Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata and Purāṇas in the Śiśupālavadha

We come to know about the knowledge of the Rāmāyaṇa of Māgha in thirty first verse of ninth canto.

The verse is—

“atha lakṣmaṇā'nugatakāntavapurjaladhiṃ vilaṅghya śaśidāśarathiḥ
parivāritaḥ parita ṛkṣagaṇastimiraugharākṣasakulaṃ vibhide ||” 9.31 ||^[1]

Poet Māgha collected the subject matter of the epic from the Mahābhārata and added newness to it.

There is a similarity between the subject of breaking of thigh of Duryodhana in the Mahābhārata and the Śiśupālavadha.

“ākramayaikāmagrapādena jaṅghāmanyāmū ccairādadānaḥ kareṇa ||
sāsthisvānaṃ dāruvaddāruṇātmā kathāñcinmadhyāt pādayāmāsa dantī ||” 18. 51 ||^[2]

So, Māgha has immense knowledge about the Mahābhārata and purāṇas. Words and facts of the Purāṇa are observed here and there in his epic. He used the names of Gods and demons from Purāṇa. After the Mahābhārata, Purāṇas are counted as universal literature. For the purpose of the expression of the vedic meaning Purāṇas were composed through many years.

The definition of purāṇa is—

“sargaśca pratisargaśca vaṃśo manvantarāṇi ca |
vaśāṃnucaritaṃ ceti purāṇaṃ pañcalakṣaṇam ||” (Vāyupurāṇa)

Poet Māgha collected the subject matter of his epic from the Bhāgvatpurāṇa and viṣṇupurāṇa. Māgha used Muniścirantana (1/15) and Murabhidah (2/20) as kṛṣṇa’s other names which were paurāṇika words similarly Revatī as Kakudmikanyā.

He mentioned the paurānika incident of Dakṣayajña in seventh verse of seventeenth canto and also in the nineteenth canto.

“bhomatāmaparo'mbhodhisame'dhita mahāhave |
dākṣe kopaḥ śivasyeva samedhita mahā have ||”19. 54 ||^[3]

In the above verse context of Purāṇa is found.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ibid., p. 359.

[2]:

ibid., p. 765.

[3]:

ibid., p. 802.