Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts
by Rajendralala Mitra | 1871 | 921,688 words
These pages represent a detailed description of Sanskrit manuscripts housed in various libraries and collections around the world. Each notice typically includes the physical characteristics, provenance, script, and sometimes even summaries of the content of the Sanskrit manuscripts. The collection helps preserve and make accessible the vast herit...
Page 38
34 "The Bhavishya Purana, as I have it, is a work in a hundred and twenty-six short chapters, repeated by Sumanta to Satanika, a king of the Pandu family. He notices, however, its having originated with Svayambhu or Brahma, and describes it as consisting of five parts; four dedicated, it should seem, to as many deities, as they are termed, Brahma, Vaishnava, Saiva, and Tvashtra; whilst the fifth is the Pratisarga or repeated creation. Possibly, the first part only may have come into my hands; although it does not so appear by the manuscript." The codex under notice comprises the Madhya Tantra or the 3 rd, literally the middle, book. It extends to 3,500 verses, divided into 3 parts ; the first of which contains 25 chapters, the second 17, and the third 11. The first, after the usual preliminaries, describes some of the higher regions. The duties and characteristics of householders, the qualifications of teachers, and the teaching of the Vedas take up several chapters. Consecrations of tanks and religious gifts are also dwelt upon at length. The second part refers to religious duties, the times meet for performing them, and fasts and feasts on particular lunar days. The third dilates on dedications of alms-houses, tanks, wells, trees, &c., in the usual Puranic style. Nowhere is anything said of future events. Beginning. om namah sivaya | khaccham candravadatam karikaramakaraksobha sanjataphenam brahmatipratairbrata niyamaparaih sevitam vipramukhyaih omkaralankrtena tribhuvanaguruna brahmana drstaputam 1 sambhogabhogaramyam jalamasubhaharam pauskaram vah punatu || jayati bhuvanadipa bhaskaro lokakartta jayati ca pratideham sarngadhanva murarih | jayati ca sasimaiाlirudranamabhiseyo jayati sakalamaulibhanumamscitrabhanuh || namaskrtyaprameyaya bhaktaya brahmarupine | puranam sampravaksyami yaduktam brahmayonina || puranasamhitam punyam papraccha romaharsanam | rsaya ucuh | vaktumarhasi casmakam puranartham visarada | muninam vacanam srutva srutah pauranikottamah || pranamya manasa praha gurum satyavatisutam | || suta uvaca | namaskrtya jagadyonim brahmarupadharam sivam | vaksyai pauranikom divyam katham papapranasinim ||