28. Some Puranic Extracts quoted by Apararka

28. Some Puranic Extracts quoted by Apararka (c. A. D. 1125) and their bearing on the History of Indian Paleography and Education * In my paper¹ on the History of Ink-manufacture in India, I have recorded some recipes which appear to be later than A. D. 1200. The earliest among these recipes is that from a work on alchemy called the Rasaratnakara of Nityanatha Siddha assigned by scholars to about the 13 th century. Since this paper was published I happened to read some portions of the commentary on the Yajnavalkyasmrti by Apararka, who is assigned by M. M. Prof P. V. Kane to A. D. 1125. In the danaprakarana of the Yajnavalkyasmrti (chapter I, prakarana 8,) Yajnavalkya extols or fa in verse 212, In commenting upon this verse Apararka quotes several authorities 2 such as yama, brhaspati, bhavisyo- tara, matsyapurana, nandipura, etc. The long extracts from the three Puranas pertaining to far are important as they contain some literary and paleographical material. These extracts deal with the following topics :- (1) bhavisyottarah -- Worship of pustaka (manuscript), description of masi (ink), f (ink-pot), formula of ink, qualifications of a (writer of MSS), instructions regarding the writing of Mss, depositing MSS in a 3 or monastery, the merit acquired by donating Mss of Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata; endowment for the maintenance of a preceptor (. endowment for providing food, raiment etc. to students and making provision for students pursuing a study of technical sciences and arts ( sastrasastra kalasilpa ), endowment for the constant reading of religious manuscripts in the temples of gods, Siva, Visnu and Surya. ; a (2) -- Donating of the MSS of the following Puranas according to specific vidhis : - ( 2 ) gramtha 10000, brahmapurana, (b) gramtha 55000, padmapurana, (c) gramtha 23000, visnupurana, (d ) gramtha 24000, vayupurana, Poona Orientalist Vol. XIII, Nos. 3 and 4, pp. 9-14. 1 Vide Pracyavani, Vol. III (1946), pp. 1-15. 2 Vide pp. 389-403 of Vol. I of Yajnavalkyasmrti. (Anandashram Sansk. Series, Poona, 1903)

(e) gramtha 18000, bhagavatapurana, (f) gramtha 25000, naradapurana, (g) gramtha 90002 markandeya, (h) gramtha 16000 agneyapurana, (i) gramtha 14500, bhavisyatpurana, (j) gramtha 18000, brahmavaivarta, ( k ) gramtha 11000, lingapurana, (1) gramtha 24000, varahapurana, (m) gramtha 81100, skandapurana, (n) gramtha 10000, vamanapurana, (0) gramtha 17000, kurmapurana (p) gramtha 13000, matsyapurana, (1) gramtha 18000, garudapurana, (r) gramtha 12200, brahmandapurana . (3) nandipurana Importance of sastradana, 14 Vidyas : Vedas,. Vedangas, dharmasastra, purana, mimamsa, tarka, ayurveda, Samaveda, atmavidya, kalavidya, silpavidya, sasyavidya 4 etc. dana of sloka, prahelika, gatha subhasita etc. may be regarded as vidyadana worship of a qualified guru- pustakadana to be carried out in a siva-- mamdira - worship of vacaka s and sravaka s-qualifications of & vacakah-- " vacako brahmanah prajnah srutasastro mahatmanah || abhyastaksaravinyasto vrttasastravisaradah || sabdarthavitpragalbhasca vinito medhayanvitah || gitajno vakyavicchravyasvaro'navilabhasakah | Qualifications of a guruh-- "6 adhyayasargavicchedavibhaktarthaprayojakah | samskarai samskrtam vidyam prakrtaih prakrtamapi || alapamatrairvyakhyanairyasca sisyanprabodhayet | desabhidhanavinyasairbodhayeccapi yo guruh || " sa guruh sa pita mata sa tu cintamanih smrtah | 14 vi bepistr et gain The should read out Mss in the following manner:baiz " sanairvibodhya vai vacyamadhyatmadi ca yadbhavet || kruddhotim yuddhasaksobham dharavartena vacayet || saragalalitairvakyairvacayedavrddhasamgame | (I) 3 The extent of each Purana in granthas indicated here as part of Apararka's commentary would be an important testimony bearing on the extent of each of the 18 Puranas about A. D. 1100, provided these grantha figures are found in the earliest dated Mss of Apararka's commentary and corroborated by other reliable evidence. 4 sasyavidya means possibly the science of agriculture.. It is also called sasyaveda in the following lines of the nandipuranah 2.000. -- " sasyavedapradanena sampanna yasya salayah | kim nama na krtam tatra punyam bhavati sasvatam || " (p. 397 ) Evidently there were some treatises on sasyavidya, which are now lost. The only treatise wo know at present is krsiparasara .

History of Indian Paleography & Education nanavrttanurupena lalityena ca vacayet || sargadhyaya samaptau ca kathaparyanta eva va | prasastapadasamyogaikuryaditi viramanam || samapte vacane'bhistam stuyeddevam vicaksanah | " The effect of listening to the TS is described as following :- " samagra sastrasravanena pumsam sraddhapradhanam bhavatiha cetah ragam ca sastratmakamabhyupaiti dosasca nasam nikhilena yanti || " 15 225 The merit of persenting manuscripts on different as to learned Brahmins is very great. Equally great is the merit of presenting writing materials like patra ( leaves ), masipatra (ink pot), lekhani ( pen) and samputa (box for keeping writing materials ) etc :-- "ye'pi patramasipatralekhani samputadikam | dadyuh sastrabhiyuktaya te'pi vidyapradayinah || yanti lokansubhanmayih punyasloka mahadhiyah || iti vidyapradanasya mahabhagyam prakirtitam || " The foregoing brief analysis of the Puranic extracts quoted by Apararka gives us a good idea of the importance attached to far and its beneficial effects on the educational activities of ancient times prior to 4. D. 1100. In the mechanism of education, so graphically described in these extracts every part had its own importance as the following series of these parts will show :-- - lekhaka pustaka- vacaka . guruh sravaka The idea of acquiring merit (punya) by far prompted the rich and pious public of the day to contribute its mite for keeping this mechanism well oiled and in smooth working, order. The remarks in the Puranic extracts about (scribe) with his writing accessories have a paleographic interest, while those about ( reader ), guru (preceptor) and sravaka (disciple) possess an educational interest. The following lines in the extracts from the Bhavisyottarapurana refer to a formula for ink which appears to have been current before A. D. 1100 :-- " sauvarni lekhani karya raupyam ca masibhajanam | dipajvala samudbhutakajjalena masi bhavet || audumbaramatrapanighrstabolarasanvita | " The pen should be made of gold, the ink-pot should be made of silver. The ink should be prepared form lamp-black mixed up with a

H (juice of aloes or gum-myrrh) and pounded with hand in a tray or vessel ) of Audumbara wood i. e. wood of the udumbara (Ficus Glomerata), which is one of the seven holy trees in India. I cannot say what special purpose was served by the udumbara wood and its contact with the mixture of and ate. In some of the formulas of ink recorded by me the use of cooper vessels for mixing up the ink-ingredients is prescribed, though in these formulae and at remain as main ingredients. In the above formulae from the Bhavisyottara purana we have the simplest process of making ink, which appears to have been in use more than a thousand year ago in India in writing manuscripts on palm leaves, as paper had not then made its appearance in India. The writing outfit then consisted of a box with ink, ink-stand and pens, as also blank leaves (patramasipatralekhani samputadikam ) as expressly stated in the Nandipurana extract quoted by Apararka. This out-fit was presented to the learned men of the day ( dadyuh sastrabhiyuktaya ) with a view to acqiring merit ( punya ). Even today we present to friends sets of writing materials like fountain-pens, ink-stands etc. but it is doubtful whether these accessories have stimulated or facilitated any literary effort in them. They remain on the tables of our friends only for display, at times with a dry ink pot and a broken holder or nib or a leaking fountain-pen. As regards the lamp-black used for ink-manufacture in India from ancient times, I have to state that some product from soot or lamp-black was exported to Greece and Rome for the manufacture of black colour used by painters in these countries as stated by Dr. Albert Neuberger.5 5 Vide pp. 194-195 of Technical Arts and Sciences of the Ancients. ( Eng. Translation by H. L, Brose, Methuen and Co. (1930)-Speaking of Inorganic Dyes and Painter's Colours Dr. Neuberger observes:- - "For making black, soot was the chief source. It was produced as nowadays in special works. Pitch, resin, chips from the pine, beeswax, dried remains of the grape and other substances, were burned in chambers, whose walls were as smooth as possible and in many cases made of polished marble. The soot which deposited itself was scratched off. Further bone black was also in use; it is supposed to have been discovered by the most celebrated painter in Greece namely, Apelles (about 325 B. C.) who produced it by charring ivory. Bone black was extraordinarily dear and was only seldom employed. On the other hand wood-tar was sometimes used, as well as a black derived from India, which is probably identical with our Indian ink, and so likewise represented a product from soot.