided into three classes, — named Sdttwifca, Tdmasa, and Rcijasa, — consisting, each, of six Puranas. ^ No passage in the Padma Purdna authorizes this remark. * Vol. I., Preface, p. XXII. t Ibid., pp. XXL, XXII. 286 VISHNU PURANA. bility in the Puranas — which have immemorially been held to be sacred books,— inculcating a worship not only directly contrary to the Vedas, but which even requires, for its due performance, flesh, fish, wine, women, and which is attended "with the most scan- dalous orgies amongst the votaries." The mere men- tion, however, of such an opinion is, alone, sufficient to show its improbability; and Professor Wilson correctly observes: "The occurrence of these impurities is, cer- tainly, countenanced by the texts which the sects regard as authorities, and by a very general belief of their occiuTence. The members of the sect are enjoined secrecy, — which, indeed, it might be supposed they would observe on their own account, — and, conse- quently, will not acknowledge their participation in such scenes."^ It is, therefore, surprising that, not- withstanding his own previous account of the Saktas, he should remark, in the Preface to his Translation of the Vishnu Fur ana: "The date of the Kiirma Puraha cannot be very remote; for it is, avowedly, posterior to the establishment of the Tantrika, the Sakta, and the Jaina sects. In the twelfth chapter it is said: 'The Bhairava, Vama, Arhata, and Yamala Sastras are in- tended for delusion.'"* The passage here referred to is, at length, as follows: "Certain acts have been pre- scribed to Brahmans and others; and for those who do ' These three quotations will be found in Professor Wilson's "Sketch of the Religious Sects of the Hindus," in the Asiatic Researches, Vol. XVII., pp. 223, 224, 225. f * Vol. I., Preface, pp. LXXIX., LXXX. t Or Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., pp. 256—260. APPENDIX. 287 not perform these acts are prepared the lowest hells. But there is no other Sastra than the Vedas which de- serves the name of virtuous; and Brahmans, therefore, ought not to delight in reciting the Font Sdstras, which are of various kinds in this world; because they belono- to the quality of darkness, and are contrary to the Sruti and Snn'-iti: of these are the Kapala, the Bhai- rava, the Yaniala, the Varna, and the Arhata. Thus, for the purpose of deception, are there many such Sastras; and by these false Sastras are many men de- ceived." This passage, it is evident, condemns these sects, and could not, therefore, have been written by a person who belonged to some one of them. But I have quoted it in order to show the manner in which allusions to philosophical and religious sects occur, in a few instances, in some of the Puranas; for, in all such passages, the name only is mentioned, and the doctrine of the sect is never in the least explained. Before, therefore, it is concluded that the name applies to a sect of modern origin, it should, surely, be first proved that no sect existed in India, under that name, until the establishment of the modern sect. In the above quotation, the worship of Siva in his terrific character, and of Deyi as Sakti, is, no doubt, clearly intimated; but it affords no indication of the date when such w^orship commenced, or of the period during which it may have been prevalent. But it is stated, in more than one Purana, that the Kapala sect was coeval with the institution of the worship of the Linga; and its antiquity is, further, rendered probable by its having long become extinct in India; and it is evident that, as the Arhata is here distinctly called a Yotit 288 VISHNU PURANA. (that is, a Sdkta,) Sdstra^ this term can have no re- ference whatever to the Jaina sect. Were, also, the Tantrika doctrines really inculcated in the Puranas, the passages relating to them would be so numerous and explicit as to attract attention; and yet, in my examination of those works, I have never met with a single Tantrika passage; and Professor Wilson ad- duces only the above-quoted text of the Kurma Pu- rdna^ which can prove nothing, until the sects alluded to, in it, are satisfactorily ascertained. To found, con- sequently, any argument with respect to the date when the Puranas, as now extant, were written, or their sectarian tendency, on a few obscure passages which occur in them, the precise meaning of which it is now impossible to determine, is, surely, a mode of reason- ing which may be justly pronounced to be altogether futile and fallacious. Professor Wilson also states, in too decided and un- qualified a manner, that, "In a word, the religion of the Vedas was not idolatry:"* for he, at the same time, correctly remarks that "It is yet, however, scarcely safe to advance an opinion of the precise f belief or philosophy which they inculcate."* But it unquestionably appears, from several of the Upa- nishads,— which are admitted § to be portions of the Ve- das,— that the principal deities have always been re- presented by images; and it may, therefore, be justly inferred that image-worship has always formed part of the Hindu religion. In its purest form, however, it * Vol. I., Preface, p. III. t The word 'precise' was here omitted. X Vol. I., Preface, p. II. § Not with any scientific accuracy. APPENDIX. 289 is probable that the worship of images was practised particularly by the inferior castes, and not, generally, by the Brahnians and Kshattriyas; but that, when the strict observance of the system of religious worship prescribed by the Vedas began to decline, then idolatry gradually assumed that form under which it appears in India at the present day. That such a change has taken place in the Hindu religion is clearly shown in the l-'urunas; for, in those works, though the worship of particular deities by various rites and observances is principally inculcated, they still contain numerous passages in which it is explicitly declared that such worship is not the adoration which is most acceptable to the Supreme Being, or the most effectual for ob- tainino; final beatitude. But the following remarks may appear to fix a modern character on the eighteen Puranas, as now extant: "It is a distinguishing feature of the Vishnu Purana, and it is characteristic of its being the work of an earlier period than most of the Puranas, that it enjoins no sectarial or other acts of supererogation; no Vratas, occasional self-imposed observances; no holydays, no birthdays of Krishna, no nights dedicated to Lakshmi; no sacrifices or modes of worship other than those conformable to the ritual of the Vedas. It contains no Mahatmyas or golden legends, even of the temples in which Vishnu is adored."* In these re- marks, however, it is assumed that sacrifices and modes of worship which are not conformable to the ritual of the Vedas are prescribed in- the Puranas: but • Vol. r., Preface, pp. XCIX., C. V. 19 290 VISHNU PURANA. this is precisely the question which requires to be proved. It is probable that the worship of images is not authorized by the Vedas ; and so far, therefore, the Puranas inculcate a mode of worship which is not con- formable to the ritual of the Vedas. But idolatry has, unquestionably, existed, in India, from the remotest times; and, consequently, its being inculcated in the Puranas cannot be admitted as any proof of their being modern compositions. The invocations, also, and prayers to the different deities, contained in the Pu- ranas appear to be in strict accordance with such as are contained in the Vedas; for they are composed of the Gdyatri and, apparently, of other texts of the Ve- das; and, although the rites and offerings with which the deities are directed to be worshipped may, prob- ably, differ from the ritual of the Vedas, they still have been, evidently, intended to conform to it, as far as the difference of image-worship would admit of. ^ Sacrifices are not prescribed in the Puranas; and the description of such as are mentioned in them is, no doubt, conformable to the ritual of the Vedas. It is not, therefore, the modes of worship which the Pu- raiias prescribe, upon which any argument to prove the remodelling of the Hindu religion in modern times can be validly founded; for their simplicity, and their ' It is unnecessary to except, expressly, the worship of Devi by the sacrifice of animals; for Professor Wilson has remarked (Asiatic Besearches, Vol. XVII., p. 219):* "This practice, how- ever, is not considered as orthodox, and approaches rather to the ritual of the Vamacharins; the more pure Bali [sacrifice] con- sisting of edible grain, with milk and sugar." Or Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., pp. 251, 252. APPENDIX. 291 accordance, in all essential respects, with the ritual of the Veclas must render it most probable that such modes of worship were practised long prior to the Christian era. Nor will the other acts specified by Professor Wilson afford support to his opinion. I do not, indeed, understand what is here intended by "sectarial or other acts of supererogation:" but the fourth order, or that of the ascetic, is mentioned in the Institutes of Manu; and the Yogin is frequently men- tioned in the Upanishads; and, surely, the sufferings and deprivations to which the ascetic and Yogin sub- ject themselves, for the purpose of obtaining beatitude, are, decidedly, acts of supererogation. The inculcating, therefore, in the'Puranas, the advantage to be derived from such acts can be no proof that those works were written in modern times, for sectarian purposes. There then remain to be considered only self-imposed ob- servances, holy days, birthdays of Krishna, and nights dedicated of Lakshmi. But Professor Wilson has in- validated his argument by the mention of Lakshmi; for, most certainly, that goddess has not been an ob- ject of peculiar worship in modern times ; and her fes- tival, therefore, must have been derived from the an- cient calendar. It is singular, also, that the description of holydays and festivals should be adduced as an ar- gument against the antiquity of a religious work; for these have been coeval with the institution of every religion; and such self-imposed observances as fasts and vows are too common, in all religions, to admit of their mention in a religious work being considered as a valid argument against its antiquity. Such description and mention, therefore, are, in themselves, no proof of the 19* 292 VISHNU PURANA. period when the Piiranas were composed; and Pro- fessor Wilson has not proved (nor can he, I am con- vinced, prove,) that the deity to whose honour a fes- tival is ascribed in the Piiranas, or in whose propitia- tion a fast or vow is directed to be pei*formed, was not worshipped prior to the eighth or ninth centnry, or that the preceding mode of worship has been since altered. But, until either of these assumptions is proved, it must be evident that the mention of the fest- ival, the fast, or the vow, in any of the Puranas, in no manner proves, or even renders it probable, that that Purana did not exist prior to the Christian era, in pre- cisely the same state as that in which it is now extant. I admit, however, that doubts may be reasonably entertained with respect to the antiquity of some of the legends relating to temples and places of pilgrim- age, which are contained in the Puranas; for the mis- cellaneous nature, the want of arrangement, and the humility of style of the Puranas would easily admit of an account of a particular temple or place of pil- grimage being interpolated, without the interpolation being liable to detection from the context. * It is, there- fore, possible that, when those works are further ex- amined, such interpolations may be discovered in them; but, were it, for instance, even proved that the legend of Jagannatha in the Brahma Purana was an inter- polation, this would be no proof that that Purana was written for the promotion of the worship of Jagan- natha: for it would be much more reasonable to sup- pose that the Brahmans of that temple had availed * Contrast what is said in p. 311, note I, infra. APPENDIX. 293 tlieniselves of the original Purari a, to introduce into it, and to circulate under the sacredness of its name, the legend which they had composed in honour of their god. When, therefore, a passage occurs in any Purana, which has a modern appearance, it should not, at once, be concluded that the Purana is a modern composition; but it should first be ascertained whether the passage is really modern, and, if so, whether it may not be an interpolation which does not necessarily affect the an- tiquity of the Purana itself. ^ Nothing, however, is so difficult as to decide satisfactorily on the existence of a supposed interpolation in any work; and, with respect to the Puranas, this difficulty, from the reasons just mentioned, and from our ahnost entire ignorance of the history of India during the centuries immediately preceding and following the Christian era, becomes so insuperable as clearly to evince how completely er- ' In forming, however, an opinion of the genuineness and entireness of the Puranas, as now extant, it should be recollected that these works are written in Sanskrit, and that the Brahmans have always been, alone, acquainted with that language. * The Pu- ranas, therefore, circulated amongst the Brahmans only; and it, consequently, seems in the highest degree improbable that the Brahmans of all India would admit into their copies of these sacred books interpolations which were merely intended to serve some local purpose. It is, at least, certain that the manuscripts of the Puranas which are, at this day, spread over India, from Cashmere to the extremity of the southern peninsula, and from Jagannatha to Dwaraka, contain precisely the same works; and it is, therefore, most probable that the Puranas have always been preserved in precisely the same state as that in which they were first committed to writing. • Never, in all probability, has this been the case. 294 VISHNU PURANA. roneous it must be to conclude, from their internal evidence, that "the Puranas are works of evidently different ages, and have been compiled under different circumstances." * But it is impossible to ascertain, from this Preface, Professor Wilson's precise opinion with respect to what a work ought to be, in order to entitle it to the character of a Purana; for, in speaking of the Ling a, he remarks: "Data for conjecturing the era of this work are defective. But it is more of a ritual than a Purana; and the Paurahik chapters which it has inserted, in order to keep up something of its character, have been, evidently, borrowed for the purpose."f In considering, however, the age and the scope and tendency of the Puranas, Professor Wilson has entirely overlooked the sacred character which has immemorially been ascribed to those works; and yet he could not intend to deny so indisputable a fact; in which case it must be evident that the more a Purana is occupied in "narrating le- gends, and enjoining rites, and reciting prayers," f the more it maintains its proper character. Professor Wil- son, on the contrary, is of opinion that the religious instruction which is contained in the present Puranas is a decisive proof that they have undergone some material alteration, and that they are not the same works which were current in the century prior to Christianity. He admits, at the same time, the ac- curacy of this description of the Puranas, as they are:^ The principal object of the Puranas is the moral and ' In my work on Ancient and Hindu Mythology, p. 150. * Vol. I., Preface, p. XVI. t Ibid., p. LXIX. APPENDIX. 295 religious instruction which is inculcated in them, and to which all the legends that they contain are rendered subservient. In fact, the description of the earth and of the planetary system, and the lists of royal races, that occur in them are, evidently, extraneous, and not essential, circumstances; as they are omitted in some Purahas, and very concisely discussed in others; while, on the contrary, in all the Puranas, some or other of the leading principles, rites, and observances of the Hindu religion are fully dwelt upon, and illustrated, either by suitable legends, or by prescribing the cere- monies to be practised, and the prayers and invoca- tions to be employed, in the worship of different deities. It will, I think, be admitted that these are precisely the topics which ought to occupy a sacred book intended for the religious instruction of the Hin- dus; and that, consequently, so far from its being sup- posed that the present Puranas have undergone some material alteration in consequence of these topics being their principal subject, this very circumstance should be considered as a conclusive argument in support of their genuineness and antiquity. As, also, the religious instruction contained in the Puranas is perfectly uni- form, and entirely consistent with the principles of the Hindu religion, and as it, consequently, betrays not the slightest indication of novelty or sectarianism, it must be most consistent with probability to conclude that the eighteen Puranas, as now extant, are ancient compositions, and not, as Professor Wilson supposes, an "intermixture of unauthorized and comparatively modern ingredients" with "ancient materials.' • Vol. I., Preface, p. XCIX. ??* 296 VISHNU PURANA. I have, thus, examined the arguments adduced, by Professor Wilson, to prove that the books now extant under the name of Puranas are not the original eight- een Purahas which have been immemorially held to form part of the sacred literature of the Hindus, but works which have been compiled, within the last eight hundred years, from ancient and modern materials, and written in subservience to sectarial imposture. The remarks, however, contained in this and my former letter will, perhaps, evince that those arguments are much too inconsistent and inconclusive to render the antiquity and genuineness of the present Purahas in the least questionable. The admission, indeed, that the original Purahas were extant in the century prior to the Christian era, is, alone, sufficient to invalidate all suppositions of their being, now, no longer in exist- ence; and, unless, therefore, the time and manner of their becoming extinct are proved, it must be evident that inferences resting merely on their internal evi- dence cannot be received as any proof that the original Purahas have not been preserved until the present day. For all reasoning founded on the internal evi- dence which the Puranas may afford on any point can be of no avail; as there are, I believe, scarcely any per- sons competent to decide upon its correctness; and the different conclusions which Professor Wilson and myself have drawn from this internal evidence must show that the impression received from it depends en- tirely on the disposition of mind and the spirit of re- search with which the Purahas are perused. I read them with a mind perfectly free from all preconceived opinion, and with the sole object of making myself APPENDIX. 297 acquainted with the mythology and rehgion of the Hindus; and I did not observe, in them, the slightest indication of their havins; been written in modern times, for sectarian purposes; but, on the contrary, their perusal irresistibly led me to conclude that they must have been written at some remote period. Even Pro- fessor Wilson has not been able to resist this impres- sion of their antiquity ; for he declares that it is " as idle as it is irrational, to dispute the antiquity or authen- ticity of the greater portion of the contents of* the Puranas."f Why, therefore, he should have endeav- oured—particularly, in his account of each of the Pu- rahas,— to demonstrate that those works are modern compilations, and that, in consequence, "they are no longer authorities for Hindu belief, as a whole," but "special guides for separate and, sometimes, conflicting branches of it,"t I pretend not to conjecture. But it is very evident that Professor Wilson exam- ined the Purahas with a preconceived opinion of their being modern compilations, and of their containing an account of the sects which have originated in India in modern times ;^ for it is only from the influence of such a preconceived opinion that can have proceeded * I cannot avoid observing, with reference to Professor Wil- son's account of the manner in which his analyses of the Pu- rarias are made, contained in No. IX. of the Journal of the Roijal Asiatic Societij, p. 61, § that it appears to me that no series of indices, abstracts, and translations of particular parts of the Pu- ranas will ever enable any person either to form, himself, or to * The words " the contents of" were omitted by the Colonel, t Vol. I., Preface, p. XCIX. : Ibid., p. V. § Or Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. III., p. 2. Also see Vol. 111. of the present Work, p. 225, last foot-note. 298 VISHNU PUR AN A. the contradictory and fallacious reasoning, with respect to the age and the scope and tendency of the Puranas, which is contained in the Preface to his Translation of the Vishnu Purdna. Because that reasoning rests entirely on two assumptions, neither of which is proved nor can be proved: the one, that a genuine Purana should treat of profane subjects only; and the other, that the works now extant under the name of Puranas were written in modern times, for sectarian purposes. Thus, in the account of each of the Puranas, it is pro- nounced that the main object of the Brahma is the promotion of the worship of Jagannatha (Krishna), and that there is little, in it, which corresponds with the de- finition of a Purana; that the different portions of the Padma "are, in all probability, as many different works, neither of which approaches to the original definition of a Purana;" that the Ling a "is more a ritual than a Purana;" that the Br ahna Vaivarta "has not the slight- est title to be regarded as a Purana;" that the date of the Kurma "cannot be very remote, for it is, avowedly, communicate to others, "a correct notion of the substance and character of those works." The Purana must not only be read from beginning to end, but examined over again more than once, before any person can be qualified to pronounce a decided judg- ment upon its age, scope, or tendency. The most ample index of its contents will never suggest or supply those reflections which necessarily arise during its perusal, and which, alone, can pro- duce a correct opinion with respect to the connexion which the different parts of the Purana bear to each other, and with respect to the principal or accessory objects of its composition. A more attentive consideration of the context, for instance, would, per- haps, have prevented Professor Wilson from quoting the line of the Kurma Purdna, on which I have remarked in this letter. APPENDIX. 299 posterior to the establishment of theTantrika, theSakta, and the Jaina sects;"* and so witii respect to the other Puranas. It will not, however, be denied that nothing but the most attentive and repeated actual perusal of the whole of each and all of the Puranas would war- rant such positive and unqualified assertions, and that nothing but satisfactory proof of such perusal would entitle them to the least credit; and yet Professor Wil- son has stated that the Puranas comprehend a quantity of lines which any European scholar could scarcely expect to peruse with care and attention, unless his whole time were devoted, exclusively, for very many years, to the task. ' Professor Wilson, therefore, is not, according to his own admission, qualified to decide ex cathedra on the age, or the scope and tendency, of the Puranas. His reasoning, also, in support of the opinions which he had expressed on these points is singularly illogical; for he, first, assumes that a genuine Puraha ought to treat of such and such topics only, and then-as not one of the present Puranas conforms to the definition 2 assumed,— he at once concludes that those w^orks are modern compilations. But, as the de- finition fails in eighteen instances, it must appear most ' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, No. IX., p. 61. f " Professor Wilson, also, has not translated this definition liter- ally from the Sanskrit; and he, thus, argues, not on it, but on the meaning which he has, himself, thought proper to give to the definition. Literally translated, it can mean nothing more than "creation, t repeated creation, races or families, manioantaras,^ and * Vol.!., Preface, pp. XXVIII., XXXIII., LXIx7lXVII^ and LXXIX. t Vide supra, p. 297, note §. + See the Colonel's remark on sarya, in p. 259, supra. § This is transliteration, not translation. 300 VISHNU PURANA. probable that it was never intended to be understood in the very restricted sense which Professor Wilson applies to it; and, in my former letter, I have shown that two of the topics, at least, comprise much more than what he has included under them. The non-con- formity, however, of the contents of the present Pu- rahas to this assumed definition— the precise extent and meaning of which are not ascertained,— is, in fact, the only argument which is adduced, by Professor Wilson, to prove that the works now bearing the name of Pu- rahas are not the original Purahas, and the only ground on which he pronounces that this or that one of those works does not correspond with the definition of a genuine Purana. But the mere statement of such an argument is, surely, quite sufficient to expose its total invalidity. The other assumption is not only equally groundless, but it is even disproved by Professor Wil- son himself; for he has rested his argument, in support of it, entirely on Krishna being, as the juvenile Krishna, the peculiar object of worship of a sect of known modern origin; and yet he is obliged to admit that what accompanies races." To found, therefore, an argument against the genuineness and antiquity of the Puranas, as now extant, on such a definition, is, surely, a most singular and futile mode of reasoning.* * This is hypercriticism. For the original terms referred to, see Vol. L, Preface, p. VII., note 1; also, Vol. III., p. 67, and p. 71, note; and supra, pp. 169 and 244. Professor Wilson's expansions, to be found in Vol. I., Preface, p. VII., are fully authorized. Colebrooke, in his edition of the Amara-koia, p. 33, following the authority of scholiasts, defines a Pu- rana to be " theogony, comprising past and future events, under tive heads : the creation ; the destruction and renovation of worlds ; genealogy of gods and heroes ; the reigns of Manus ; and the transactions of their descendants." f APPENDIX. 301 Krishna is not represented in that character in three of the Purarias in which his life is related at length. The only proof, also, of the Tantrika doctrines being- inculcated in the Puranas, which is adduced, is a sinale obscure line of the Kurma Purdha.^' But, were that the case, there could have been no difficulty in quoting numerous Tantrika passage from some one or other of the Puranas; and, as, therefore. Professor Wilson has not supported his opinion by producing such pas- sages, it may be justly concluded that not one of the Puranas in any manner advocates "a Tantrika modi- fication of the Hindu religion." f The more, therefore, that I consider the remarks contained in the Preface to his Translation of the Vishnu Purdna^ the more am I at a loss to understand how Professor Wilson could express such contradictory opinions. For he maintains, for instance, " that Brah- mans unknown to fame have remodelled some of the Hindu scriptures, and, especially, the Puranas, cannot reasonably be contested ;" + but he equally contends that the internal evidence of the Puranas furnishes decisive proof "of the anterior existence of ancient materials; and it is, therefore, as idle as it is irrational, to dispute the antiquity or authenticity of the greater portion of the contents of the Puranas. "§ On the con- trary, it would, surely, he irrational to admit either, after Professor Wilson has proved— as he supposes,— that the works now bearing the name of Puranas are "an intermixture of unauthorized and comparatively * See Vol. I., Preface, pp. LXXIX., LXXX. t Ibid., pp. XXI.. XXII. : Ibid., pp. XCVIII.. XCIX. § Ibid., p. XCIX. o 02 VISHNU PUR ANA. modern ingredients,"* and that not one of those works conforms to the definition of a genuine Puraiia. It becomes, therefore, requisite either to deny the anti- quity and authenticity of the present Puranas, or to contest the assumption that the Brahmans have re- modelled their sacred books,— a supposition so totally improbable, that nothing but the most clear and in- controvertible proof could render it at all credible. Until, consequently. Professor Wilson produces such proof, it must appear most rational and reasonable to conclude that the Brahmans have never remodelled their sacred books (as no motive for their doing so can be conceived), and that the Puranas now extant, hav- ing been preserved in the same manner as other San- skrit manuscripts of the same period, are, in all essential respects, precisely the same works which were current in India in the century prior to the Christian era. Bombay, 2dth SejjL, 1840. Vans Kennedy. Sir: Notwithstanding my two former letters, there are still one or two points on M'hich I would wish to ofler a few remarks, in order to complete my obser- vations on Professor Wilson's objections to the genu- ineness and antiquity of the Puranas, as now extant. For it will, I think, be admitted that this question is discussed in a very unsatisfactory manner in the Pre- * See Vol. I., Preface, p, XCIX. Only Professor Wilson makes no such assertion. His words are 4Uoted correcUy in p. 295, ad calcem, supra. APPENDIX. 803 face to his Translation of the Vishnu Pur ana-, as that Preface contains merely the conclusions which Profes- sor Wilson has drawn from certain circumstances that are represented solely according to the view which he has taken of them; and, thus, the reader is not afforded the means of judging whether this view is correct, or otherwise. But an inquirer into the real character of the mythology and religion of the Hindus would, no doubt, wish to know the grounds on which Professor Wilson states: "It is not possible to conjecture when this moi'e simple and primitive form of adoration [of the Vedas,] was succeeded by the worship oi" images and types, representing Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, and other imaginary beings, constituting a mythological pantheon of most ample extent; or when Rama and Krishna, who appear to have been, originally, real and historical characters, were elevated to the dignity of divinities."* In that Preface, however,— and in all, 1 believe, that Professor Wilson has yet published re- specting thePuranas,— the most questionable assertions are made in the most positive manner; but they re- main unsupported by either argument or authority; and, consequently, not even the deference which is justly due to Professor Wilson, as an accomplished Sanskrit scholar, should preclude an examination of his opinions, or the rejection of such as are inconsistent in themselves, or contrary to probability and evidence. It is particularly remarkable that, in that Preface, l^rofessor Wilson has passed over a material fact,— the sacred character of the Pm-anas,- without a due con- sid eratio n of which it is impossible to I'orm a correct * Vol. I., Preface, ^\y. ~ " 304 VISHNU PURANA. judgment with respect to their age, and their scope and tendency. But it is undeniable that certain works named Puranas have immemorially been held, by the Hindus, to be sacred books of divine origin, and, there- fore, entitled to the greatest veneration. Even at the present day, those works are regarded v^^ith the same reverence, and are, in consequence, considered to be incommunicable to Sudras, women, and barbarians:* and, on this account, a Brahman in my employment declined to read the Puranas with me; while another Brahman, though he conversed with me on the sub- jects treated of in those works, and even gave me hints where to find particular passages, would not open the Purana in which they were contained, in my presence, and show me the passages, f In judging, therefore, whether the Puranas now extant have been preserved, to the present day, in precisely the same state as that in which they were first committed to writing, the sacred character of those books should, most assuredly, be taken into consideration, and not passed over as of no consequence; for this circum- stance, alone, renders it, in the highest degree, improb- able that the Brahmans would allow the Puranas to be lost, and utterly incredible that they would sup- press any one of those sacred books, and substitute, in its place, another work of the same name. On this in- credible supposition, however, Professor Wilson's opin- ion, that the present Puranas are modern compilations, entirely rests. But he has not attempted to explain the manner in which the replacing of the original Pu- * A grosser error than this was never committed to paper, t Colonel Kennedy's Brahmans must have been very peculiar. APPENDIX. 305 ranas by new works was effected; and, consequently, his positive and unqualified statement, that the date of the earliest of the present Puranas is not prior to the ninth century, is a mere gratuitous assertion, which is not only contrary to probability, but which is even left unsupported by any proof whatever. But every principle of reasoning requires that, before the con- clusion is drawn, the premisses of the argument should be, first, established; and, as, therefore, Professor Wilson has neither proved nor lendered probable the premisses from which he draws the startling and questionable conclusion, that the present Puranas have no title to be regarded as genuine Puranas, it must be evident that his opinion on this point must be considered to be totally groundless. Another point essential to the proper discussion of this question is, the ascertaining what it is that should be held to constitute a genuine Purana; although it might be supposed that no difference of opinion could exist respecting it: for, the Puranas being sacred books, their contents should, of course, relate, principally, to the rites, ceremonies, offerings, prayers, and invocations with which the deities mentioned in them are to be wor- shipped, and to the legends and doctrines of the Hindu religion. Professor Wilson, on the conti'ary, has stated that "The earliest inquiries into the religion, chronol- ogy, and history of the Hindus ascertained that there ex- isted a body of writings especially devoted to those sub- jects.... These were thePuranas of Sanskrit literature."^* ' In the Analysis of the Brahma Purana, contained in No. IX. * Professor "Wilson's collected Works, Vol. III., p. 1. V. 20 306 VISHNU PURANA. But this statement is altogether erroneous; for not a single Purana contains chronology and history, in the meaning usually given to these terms; and, in the de- scription of a Purana, given in that Analysis, are omitted that essential part of all the Puranas which treats of the mythology and religion of the Hindus, and that part which has induced Professor Wilson to pronounce that the Linga is more of a ritual than a Purana. In his examination, therefore, of the Puranas, he has, avowedly, overlooked topics the due consider- ation of which is indispensable foi' the forming a cor- rect opinion of their age, object, and tendency. But this will be best rendered evident by a few remarks on his Analysis of the Bralima Fur ana, contained in No. IX. of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. In my last letter I was unavoidably led to observe that Professor Wilson had, evidently, examined the Pu- ranas under the influence of preconceived opinion ; and this Analysis completely confirms that remark: for, at its very commencement, he states that "the first verses of the Brahma Purana" .... "sufficiently declare its sec- torial bias, and indicate it to be a Vaishnava work."* But, in his "Sketch of the Religious Sects of the Hindus ",f of the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. In this+ it is also said that a genuine Purana "should treat of the creation and renovation § of the universe, the division of time, the institutes of law and religion, the genealogies of the patriarchal families, and the dynasties of kings." But no other topics than these are mentioned. * Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. III., p, 8, 9. t Ibid., Vol. I., pp. 3 and 30. % Ibid., Vol. III., p. 1. § General Kennedy omitted the words "and renovation". appp:ndix. 307 Professor Wilson admits that the preferential wor- ship of Vishnu is perfectly orthodox; and, in the Preface to his Translation of the Vishnu Furaiia^ he states that one-third only of the Brakma Purdna is dedicated to Vishnu's incarnation as Jagannatha.* Con- sequently, it is evident that this Purana is neither sec- tarian nor exclusively dedicated to the legend of Ja- gannatha. But this erroneous impression has, evi- dently, led him to affirm, as erroneously, (unless my copy of this Purana differs from his), that "the first chaptei' of the Purana describes the creation, which it attributes to Narayana or Vishnu, as one with Brahma or Iswara." For the only verse to which he can refer will bear no other meaning than this: "Comprehend, reverend Munis, Brahma, of boundless splendour, the creator of all beings, Narayana, the all-pervading."^ But this error is of material importance; because, in this Purana, Brahma is represented as the Supreme Being; and, had it, therefore, been composed after the general worship of Brahma had entirely ceased,— as it did in remote times,— and the preeminence (as at this day,) of either Vishnu or Siva had been established, it seems altogether improbable that such a distinction would have been ascribed to Brahma by any writer. The representing, consequently, Brahma as the Su- preme Being, in four of the Puranas, — the Brahna, ^HTt ^I^T^t ITTT^Xlf ^TF^'IRl II It is quite clear that Ndrdyanam is here placed in apposition with Brahmdham^ and that it is, therefore, an epithet of Brahnui, and not of Vishnu. • Not so. See Vol. I., Preface, p. XXVIII., note I. 20 • 308 VISHNU PURANA. Vdyu, Kurma, and Brahmdnda,—wsLS a circumstance which, certainly, deserved particular attention; because it corresponds with the character in which Brahma is represented in several of" the Upanishads and in the Institutes of Manu. When, therefore, a circumstance so indicatory of the antiquity of the Puranas is passed over by Professor Wilson, it must be evident that his conjectures respecting the dates when those works, as now extant, were compiled, are not entitled to the slightest consideration. Professor Wilson also attaches no importance to the long account of the Sun and his worship, which is contained in the Brahma Furdna-, although this, un- doubtedly, indicates that it cannot be a modern com- position. And a similar description of the worship of the Sun, contained in the Linga Purdna^ is not even noticed by him, notwithstanding that it contains the Gdyatri and, apparently, other verses of the Vedas. But it seems unquestionable that, if the Sun was ever an object of popular worship in remote antiquity, this worship had assumed a mysterious character at the time that the Vedas received their present form, and had become restricted to the Brahmans; for Mr. Ward has correctly observed that "the Brahmans consider Surya as one of the greatest of the gods; because, in glory, he resembles the one Brahma, who is called te- jomaya, or 'the glorious'. In the Vedas, also, this god is much noticed. The celebrated invocation called the Gdyatri, and many of the forms of meditation, prayer, and praise, used in the daily ceremonies of the Brah- mans, are addressed to him."^ The descriptions, there. ' Ward's View of the Hindus, Vol. I., p. 50. APPENDIX. 309 fore, of a worship so ancient and so celebrated in the Vedas, contained in at least two of the Puranas, ^ should not^ surely, have been overlooked by Professor Wilson, when deciding upon the period when the present Pu- ranas were compiled; for these descriptions clearly prove that those works must be ancient, and not mod- ern, compositions. In the same manner. Professor Wilson takes no notice of the identification, in the Brahma Purcina^ of Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, and Surya with the Supreme Being; but, on the contrary, he contends that its main object is the promotion of the worship of Jagannatha. This conclusion, however, is directly contradicted by the contents of that Purana; because it appears, from them, that the legend of Jagannatha occupies one-third only of the w^ork, and that, in it, preeminence is not attributed exclusively to Vishnu. It is, hence, evident that the view taken by Professor Wilson of the object and tendency of the Purarias cannot possibly be cor- rect; since he, thus, discovers a sectorial bias in a Pu- rana which so clearly illustrates that predominant principle of the Hindu religion which inculcates that the preferential worship of particular deities is equally meritorious; for it is, in fact, the worship of the Su- preme Being under those forms. But Professor Wil- son is not content with pronouncing that the Brahma Purana is a Vaishhava work; for he, at the same time, states that it "is referred to the Sakta class, in ' This worship is also mentioned in the Garucla Purana; but I do not immediately recollect whether it is mentioned in any other of the Puranas. 310 VISHNU PURANA. which the worship of Sakti, the personified female prin- ciple, is more particularly inculcated."* It is not for me to explain how any composition can be both a Vaishnava and a Tantrika work; but the assumption that there is a class of Puranas denominated Sdkta is totally unfounded. The division of the Puranas into three classes is mentioned in the PadmaFtirdna alone; and all that is said, in it, is, that such and such Puranas —naming them,— are included in the Sdttwika, Rdjasa, or Tdmasa class. ^ Nothing, therefore, contained in the Padma Pu7'dna in the least authorizes the remark just quoted; and in not one of the Puranas is Devi ever represented under the same character as the Sakti of the Tantrika sect. It, hence, unquestionably appears that Professor Wilson has completely mistaken the object and tendency of the very Puraha which he pro- fesses to have carefully analysed; and it must, there- fore, follow that indices and abstracts of the Puranas will never enable any person to form, himself, or to communicate to others, "a correct notion of the sub- stance and character of these works, "f Professor Wilson, however, hesitates not to pro- nounce that "It is, nevertheless, obvious that such a Brahma Puraha as has been here described cannot have any pretension to be considered as an ancient work, as the earliest of the Puranas, or even as a Purana at ^ This division, also, is entirely fanciful; for there is nothing contained in any one of the Puranas which at all justifies it; as the subjects treated of in those works are of precisely a similar nature, and, in all of them, the same tenets and doctrines are in- culcated. * Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. III., p. 9. t ^bid., p. 6. APPENDIX. 311 all." * He, thus, first gives a completely erroneous ac- count of the real nature of the contents of this Puraha, and then concludes that it is not even aPurana at all! The question, also, recurs: What is a Purana? Pro- fessor Wilson contends that it is a work which "should treat" only "of the creation and renovation of the uni- verse, the .division of time, the institutes of law and religion, the genealogies of the patriarchal families, and the dynasties of kings:" but the Sanskrit authority to which he refers, and which occurs at the commence- ment of several of the Puranas, says, merely, "creation, repeated creation, families, mamvantaras, and what accompanies families."! From such a definition as this it is obvious that no opinion can be formed with respect to the subjects which should, alone, be treated of in a Purana; and yet Professor Wilson's objections to the genuineness of the Piu-anas, as now extant, rests principally on their non-conformity to this unintel- ligible definition. For this appears to be the only reason that has led him to pronounce that the Brahma is not even a Purana at all; because "the greater por- tion of the work belongs to the class of Mahatmyas,^— ' There is no class of Mahatmyas; but passages, bearing that name, the authenticity of which cannot be contested, — as, for in- stance, the Devi MdhdtmijaX in the Mdrkandeya Purana, — have been extracted from the Puranas, and circulated as distinct works ; and there seems to be no doubt that, in later times, works have been written in imitation of the authentic Mahatmyas; but their • Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. III., pp. 16, 17. t Vide supra, p. 299, note 2, and p. 300, note • + It would be curious to know why the Colonel excepted it. 312 VISHNU PURANA. legendary and local descriptions of the greatness or holiness of particular temples, or individual divini- ties."* But, as usual, he does not explain why the de- scription of a particular temple, or an individual di- vinity, should be considered as incompatible with the ancient and original composition of the Purana in which it is contained. He merely assumes that the temple of Kanarka, mentioned in this Purana, is the same as the Black Pagoda, built A.D. 1241, and that the temple of Jagannatha of the Purana is the same as that which was built in A.D. 1198; and hence con- cludes that the Brahma Purana was written in the course of the thirteenth or fourteenth century, f But he adduces neither argument nor proof in support of this assumption; although, in order to warrant it, it was indispensable to prove that no temple of Kanarka or Jagannatha ever existed in the same situations un- til the present temples were erected. For it may be equally assumed that the temples mentioned in this Purana were built, and had attained celebrity, several centuries prior to the Christian era : and in what man- ner is this assumption to be disproved? The history of India during the centuries immediately preceding and following the Christian era is almost unknown; and consequently, there are, now, no means available for determining the dates when the temples were erected, when the places of pilgrimage acquired holiness, when spuriousness can always be detected by their not being to be found in the Purarias+ to which they are ascribed. • Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. III., p. 17. f Ibid., p. 18. + And the Mdhdtmyas therein found are, in all likelihood, later than their contexts. APPENDIX. 313 the kings and distinguished personages lived,* or when the events occurred which are mentioned in the Pu- rahas. To all these works this remark of Professor Wilson applies: "The Vishnu Puraria has kept very clear of particulars from which an approximation to its date may be conjectured. "f For, as far as I haA^e ob- served, not one of the Puranas contains a single cir- cumstance from which it would be possible to deter- mine even the period when it may have been com- posed. The mere supposition, therefore, that the temples mentioned in the B?'ah7na Purdna are the same as those built in A.D. 1198 and 1241 cannot be admitted as a sufficient ground for deciding that that Purana is of modern date; for there is nothing mi- probable in concluding that other temples of the same names, and in the same situations, may have existed long before those erected in modern times were in existence. The only reason, also, that can have led Professor Wilson to suppose that descriptions of temples and places of pilgrimage should not be contained in the Puranas, is the above-mentioned definition; as it, cer- tainly, does not include such a topic. But it is highly probable that pilgrimages to sacred places, and the visiting of temples, was practised, in remote times, by the Hindus, as they are practised by them at the present day; and no subject, therefore, could be more adapted to such a sacred book as a Purana, than de- * Inscriptions have brought us acquainted with not a few facts tending to fix the age of later Pauranik celebrities. And, inscriptions apart, could Colonel Kennedy doubt our knowing the age of Chandragupta? t Vol. I., Preface, p. CXI. 314 VISHNU PURANA. scriptions of those celebrated places and temples a pilgrimage to which was deemed to be a pious and meritorious act.* The legends, also, relating to temples and places of pilgrimage, which occur in the Puranas, are of precisely the same kind as those which have found a place in all religions, and cannot, consequently, be considered, in themselves, to be any proof against the antiquity of the Purana in which they are con- tained. Many of those places of pilgrimage are not frequented at the present day, and some of them can- not, now, be even ascertained; which circumstances must render it highly probable that they are of a re- mote period, and that they would not have been men- tioned in a particular Purana, had they not been held in reverence at the time when it was composed. 1 ad- mit that this is an unsatisfactory mode of arguing; but, in this instance, to supposition supposition can alone be opposed; for, as I have just observed, the internal evidence of the Puranas affords no means of deter- mining the date of any circumstance mentioned in them. In his Analysis, therefore, of the Brahma Purana^ Professor Wilson has, evidently, not only omitted cir- cumstances which are essential to the forming a cor- rect judgment of its object and tendency, but he has, also, under the obvious influence of preconceived opinion, found, in it, that ivhich it does not contain, and attached an undue importance to an unintelhgible definition, and to one-third only of the work, without taking the other two-thirds into his consideration. * Temples and pilgrimages were not Hindu institutions "in remote times." APPENDIX. 315 But nothing can more clearly evince the disposition of mind, and the attention with which Professor Wilson has examined the Pm-anas, than this elaborate passage? contained in p. ] JX. of the Preface to his Translation of the Vishnu Pur ana: "A considerable portion [of the Ag7ii Fnrdna] is then appropriated to instructions for the performance of religious ceremonies, many of which belong to the Tantrika ritual, and are, appa- rently, transcribed from the principal authorities of that system. Some belong to mystical forms of Saiva worship, little known in Hindusthan, though, perhaps, still practised in the south. One of these is the Diksha, or initiation of a novice; by which, ivith numej'ous ceremonies and invocations, in ivhich the mysterious monosyllables of the Tantras are constantly repeated^ the disciple is transformed into a living personation of Siva, and receives, in that capacity, the homage of his Guru.^''^ For, throughout this passage, some one or other of the names of Vishnu continually occurs; and it is evident, therefore, that the passage relates to Vishnu, and not to Siva. In regard, also to the diksha, these verses, contained in the 27th Chapter, will be sufficient to prove that this initiation is in the name of Vishnu, and not of Siva: "Having propitiated Fire, sacrifice to Vishnu; and, then, having called the nov- ices, initiate them standing near."^ This diksha is ' Nothing contained in the passage of the A(jni Purdna here referred to in any manner authorizes the words which I have placed in italics. Mysterious monosylhibles, also, are perfectly orthodox; for they occur in the Upanislutda. 316 VISHNU PURANA. also mentioned in the Garuda Purdna^ in which it is equally said that the initiation is in the name of Hari or Vishnu; and not one of the prayers and invocations contained in those two passages is taken from the Tantrika ritual. It is, indeed, surprising that, after having written the accurate account^ of the Sakta sect, contained in his "Sketch of the Religious Sects of the Hindus," Professor Wilson should state that the Ga- ruda Purdna contains prayers from the Tantrika ritua], addressed to the Sun, Siva, and Vishnu; for he must be well aware that the Tantrika sect do not wor- ship either Vishnu or the Sun. As, however. Professor Wilson has, in that Sketch, confined himself principally to the description of its distinguishing characteristics, — the kmndri-pujd, or worship of the virgin, — I add these remarks of Mr. Ward, in order to evince how totally impossible it must be to find such doctrines in the Purahas: "The Tantras either set aside all these ceremonies [of the Vedas], or prescribe them in other ' I, of course, except this passage : '• The adoration of Pra- kriti or Sakti is, to a certain extent, authorized by the Pu- rarias, particularly the Brahma Vaivarta, the Skanda, and the Kalika:'"* the erroneousness of which I have, perhaps, demon- strated in these letters. I am, indeed, strongly inclined to sus- pect that Professor Wilson's employment of indices and abstracts for the examination of the Puranas has often led him to con- clude that the term Sakti, which occurs so frequently in those works, denoted Devi in her character of Sakti, as worshipped by the Saktas, But, in the Puranas, this term means power and energy in general; and, when it does not, it invariably denotes the energy of the Supreme Being, or Maya, or the impersonified energies of the three principal gods. * Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., pp. 247, 248. Appendix. 317 forms." The Tantrika prayers, even for the same ceremony, differ from those of the Veda; and, in certain cases, they dispense with all ceremonies; assuring men that it is sufficient for a person to receive the initiatory incantation from his religious guide, to repeat the name of his guardian deity, and to serve his teacher. They actually forbid the person called puruabhis/iikta to follow the rules of the Veda.'"^ In that Preface,* also. Professor Wilson observes: "Colonel Vans Kennedy, however, objects to the appli- cation of the term Sakta to this last division of the Pu- rahas [the Bajasa] ; the worship of Sakti being the especial object of a different class of works, the Tan- tras; and no such foi-m of worship being particularly inculcated in the Brahma Purana. This last argument is of weight in regard to the particular instance speci- fied; and the designation of Sakti may not be correctly applicable to the w^hole class, although it is to some of the series: for there is no incompatibility in the ad- vocacy of a Tantrika modification of the Hindu religion by any Purana." Professor Wilson is, thus, obliged to admit that he had completely mistaken the tendency of a Purana which he had analysed; and yet he not only adheres to his opinion, that some of the Puranas belong to his imaginary Sakta class, but he has even advanced, in that Preface, f these extraordinarv as- sertions: "The term Rajasa, implying the animation of passion, and enjoyment of sensual delights, is appli- ' Ward's View of the Hindus, Vol. IV., p. 365. • Pp. XXI., XXII. t P. XXII. 818 VISHNU PURANA. cable not only to the character of the youthful divinity [Krishna], but to those v^ath whom his adoration in these forms seems to have originated,— the Gosains of Gokul and Bengal, the followers and descendants of Vallabha and Chaitanya, the priests and proprietors of Jagannath and Srinathdw^ar, wdio lead a life of affluence and indulgence, and vindicate, both by precept and practice, the reasonableness of the Rajasa property, and the congruity of temporal enjoyment with the duties of religion." All this, however, is not only to- tally erroneous, but it rests entirely on certain fanciful inferences which Professor Wilson has drawn from the meaning of the term Rajasa; which is, certainly, a most singular mode of reasoning. He is, here, also in direct contradiction with himself; for, in one part of the para- graph from which this quotation is taken, he says that the Rajasa Puranas "lean to the Sakta division of the Hindus, the worshippers of Sakti, or the female prin- ciple;" and, in conclusion, he speaks of persons vindi- cating "the reasonableness of the Rajasa property, and the congruity of temporal enjoyment with the duties of religion." But Professor Wilson attempts not to ex- plain how^ it can be possible that the same class of Pu- ranas should inculcate the pecular worship of both Krishna and Sakti; nor what the leading a life of af- fluence and indulgence has to do with worshipping the yoni of a naked virgin; nor what resemblance there can be between the scandalous and abominable orgies of the Saktas, and the calm though sensual enjoyment of life by the votaries of Krishna, as above described. Nothing, indeed, can be more dissimilar than the wor- ship of the juvenile Krishna and that of Sakti; and, APPENDIX. 319 when, tlierefore, Professor Wilson is of opinion that, in some of the Puraiias, both of these dissimilar wor- ships are peculiarly enjoined, it must be evident that he has as much mistaken the object and tendency of the Brahmdnda, the Brahma Vaivarta, the Mdrkan- (leya, the Bhavishya, and Vdmana Pur anas, as he ad- mits he w^as mistaken in })lacing the Brahma Ptirdna in the Sakta class. I have also remarked, above, that this division of the Puranas into three classes is men- tioned in the Padma Purdna alone; and that this Pu- rana does not explain the reason why a particular Pu- rana is assigned to a particular class. But, admitting this classification, it appears clearly, from it, that the Puranas relating to Siva are placed in the Tdmasa class; and, consequently, as Tantrika works are dedi- cated to Siva and Devi, if the Bdjasa class of Puranas inculcate Tantrika doctrines,— as Professor Wilson sup- poses,— they ought, according to the principle of classi- fication in the Padma Purdna, to have been included in the Tdmasa, and not in the Bdjasa, class. The writer, however, of that Purana has not so classed them; and, thus, all the reasoning which Professor Wilson has founded on the meaning of the term Bd- jasa is refuted by the very authority that he has ad- duced in support of it. It is, at the same time, obvious that all the arguments adduced by Professor Wilson against the genuine- ness of the Puranas, as now extant, presuppose that descriptions of rites and ceremonies, injunctions for the preferential worship of particular deities, legends, tenets and doctrines, and moral and religious instruc- tion should not find a place in a genuine Purana; for 320 VISHNU PUR AN A. he takes no notice of those parts of the present Pura- nas which relate to these subjects, and, thus, rejects at least two-thirds of the whole of the eighteen Purahas now extant, as being spurious and modern. But it is evident that it is only from a due consideration of these subjects, and a careful comparison of what is said, respecting them, in one Puraha, with what is said in the other Purahas, that a correct opinion can possibly be formed with respect to whether those works exhibit one uniform religious system, or whether they indi- cate that heterodox doctrines have been introduced into them; for, if an undeniable uniformity exists— as I have no doubt it does,— in an aggregate of 1.600.000 lines, in the general description of rites, ceremonies, legends, and doctrines, no stronger internal evidence is, surely, requisite, to prove that the present Purahas cannot be, as Professor Wilson supposes, an intermixture of ancient and modern ingredients.f Professor Wilson also avows that he has not read the Purahas, and that the notices which he has given of their contents must have been taken from indices and abstracts, the accuracy of which I have never questioned. ^ But 1 am convinced that ' In his Analysis of the Brahma Purdt'ia., Professor Wilson has observed" that the manner in which he effected his examina- tion of the Purarias has been misconceived; and he may, pos- sibly, refer to a letter which I addressed to you, and which ap- peared in the number of your Journal of March, 1837. In that letter I remarked, in a note: "Was any precaution adopted in order to ascertain that all the chapters of each Puraiia, or even all the subjects treated of, in it, were actually included in it? • Collected Works, Vol. III., p. 6. t Vol. I., Preface, p. XCIX. APPENDIX. 321 such a manner of examining the Puranas will never enable any person to form any but an erroneous judg- ment of the real nature and genuineness of their con- tents. Had, for instance, Professor Wilson actually read even that division of the Brahma Vaiimrta Pu- rcina which is dedicated particularly, hit not exclu- sively, to the life of Krishna, he would have found, in it, several conversations between Krishna and Radha, in which Krishna relates, hi the most orthodox man- ner, several legends and particulars of Hindu mytho- logy, and instructs Radha in the abstruse doctrines of Hindu theology; and, even in one of those conver- sations, is contained a long orthodox account of Siva, Sati, and Parvati. The ritual, also, prescribed, in it, for the celebration of Krishna's annual festival, is per- fectly orthodox; for it directs that, in performing it, texts of the Sdma Veda should be recited; besides which, three divisions of this Purana are dedicated to Brahma, Devi, and Ganesa; so that, in fact, there is not, perhaps, more than one-sixth of the whole work that is occupied w4th descriptions of Krishna. Yet this is the work the character of which Professor Wilson pronounces to be, "in truth, so decidedly secta- For any omission of them would, obviously, prevent an accurate opinion being formed of its contents." The indices and abstracts may be quite correct, as far as they go; but the question is, Are they full and complete? And, as it cannot be supposed that Professor Wilson has omitted, in his notices of the Puranas, those particulars, contained in them, which were contrary to his view of the subject, these letters will sufficiently show that no precaution was adopted to render those indices and abstracts full and complete, and that omissions of essential importance have, in consequence, taken place in them. V. 21 322 VISHNU PURANA. rial," as to give it "not the slightest title to be regarded PI ' i: * urana. I shall pursue t]ie subject in a succeeding letter. Bombay, mth October, 1840. Vans Kennedy. Sir: I proceed— with reluctance, however,— to con- sider another of Professor Wilson's arguments, in which he infers that the present Puranas must be modern compilations, because the Jainas are mentioned in them. But, in my last letter, f I have shown that, had Professor Wilson read the chapter of the Kurma Pu- rcma from which he has made a mutilated quotation, he would have observed, from the context, thai the term Arhato, contained in it, could not possibly apply to Jina; and, in the passage which he quotes from the Bhdgavata,l there is neither proof nor probability that Arhata means either Jina or the Jaina sect.§ It is, also, expressly said, in the Vishnu Purdna, Vol. III., p. 209, the Buddhists "were called Arhatas, from the phrase he (Buddha,) |j had employed, of 'Ye are worthy (Arhatha) of this great doctrine.' " It is singular, there- ♦ Vol. I., Preface, pp. LXVI. and LXVII. •}• The Colonel should have written "my last letter but one". Vidt supra, pp. 286, 287. \ Vol. II., p. 104, note 1. Avhat, a proper name, occurs there. § Arhata, according to circumstances, may denote either a follower of Buddha or a follower of Jina. II Vide infra, p. 348, text and note 1, for a lame apology for this interpolation. APPENDIX. 323 fore, that Professor Wilson should assume, in direct opposition to the authority of the Purana which he has, himself, translated, that the term Arhata, when it occurs, as a proper name, in the Purahas, should be considered to apply to Jina, and not to Buddha.* But it has been sufficiently proved that Buddha lived in the sixth century B. C; and no argument, therefore, could be founded upon the mention of his name in the Purahas, to prove that not one of the works now extant under the name of Purahas was written prior to the year 900 A. D. ; and, on that account. Professor Wilson has — too evidently, for the support of his opinion,— transferred the term Arhuta from Buddha (to whom, alone, it is applied, in the Purahas,) to Jina. Professor Wilson, therefore, has not yet proved that the Jainas are mentioned in the Purahas. f But the Buddhists are frequently mentioned in those works; and it is, therefore, a strange mode of reasoning, to infer that anything contained in the Purahas relates to Jina, when it may apply, with so much more proba- bility, to Vishnu's incarnation, Buddha, from whom the Buddhists, according to the Purahas, originated. The preceding remarks, and those contained in my former letters, will evince that Professor Wilson's examination of the Purahas has been much too incom- plete, and that the conclusions which he has drawn from it are much too erroneous to authorize. him to state so positively: "That Brahmans unknown to fame have remodelled some of the Hindu scriptures, and, especially, the Purahas, cannot reasonably be con- * Vide infra, p, 362, text and note §. t This is quite a mistake. See Vol. IV., p. 43, note 1. 21* 824 VISHNU PUKANA. tested,"* and that "It is possible^ . . that there may have been an earUer class of Puranas, of which those we now have are but the partial and adulterated re- presentatives." f This opinion has been maintained by Lieut. Col. Wilford and Mr. Bentley, and, in some measure, countenanced by Mr. Colebrooke; but it still remains unsupported by any proof whatever. Professor Wilson argues thus: In the vocabulary of AmaraSiiiiha, written 56 B.C., it is said that a Puraha is "a treatise on five topics," and, in several of the Puranas, it is, further, explained what these five topics are: but not one of the Puranas now extant conforms to that defi- nition: therefore, the present Puranas cannot be the works which were current, under that name, in the time of Amara Siiiiha. This conclusion is, further, supported by his affirming only, but not proving, that the present Puranas inculcate the doctrines of sects of known modern origin, and that "circumstances are sometimes mentioned, or alluded to, [in the Puranas], or references to authorities are made, or legends are narrated, or places are particularized, of which the comparatively recent date is indisputable." + Such is the state of the question. On the first two of these points I have, perhaps, already said more than sufficient; and the only point, therefore, which re- ' This "it is possible" is singular; for much of Professor Wilson's reasoning depends on the fact, that the original Puranas were current in the lime of Amara Sirhha. * Vol. I., Preface, pp. XCVIII., XCIX. t Ibid., p VI. \ Ibid., p. XI. APPENDIX. 325 mains to be considered is, whether there is any in- ternal evidence, contained in the Pnranas now extant, which proves that each and all of those works are modern compilations. I cannot pjlace so much reliance on my own examination of the Puranas, as to affirm that there is not: but no passages containing such internal evidence have been yet produced; and, were even passages bearing a modern appearance produced, the dates of the circumstances mentioned in them could not be determined. For the Puranas contain no dates; and there exists not any biographical, to- pographical, chronological, or historical work which would afford the means of fixing the date when, in In- dia, a place of pilgrimage first acquired sacredness, when a temple was first erected, when a distinguished character lived, when a king reigned,* or when an ancient sect, philosophical or religious, was founded, or when it became extinct. All the circumstances and events mentioned in the Puranas, from which an in- ference with respect to their date might be drawn, are of precisely the same kind as the temples in Orissa, from the mention of which, in the Brahma Purcina^ Professor Wilson infers the modern date of that work; for it is not only necessary to prove that those temples were built in modern times, but it must be, further, proved that, previous to their erection, no temples ever existed, in India, of the same names, and in the same situations. In the quotation, also, from the iCimna Pi^r«7ia, contained in my second letter,f is men- tioned a Varna Sdsfra; and there is, at this day, a sect • Vide supra, p. 313, note •. f Vide supra, pp. 286, 287. 326 VISHNU PURANA. named Vama Yamacharin; but, as the Parana gives no description of the Vdina Sdstra, on what grounds can it be reasonably supposed that this is, actually, the same as the Tantras of the left-handed sect of the Saktas? In all such cases, it is evident that coin- cidence merely in name is no proof that the name must necessarily apply to the modern temple or sect; and, consequently, its applicability must be proved, be- fore a mere name can be admitted as any proof that the Puranas are modern compilations. It is equally evident that, as the Puranas contain no dates, and as there are no books to refer to for an illustration of their contents, so far is the recent date of any partic- ular circumstance mentioned in them from being in- disputable, that, on the contrary, every adaptation of an occurrence or event, mentioned in the Pnranas, to a date must depend solely and entirely on conjecture. No circumstances, therefore, are mentioned in the Pu- ranas, the precise or even approximate date of which can be indisputably fixed, or even fixed at all; and it must, hence, follow that those works do not contain any internal evidence which proves their recent com- position.* Professor Wilson's supposition, however, that the Puranas have been remodelled by the Brahmans, rests entirely on the farther supposition, that circumstances are mentioned, in those works, of which the compara- tively recent date is indisputable. Bat I have examined in vain the remarks contained in the Preface to the Translation of the Vishnu Fur ana, in order to ascertain * That the Puranas are not ancient is evident from their very San- skrit. How, too, as regards their prophetic parts? APPENDIX. 327 what the precise opinion is which Professor Wilson means to express with respect to the genuineness and antiquity of the Paranas, as now extant. He maintains that the whole of the Bhdgavata was written by Bo- padeva;that the compilation of the Vdmana "may have amused the leisure of some Brahman of Benares"; that the Agni and Brahma Vaivarta have no claims to be regarded as Puranas; and that the Linya "is more a ritual than aPuraha":* and he, thus, gives approximate dates to nine of the Puranas, the dates of the other nine being nearer to, or remoter from, the earliest date mentioned: Mdrkaiideya . . . 9th or 10th century. Ling a 9th or 10th „ Vishnu 11th or 12th „ Fadma' 12th— 16th „ Vardha 12th „ Bhdgavata .... 12th „ Brahma 13th or 14th „ Vdmana 14th or 15th „ Ndradiya IGth or ITthf „ But, although Professor Wilson thus expressly ascribes the original composition of two of the Puranas to two individuals, and seems to intimate that several of the other Puranas were composed in the same manner, he ' Professor Wilson remarks that the different portions of this Puraria "are, in all probability, as many different works''; and the above dates, therefore, apply to different portions of the -whole work. • Vol. I., Preface, pp. L., LXXVL, LX., LXVII., LXIX. t Ibid., pp. LVIII., LXX., CXI., XXXIV., LXXI., LI., XXIX., LXXVI., LIII. 328 VISHNU PVRANA. yet seems to suppose that the groundwork of the pre- sent Puranas was the eighteen ancient Puranas; for he speaks of "the strong internal evidence, which all of them afford, of the intermixture of unauthorized and comparatively modern ingredients."* He even re- marks that "the identity of the legends in many of them [the Puranas], and, still more, the identity of the words,— for, in several of them, long passages are, lite- rally, the same, f — is a sufficient proof that they must be copied either from some other similar work, or from a common and prior original."! To argue against such inconsistencies and contradictions is quite out of the question ; but it is evident that, if the com- position and compilation of the present Puranas by eighteen different persons occupied eight centuries, those works could not also have been remodelled by the Brahmans, for sectarian purposes; and that, if their groundwork was the ancient Puranas, not one of them could be the original composition of a modern writer; and that, if such was not their groundwork, it is utterly incredible that eighteen different persons, living at long intervals of time from each other, and while the Muhammadans were extending their domin- ions over the greatest part of India, should produce eighteen works in which the legends are identical, and long passages are, literally, the same. The supposition, also, that an aggregate of 1.600.000 lines, spread over an extent of a million of square miles, should have been rem odelled, whether by the Brahmans or any ~^*^VoO!rPrefacerpr"XCIX7"^^"^'"^^ ^"^' _==^ t This is, I believe, greatly an overstatement. It is a rare thing, at least in my experience, to find even a single couplet precisely the same in any two Puranas. See Vol. I., p. 67, note .. + Vol. I., Preface, p. VI. APPENDIX. 329 other persons, on one uniform plan, seems to be an absolute impossibility; and the motive assigned for such remodelling,— sectarial imposture,— is at once dis- proved by the simple facts, that not one of the Pu- rai'ias inculcates sectarian doctrines, and that the ex- clusive worshippers of Vishnu, or of Siva, or of any other deity, have always formed, in India, but a small portion of the whole population. There is, however, a difficulty which embarrasses the decision of this question; for, not only in several of the Puranas are the names of all the eighteen speci- fied, but, in most of them, the narrator is requested to repeat the Purana about to be related, expressly by name. Professor Wilson, therefore, correctly remarks that "the identity of the legends in many of them [the Puranas], and, still more, the identity of the words,— for, in several of them, long passages are, literally, the same, —is a sufficient proof that, in all such cases, they must be copied either from some other similar work, or from a common and prior original." The internal evidence, however, of the Puranas fully proves that they have not been copied from each other; and this identity, therefore, must have been derived from one common original. But there is nothing improbable in supposing that, previous to the Puranas being committed to writing in their present state, four or five centuries prior to the Christian era^ numerous legends and tra- ditions relating to the modes of worship and the doc- trines of the Hindu religion had, in remote times, been formed, preserved, and transmitted by oral communi- cation only. ^ When, therefore, eighteen different per- ' Such is the manner in which instruction is communicated 330 VISHNU PURANA. sons, in different parts of India, collected together those legends and traditions, and committed them to writing, the greatest similarity would, necessarily, exist in the eighteen works, and the same legend and traai- tion would often be selected for insertion, and, conse- quently, often expressed in the same, or nearly the same, words. The existence, therefore, of "a common and prior original ", so far from being an argument against the genuineness and antiquity of the present Puranas, should, on the contrary, be considered as a decisive proof that those works are, essentially, in the same state as that in which they were first committed to writing. Because, in their present state, each of the Puranas is a collection of legends, traditions, and rituals, and not a work systematically written; and it must, hence, be evident that such collections could have been made only at a time when such traditionary lore was fresh in the memory of the Brahmans. The pre- sent state, therefore, of the Puranas now extant, in which the most important legends, and even the origin of the deities, are related in a discordant manner,— though not in such a manner as in the least affects the perfect homogeneity of the Hindu religion, — is, alone, a strong proof that those works have undergone no amongst the Brahmans, even at this day; and it is an immemo- rial tradition, that the Puranas were thus transmitted. In the Vishnu Purdna, for instance, Parasara thus replies to Maitreya: " Now truly all that was told me formerly by Vasishtha, and by the wise Pulastya" .... "I will relate to you the whole, even all you have asked."* • Vol. I., p. 11. APPENDIX. 331 alteration since they were first committed to writing; for, as those discordancies have been alloM^ed to re- main, it is most probable that religions scruples have prevented the Brahmans from subsequently giving uni- formity to their religious system. But^ to the supposition, that the present Purahas are modern compilations, written between the eighth and seventeenth centuries, the existence of "a common and prior original" becomes an insuperable objection; for it is highly improbable that such legends and tra- ditions as are contained in the Puranas were then cur- rent; and, even admitting that they were, it is quite incredible that, in the disturbed state of India, and de- cay of Sanskrit learning, during that period, eighteen different persons should produce eighteen works in which not only the legends are identical, but long pas- sages literally the same. It may, however, be said that the eighteen ancient Puranas were then extant, or, at least, that fragments of them were still pre- served. I shall not here repeat what I have already said respecting the incredibility of the suppositions that the Brahmans have suppressed the ancient Pura- nas, and substituted, in their place, the works now bearing that name, or that the Brahmans of all India have received, in the place of the ancient Puranas, the acknowledged works of eighteen obscure individuals. On this point, also, it is impossible to ascertain what the opinion of Professor Wilson is: for, in one part of that Preface, he appears to admit, distinctly, that each of the ancient Puranas was extant until it was super- seded by the present Purana; but, in other parts, he has argued at length, to prove that the present Pura- 332 VISHNU PVRANA. nas cannot be the same works which were current in the time of Amara Simha. Since, therefore, Professor Wilson has, thus, adopted two contradictory supposi- tions, in order to account for what he supposes to be the spuriousness of the present Puranas, it must be evident that he has completely failed in proving that the present Puranas are not genuine. But the levity and irreflection with which Professor Wilson has de- cided against the genuineness and antiquity of those w^orks will be best judged of from these remarks: "No weight can be attached to the specification of the eighteen names: for they are, always, complete: each Purana enumerates all. Which is the last? Which had the opportunity of naming its seventeen predecessors, and adding itself? The argument proves too much. There can be little doubt that the list has been in- serted, upon the authority of tradition, either by some improving transcriber, or by the compiler of a work more recent than the eighteen genuine Puranas."^* Professor Wilson extends the compilation of the present ' Professor Wilson observes that the objection to the modern composition of the Sri Bhdgavata is rebutted by there being an- other Purdiia to which the name applies, — the Devi Bhdgavata. But all his remarks on this point are entirely misplaced and un- necessary; because the mere perusal oi the Devi Bhdgavata f will at once show that it is, decidedly and avowedly, a Tantrika work: for, in the 26th chapter of the 3rd skandha, is contained a de- scription of the Kumdri-pujd, or worship of the virgin. I possess a copy of this work, in twelve skandhas^ which appears to be complete. What, also, does Professor Wilson here mean by genuine Pu- ranas? He denies that the Puranas current in the time of Amara * Vol. I., Preface, p. XLV. t Ibid., p. LXXXVIII., note f. APPENDIX. 333 Purafias over eight centuries; and, therefore, in order to get rid of the objection to this supposition, which results from each Purana containing the names of all the eighteen, he thinks it quite sufficient to observe that this specification has been inserted by some im- proving ti-anscriber, — he must mean, of course, after the last of the present Puranas was written, that is, after the seventeenth century. Thus, supposition is supported by supposition; and, thus, all Professor Wil- son's reasoning, to prove that the present Puranas are modern compilations, depends entirely on gratuitous assumptions and groundless assertions. Whethei", however, complete works, bearing the same names, existed previous to the present Puranas being- committed to writing, is a question which admits not of decision. That the names of all the eighteen Pura- nas were previously known seems unquestionable;* and it would, therefore, appear most probable that these names had belonged to works which had preceded the present Puranas. But the internal evidence of the pre- sent Puranas proves that they are, rather, collections of legends, traditions, and rituals, than works syste- matically written; for they are entirely deficient in arrangement, and the subjects treated of in them have Siriiha are now extant; but he has not attempted to explain how long it was that they continued current after that time, nor the time and manner in which they subsequently became extinct; and yet, in discussing a point relating to the present Puranas, he seems to speak of them as if they were the genuine Puranas. To elicit, therefore, either meaning or consistency out of such remarks is, evidently, quite impossible. • What proof is there of this assertion ? 334 VISHNU PURANA. no further connexion with each other than that they all contribute to inculcate and illustrate some of the tenets and doctrines of the Hindu religion. It is pos- sible, however, that more ancient Puranas may have existed, which, from various circumstances during their transmission by oral communication only, were no longer in a complete state, when the present Pui-anas were committed to writing; and that such fragments of them as were at that time preserved have been in- corporated in the present Puranas, to which, also, the names of the ancient works have been given. But the decision of this question is of no importance; because it is proved that works bearing the names of the Pu- ranas were current in India in the century prior to the Christian era;* and there is not the slightest reason for supposing that those works have not been pre- served until the present day, in the same manner as other Sanskrit manuscripts of the same period have been preserved. From the notices, also, which occur in Greek writers, it appears highly probable that the very same system of religion which is described in the Puranas prevailed in India at the time of Alexan- der's invasion; and it may, therefore, be justly con- cluded that the Puranas had received their present formf four or five centuries prior to the Christian era. Even Professor Wilson remarks: "But the same in- ternal testimony furnishes proof, equally decisive, of the anterior existence of ancient materials; and it is, therefore, as idle as it is irrational, to dispute the an- tiquity or authenticity of the greater portion of the contents of the Puranas, in the face of ab undant posi- * This has never been pioved. f As to their predictions and all? APPENDIX. 335 tive and circumstantial evidence of the prevalence of the doctrines which they teach, the currency of the legends which they narrate, and the integrity of the institutions which they describe, at least three cen- turies before the Christian era."* But it must be evi- dent that these remarks are totally irreconcileable with what Professor Wilson elsewhere observes: ''At the same time, they [the Puranas,] may be acquitted of subservience to any but sectarial imposture. They were pious frauds for temporary purposes." f It, hence, clearly appears that, in contending foi- the modern compilation of the present Puranas, Professor Wilson was influenced by a preconceived opinion, the erroneousness of which he would not admit; but that, in thus forcibly maintaining the antiquity of the greater portion of the contents of those works, he was irre- sistibly compelled to yield to the convincing proof, which their internal evidence presents, of the genuine- ness and antiquity of the Puranas, as now extant. I have, also, sufficiently shown, in these letters, that the present Puranas do neither inculcate sectarian doc- trines nor indicate, in any manner, that they are an intermixture of ancient and modern ingredients; but that, on the contrary, they exhibit, throughout an ag- gregate of 1.600.00U lines, the utmost uniformity in the general description of legends, traditions, modes of worship, and doctrines, t It must, consequently, be most reasonable to conclude that the Puranas now extant received their present form four or five cen- turies prior to the Christian era, and that, since then, • Vol. I., Preface, p. XCIX. f Ibid., p. XI. * One is at a loss to see where all this has heeu shown. 336 VISHNL PURANA. they have undergone no alteration whatever; rather than that they are works which, for the purpose of sectarial imposture, either have been remodelled by the Brahmans since the Christian era, or which have been written by eighteen obscure individuals, between the eighth and seventeenth centuries. Bombay, 30^/i October, 1840. Vans Kennedy. Sir: As the eighteen Puranas are, undoubtedly, the only source from which a knowledge of the mythology and popular religion of the Hindus can be derived, it becomes of importance to determine whether those works are ancient compositions, or mere modern com- pilations; and I trust, in consequence, that you will have no objection to my offering a few further remarks on this subject, previous to closing its discussion. In my last letter, however, 1 observed that the Puranas contain no dates, and that there is no biographical, topographical, geographical, or historical work which would afford the means of fixing the date when, in India, a place of pilgrimage first acquired sacredness, when a temple was first erected, when a king or dis- tinguished personage lived,* or when a philosophical or religious sect was founded, or when it became extinct. It would, hence, seem that, as the date of the circumstances mentioned in the Puranas cannot be de- termined, the question whether they are ancient or ♦ Vide supra, p. 313, note «. APPENDIX. 337 modern cannot be decided ; as all opinions respecting the period when they may have been written must depend, principally, if not entirely, on conjecture. But the internal evidence of those works affords the strong- est proof that they cannot be modern compilations; for the legends, and descriptions of sceneiy, and of men and manners, contained in them, bear such an unquestionable impression of antiquity, and such a dissimilarity to all that is known of India since the era of Vikramaditya (B.C. 56),* that they irresistibly lead to the conclusion that the Puranas must have been written at some remote period. When, therefore, the Professor of Sanskrit in the University of Oxford published his opinion, that the works now^ bearing that name were compiled between the eighth and seven- teenth centuries, it might have been expected that he would have supported so startling a statement by the clearest and most conclusive arguments and authorities. But he has, on the contrary,— as I have, perhaps suffi- ciently shown —formed that opinion from an imperfect examination of the Puranas, and maintained it solely by having recourse to gratuitous assumptions and groundless assertions. The whole, indeed, of the remarks contained in the Preface to the Translation of the Vishnu Fur ana ap- pear to have been written for the purpose of demon- strating that, "of the present popular forms of the Hindu religion, none assumed their actual state earlier than the time of Sankara Achiirya, the great Saiva * In p. 312, swpra, Colonel Kennedy pronounces that "The history of India during the centuries immediately preceding and following the Christian era is almost unknown." Also see p. 293, supra. V. 22 338 VISHNU PUKANA. reformer, who, flourished, in all likelihood, in the eighth or ninth century. Of the Vaishhava teachers, Rama- nuja dates in the twelfth century; Madhwacharya, in the thirteenth; and Vallabha, in the sixteenth; and the Purahas seem to have accompanied, or followed, their innovations; being obviously intended to advocate the doctrines they taught."* A still more erroneous opinion was published by Professor Wilson, twelve years before, in his "Sketch of the Religious Sects of the Hindus," in which he has observed: "To the in- ternal incongruities of the system, which did not affect its integral existence, others were, in time, superadded, that threatened to dissolve or destroy the whole. Of this natm*e was the exclusive adoration of the old deities, or of new forms of them ; and even, it may be presumed, the introduction of new divinities. In all these I'espects, thePuranas andTantras were especially instrumental; and they not only taught their followers to assert the unapproachable superiority of the gods they worshipped, but inspired them with feelings of animosity towards those who presumed to dispute that supremacy. In this conflict, the worship of Brahma has disappeared, as well as, indeed, that of the whole pantheon, except Vishnu, Siva, and Sakti, or their modifications. With respect to the two former, in fact, the representatives have borne away the palm from the prototypes; and Krishna, Rama, ortheLinga, are almost the only forms under which Vishnu and Siva are now adored in most parts off India. "+ In * Vol. I., Preface, p. XVI. t Colonel Kennedy here omitted the very important words "most parts of". + Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. 1., pp. 3 — 5, APPENDIX. 339 this Sketch, however, Professor Wilson at the same time observes that "the worshippers of Vishnu, Siva, and Sakti, who are the objects of the following de- scription, are not to be confounded with the orthodox adorers of those divinities."* And yet he also states that the present state of the Hindu faith is of com- jxiratively, very recent origin.^f It would, hence, appear that Professor Wilson has formed his opinion of the Hindu religion from the exception, and not from the rule, and that he has given an importance to the sects that have originated amongst upwards of a hundred and thirty' millions of people, to which they are not entitled. For it would, no doubt, be considered as a strange mode of judging of the established religion of England, were an opinion to be formed of it from the sects which prevail there: but such seems to have been the manner in which Pro- fessor Wilson has contemplated the Hindu religion; and it is too evident that it is in support of this erro- neous view of the subject that he has ascribed to the Purahas a modern origin, and contents which they do not contain. But I am certain that not a single Purana inculcates the exclusive worship of a particular deity, and that not a passage which is genuine can be found, in any Purana,: which would inspire the followers of ' This Sketch is contained in Vols, XVI. and XVII. of the Asiatic Researches. I refer, throughout this letter, to the part contained in Vol. XVI. * Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., p. 30. f Ihid., p. 12. \ In p. 347, infra. Colonel Kennedy asserts, however, that "there are no means of distinguishiug those parts of them [the Puraiias,] which' 22» 340 vrSHNU PURANA. one deity with feelings of animosity towards those who presumed to dispute its supremacy. ^ So far, in- deed, is this from being the case, that every sect— as Pro- fessor Wilson himself admits,— has found it necessary to compose works for the purpose of teaching and sup- porting its peculiar tenets ; which circumstance, alone, is sufficient to prove that the Purahas were not ad- apted for the promotion of such an object, and, conse- quently, that those works could not have been written in subservience to sectarial imposture, as Professor Wilson supposes. It is also undeniable that the great mass of the Hindus are Smartas, though all who are so do not adopt this name;^ that is, they consider both Vishnu ' In the Sketch referred to, Professor Wilson has quoted several Sanskrit authorities, which, if genuine, would disprove this statement: but he has specified neither the book nor the chapter of the Puranas from which they are said to be taken; and it would appear that he had not, himself, verified them. Not being able, therefore, to ascertain this point, I must con- sider * these quotations to be spurious ; for they are at complete variance with numerous passages that occur in the Puranas, which expressly inculcate that Vishnu and Siva ought, both, to be worshipped. ^ The Brahmans of the Deccan, for instance, and of Gujerat, call themselves Saivas; but they are, in reality, Smartas, as they do not reject the worship of Vishnu, though they consider it of less importance than that of Siva. The same is the case with many of the Brahmans in other parts of India, who call them- selves Vaishnavas, but consider Siva as entitled to adoration. This, however, is in strict conformity to the Puranas, in which are thought to be ancieut and genuine from those which are thought to be modern and spurious." * Most venturesomely. I APPENDIX. 341 and Siva to be entitled to adoration, but some of them identify either Vishnu or 8iva with the Supreme Being, — an opinion which is clearly inculcated in several of the Pm-ahas. But, though, in some of those works, Vishnu is represented to be, in some degree, inferior to Siva, still the latter is frequently intro- duced, in the Saiva Purahas, as enjoining the neces- sity of worshipping Vishnu, and explaining the mys- terious nature of his incarnations; and, in the same manner, though, in the Vaishnava Purahas, the su- premacy is ascribed to Vishnu, still the fullest justice is done to the divinity of Siva. The exclusive votary of Vishnu, on the contrary, refuses all adoration to Siva; and, in the same manner, the exclusive votary of Siva denies Vishnu to be a proper object of worship; and such votaries, therefore, of these deities are, with reference to the population, by no means numerous in India. It is equally unquestionable that the sub- stitution of the Linga for the image of Siva occasioned no alteration in the worship of that god; for, in the ritual prescribed for the worship of the Linga, as con- tained in the Linga Purdna^ it is said : "Having bathed in the prescribed manner, enter the place of worship; and, having performed three suppressions of the breath, meditate on that god (Siva,) who has three eyes, five heads, ten arms, and is of the colour of pure crystal, arrayed in costly garments, and adorned with all kinds of ornaments. Thus, having fixed in thy mind the real form of Maheswara, proceed to worship him with the proper hymns and prayers." The Linga, therefore, is the terms Vaishnava and Saiva denote the preferential^ but not the exclusive, worshipper of either Vishnu or Siva. 342 VISHNU PURANA. worshipped by all Saivas and Smartas; for it is, in fact, the only type under which Siva has been adored from remote times. The worship, also, of Rama is scarcely known in India;* and Professor Wilson is, certainly, in- correct in stating that the worship of Bala Gopala, the infant Krishna, is very widely diffused amongst all ranks of Indian society; for the votaries of Krishna are by no means numerous, and are to be found only in Bengal,^ and in some parts of Hindostan proper. Much of the reasoning, however, adduced in the Preface to the Translation of the Vishnu Purdna^ to prove the modern compilation of the Puranas, is founded on the supposition that the date of the Pu- ranas in which Krishna is mentioned— particularly the Brahma Vaivarta^—v^m^t be subsequent to the estab- lishment of the sect of "the worshippers of the juve- nile Krishna and Radha, a form of belief of known modern origin." f But, in that Preface, Professor Wil- son gives it, as his opinion, that the Mahabharata "is, evidently, the great fountain from which most, if not all, of the Puranas have drawn;" t and, in the Sketch above referred to,§ he remarks: "The worship of Krishna, as one with Vishnu and the universe, dates, ' Mr. Ward remarks : " Six parts out of ten of the whole Hindu population of Bengal are supposed to be disciples of this god. The far greater part of these, how fever, are of the lower orders; and but few of them Brahmans." Vol. I., p. 200. * If Colonel Kennedy's information had been coextensive with any- thing approaching the whole of India, he would never have hazarded this remark. t Vol. I., Preface, p. LXVI. : Ibid., p. XCII. § Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., p. 121. APPENDIX. 343 evidently, fi'oin the Malicibluirata." AccordiDo- to this statenient, therefore, it is evident that, as the worship of Krishna dates from that poem, and as its composition preceded that of the Puranas, the date of none of those works can in the least depend on the time when the sects of Vallabha and Chaitanya originated, — unless, indeed. Professor Wilson supposes that the Mahdbhd- rata was not written until after the year 1520, A. D. In that Sketch, also. Professor Wilson has observed: "The worship of Krishna, as one with Vishnu and the universe, dates, evidently, from the Mahabharata; and his more juvenile forms [actions?] are brought pre- emhiently to notice in the account of his infancy con- tained in the Bhagavata: but neither of these works discriminates him from Vishnu; nor do they recom- mend his infantine and adolescent state to particular veneration." And, further: "In this description of creation, however, the deity [Krishna,] is still spoken of as a young man; and the Purana [the Brahma Vaivarta\ therefore, affords only indirect authority, in the marvels it narrates of his infancy, for the wor- ship of the child."* These remarks are quite correct, as far as relates to the veneration of Krishna; for I have shown, in my former letters, that in not one of the Puranas is the worship of Krishna, either as a child or a young man, inculcated, or even indicated. It is, hence, evident that, although the accounts of Krishna's boyhood, which are contained in several of the Puranas, may have suggested to Vallabha and Chaitanya the design of establishing the worship of Krishna, still those Puranas could not have been written * Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. I., p, 121 and p. 124. 344 VISHNU PURANA. for the purpose of promoting a form of belief which is not even mentioned in them. Professor Wilson, at the same time, extends the pre- valence of this worship, by identifying the infant Krishna with "the juvenile master of the universe, Ja- gannatha " ; * and yet he fixes the date when the temple of Jagannatha was erected, in A. D. 1198,f and that when Vallabha lived, in about A. D. 1520.t The wor- ship, therefore, of Jagannatha cannot be the same as that of Krishna established by Vallabha; and, in fact, there is not the slightest resemblance between them: because Jagannatha is worshipped as an incarnate form, or, rather, as a type, of Vishnu, by all Hindus; and, on the contrary, the worship of Krishna is not generally practised, and prevails only in particular parts of India. The legend, also, relating to Jagannatha has no further reference to Krishna than the name; for it is said, in it, that the temple of Purushottama was erected by a king named Indradyumna, a fervent votary of Vishnu, who being much distressed for the want of a proper image to place in it, Vishnu appeared to him, in a dream, and informed him that, the next morning, he would find, in the sea, a sacred tree from which the image was to be made. In the Bj^ahna Pu- rana^ it is, further, said that, when the king had, ac- cordingly, found the tree, and brought it on shore, Vishnu and Viswakai-man (the artificer of the gods) ap- peared to him, and that Vishnu directed the latter to form from the tree the images of Krishna, his brother Balabhadra, and sister Subadhra, which command • Vol. I., Preface, p. XXII. f Vide supra, p. 312. I Professor Wilson's collected Works, Vol. III., p. 120. APPENDIX. 345 Viswakarman immediately executed. Altlioiigli, there- fore, the images worshipped at Jagannatha bear these names, the adoration is, in reality, addressed to Vishnu, as the lord of the universe; and, consequently, in the ritual prescribed for it, there is no mention \Yhatever of "the infant Krishna, Govinda, Bala Gopala, the so- journer in Vrindavana, the companion of the cowherds and milkmaids, the lover of Radha."* Professor Wilson also seems not to have taken into consideration that the ten avatdras of Vishnu are an essential part of the Hindu religion; as it appears to be sufficiently ascertained that they are alluded to in the Vedas,f and it is certain that the son of Devaki, or Krishna, is mentioned in at least two of the Upa- nishads— the Chhdndogya and N dray ana. The venera- tion, therefore, of Krishna, as an incarnate form of Vishnu, which is all that is prescribed in the Puranas, must be of as remote a date as the most ancient known state of the Hindu religion ;: and the mention, conse- quently, of Krishna, in any of the Puranas, as an ava- tdra of Vishnu, but not as a peculiar object of wor- ship,— in which character he is never described in those works, § — can afford no grounds for supposing that the present Puranas are modern and sectarian compi- lations. Before, therefore. Professor Wilson identified that veneration with the worship of Krishna established by Vallabha and Chaitanya, and hence inferred the • Vol. I., Preface, p. XXII. t The knowledge of this allusion seems to be the peculiar property of Colonel Kennedy. \ That is to say, as old as the mantrai^ of the Rigveda\ § For disproof of this assertion, see Book V of this Work, passim. 346 VISHNU FUKANA. comparatively recent date of the Puranas, as now extant, lie should have produced, from those works, some passages which either expressly or virtually in- culcate that worship; but he himself acknowledges, as I have before observed, that no such passages exist, and thus admits that this objection to the genuineness and antiquity of the Puranas rests, solely and entirely, on inferences drawn from suppositions imagined by himself, but which are supported by neither probability nor by any authority whatever. It is, hence, evident that, in presenting the sects which exist in India as a correct representation of the actual condition of the Hindu religion, and in main- taining that the present state of the Hindu faith "is of, comparatively, very recent origin," "^ Professor Wilson has taken a most erroneous view of the subject. For the great mass of the Hindus adhere to that religious system which has prevailed in India from the remotest times, and which, alone, is inculcated in the eighteen Puranas. Even Professor Wilson himself has observed that "the origin and development of their doctrines, traditions, and institutions [of which that system is composed,] were not the work of a day; and the testimony that establishes their existence three cen- turies before Christianity carries it back to a much more remote antiquity, to an antiquity that is, proba- bly, not surpassed by any of the prevailing fictions, in- stitutions, or beliefs of the ancient world," f As, how- ever, it is only from the Puranas that a complete knowledge of those traditions and doctrines can be * ProfessorlWilson's collected Works, Vol, I,, p. 12. t Vol. I., Preface, p, XCIX. APPENDIX. 347 derived, it is obvious that there are either no grounds for ascribing to them a remote antiquity, or that it must be admitted that the Puranas are ancient com- positions, and not modern compilations written by eighteen obscure individuals between the eighth and seventeenth centuries: because there are no other works with which the legends, and descriptions of scenery, men, and manners, and of rites, ceremonies, and modes of worship, contained in the Puranas, might be compared, in order to ascertain whether they are of ancient or of modern date. And the supposing, consequently, with Professor Wilson, that the Puranas are an intermixture of ancient and modern ingredients, can be of no avail; for there are no means of dis- tinguishing those parts of them which are thought to be ancient and genuine from those which are thought to be modern and spurious. But the internal evidence of the Puranas proves that those works did not ac- company, or follow, the innovations introduced into the Hindu religion by Sankara Acharya, Ramanuja, Madliwacharya, and Vallabha; and that they are not intended to advocate the doctrines taught by those sectaries. For not one of their sects is mentioned, or alluded to, in the Puranas, in which works the only deities who are represented to be objects of worship are Vishnu, Siva, Devi, Ganesa, and Surya; and the worshippers of these deities are, indisputably, held to be the five orthodox divisions of the Hindus. Professor Wilson's supposition, therefore, that the Puranas w^ere written in subservience to sectarial imposture, being, thus, disproved, it follows that the w^hole of his rea- soning, to prove their modern date, founded on their 348 VISHNU PURANA. "exliibiting a sectarial fervour and exclusiveness,"* is totally futile and fallacious. The Puranas, consequently, do not contain— as Pro- fessor Wilson states,— the doctrines of sects of known modern origin; as, besides the sects just referred to, he only particularizes, in the Preface to the Translation of the Vishnu Purdha^ the Saktas and Jainas as being mentioned in the Puranas. But, in my former letters, I have sufficiently shown that the tenets and practices of the Saktas are so completely at variance with every principle of the Hindu religion, that it is impossible that they could be noticed in books which the Hindus hold to be sacred. I also pointed out, in my last letter, f that the term Arhata did not— as Professor Wilson as- sumed,— indicate either Jina or the Jainas; but I stated, erroneously, that it applied, in the passage which I quoted, to Buddha. ^+ On subsequently comparing, how- ever, the eighteenth chapter of Book HI. of the Transla- tion of the Vishnu Pur dna^\t\\ the original,! found that the one did not agree with the other; for the terms "Bauddhas" and "Jainas", which are introduced into the Translation and the notes to it, do not occu?- in the origi- ' This mistake was occasioned by my trusting to the Transla- tion, in which it is said: "These Daityas were induced, by the arch-deceiver, to deviate from their religious duties (and become Bauddhas)." * Vol. I., Preface, p. V. t Vide supra, pp. 322, 323. \ The whole truth is, that the Colonel not only criticized Professor Wilson's rendering without reference to the original, but that he inter- polated it without acknowledgement, in foisting in the word "Buddha", so distinguished, typographically, that it seems to be quoted. The ex- cuse offered in note 1, above, is very feeble. APPENDIX. , 349 nal. It is, therefore, singular that Professor Wilson should have made such a translation as this: "The de- lusions of the false teacher paused not with the conver- sion of theDaityas to theJaina and Bauddha heresies;"* and that he should have remarked, in a note: "We have, tlierefore, the Bauddhas noticed as a distinct sect:" because the original is, simply: "0 Maitreya, after Mayamoha, the great deceiver, had deluded the Daityas by various heretical doctrines, they relinquished the excellent faith inculcated by the Veda and Smriti."^ It even appears, from the whole of this legend, that it does not apply to Vishnu's appearance as Buddha, but to some other occurrence, which is not mentioned in any other Parana than the Vishnu'j-\ for it thus com- mences, according to the translation: t "There was, formerly, a battle between the gods and demons, for the period of a divine year, in which the gods were defeated by the demons under the command of Hrada." But the only dissemination of heretical doctrines, through the instrumentality of Vishnu, which is men- tioned in any other Purana, is that in the city of the Tripura Asuras and that in Kasi; to neither of which this legend applies; as it is said, in it, that Mayamoha, the name of the illusory being emitted from Vishnu's body, "having proceeded (to earth), beheld theDaityas, * Vol. III., p. 211. Colonel Kennedy quotes only a portion of the sentence corresponding to his own transhition given just below, t For refutation of this, vide infra, p. 378, note f. : Vol. III., p. 201. 350 VISHNU PUR AN A. engaged in ascetic penances, upon the banks of the Narmada river."* Professor Wilson, therefore, has given to this chapter an interpretation not authorized by the original, in which nothing occurs which indi- cates that the composer of this Puraha intended to describe either Buddha or Jina, under this illusory form, or to adopt, or allude to, their doctrines, in the words spoken by it.f I have adverted to this remarkable deviation from the faithful manner in which translations should always be made,: because the purport of this legend clearly shows that the terms "Jainas" and "Bauddhas" cannot be contained in any manuscript of the Vishmi Puraha. But Professor Wilson may have supposed that the term Arhata denoted the Jainas, and may have under- stood, from the words hudhyadhwam and biidhyate,§ that they applied to the Buddhists; and to this there could be no objection, had he expressed his opinion in a note, and not introduced into the text, the title of the chapter, and the index, the term "Jainas" and "Bauddhas". As, also, the illusory form addressed * Vol. III., p. 207. f On the contrary, it is beyond doubt that both Jina and Buddha, by implication, are represented as forms of Mayamoha. First, in the Vis/iihi- furdna, we have mention ol the establishment of the Arhatas by this "Deluder by illu.sion", who then metamorphoses himself, and establishes a sect by which the Bauddha is, unmistakeably, intended. The Arhatas must be either Jainas or Bauddhas; and the Chapter referred to shows that they were, unquestionably, the former. But I have anticipated Pro- fessor Wilson's Reply. X The Colonel, practically, was scarcely so austerely punctilious as his principles. Vide supra, p. 348, note I. § On the gross error here accepted, vide infra, p. 362, note f, and p. 377, note +. APPENDIX. 351 only the same Daityas,* it is evident that he could not have induced them to adopt the doctrines of both Jina and Buddha; and Professor Wilson, therefore, should have selected either the one or the other as being the false teacher here intended. But it is undeniable that Jina or the Jainas are not mentioned, in the Puranas, under these names ;f and there is no reason, as I have before shown, for supposing that they are denoted by the term Arhata;X as no conclusion can be justly drawn from an isolated word which occurs in the Pm-anas, imaccompanied by any explanation of its intent and meaning. It will, hence, appear that this legend cannot apply to the Jainas: nor can it apply to Buddha; for he, according to the Vaishnava Puranus, was not an illusory form emitted from the body of Vishnu, but an actual incarnation of Vishnu, § born in Kikata.j} When, therefore. Professor Wilson has so misunderstood and misinterpreted a passage in a Purana which he has himself translated, it must be evident that no reliance can be placed on the correctness of the opinions which he expresses with respect to the age, and the scope and tendency, of the eighteen Puranas. He has, how- ever, intimated that he intends laying before the Royal Asiatic Society analyses of all the Puranas, similar to the one of the Brahnia Purana, published in No. IX. of the Journal of that Society. But it is obvious that * Not those already perverted, but "others of the same family". See Vol. III., !>. 210. -[• For I'auiaiuk mention of the Jina-dliarina, or "religion of Jina", see Vol. IV., p. 43, note 1. I Who are the Arhatas, then? § But why assume that the Puranas may not contradict each other? II Vide su^ra, p. 178, notes 1 and "jl. 352 VISHNU PUR ANA. such mere details of the contents of each Purana can afford no information respecting the variety of subjects treated of in those works; and it is certain that, if these details are accompanied with such comments as have been already published by Professor Wilson, the analyses will convey the most erroneous notions of what is actually contained in the Purahas. For Pro- fessor Wilson supposes that the Puranas exhibit "a sectarial fervoin* and exclusiveness"; that they con- tain the doctrines, or allusions to the doctrines, of philosophical and religious sects of known modern origin ; and that, in them, circumstances are mentioned, or alluded to, or legends are narrated, or places are particularized, of which the comparatively recent date is indisputable. But no one of these suppositions— as I have evinced, in the course of these letters,— rests on any grounds whatever; and nothing contained in the Purahas in any manner justifies Professor Wilson's opinion, that those works are pious frauds, written for temporary purposes, and in subservience to sectarial imposture. As, however, he not only entertains such an opinion, but even supposes that the Puranas were compiled by eighteen obscure individuals, between the eighth and seventeenth centuries, it will be evident that no analyses which Professor Wilson may give of those works will convey a correct, complete, and im- partial account of the traditions, doctrines, and modes of worship which are described in the eighteen Pu- rahas. In the remarks, therefore, contained in these letters, my object has been to evince that Professor Wilson has taken a most erroneous view of the remote and APPENDIX. 353 actual state of the Hindu religion, and that his precon- ceived opinions on this subject have led him to assign a modern origin to the Purahas, and to support this statement by ascribing to them sectarian doctrines which they, certainly, do not contain; and that all his reasoning to prove the modern compilation of those works is futile, contradictoiy, unfounded, or improb- able. In this I have, perhaps, succeeded; for, as Pro- fessor Wilson has not quoted any passages from the Purahas, in which sectarial fervour and exclusiveness are exhibited,* and in which circumstances of compara- tively recent date are mentioned,! it may be concluded that he knew of no such passages; as their production would, at once, have proved the point which he wished to establish. This negative argument acquires the greater force from Professor Wilson having stated that he has collected a voluminous series of indices, ab- stracts, and translations of all the Purahas; and, conse- quently, if any passages occur, in them, which incul- cate the exclusive worship of Vishnu or Siva, or the worship of Rama, Krishna, or Sakti, or which mention the Jainas,t or any modern sect, or any comparatively recent event, he could have had no difficulty in pro- ducing such passages, in support of his statements; and their non-production, therefore, must be considered as strong proof of their non-existence. The supposition, however, that the Purahas were written in subservience to sectarial imposture, was judiciously selected, by Pro- fessor Wilson, as his principal argument in proof of • Vide supra, p. 340, notes 1 and • . t Professor Wilson does reier to the prophetic parts of the Puraiias. See Vol. I., Preface, pp. XVI. and XVII. + Vide supra, p. 323, note f. V. 23 354 VISHNU PURANA. their modern compilation; for the internal evidence of the genuineness and antiquity of those works de- pends entirely on their exhibiting a faithful representa- tion of the Hindu religion as it existed in remote times. But Professor Wilson has not yet proved that the Pu- ranas contain sectarian doctrines; and I am convinced that, when the Pm-anas are more fully examined, and the Vedas more completely known, it will be ascer- tained that the rites, ceremonies, and doctrines of the Hindu religion, described in the Puranas, are, essentially, the same as those described in the Vedas, and that no essential difference exists between the ritual of the Vedas and the modes of worship prescribed in the Pu- ranas, except the adoration of images ; and I can affirm, from actual perusal, that the theological parts of the Puranas conform, in every respect, to the doctrines which are contained in the principal Upanishads; and these, it is admitted, are portions of the Vedas.* With regard, however, to the legends which occur in the Puranas, I may be allowed to avail myself of the following remarks which I have made in another work: '•'' I observe, however (Mr. Colebrooke remarks), in many places [of the Vedas], the groundwork of le- gends which are familiar in mythological poems: such, for example, as the demo7i Vritra, slain by Jndra, who is, thence, named Vritrahan; but I do 7iot reynark ayiy- thing that corresponds ivith the favourite legends of those sects which worship either the Linga or Sakti, * The multiplied errors of this passage it must be unnecessary, at this day, to point out. The writers of the Puranas paid little intelligent heed to the Vedas, of which, for the rest, the Upanishads cannot, with any propiiety, be considered as portions. APPENDIX. . 355 or else Rama oi' Krishna. I except some detached por- tions the genuineness of which appears doubtful; as ivill he shown towards the close of this Essay. ^ * But, instead of considering the allusions to popular mytho- logy which occur in the Vedas as being the ground- ivork of subsequent legends, would it not be more con- sonant* with reason and probability to conclude that these allusions actually referred to well-known legends? For, otherwise, it will be evident that they must have been altogether unintelligible,— expressed, as they were, with so much brevity, and, in fact, merely mentioned in that cursory manner which is usual in adverting to circumstances perfectly notorious. In Avhich case, it would also appear most likely that the legends had been previously collected, and rendered accessible to every one by being recorded in those very works which are still extant under the name of Puranas; for it is quite impossible to discover, in the Puranas, a single circumstance which has the remotest semblance to the deification of heroes, a notion totally unknown to the Hindus."^! It, hence, appears that there is an intimate corre- spondence between the legends, rites, ceremonies, and doctrines described in the Vedas and Puranas; and even Professor Wilson admits that there is "abundant positive and circumstantial evidence of the prevalence ' Researches into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and Hindu Mythology, p. 188. * Colebrooke's Miscellaneous Essays, Vol. I., p. 28, note • . Colebrooke does not italicize this passage. t Here, again, Colonel Kennedy has come to a conclusion widely different from that ordinarily entertained. 23* 356 VISHNU PURANA. of the doctrines which they [the Puranas,] teach, the CLirrency of the legends which they narrate, and the integrity of the institutions which they describe, at least three centuries before the Christian era;"* and that "the testimony that establishes their existence three centuries before Christianity carries it back to a much more remote antiquity."-}- But it is evident that such a correspondence with the Vedas, and with the ancient state of the Hindu religion, could not exist in the Puranas, unless they were written at a period when the traditions, the ritual, and the doctrines of the Vedas still constituted the prevailing form of the Hindu religion ; and it is, therefore, utterly improbable that (as Professor Wilson supposes,) the Puranas, as now extant, could have been compiled between the eighth and seventeenth centuries, when the Muhammadans were extending their dominion over the greatest part of India, and when the Hindu religion had lost much of its original purity. His reasoning, consequently, is altogether ineffectual to prove that the Puranas are modern compilations; for it is not supported by either probability or proof, or by the internal evidence of those works; and it, thus, entirely fails in demonstrat- ing that the Puranas were written or remodelled for the purpose of promoting the innovations introduced into the Hindu religion by Sankara Acharya, Rama- nuja, Madhwacharya, and Vallabha, and of advocating the doctrines which they taught. All the remarks, therefore, on this subject, which Professor Wilson has yet published, are completely erroneous; and it may, * Vol. I., Preface, p. XCIX. t Ibid. APPENDIX. 357 in consequence, be concluded that there are no valid grounds for disputing the genuineness and anti(^uity of the eighteen Puranas. Bombay, 29 th December, 1840. • Vans Kennedy. PROFESSOR WILSON'S REPLY. Sir: Col. Vans Kennedy has lately favoured you with a series of letters upon the subject of my views of the modern date and sectarian spirit of the works termed, by the Hindus, Puranas. I entertain great re- spect for the Colonel's talents and industry, but none whatever for his love of disputation, or his pertinacity of opinion, and attach little weight to deductions that are founded upon imperfect investigation, and pre- judices much more inveterate than any which he ac- cuses me of cherishing. I have, therefore, no inten- tion of entering upon any refutation of his notions, or vindication of my own. Having put forth conclusions drawn from a deliberate and careful scrutiny of the premisses which warrant them, I am contented to leave them to their fate: if they are sound, they need not be defended; if they are erroneous, they do not deserve to be defended. I have implicit faith in the ultimate prevalence of truth; and, as I am satisfied that my conclusions are, in the present instance, true, they have nothing to apprehend from Colonel Vans Keimedy. Neither is it necessary, now, to expend time upon any discussion as to what the Puranas are. The con- 358 VISHNU PURANA. futation of Colonel Vans Kennedy's doctrines of their high antiquity and pure theological character is to be found in the works themselves. Translations of two of them have been published,— that of the Vishnu Pu- rdna by myself, and that of the Sri Bhdgavata by