Date of the Purāṇas

The Purāṇas were built at which site and when, this problem is a live-in challenge for the Purāṇic scholar. The communal belief is that Maharṣi Vedavyāsa practiced the whole Purāṇas by sitting in his āśrama of Prācī Saraswati and meditating. But this theory is not interesting to historical scholars. The Purāṇas have not unambiguously instructed their construction time or place, only the various Purāṇas have faith in a specific geographical area, they consider it to be a region or pilgrimage in India.

By this method, some indication of the country of Purāṇa can be made. Continuous judgment is not at all impossible, but it is also hard or difficult.

The decision of exact time is also an odd puzzle. The decision of the creation of the Purāṇas is an asymmetric problem, whose solution is extremely difficult. The reason for this should be considered to be the rites and rituals of the Purāṇas in the Later Centuries.

Some rules for identify the time of Purāṇas

1. Viṣṇu Purāṇa , the first part, starting from the fifth chapter Verse 4 to 26, the fraction is the same from verse 14 to 37 in Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa chapter 47. Similarly, starting from verse 28 of this chapter of Viṣṇu Purāṇa , the last section of chapter 48 of Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇ , in which the description of the divine past creation is there. On the contrary, no specific part of Śrīmad bhāgvata is covered in any Purāṇa . There is one small exception to this. Verse 21 of third chapter of first skanda of the Śrīmadvāgvata (from 6–26) is quoted in the first chapter of first half of Garuda Purāṇa (from 1/14 to 1/34). This passage describes the incarnations of Viṣṇu respectively. But this does not contradict our basic principle that Śrīmad bhāgvata is more ancient than Viṣṇu Purāṇa . Another evidence of this fact is also testable.

2. Sometimes, for the distorted change of a particular word, the period of the Purāṇas can be decided. It should be understood by a famous parable. The description of a caste Ābhīra is available in many places in the Mahābhārata and Purāṇas . In the Mauṣala parva of the Mahābhārata , this subject is visible specially in the chapter 7 and 8. The weapon of the Ābhīras was not a metallic weapon but only sticks and cobs.

He lived in the village, in the blessed region of Pañcananda [Pañcanada?] (Punjab).—

nakhakeśa daśā kumbha vāriṇā kiṃ samukṣitaḥ |
āvīrajānugamanaṃ brāhmaṇo vā hatastvayā |
yuddhe parājito vāti gataśrīriva lakṣyate ||
  (Mauṣala Parva, Mahābhārata 8/5–6).

In the fifth part (Chapter 38) of Viṣṇu Purāṇa , the same incident has come in this form, where there have reflection of the verse of the Mauṣala Parva, and have been explained somewhere.

Here is the form of the above mentioned Śloka—

avīrajo'nugamanaṃ brahmahatya kṛtā'bhavā
dṛḍhāśābhaṅgaduḥkhīva bhraṣṭacchāyo'si sāmpratam |
  (Viṣṇu Purāṇa , 5/38/37).

The same description is mentioned in the Brahma-Purāṇa in the Brahmapurāṇa in the chapter 212 as the Viṣṇu Purāṇa but the above form of the śloka is in this way—

ajārajo 'nugamanaṃ brahmahatya'thavākṛtā
jayāśābhaṅgaduḥkhīvabhraṣṭacchāyo'sisāmpratam ||
  (Brahma Purāṇa 212/37).

Viṣṇu Purāṇa’s word ‘avīrajo'nugamanaṃ ’ struck the writer here and he quickly converted it into a comprehensible from–‘ajārajo'nugamanaṃ’. Regarding the period of the parts in which this verse is available, we can say that Mauṣala parva is the oldest. Viṣṇu Purāṇa is different from it in chronology and Brahma Purāṇa is also transitional with Viṣṇu.

3. A comparative review of the characters specified in the Purāṇas can also be considered as an instrument of their time identification. In the fifth part of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa , the character of Śrīkṛṣṇa is described in only chapter 37. In this, no kind of ornate explanation was done on behalf of writer. Rāslīla is also mentioned here in brief words (5/13/13–64). Now compare this with the Śrīkṛṣṇa cult given in Harivaṃśa . Harivaṃśa adds to the new events by adding them. The description of the Hallisaka dance is innovative. As a result, the development of that character is clearly targeted her. In Śrīmadbhāgvata , the inclusion of even more new things in that chart is targeted. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa , he is just as monotonous as the historical character. In the Bhāgavata , it has become ‘rasapradhāna ’ instead of the famous event. This expression becomes spontaneous in the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa . Thus, by targeting the evolution of, the Śrīkṛṣṇa period of these four Purāṇas is proved–Viṣṇu Purāṇa (most ancient)–Harivaṃśa –Śrīmadbhāgvata–Brahmavaivarta (from–descending order). As a result, Viṣṇu Purāṇa is the oldest in this ‘Purāṇa Catuṣṭayī and the latest Brahmavaivarta . A review of the development of other eminent characters can also be considered as useful.

4. The Purāṇas can also be depicted on topical evidence. The Mahābhārata has given a clear reference to the ‘Vāyuprokta Purāṇa ’ (Vana Parva, chapter 191, śloka 16) and has also approved a copy of the latest subjects. This clearly indicates the prevailing the Vāyu Purāṇa in which the accounts of non-past future rulers are also described along with the description of past events. Bāṇabhatta has also mentioned the nature of the Vāyu Purāṇa and popular discourse in the Harṣacarita . From this due to the pre-Harṣacarita (first half of seventh century) and the Mahābhārata (about the second century), the time of Vāyu Purāṇa should be considered before the second century. With the seventh century, it cannot be brought back.

Ballalsen has given a poignant review of the Purāṇas in his famous essay the ‘Dānasāgara ’. From this, the introduction of his form, the volume of the verse and the time of creation is available to the critics.

5. On the basis of the accuracies of the Kali Kings, the time of Purāṇas can be instructed. Pargiter has considered the fundamental and oldest circle of the Kali Kings of Bhaviṣya Purāṇa by doing a comparative study of this subject. Its suburbation is available in the future description of the Matsya, Vāyu and the Brahmāṇḍa , that is, about the rulers of Kali Yuga. This description available in Viṣṇu and Śrīmadbhāgvata Purāṇa is on the basis of the future, but is a brief description of the latter.

In the Matsya Purāṇa (273/17–26), the description of Āndhra , Gardabhilla, Śaka, Muruṇḍa, Yavana, Mleccha, Ābhīra and Kilkilā are found. In India, these foreign castes ruled after the destruction of the of the Kuṣāṇa state after the second–third century–it is known to historians. The kingdom of Āndhra came to an end in 236 AD–till then the whole circle of Āndhra king has been adopted in the Matsya Purāṇa . The Matsya does not moved beyond it.

The Vāyu-Purāṇa and the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa describe in detail and the Viṣṇu and the Bhāgvata Purāṇa briefly describe the Guptas’ reign, when that dynasty was ruling over Prayag , Saket (Ayodhya) and Magadha. This indicates the expansion of the kingdom of king Candragupta first of the Gupta dynasty (time 320 AD–326 AD). The inscription of Prayaga has a detailed description of conquest of Samudragupta. If the Purāṇas were aware of this conquest of Samudragupta, he would not have the audacity to confine the Gupta kingdom to Prayaga –Ayodhya –Magadha . As a result, this description indicates the Guptas before the year 330 AD, before the conquest of Samudragupta.

Time can be directed from the description of this historical circle–

(a) The future creation period is the end of the second century; (b) Matsya Purāṇa was built by the beginning of the third century or by 236 AD; (c) The Vāyu and the Brahmāṇḍa had ended by the beginning of the Gupta state; (d) The Kalivṛtta episode of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa also indicates the same era; (e) Śrīmadbhāgvata too, as proved by other evidence, is the creation of the Gupta period. Some parts may be backwards but it was finished before the sixth century.

The Purāṇas can be chronologically divided by these decisive seekers. There are three categories of Purāṇas –

1. From the ancient first century to 400 AD. Under this, we keep the Vāyu, Brahmāṇḍa, Mārkaṇḍeya, Matsya and Viṣṇu Purāṇa .

2. Medieval–in this category we keep the Śrīmadbhāgvata, Kurma, Skanda, Padma Purāṇa (500 AD–900 AD) and

3. Arvācīna–in this category we consider the Brahmavaivarta, Brahma, Linga etc. (900 AD–1000 AD)

The Bhāgvata Purāṇa also discusses about the time of the Purāṇas in vast. The Sūta Ugraśavā, son of Romoharṣaṇa told in the Bhāgvata Purāṇa—

dvāpare samanuprāpte tṛtīyayugaparyyaye |
jātaḥ parāśarādyogā vāsavyāṃ kalayo hareḥ |
sa kadācit sarasvatya upaspṛśya jalaṃ śuciḥ |
vivikta ekaāsīna udite ravimaṇḍale |
parāvatajña sa ṛṣiḥ kālenāvyaktaraṃhasā |
yugadharmavyatikaraṃ prāptaṃ bhūvi yuge yuge ||
bhautikānāñca bhāvānāṃ śaktihrāsañca tatkṛtam |
aśraddhānān niḥsattvān durmedhān hrāsitāyuṣaḥ ||
durbhagāṃśca janān vīkṣya munirdivyena cakṣuṣā |
sarvavarṇāśramāṇāṃ yad dadhau hitamoghadṛk ||
cātuhotraṃ karma śuddhaṃ prajānāṃ vīkṣya vaidikam |
vyadadhādayajñasantatyai vedamekaṃ caturvidham ||
ṛgyajuḥ sāmātharvākhyā vedāścatvāra uddhṛtā |
itihāsapurāṇāñca pañcamo veda ucyate |
tatrargvedadharaḥ pailaḥ sāmāgā jaiminiḥ kaviḥ |
vaiśampāyana evaikeniṣṇāto yajuṣāṃ muniḥ |
atharvāṅgirasāmāsīt sumanturdāruṇo muniḥ |
itihāsapurāṇānāṃ pitā me romaharṣaṇaḥ ||
  (Śrīmadbhāgvata Purāṇa –1/4/14–22)