Volume 5 (1879)

34
"The Bhavishya Purána, as I have it, is a work in a hundred and
twenty-six short chapters, repeated by Sumanta to S'atáníka, a king of
the Páńdu family. He notices, however, its having originated with
Svayambhu or Brahmá, and describes it as consisting of five parts;
four dedicated, it should seem, to as many deities, as they are termed,
Bráhma, Vaishnava, S'aiva, and Tváshtrá; 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
3rd, 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 qua-
lifications 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 Puráṇic style. Nowhere is anything said of future events.
Beginning. ॐ नमः शिवाय । खच्छं चन्द्रावदातं करिकरमकरक्षोभ सञ्जातफेणं
ब्रह्मतिप्रतैर्ब्रत नियमपरैः सेवितं विप्रमुख्यैः
ॐकारालङ्कृतेन त्रिभुवनगुरुणा ब्रह्मणा दृष्टपूतं
[oṃ namaḥ śivāya | khacchaṃ candrāvadātaṃ karikaramakarakṣobha sañjātapheṇaṃ
brahmatipratairbrata niyamaparaiḥ sevitaṃ vipramukhyaiḥ
oṃkārālaṅkṛtena tribhuvanaguruṇā brahmaṇā dṛṣṭapūtaṃ
] 1 सम्भोगाभोगरम्यं जलमशुभहरं पौष्करं वः पुनातु ॥
जयति भुवनदीपा भास्करो लोककर्त्ता जयति च प्रतिदेहं शार्ङ्गधन्वा मुरारिः ।
जयति च शशिमैालीरुद्रनामाभिषेयो जयति सकलमौलिभानुमांश्चित्रभानुः ॥
नमस्कृत्याप्रमेयाय भक्ताय ब्रह्मरूपिणे ।
पुराणं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि यदुक्तं ब्रह्मयोनिना ॥
पुराणसंहितां पुण्यां पप्रच्छ रोमहर्षणं ।
ऋषय ऊचुः । वक्तुमर्हसि चास्माकं पुराणार्थं विशारद ।
मुनीनां वचनं श्रुत्वा स्रुतः पौराणिकोत्तमः ॥
प्रणम्य मनसा प्राह गुरुं सत्यवतीसुतं ।
।।
सूत उवाच । नमस्कृत्य जगद्योनिं ब्रह्मरूपधरं शिवं ।
वक्ष्यै पौराणिकों दिव्यां कथां पापप्रणाशिनीं ।।
[sambhogābhogaramyaṃ jalamaśubhaharaṃ pauṣkaraṃ vaḥ punātu ||
jayati bhuvanadīpā bhāskaro lokakarttā jayati ca pratidehaṃ śārṅgadhanvā murāriḥ |
jayati ca śaśimaiाlīrudranāmābhiṣeyo jayati sakalamaulibhānumāṃścitrabhānuḥ ||
namaskṛtyāprameyāya bhaktāya brahmarūpiṇe |
purāṇaṃ sampravakṣyāmi yaduktaṃ brahmayoninā ||
purāṇasaṃhitāṃ puṇyāṃ papraccha romaharṣaṇaṃ |
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | vaktumarhasi cāsmākaṃ purāṇārthaṃ viśārada |
munīnāṃ vacanaṃ śrutvā srutaḥ paurāṇikottamaḥ ||
praṇamya manasā prāha guruṃ satyavatīsutaṃ |
||
sūta uvāca | namaskṛtya jagadyoniṃ brahmarūpadharaṃ śivaṃ |
vakṣyai paurāṇikoṃ divyāṃ kathāṃ pāpapraṇāśinīṃ ||
]