3. Visnu And Other Gods

The theory of incarnation plays a very important part a in medieval and modern Hindu religion as taught in 21 the puranas and similar works. As Visnuites chiefly worship Rama or krsna the two incarnations of Visnu, it would be proper to examine the incarnations of Visnu and to comprehend the nature of incarnation as conceived in India. 21 cf. Gita, IV.7.

488 The theory of incarnation presupposes the recognition of Visnu as a supreme god, the creator and the ruler of the universe, the upholder not only of the cosmic, but also of the moral order of the world. When the enemies to this rule endanger the order of the world, the god incarnates himself for the purpose of defending it.22 Thus the Brahma purana says. Whenever there is a decline of law and an increase of iniquity, then I put forth myself in a new birth.23 Number of Incarnations Originally, therefore, the number of these appearances of births seems to have been regarded as indefinite and the Brahma-Purana goes to the extent of saying that there were 1,000 incarnations of lord Visnu (213.20)m, but theological speculation tended to fix the number of incarnations and also to define more clearly their relation to the supreme god. Thus after making the above statement, the Brahma purana starts relating the incarnations, with a start -ing femark of considering lord Brahma as a manifestation of lord Visnu (213.31). It then continues to mention the 22 ERE, Vol. 7. P. 193. 23 Yada Yada hi dharmasya glanirbhavati Sattama Abhyutthanamadharmasya tada tmanam srjamyaham 56.35,36 ; for a slightly different reading vide 180.26,27.

489 incarnations Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Dattatreya, Jamadagnya, Rama, Kesava and Kalki, which is now to come (A.213). It is noteworthy that in this place the incarnations are called Pradurbhava 'manifestation' and not avatara, though at another place (180.39), they are called the avatara, which has become a current term. Dattatreya, 29 The Brahma purana mentions the following incarnations: Matsya, 24 Kurma, 25, Kurma, 25, Varaha, 26 Parasurama, 30 Rama, 31 Nrsimha, 27 Vamana, 28 Krsna, 32 Kalkin 33 Hayasiras, 35 Puskara, 36 and and some others like Sesa, 34 Buddha.37 Further, it states that in the different varsas, Visnu is worshipped in different forms.. Thus in the Bhadrasvavarsa, he is worshipped as Hayasiras, in Ketumala as 24 60.2; 18.57,58; 61.24; 71.11; 122.68,69; 147,163.28-30, 179,18,20; 180.27-32; 184.16; 213.76-79. 25 18.57,58,71.11; 122.68,69; 163.28,30; 178.173-175; 184.16. 26 18.57,58,61.24; 71.11; 122.68,69; 163.28-30%; 178.173-175; 179.18,20; 180.27-32; 184.16; 102.23; 213.32-42. 27 58.4-5; 61.24; 122.68,69; A.147; 163.28-30; 179.18-20; 180.27-32; 184.16; 213.76-79. 28 61.24, 73.22,122.68-69; 184.16; 213.80-106. 29 180.27-32; 2031106-112. 30 180.27,32; 213.113-122. 31 122.68,69; 180.27,32; 213.124-158. 32 Adh. 180-213. 33 122.68,69; 213.164-168; 8.57,58; 122.68,69. 34 56.20. 35 36 37 213.31. si 122.68,69.

490 Varaha, in Bharata as Kurma, in Kurupradesa as Matsya, and in the form Visvarupa, he is worshipped everywhere (18.57-58). Elsewhere it is stated that the body of a brahmin is protected by the various forms of god. Thus Janardana protects the head, Varaha the hands, Kurma the back, krsna the heart, Nrsimha t the fingers, the lord of speech the mouth, Garudavahana the eyes, Dhanesa the ears and the lord Bhava protects all the sides (163.29-31). Description of various Incarnations The Brahma purana deals at length with some of the incarnations. 38 Matsya:- The fish which in the Satapatha-brahmana (1.8.1.1) delivers Manu from the flood appears in the Mbh. as a form of Prajapati, becoming in the puranas an incarnation 39 of Visnu. The Brahma purana states that Matsya was the first incarnation of lord Visnu, and when he was incarnated as Matsya, he was known as Matsyamadhava (60.1-2). Kurma:- In the Satapatha-Brahmana, 40 Prajapati about to create offspring becomes a tortoise moving in 38 iii. 187 ± 12474 ff. 39 Macdonell, Vedic Mythology, P. 40 SB, 7.5.1.5 ; TA I.23.3.

491 primeval waters and in the puranas, this tortoise is an avatara of Visnu who assumes this form to recover various objects lost in deluge.41 The Brahma purana does not provide a detailed description of this incarnation. Varaha:- The myth of Varaha incarnation can be traced to the vedic literature. Its purport is that Visnu having drank Soma and being urged by Indra, carried off hundred buffaloes and a brew of milk belonging to the boar, while Indra shooting across the mountain slew the fierce boar. It is developed in the Taittoriya Samhita, 43 Satapatha Brahmana 44 and the Taittoriya Brahmana. post-vedic mythology of the Ramayana and Puranas, the boar which raises the earth has become one of the avataras of Visnu. 46 In the Ramayana, 47 Brahma and not Visnu, is 42 represented as taking the form of a boar. 41 42 45 In the The Brahma purana states that this incarnation of Macdonell, Vedic Mythology, P. Rv. 1.61.7; 8.66.10. 43 TS. 6.2.4. 2.3. 1.4.1.2.11. 44 45 1.1.3.5. 46 Macdonell, Op.Cit., F.41. 47 II.110 Hopkins, Op.Cit., P.147.

492 lord Visnu is vedapradhana and is of the form of sacrifice. Brahma is his head, the day and night are his eyes, the cities are his mouth, Yupa is his jaw, sacrifice is his teeth, Agni is his tongue, Havisya is his nose, Sruva is his belly, the Prayascittas are his nails, the animals his knees, the vedas are his feet, Kusa his pores, Vedi his back, Homa his linga, Osadhi his seed, Udgata his intestine, Vedi his antarat -man, Mantras his buttocks, Somarasa his blood, Havisya his smell, Havya and Kavya his speed, Pragvamsa his body, daksina his heart, Samaveda his voice, Yajna his nature, Havisya his smell, Upakarma his necklace, Pravarga his ornament, various metres his path, the secret upanisads his seat, the srutis his His penance is very great. He is Satya, and Dharma and is endowed with sri and diksas and is a great yogin and has the nature of a great sacrifice. ornaments. The shadow 48 of Prthvi always remains with him in the form of a wife and he was manifested above the waters like a bejewelled peak. The whole earth with its oceans, mountains, forests and cities was drowned in the ocean. The Varaha form having thousand hands entered the ocean, and held the whole earth on his jaw and saved it from his disaster (213.32-42; 180.27- 32; 56.20). Narakasura was born to Prthvi when lord Visnu touched her in the Varaha incarnation. 48 213.32-42. Narakasura was

493 afterwards killed by lord Visnu in his incarnation as lord krsna (202.23-25). Elsewhere it is stated that Visnu brought out the pitrs from the river koka in his Varaha incarnation (A.219). When the demon Sindhusena carried the sacrifice to Rasatala lord Visnu took the form of Varaha and brought back the sacrifice to the earth (79.8-16),. The reason of Visqu taking the form of a tortoise and of a boar seems to be that his primitive worship had been of a therio- 49 morphic character, at least with some class of people. Nrsimhe:- The incarnation of Narasimha, or the man-lion, stands by itself. It refers to a populer legend of Visnu killing in the form of a man-lion, the demon Hiranyakasipu a legend which is once alluded to in the vedic literature, viz. Talttoriya Aranyaka (X.1-6). The Brahma Purana states that after the Varaha incarnation, lord Visnu assumed the shape of a creature half-man half-lion, to deliver the world from the tyranny of a demon called Hiranyakasipu. His colour, thunder and lustre are like those of a dark cloud. When the demon Hiranyakasipu became invincible, lord Nrsimha emerged from the pillars of his assembly-hall and killed him and the whole of his retinue with his claws. He killed the daityas abiding in the 40 ERE, Vol. 7, P.193.

494 Rasatala, sky, forests and at other places. His nails were stronger than the thunderbolt and there were long hair on his neck and face (56.20, 213.80-106). He is unconquerable, Aprameya, indescribable, the king of animals and the bestower of enjoyment and liberation (56.12-16,58). Vamana:- This incarnation's origin lies in a legend developed from a mythical feat of Visnu frequently mentioned in the Rv., viz. the three strides with which he measured the three worlds.50 In the Aitereya Brahmana (6.15) it is related that Visnu and Indra, engaged in conflict with the Asuras, agreed with the latter that as much as Visnu could stride over in three steps should belong to the two deities. The Satapatha Brahmana (1.2.5) refers to the dwarf form of Visnu. This Brahmana story forms the transition to the myth of Visnu's 51 dwarf incarnation in the post-vedic literature. Dattatreya:- The reference to Dattatreya as an incarnation is available since the epic period. The Brahmapurana states that lord Visnu was incarnated as Dattatreya in the form of the son of the sage Atri (180.31). He is full of forbearance and he was incarnated at the time when the vedas were destroyed, the sacrifices had disappeared, the four 50 Rv. 1.155.6 51 Macdonell, Op.Cit., P.41.

} } 495 castes had intermingled, the righteousness had waned and. iniquity had superceded, truth had disappeared and untruth had fullfledged, and when the subject wavered. He brought the atmosphere of righteousness together with the vedas, religious rites and sacrifices and he brought the four castes in their proper order. He gave a boon to Kartavirya Arjuna that he would rule the whole earth (213.106-112). taught the Yoga with eight angas to the sage Alarka (180.26- 38). E He In some parts of India, a saint Dattatreya is worshipped as combining the Hindu Trinity in himself. 52 In the upanisad, it is said that Dattatreya was the gift of lord Mahesvara to the sage Atri as a result of his being pleased with his austere penance. For the reason that he was given to Atri by Mahesvara, he was called Dattatreya. But in puranas, Dattatreya is Visnu born a son to Atri and Anasuya, their other two sons being Soma as a result of Brahma's blessing and Durvasa as a result of Siva's blessings. But Dattatreya incorporates within himself all 52 an Monier Williams, Indian Wisdom, P.327, f.n.; For details vide 'Dattatreya' by Shri H.S.Joshi, a thesis accepted for the Ph.D. Degree in Sanskrit, M.S.University of Baroda, 1959.

496 the attributes of the Trinity. 53 Parasurama:- The story of Parasurama, as told in the Mahabharata 54 has no reference to Visnu, but the first book of Ramayana, which is a later addition to the epic, contains a continuation of Parasurama's story, according to which the hero was in possession of Visnu's bow and met the young Rama, son of Dasaratha, expressly to subdite him; but the latter, who had already broken Siva's bow, now bent Visnu's bow and deprived Parasurama of his glory. This legend, apparantly a late invention, would be absurd on the supposition that both Ramas are incarnations of Visnu, since then the god would humiliate himself, but it shows that Parasurama had, in popular tales, been brought into some connection with Visnu; and this circumstance together with the name Rama, which he shares with the more famous incarnation of Visnu, may have facilitated his reception in the series of incarnations of that god.5 55 The Brahma purana clearly distinguishes the incarnation of lord Visnu as Parasurama from that of Dasarathi Rama. It states that in this incarnation, lord Visnu was born as the son of the sage Jamadagni and descendant of Bhrgu. He cut the 53 Shri Jaya Chamarajendra Wadiyar Bahadur - Dattatreya way and the goal, P.74. 54 Mbh. iii. 115; xli.49. 55 ERE, Vol. 7, P.194. the

497 thousand hands of Kartavirya Arjuna and cleared the earth twenty-one times of the ksatriya class. In order to expiate his sins, he performed a horse-sacrifice and gave much daksina and he gave the whole earth together with elephants, houses and chariots to the sage Kasyapa. Even at present, he practised severe penance on the mountain Mahendra, for the welfare of the world.56 Thus it seems proper to conclude that the origin of this incarnation lies in the idea of restraining the ksatriyas from arrogating dominion over the Brahmanical caste. 1 Rama:The incarnation of Rama seems to be an incarnation in the making, for in the original parts of Ramayana, viz. bks.ii-vi, the poet regards his hero as essentially human, and seems entirely to ignore his divine character. The latter, however, is fully, acknowledged in bks. i and vii, which by common consent of all critics are declared to be later additions. Therefore, between the composition of the original work and the addition of these later parts the belief that Rama is an incarnation of Visnu must have arisen and gained universal assent. Before that time Rama had been an epic hero, but the Ramayana seems to have made him immensely popular. Since the poet has described 56 213.113-122; also cf. Vanaparva 11071, Santi 1707, Adi 272-280, Udyoga 7142.

498 him as the best of men, the most dutiful son and loving husband, as possessed of every virtue, in short, as an ideal man, he became the favourite of the people at large and so the subject of veneration. Thus it is not difficult to imagine that the epic hero became a popular god, and that in order to account for his divine dignity, notwithstanding his human character, he came to be regarded as one of the manifestations of the highest god - as an incarnation of 57 Visnu. The Brahma purana distinctly eulogises him as an incarnation of lord Visnu. It states that in the twenty-fourth yuga lord Visnu divided himself into four parts. In order to grace the world, to establish righteousness and to control the demons, lord Visnu was born in the form of the four sons of Dasaratha. Rama is described as Syama, young, having red-eyes, brilliant, long-armed, strong, having the back as strong as that of a lion and mitabhasi. His wife is Sita who was Laxmi before her incarnation as Sita. Rama, Sita and Laksmana went to the forest and practised penance for 14 years. Residing in the Janasthana, he worked for gods and killed Ravana and his army. He also killed the demons Vali, Lavana, Marica, Subahu, Viradha, Kabandha, and others. arrows were like the sparks of fire and lightening and they 57 ERE, Vol.7, P.194. His

499 were as effective as the thunderbolt of Indra. In the sacrifice conducted by Janaka, he showed his valour by Rama breaking the bow of lord Siva. After that he performed ten Asvamedhas and completed them without any obstruction. ruled the world for 10,000 years and the Brahma Purana gives a peaceful account of Rama's reign, popularly known as Ramarajya. After completing hundred sacrifices, Rama went to heaven. He was the jewel of Iksvaku family (213.124-158). Elsewhere he is glorified as a powerful hero but his being an incarnation of lord Visnu is not mentioned. Thus it is said that Rama built a great bridge over the ocean, killed Ravana, brought back sita and purified her through fire but being blamed by some anaryas, he abandoned her near the hermitage of Valmiki, after some days when Rama performed a horse-sacrifice, Lava and Kusa, the sons of Rama appeared there and sang the whole Ramayana. Rama consecrated them and embraced them. The monkeys Sugriva, Hanuman, Angada and Jambavan came there and all of them went to the river Godavari and worshipped lord Siva (A.154). Elsewhere it is said that after reigning the world for a long time, Rama attained the status of lord Visnu (176.50). There it is said that the killed the demons Mahodara, Prahasta, Nikumbha, Kumbha, Narantaka, Yamantaka, Maladhya, Malyavan, Indrajit, Kumbhakarna

500 and Ravana. He consecrated Bharata and Satrughna on various kingdoms and coronated Sugriva on the throne of Kiskindha and made Angada his Yuvaraja (176.40-48). Elsewhere it is said that Rama was born to Dasaratha by the grace of the sage Rsyasrnga and he saved his father Dasaratha from the hell into which he had fallen as a result of committing the sin of a brahmin-murder (A.123). The question of the incarnation of Rama has been thoroughly examined by Dr.Yacobi in his book Das Ramayana, He remarksd- 'The remarkable change in Rama's position from an epic hero to an incarnation of Visnu which took place between the redaction of the original Ramayana and the addition of its first and last books, does not appear to be the result of a slow development of religious ideas, but seems to have been caused by the application to him of a theory already fully established. In other words, it is not likely that the theory of incarnation was first suggested by the story of Rama, in all probability there was already another similar incarnation of Visnu acknowledged by the people of India. This must have been his incarnation as Krsna, since the preceding incarnations seem to have had little importance as far as popular religion was concerned. Krisnaism, in this sense, prevailed in India probably centuries before the

501 beginning of our era, while Ramaism, so popular from the 10th century A.D. downwards is a comparatively later development. 158 Krsna:- During the Brahmana period, Prajapati, the creator was believed to assume, various forms as that of a boar and a tortoise in order to rescue the creation in times of distress. After him came Narayana and he was identified with Visnu, the slayer of demons. About the end of the vedic period a popular deity, Vasudeva, came to be acknowledged as a form of Visnu. Now the race of the Yadavas, whose clans were settled both in the north and in the west of India, revered as their tribal hero krsna, the son of Devaki, who had the renown of having been an earnest seeker of religious truth. It can be assumed that about this time the worship of Vasudeva as a form of Visnu had become the popular religion of the same people who worshipped their tribal hero and that both kinds of worship influencing each other intermingled in such a way that krsna was believed to be a manifestation of Visnu - in a word, a human incarnation of the supreme god.59 Jacobi, further states that the widespread worship of krsna as a tribal hero and demi-god, and his subsequent identification with Narayana 59 Ibid., P.196%; vide also Wlater Ruben, Krishna, Konkordanz und kummentar Der Motive seines Heldenlebens, Istanbul, 1943.

502 gave birth to the theory of incarnation and therefore the incarnation of Visnu as Krsna is the most important one for the origin and development of the theory of incarnation.60 The Brahma purana provides a myth which connects his incarnation bodily with lord Visnu When lord Visnu was implored by the gods to save the earth form the oppression of her enemies, Narayana plucked out two of his own hairs, a black and a white one. Descending to the earth and entering the womb of Devaki, the black hair was born as krsna, and the white hair was born as Baladeva. It is to be noted that this myth makes Baladeva also as an incarnation of Visnu, though, he is also said to be an incarnation of Sesa, the snake-god (A.181). Heri krsna is said to be a partial incarnation 61 of lord Visnu. Elsewhere it is said that the incarnation of Visnu is krsna is for the welfare of the world and that he killed many demons like Salva, Caidya, Kamsa, Dvivida, Arista, Vrsabha, Kesi, Putana, Kuvalayapida, Canura, Mustika and Narakasura. He also cut the thousands hands of the demon Bana (213.159*164). As the details about krsna are given in the following pages, here he is not discussed at length. 60 ERE, Vol. VIII, P. 196. 61 Colophon, A.181.

503 Buddha:The Brahma purana does not provide with a description of Buddha as an incarnation but just mentions his name in the list of incarnations. Kalkin:- He is yet to appear for the welfare of the world. He is to be born as Kalki by the name Visnu yasas in the village Sambhala. 62 63 Monier Williams has rightly concluded, 'looking more closely' at the ten incarnations, we may observe that in the first three Visnu is supposed to be present in the body of animals, and in the fourth to take the form of being half animal half human, this last may be regarded as a king of link, the object of which is to prevent too great abruptness in connecting the deity with the higher forms of worldly existence. From the mixed manifestation of half a lion, half a man, the transition is natural to that of a complete man. The divine essence passing into human forms commences with the smallest type of humanity, represented by a dwarf. Thence it rises to powerful sages and mighty heroes who deliver the world from the oppression of evil demons and tyrants whose power increases with the deterioration of mankind during the 62 213.164,165; also cf. Visnu P. IV. 24.. 63 M.Williams, Indian Wisdom, PP.334 ff; cf.also Ramanuja quoted in Edinburgh conference Report IV.P.179 and T.E. Slater quoted in the 'Gods of India; P.108' by E.O. Martin, vide also Radhakrishnani's Kalki..

504 four ages. In the final manifestation, which remains to be entirely rooted cut. We see in all this the working of the Hindu idea of transmigration. Even in Manu's time, it was an accepted dogma that the souls of men, popularly regarded as emnations from deity, might descendinto the bodies of animals, or rise to those of higher beings. It was therefore an easy expansion of such a doctrine to imagine the divine soul itself as passing through various stages of incarnation for the delivery of the world from the effects of evil and sin and for the maintenance of order in the whole cycle of creation.' When This theory of incarnation has become immensely popular and is being applied in many cases even now. a local saint has a proper shrine where he is worshipped, and his fame continues to increase, a legend is sure to be fabricated which declares him an avatara of some god or Asi.64 Thus the worship of Sai-baba has become very popular. As regards his worship, it is said that one should remember him in the waters as waters are his abode. Especial ly at the time of taking a bath, one should meditate on him with a holy feeling and should perform his nyasa (60.34,35). 64 ERE, Vol. VII, P.197.

505 One who worships him with japa, homa and arcana, who remembers lord Visnu day and night and who recites the Vasudeva-mantra 'Om namo narayanaya' never falls in hell (22.41,60.23). Elsewhere it is said that lord Visnu should be worshipped with tantrik mantras (61.45,46). The knowers of veda perform sacrifice in his honour (56.32). Out of all the After expiations, remembrance of lord Hari is the best one. committing sins, a sinner who remembers lord Hari only once, gets freedom from sons (22.38). The details regarding his worship as 'Narayana', as 'Jagannatha' and as 'krsna' together with Balarama and Subhadra are given under the title 'worship' of chapter VII entitled 'Religion'. Thus Visnu impersonates the higher evolution, the upward tendency of the human spirit. He represents several great and far-reaching religious ideas. In the increasing flax and change of all things, he is their preserver;, and although he is one of the highest gods, he has constantly revisited the earth either in animal or in human shape 65 The krsna problem is one of the most interesting and important topics in the domain of Indian literature and 65 Lyull, Asiatic studies, ii. 306.

506 66 history and many oriental scholars, views regarding the problem. have contributed their According to traditional history as given in the puranas, krena belonged to the satvata seet of the Yadavas, who formed the lunar dynasty, and was 94th in descent from Manu.67 However, some puranas represent krsna as coming from The Brahma Purana states that krsna belonged the solar dynasty.68 to the lunar race of the Vrsni family of the Yadavas (12.50, 196.23,24). Thus both the solar and the lunar dynasties claimed krsna as their own. In the Rgveda, 69 Kausitaki Brahmana, 70 and krsna is referred to as a vedic 71 Chandogya upanisad, seer, as a human personality. Panini 72 indicates that Vasudeva and Arjuna, originally ksatriya heroes, were raised to the ranks of gods before his time and Patanjali 73 shows that they had attained divinity by his time. In the oldest nucleus of the Mbh. there are clear references to the human 66 Important books and Papers on krsna problem, see Pusalkar A.D., Epic and Puranic Studies, P.49. 67 Pargiter, AIHT, PP.102-17; 144 ff. 68 Hari. II.38.35. 69 Rv. viii.85.3.4. 70 XXX.9 Kausitaki Br. 71 Ch. up. III.17.6. 72 Panini IV.3.96; IV.3.98, Jacobi ERE, VII, P.195; Bhandarkar, Vaisnavism, Saivism.., P.4; Raychaudhari EHVS, PP.30-31. 73 Mahabhasya on 2.3.36, 3.1.26 and 3.2.11.

507 character of krsna. In the later portions, he is represented as a semi-divine being, whereas the parts of the epic that come still later, regard krsna as the supreme god.74 The purahas also present various stages in the definition of the human hero krsna. Thus the Brahma Purana states that when lord krsna performed wonderful deeds like Kaliyadamana, Govardhanadharana and the killing of Pralamba, in the form of a cowherd boy, the simple-minded villagers were perturbed and began to doubt about his human personality and said that one who performed deeds as were difficult to be performed even by the gods, cannot merely be a simple mighty human being and that surely krsna was either a god or a danava or a yaksa or a gandharva; and krsna, though representing an incarnation of Visnu, assures them that he was neither a god, nor a gandharva, nor a yaksa, nor a danava, but he was simply their brother (189.2-12). Thus here one can see a happy blending of the divine and human elements in sri krsna's character, the divine element predominating while performing the wonderful deeds and the human element prevailing while assuring the villagers. Among the puranas, the Harivamsa, Brahma, Visnu, Bhagavata and Brahmavaivarta deal exhaustively with the life 74 Mbh. V. 79.5-6.

508 of krsna and the accounts in the different puranas are not only inconsistent but mutually contradictory After critically examining some incidents of krsna's life, Ruben has come to the conclusion that the original supplement (khila) of the Mahabharata was much shorter than the present khila Harivamsa, that the original Harivansa is the oldest purana, and that the original archetype of the Harivansa has been better preserved in the Brahma.75 Different scholars arrange the order of puranas in different ways. Bhagavata Bhagavata who Visnu Harivansa Brahmavaivarta, 76 Harivansa sy Brahma Visnu Brahmavaivarta, 77 Brahma Visnu Bhagavata Brahmavaivarta, 78 etc. Tadpatrikar 79 critically evaluates the different accounts of krsna given in the puranas and shows that only the Brahma and Visnu have a common text, and that the former has an account older then the Visnu. 75 JAOS, 61 PP. 115-127; JRAS, 1941, PP.247-256. 76 Tattvabhusana, krsna and the Gita, P. 56. 77 Durgashankar Shastri, Purana Vivecana, PP.133.5. 78 Ruben, Festchrift Thomas, PP.188-203. 79 Krsna problem, PP. 276-277.

509 Besides these, the Padma, Agni, Bhagavata and Brahmavaivarta deal at some length with the krsna story, and the Harivansa, truly as the supplement of the Mbh., goes over the entire puranic story and omits all the references to the Mahabharata story. The Bhagavata combines both the epic and puranic accounts. The Brahmavaivarta is a late work and mainly glorifies Radha.80