Historical Elements in the Maha-Purāṇas (Introduction)

The Purāṇic tradition of historiography deserves our special attention. The Purāṇas have their own history. There was originally a single text called Purāṇa Saṃhitā or Itihāsa Saṃhitā whose authorship has been ascribed to the great sages Vedavyāsa, 28 in the line of Vyāsas who were known by different names. He inherited the tradition of preserving and compiling the Purāṇic data from his predecessors. It is categorically stated in the Purāṇic texts that after having classified the single Veda into four Saṃhitā , he first composed the Purāṇa divided into 18 parts consisting of ākhyānas, upākhyānas, gāthās , etc. and then a itihāsa (history) named the Mahābhārata (Bharata Saṃhitā ) incorporating in it some Purāṇic data in the Dvāpara age itself (Matsya –53/68-69; 3/3-4; 53/3-11; Viṣṇu –3/3/2-21; 3/4/1-10; 3/6/15.…). The said 18 Purāṇas contain among other things historical tradition of the Āryans . A.K. Warder’s view that the original Purāṇa was composed in the 8 century BC during the reign of Adhisīmakṛṣṇa of the Kali age (six in the succession from Abhimanyu) or may have existed in some form earlier, (An Introduction to Indian Historiography, PP. 17-18) appears to be confusing. In fact, the Purāṇa was narrated and not composed during the reign of the said king. In reality, it was the Dvāpara age which marked the beginning of the tradition of historical writing in early India.

It is important to note that Maharṣi Vyāsa in his Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata also include some important historical subjects like dynastic genealogies of pre-Bhārata war period, contemporary events, etc. And it is perhaps on this ground that Umāsankara Diksita has called him itihāsakarttā (composer of historical work) and “a great historian.”

N.S. Rajaram also observes:

“In ancient times Veda Vyāsa was considered a great historian. Tradition credits him with the authorship of the historical epic Mahābhārata and also with the responsibility for preserving ancient records found in the Purāṇas (‘Distortion of Indian. History from Harappa to Ayodhya’ by B.V. Raman; The astrological magazine, Vol. 87, No. 1, Bangalore, Jan. 1998, P. 75).

It is practically not possible to chronologically arrange his all works. Nor can he be placed in a chronological framework. He was not a mythical figure but a historical personage. In fact, these were Ṛṣis and Maharṣis who built up the tradition of preserving the historical records of the post.

It was Vedavyāsa who taught the first lesson of history to his pupils. There are some concrete evidences in the Purāṇic records to show that he taught the itihāsa. Purāṇa to his famous disciple, Romaharṣana (called Sūta), who further taught it to his son Ugraśarvā, and six disciples at least five of whom were brāhmaṇas (Vṣṇ, 3, 4, 8-10; 3, 6, 16-19; Bhāg , I, 4, 22; XII, 7, 5-7; Vy ., 61, 55-58; Km , 1, 1, 2-7; 1, 50, 12-14; Bmd ., iv, 4, 67f; Pdm ., V, I, 2, 11-14). The Purāṇic brāhmaṇas belonging to a class of Sūta had developed historical sense. Their concept of history was fundamentally based on the precepts of said Vyāsa. In all probability, the work began by Vyāsa might have been completed by Romaharṣaṇa and his disciples. The tradition of studying, teaching and interpreting the itihāsa and Purāṇa set by Vyāsa and followed by his disciples was handed down from generation to generation.^[1]

According to the A.D. Pusalkar the Purāṇas occupy an important position in the Indian literature “both sacred and secular”, as they are the literature of the masses. As such they not only afford us a glimpse into the several spheres of art and life, but they are very fruitful for comparative studies in mythology, religion, philosophy, fables, legends etc. Over and above this they are important as aids to Vedic interpretation (itihāsapurāṇābhyā veda samupavṛhayet | Mbh creed II 204) for the linguistic history of Sanskrit and for the study and understanding of ancient Indian culture and civilization. It is a happy sign that they are now accepted as one of the important sources of Indian history and culture, because in order to get an authentic picture of the growth and development one has to study critically and exhaustively very extensive source-literature.

The student of ancient Indian history and culture has at his disposal the written and unwritten sources i.e. (1) literary sources (2) archaeological finds inscriptions, coins, monuments and (3) foreign accounts for the reconstruction of the history and culture of Indian past (4) tribal legends. The literary sources are e.g. the Vedas , the Epics, the Purāṇas , the Buddhist and Jain works etc.^[2]

According to Dr. Winternitz, the Purāṇas are valuable to the historian and to the antiquarian as a source of political history on account of their genealogies, even though they can only be used with great caution and careful discrimination. They are of inestimable value from the point of view of the history of religion, and on this head alone deserve for more careful study than has hitherto been devoted to them. They afford us far greater insight into all aspects and phases of Hinduism its mythology, its idol-worship, its theism and pantheism, its love of God, its philosophy and superstitions, its festivals and ceremonies and its ethics than any other work. As a literary production, they are by no means a pleasing phenomenon. The careless language and poor versification in which grammar often suffers for the sake of metre, are just as characteristic of these works as the confused medley of contents and the boundless exaggerations.^[3]

It used to be the general opinion of western scholars that the Purāṇas belonged to the latest productions of Sanskrit literature and came into existence during the last thousand years. However, this view is not accepted today. The poet Bāṇa knew the Purāṇas very well and he tells us that he attended a reading of the Vāyu Purāṇa in his native village. Kumarila Bhatta relies on the Purāṇas as a source of law. Śankara and Ramanuja referred to the Purāṇas as ancient and sacred texts. Alberuni was familiar with the Purāṇas and he gives us a list of the eighteen Purāṇas . He has also given quotations from certain Purāṇas . According to Winternitz, the earlier Purāṇas came into being to all intents and purposes as early as in the first century of the Christian era. There is a resemblance between the Buddhist Mahayana Texts of the first century of the Christian era and the Purāṇas . There is a lot in common between the Purāṇas and the Lalitavistara . The Purāṇas are 18 in number but all the Purāṇas are not equally important for historical purposes. As sources of History, we depend largely on the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Vāyu Purāṇa, Matsya Purāṇa , Brahma Purāṇa and Bhaviṣya Purāṇa . Every Purāṇa deals with five topics, viz., Sarga , Pratisarga , Vaṃśa , Manvantara and Vaṃśānucharita . It is the fifth topic which is useful for students of history. The Purāṇas start with the rulers who trace their origin from the Sun and the Moon. They describe the various kings who ruled in the Madhyadeśa . They fill in the gap from the end of the epic age to the rise of Buddha. They give the names of the Puru kings of Hastināpur and the Ikṣvāku king of Kośala . They give us details about the Śiśunāga kings and Nanda kings. V.A. Smith has shown that the Viṣṇu Purāṇa is very reliable as regards the Mauryan dynasty and the Matsya Purāṇa is reliable as regards the Āndhra and Śaiśunāga dynasties. The Vāyu Purāṇa describes the rule of the Guptas as it was under Chandragupta I. At the end of the list of Kings, certain Purāṇas give a series of dynasties of low and barbarian origin such as Ābhiras , Gardabhas, Śakas, Yavanas, Tusaras, Huṇas , etc.

The Purāṇas can be used for the purpose of building up the history of ancient Indian geography. In them, we come across the names of very many cities which existed in their times. The distances between the various cities mentioned in the Purāṇas can also be determined approximately from the information contained in the Purāṇas . It is sometimes stated that a particular person started from a particular place in the morning and reached another place in the evening. From such a description, it must not be difficult to ascertain the approximate distance between the two places. The Purāṇas help us to know in many cases the old names of the cities, rivers and mountain. Mr. Dey of Calcutta has done a lot of work in this connection. More patient research can yield further results. It cannot be denied that the knowledge of ancient Indian geography can help us to appreciate better the history of ancient India.

According to N. Mukhopadhyaya,

“The Purāṇas from an important portion of the religious literature of the Hindus, and together with the Dharmaśāstras and Tantras, govern their conduct and regulate their religious observances at the present day. The Vedas are studied by the antiquarian, the Upaniṣads by the philosopher; but every orthodox Hindu must have some knowledge of the Purāṇas , directly or vicariously, to shape his conduct and to perform the duties essential to the worldly and spiritual welfare.”^[4]

According to S. N. Pradhan,

“The Purāṇas profess to give us the ancient history of India. In so doing they begin from the earliest Ṛgvedic period describing genealogies of kings who established kingdoms and principalities and thus parceled out and ruled ancient India. Occasionally, the feats and achievements of kings and sages are related, battles mentioned and described, noticeable incidents and happenings recorded and very valuable synchronisms noted donw.”^[5]

This has been a tendency among the modern scholars to belittle the value of the information found in the Purāṇas . It has been suggested that the genealogies of the Purāṇas were invented by some fertile brains at the instance of the reigning kings. However, there is nothing to support such a view. The Pauranikas profess to tell the truth and they had nothing to gain from the public in general. It would have been very difficult to compile the dynastic lists from pure imagination. The Sūtas were interested in the work of preserving the texts of the Purāṇas and thus the puranic literature must have been faithfully preserved and transmitted. It seems that ancient royal genealogies were carefully studied, analyzed and preserved by their custodians. While studying the Purāṇas , we should neither be prejudiced nor credulous about the truth of the facts mentioned in them. We should always follow the middle path and accept only that which seems to be reasonable.

According to V.A. Smith,

“The historian of the remote part of any nation must be content to rely upon tradition as embodied in literature and to acknowledge that the results of his researchers, when based upon traditionally materials are inferior to those obtainable for periods of which the facts are attested by contemporary evidence.”^[6]

A lot of research has been done on the Purāṇas . In addition to a large number of articles written on the subject. The works of F.E. Pargiter are important. Those works are Ancient Indian Historical Tradition and The Dynasties of Kali age. It cannot be denied that there are certain serious shortcomings in the Puāṇas . History is mixed up with fables and folklore. The legends in the Purāṇas are religious and not historical. Some of the things given in the Purāṇas are based on hearsay and are not corroborated from other reliable sources. At some places, the various Purāṇas give conflicting accounts.

Altekar points out that in the dynastic lists, the Purāṇas themselves do not say that each successor in the list was a son or a relative of his predecessor. In many cases, they only say that so and so came after so and so, without indicating any relationship between them. It is certain that in many cases the successor only belonged to the tribe of the predecessor and not to his family.

In his history of Sanskrit literature A. B. Keith has observed thus:

“The Purāṇas , as we have them, contain vast masses of other matter, religious and social, some traces of the activity of court poets who made genealogies, but the value of these notices is of the most limited descriptions; the lists of names and dates alone which is what they normally contribute are regularly, when compared with our more reliable evidence, hopelessly inaccurate showing that at the time when they came into being the interest of genealogists was rather edification by constructing pleasing ancestries than accurate record of facts. It may indeed be doubted whether with the most critical care anything could be retrieved of substantial value additional to other sources of information; hitherto they have been treated only without critical judgment or acumen.”

However, A. B. Keith’s view is obviously prejudiced. He ignores altogether the great value of the information which has already been collated by the efforts of the scholars. He seems to suffer from the old prejudice against the Purāṇas dating from the time of Lord Macaulay. It is high time that the scholars give up their prejudices and give the Purāṇas a due place as a source of ancient Indian history^[7].

The word ‘Purāṇa ’ means ‘old’. The main object of the compilation of the Purāṇas is to preserve old traditions which come down from remote antiquity. They are derived from the same religious system as the Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahābhārata and present peculiarities which point to their belonging to a later period, and to an important modification in the progress of opinion. They are popular sectarian compilations of different periods, of mythology, philosophy, history, geography and the sacred law, intended, as they are now used, for the purpose of religious instruction. A Purāṇa according to an early definition, (‘Purāṇaṃ Pañcalakṣaṇam–Amarakoṣa ) best exemplified by the Viṣṇu Purāṇ , should treat of five subjects, namely, primary creation, secondary creation, genealogies of gods and patriarchs, regions of various Manus and the history of ancient dynasties.

The definition of a Purāṇa as found in the Viṣṇu, Matsya, Vāyu and other Purāṇas is as follows:

sargaśca pratisargaśca vaṃśomanvantarānica
sarveṣvetasu kathyante vaṃśānucaritam ca yat^[8]

This definition, however, is totally inapplicable to some of the Purāṇas , while it applies only partially to others. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa mentions its scope and source in the following words (Viṣṇu Purāṇa III, 6).

Accomplished in the purport of the Purāṇas , Vyāsa compiled a Paurāṇika Saṃhitā , consisting of historical and legendary traditions, prayers and hymns and sacred chronology. He had a distinguished disciple, called Sūta Romaharṣaṇa and to him the great Muni communicated the Purāṇas . Sūta had six scholars: Sumati, Agnivarcas, Mitrāyu, Sansapāyana, Akritavraṇa (called Kaśyapa) and Sāvarṇi. The last three composed three fundamental Saṃhitās , and Romaharṣana himself compiled a fourth called Romahārsaṇika . The substance of these four Samhitās is embodied in this (Viṣṇu) Purāṇa.

Purāṇa is a collection, of various types of knowledge and information. Among the subject history is that topic which is found in abundance in the Purāṇas . We can analyze the history described in Purāṇas by dividing them into three categories–(I) Geographical history (II) Cultural history (III) Human history.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ancient Indian Historiography by G.P. Sing P.-27, 28.

[2]:

Purāṇa–Encyclopedia

[3]:

Ancient India by V.D. Mahajan–P. 14–16

[4]:

Ancient India by V.D. Mahajan–P. 15

[5]:

Ancient India by V.D. Mahajan–P. 15

[6]:

Ancient India by V.D. Mahajan–P. 15 -16

[7]:

Ancient India by V.D. Mahajan.

[8]:

Viṣṇu Purāṇa–III/6/25