Essay name: Purana Bulletin
Author:
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
The "Purana Bulletin" is an academic journal published in India. The journal focuses on the study of Puranas, which are a genre of ancient Indian literature encompassing mythological stories, traditions, and philosophical teachings. They represent Hindu scriptures in Sanskrit and cover a wide range of subjects.
Purana, Volume 10, Part 1 (1968)
21 (of 138)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
THE STORY OF SOMAKA IN THE MAHABHARATA +1 (3:127-128) AND ITS METAMORPHOSIS IN THE SKANDA MAHĀPURĀNA (3.1-15) Tua aaitianlun BY V. M. BEDEKAR [ महाभारती� सोमकाख्यानस्� स्कान्दमहापुराणे धर्मसखचरितस्� चात्� तुलनात्मकं विवेचन मैतिहासिकदृष्ट्य� प्रस्तूयते � [mahābhāratīya somakākhyānasya skāndamahāpurāṇe dharmasakhacaritasya cātra tulanātmaka� vivecana maitihāsikadṛṣṭyā prastūyate | ] Sen सोमक� नृपतिः स्वपुरोहित- धर्मसखरच हनुमत्कुण्डे स्नात्वा धर्मसखस्� � प्रथमः पुत्रः सुचन्द्र� द्वारा सम्मत्या स्वीयपुत्र� जन्तुं नरमेधयज्ञे बल� दत्व� पुत्र्येष्टियज्ञानुष्ठानद्वारा, शत� पुत्रानलभेताम् � यज्ञ� � मृतः प्रतोधिक स्तिष्ठत� � द्वावप� नृपती एकपुत्रत्वेन भृशं दुःखित� श्रास्ताम्, शत� पत्नीभ्यो शतपुत्राणा� कृते चिन्तितौ यज्ञमतनुताम्, सफलौ चाभवताम् � महाभारते प्रधानयाज्ञिकपुरोहित� प्रेरकत्वे� महती� नारकी यातनामन्वभवत�, सोमकोऽपि तदवलोक्य पीडितो जा� इत्यपि संकेतितो वर्तते � एव� श्रीलेखकमहाशयोऽत्र स्वटिप्पणी सहितमाख्यानद्वयं यथावत् प्रस्तूय, कथानकयोः विकासक्रमं प्रसंगपर�- स्थितिवर्गनादिविश्लेषण पुरःसर� सम्यक् परीक्षितवान� � उभयो� वर्णनसाम्यवैषम्य- प्रदर्शनपूर्वक� सयुक्तिक� सप्रमागमैकात्म्यमुपस्थापयत�, सप्तदशसमानवाक्यान्युदाहृत्� शब्दगत� वैचारिकं � सामञ्जस्यं प्रमाणयत� � परस्पर� द्वयोश्चरितयोः पूर्वापरपरी- क्षणेन महाभारतीयाख्यानस्य आधारभूतमौलिकता, पूर्ववर्तिता, मानवीयमहत्त्व- प्रख्यापकत� � निर्धारिताऽस्त� � तस्य पौराणिकं संस्करणं तु तत्परवति तदनुवा�- मात्� कालान्तर� परिस्थित्यनुकूलं यथारुच� संशोधितरूपमिति प्रतीयत� � तीर्थमाहात्म्य- वर्णनेनापि पुराणीयकथाया� परवर्तित्व� सिध्यत� � मत्स्यवायुपुराणयोरपि संक्षिप्� परिचयात्मक संकेतो महाभारतीयाया एव कथायाः, तस्य� एव निर्देशः [somako nṛpati� svapurohita- dharmasakharaca hanumatkuṇḍe snātvā dharmasakhasya ca prathama� putra� sucandro dvārā sammatyā svīyaputra� jantu� naramedhayajñe bali datvā putryeṣṭiyajñānuṣṭhānadvārā, śata� putrānalabhetām | yajñe na mṛta� pratodhika stiṣṭhati | dvāvapi nṛpatī ekaputratvena bhṛśa� duḥkhitau śrāstām, śata� patnībhyo śataputrāṇāṃ kṛte cintitau yajñamatanutām, saphalau cābhavatām | mahābhārate pradhānayājñikapurohita� prerakatvena mahatī� nārakī yātanāmanvabhavat, somako'pi tadavalokya pīḍito jāta ityapi saṃketito vartate | eva� śrīlekhakamahāśayo'tra svaṭippaṇ� sahitamākhyānadvaya� yathāvat prastūya, kathānakayo� vikāsakrama� prasaṃgapari- sthitivarganādiviśleṣaṇa puraḥsara� samyak parīkṣitavān | ubhayo� varṇanasāmyavaiṣamya- pradarśanapūrvaka� sayuktika� sapramāgamaikātmyamupasthāpayati, saptadaśasamānavākyānyudāhṛtya śabdagata� vaicārika� ca sāmañjasya� pramāṇayati | paraspara� dvayoścaritayo� pūrvāparaparī- kṣaṇena mahābhāratīyākhyānasya ādhārabhūtamaulikatā, pūrvavartitā, mānavīyamahattva- prakhyāpakatā ca nirdhāritā'sti | tasya paurāṇika� saṃskaraṇa� tu tatparavati tadanuvāda- mātra kālāntare paristhityanukūla� yathāruci saṃśodhitarūpamiti pratīyate | tīrthamāhātmya- varṇanenāpi purāṇīyakathāyā� paravartitva� sidhyati | matsyavāyupurāṇayorapi saṃkṣipta paricayātmaka saṃketo mahābhāratīyāyā eva kathāyā�, tasyā eva nirdeśa� ] "श्री रवीन्द्रनाथ टैगो� महोदयैरप� कृ� इत� निबन्धकृदभिमतं मतम् � ] [śrī ravīndranātha ṭaigora mahodayairapi kṛta iti nibandhakṛdabhimata� matam | ] ] There occurs in the Mahābhārata 1 (Mbh. 3.127-128) a story of king Somaka who had only one son and who wanted to have a hundred sons. On the advice of his priest, he offered in & sacrifice his only son-in order to get a hundred sons. In the Skanda Mahāpurāna ( Sh. 3.1.15) there is a story of king Dharmasakha who had only one son and who wanted to get a 1. Mahabharata, critical edition published by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute Poona. 2. Skānda mahāpurana, Sri Venkateshvara Press Edition, Bombay (1909). 3
