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Purana, Itihasa and Akhyana [辫耻谤腻峁嘺尘, 颈迟颈丑腻蝉补岣�, 膩khy膩na帽ca] By Shri Anand Swarup Gupta; I/c. PuranaDepartment, All-India Kashiraj Trust, Fort Ramnagar, Varanasi. / 451-461

[ vaidikakaladeva puranamitihasa akhyanamityete visayah parasparam sambaddhah purakascasan | vaidikavanmaye (atharvavede, brahmanagranthesu, upanisatsu sutragranthesu ca ) tesam nirdesah prapyante | parantu tatraitanna nisciyate yat puranani, itihasah, akhyanani ca tada prthaka grantha- rupenavidyanta, uto va brahmanagranthadisuktanam pracinakathanam srstyadi- varnanaparakavakyanam ca rupena | kevalam srapastambadhamamsutrastha nirde sairevedam jnayate yad apastambakale puranani grantharupanyasan | vaidikottarakale tu purananamitihasanamakhyananam caneke nirdesah smrtigranthesu, mahabharate puranesu ca vidyante, ye etesam visayanam grantharupatvam prakatayanti | tathapi puranoktairbahubhirvacanairidam jnayate yat prthak prthak puratanakatha api puranadisabdairnidista babhuvuh| 'purana ', 'itihasa ', 'akhyana ' ityete sabdah paryayarupenapi pracinadharmikakathasu, itihasakathasu, dharmika kathagranthesu, itihasagranthesu ca prayuktah prapyante | atah vayu- puranam 'itihasah ', brahmapuranam 'akhyanam ', ca tatra tatra kathyante | sarvo'yam visayo'tra sopapattikam sodaharanam ca vimarsitah | ] . Purana, Itihasa and Akhyana have all been allied subjects since the early Vedic times. They have been regarded as supplement to each other and referred to sometimes separately (i. e. in separate contexts) and sometimes together in the same context in the Vedic as well as in the Smrti and Puranic literature. Again, these terms have been used sometimes in separate senses and sometimes in an identical sense. Study of Purana is facilitated by the correct understanding of these three terms. It is proposed. here to discuss them in their various senses and uses. 1. Purana and Itihasa as separate subjects The words 'purana' and 'itihasa' are found used (1) sometimes together and ( 2 ) sometimes separately. The latter use (2)

452 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 2 is found scattered in the Puranas and other literature, the former (1) is discussed below. When they have been used together, they have been" used either (a) in compound or (b) as separate words. A few examples are given below. (a) Itihasa and Purana used in compound : - (i) madhvahutayo ha va eta devanam yadanusasanani vidya vakovakya- mitihasapuranam gatha narasamsirityaharahah svadhyayamadhite || (Sat. Br. X 5. 6.8) 1 (ii) atharvangirasa eva madhukrta itihasapuranam puspam ... te va ete'tharva - ngirasa etaditihasapuranamabhyata paratasyabhitaptasya yasasteja indriyam viryamannadyam raso'jayata || (Cha. Up. III. 4. 1. 2) (iii) sa hovaca rgvedam bhagavo'dhyemi yajurvedam samavedamatharvanam caturtha- mitihasapuranam pancamam vedanam veda ...|| (iv) ya eta itihasapuranesvagnyadyah samkirtyante nakasadasta devatah || (Cha. Up. VII. 1. 2) (Sabara on Jaim. SU. X. 4. 23)8 (Daksa II. 69,3a || (Matsya-P., 69, 55) (v) itihasapuranadyaih sasthasaptamakau nayet | (vi) itihasapuranani vacayitva'tivahayet | taddinam narasardula . 1. Cf. Kane : History of Dharma's istra, V, fn. 1326. Cf. also Pargiter : Ancient Indian Historical Tradition, p., 56. 2. In this passage of the Cha Up. Itihasa and Purana are both connected with the Atharva-Veda. On account of this connection we get in the AV references to Purana and Itihasa. Samkara explains this passage as follows: atharvana angirasa ca drsta mantra sratharvangirasah karmani prayukta madhukrtah | itihasapuranam puspam | tayoscetihasapuranayorasvameghe pariplavasu ratrisu karmangatvena viniyogah siddhah | 3. Cf. Kane, op. cit., fn. 1341. 3a. cf. also Garuda-p., I. 213. 158. Vide Kane, op. cit., fn. 1335.

July, 1964] PURANA, ITIHASA AND AKHYANA (b) Itihasa and Purana used as separate words :- 453 (i) sa brhatim disamanuvyacalat | tamitihasasca puranam ca gathasca narasamsiscanuvyacalan || (Atharva-Veda XV. 6. 10-11) 4 (ii) athastame'han tanupadisatitihaso vedah so'yamiti kaciditihasa macaksit | atha navame'han tanupadisati puranam vedah so'yamiti kimcitpuranamacaksita || (Sat. Br. XIII. 4. 3. 12-13) (iii) sa diso'nvaiksata pracim daksinam praticimudicim dhruvamurdhvamiti | tastatraivabhyasramyadabhyatapatsamatapat tabhyah srantabhyastaptabhyah santaptabhyah panca vedan niramimata sarpavedam pisacavedamasuraveda- mitihasavedam puranavedamiti | sa khalu pracya eva disah sarpavedam niramimata, daksinasyah pisacavedam praticya asuravedamudicya itihasavedam ghubayascordhvayasca puranavedam | || (Gopatha-Br. 1. 10) (iv) asya mahato bhutasya nissvasitametad yad rgvedo yajurvedah sama- vedo'tharvangirasah itihasah puranam | (Br. Up., II. 4. 10) (v) svadhyayam sravayet pitrye dharmasastrani caiva hi | akhyananitihasamsca puranani khilani ca | (Manu. 3. 232) (vi) srutvadau yogasastrani gurumaradhya bhaktitah | itihasam puranam ca vedamscaiva vicaksanah || (Brahma-P., 234. 4) From the above quotations it is clear that here 'purana' and 'itihasa' have been used in separate senses. In the Atharva-Veda, Brahmanas and Upanisads both Itihasa and Purana seem to mean the particular kinds of passages in the Brahmanas. According to Sayana (Comm. on Sat. Br. XIII. 4. 3) Itihasa means such cosmological myths as 'in the beginning there was nothing but water' and Purana means stories such as that of Pururavas and Urvasi. But Samkara in his Bhasya on Br. Up. (II. 4. 10, quoted above) reverses these definitions of Itihasa and Purana. According to him Itihasa is such stories in the Brahmanas as of Urvasi and Pururavas, and Purana means such cosmological descriptions as 'in the beginning it 4. Kane, op. cit., fn. 1325. 5-6. Ibid., fn. 1326. 25

454 puranam - PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 2 (the universe) was non-existent ("itihasa iti - - urvasipururavasoh samvadadih, 'urvasi hyapsarah ' ityadi brahmanameva | puranam " asadva idamana srasit ' ityadi | " ) | According to the Sat. Br. (XIII. 4. 3. 12 f, quoted above) Itihasa is to be recited on each 8th Pariplava night and the Purana on each 9th Pariplava night in the circle of ten such nights for the whole year in the Asvamedha Sacrifice ('evametatparyayasah samvatsaramacaksit | dasamim dasamim samapayan ', asva . srau . X. 7. 9f .). This shows that Itihasa and Purana were separate. In the Gopatha-Brahmana ( 1. 10, passage quoted above) the five Vedas, viz. sarpaveda, pisacaveda, asuraveda, itihasaveda and puranaveda, are connected with different directions or quarters. Of these five Vedas the fagra is connected with the udici (north) and the ga is connected with the dhruva (i.e. the quarter directly under the feet) and the urdhva (i.e. the region above, or the point of the sky overhead). Further in the same passage the five Maha-Vyahrtis, viz. vrdhat, karata, guhat, mahat and tat are said to be produced respectively from the above-mentioned five Vedas; and thus is said to be produced from the itihasaveda and tat is said to be produced from the puranaveda .' Whatever may be the interpretation of this passage of the Gopatha Br., but so much is clear that this passage takes the Itihasa-Veda and the Purana-Veda as separate classes of works; for they are related to separate directions and are said to be the sources of separate maha-vyahrtis The word Purana as an adjective means 'ancient, old' by the etymology 'pura navam bhavati ' as given by Yaska. In the Rgveda this word is found used in this adjectival sense only. Its earliest 7. Cf. sa tan panca vedanabhyasramyadabhyatapatsamatapat tebhyah srantebhyas taptebhyah samtaptebhyah panca mahavyahrtiniramimata vrdhat karad guhan mahat taditi | vrrdhaditi sarpavedat karaditi pisacavedat gudavyasuravedat, mahaditihasavedat taditi puranavedat || (Gpatha. Br. 1. 10 ) 8. puranam kasmat ? pura navam bhavati | (Nir. 3. 4. 2).

July, 1964] PURANA, ITIHASA AND AKHYANA 455 use as a noun in the sense of 'ancient lore or old story' (or 'works containing ancient lore and old stories') is found in the AtharvaVeda and the Brahmanas as shown in the quotations given above. The word itihasa means 'a story of fact or traditional history,' and it is analysed as 'iti ha asa' ('thus really it was'). ' In the AtharvaVeda (XV. 6. 10-11 ; quotation given above) and in the Brahmanas the word 'itihasa' seems to be used only in the sense of a factual story. Yaska clearly uses the word itihasa in this sense¹0, and later on we find this word used in this sense in the Puranas also." It seems, however, that in the earlier periods the word 'Purana' connoted both the senses, and any old story or ancient lore whether imaginary or factual was termed as 'Purana'. This use of the word purana we first find in the Atharva-Veda,12 and later on in the Puranas also.13 Afterwards a distinction seems to be made between a mythical or imaginary story and a factual or historical story, the former was termed as 'Purana' and the latter as 'Itihasa'. That is why in many passages of the Brahmanas and in the Atharva-Veda also (quotations given above) itihasa and purana are used together as itihasa-purana. As already mentioned above, the word 'purana' alone is also found used in the sense of both 'Purana' (an old myth or imagipary story) and 'Itihasa' (a factual story as distinguished from an imaginary story) in the old Vedic literature, but there the word 9. cf nidanabhutah 'iti ha evam asit ' iti ya ucyate sa itihasah | (Durga's Comm. on Nir., 2. 3. 1). 10. Cf. tatretihasamacaksate devapiscarstisenah santanusca kauradhyau bhratarau babhuvatuh ....| (Nir. 2. 3. 1) ; and tatretihasamacaksate - visvamitra rsih sudasah paijavanasya purohito babhuva| (Ibid. 2.7 2). 11. Cf. atrapyudaharantimamitihasam puratanam | (Matsya-P., 72.6 ; etc. 12. Cf. rcah samani chandamsi puranam yajusa saha | ucchistajajnire sarve divi deva divisritah || ( AV. XI. 7.24) 13. Cf. puranam sarvasastranam prathamam brahmana smrtam | Matsya, 3.3 ; Vayu, 60.1; Bd. I. 1.40). puratanasya kalpasya puranani vidurbudhah | (Matsya, 53.62)

456 puranam -- PURANA [Vol. VI., No. 2 itihasa' is not found used alone in the sense of both an imaginary tale and a factual story. Hence once purana was a wider term and included both Purana and Itihasa. The Yajnavalkya-Smrti mentions only 'Purana' (and not 'Itihasa' or 'Itihasa-Purana') as one of the fourteen sthanas (sources) of dharma.14 But Itihasa has also been called a Dharmasastra¹5; so Yajnavalkya here seems to include Itihasa also in Purana. Similarly the Visnu-Purana includes only 'Purana' (meaning thereby both Purana and Itihasa) among the fourteen (or eighteen) Vidyas.16 Kautilya, however, includes Purana in Itihasa - 'puranamitivrttamakhyayi kodaharanam dharmasastramatham fag:(1. 5). Vedartha-dipika also calls all the old stories (whether imaginary or factual), which it cites, as itihasa.17 But later on Puranas tended to become encyclopaedic works and tried to include all subjects (including Itihasa) of human interest. Thus there are four clear stages of the scope of Purana and Itihasa :- (1) Purana included Itihasa also, as in the Atharva-Veda and some of the Puranas. (2) Purana and Itihasa separate (as in the Vedic and Puranic quotations given above). (3) Itihasa included Purana also, as in Kautilya's Artha- sastra and Vedartha-dipika. (4) Puranas tended to include Itihasa and all other subjects of human interest.18 14. purananyayamimamsadharmasastrangamisritah | vedah sthanani vidyanam dharmasya ca caturdasa || (Ya. Sm, 1.3) 15. Mahabharata calls itself 'Itihasa' as well as 'Dharmasastra' ( arthasastramidam proktam dharmasastramidam mahat ) (MBh., Ch. itihasottamadasmajjayante kavibuddhayah | (Ibid., 385 ab). sastra cf. also Bhav.-P., I. 1. 54 ff. 16. Cf. Vis.-P., III. 6. 28. 17. VidPargiter, op. cit., p. 36. 18. CF. srnu vatsa pravaksyami purananam samuccayam | Press. ed., I. 2.383 ab) ; For MBh. as Dharma- yasmijnate bhavejjnatam vanmayam sacaracaram || (Nar. P., I. 92.21)

July, 1964] PURANA, ITIHASA AND AKHYANA 457 Purana and Itihasa mean single stories as well as compilations or works containing such stories (and other matter such as topics on dharma etc.). Puranas as separate class of works are first referred to in the Apastamba-Dharma-Sutra 20 In the Tait. Ar. (II. 10) also the words purana and itihasa are used in plural, and seem to be applied to separate classes of works. The ManuSmrti (3,232, quoted in (b) (v) above) also uses these words in plural in the sense of separate classes of works, as Medhatithi explains - 'itihasa mahabharatadayah | puranani vyasadipranitani srstvadivarnana- rupani | " It seems that like a number of the Puranas, there were also a number of Itihasas (Mahabharata and others, as Medhatithi and other commentators remark). The Linga-Purana besides mentioning the eighteen Puranas (Brahma-P., and others) and Upapuranas (Saura etc.), also mentions several other Itihasas than the Mahabharata (such as Saiva etc.).21 2. Purana and Akhyana as separate. (a) Akhyana a part of Purana Puranas are said to be compiled by Vyasa from the material supplied by akhyanas (stories), upakhyanas (episodes), gathas (stanzas handed down from the ancient times) and Kalpajoktis (lore coming down from the age, Pargiter; words or descriptions relating to the kalpas, Kane). 22 Thus according to this statement akhyana is one of the four ingredients of the Purana. 19. For Purana as a single story cf. Vam.-P. 57. 72; 60. 78; 87. 28; 90. 45; etc. For Itihasa as a single story cf. Matsya 72. 6; Brahma-P., 131. 2. ; etc.. 20. Cf. Ap. Dh. Su. I. 6. 19. 13; 10. 29. 7; II. 9. 23. 6; 9. 24. 6 quoted in Kane, op. cit., p. 817; and referred to by Pargiter, op. cit., pp. 43 ff. with English translation. 21. Cf. Linga-P., I. 26. 28 ab - 'punyanamitihasanam saivadinam tathaiva ca | ' 22. prakhyanaisvapyupakhyanairgayabhih kalpajoktibhih * | puranasamhitam cakre puranarthamvisaradah || 11 (Bd. II. 34. 21; Vayu 60. 21; Vis. III. 6. 15) * kalpajoktibhih Bd; kalpasuddhibhih ( Correct assertainments of the Kalpas, Kane), Vis.; : Vauu.

458 puranam - PURANA ! Vol. VI., No. 2 According to the Skanda-Purana (VII. 2. 84 ) the Puranas are said to be mainly consisting of the five angas (parts, i. e. five characteristics or panca laksanas) and the remaining topics or subject-matters of the Purana are collectively called akhyana (pancangani puranasya cakhyanamitarat smrtam | ). Thus Purana has a wider scope, and akhyana is merely a part of the Purana. 23 (b) akhyana and Purana as separate worlesManu ( 3.232) prescribes that that Veda, Veda, Dharmasastras, Akhyanas, Itihasas, Puranas and Khilas should be recited in the sraddha :- - svadhyayam sravayet pitrye dharmasastrani caiva hi | akhyananitihasamsca puranani khilani ca || This implies that all these formed the separate classes of sacred works. Medhatithi (the famous commentator on Manu) explains these terms as follows:- svadhyayo vedah | | manvadigrantha dharmasastrani | akhyanani sauparna- maitravarunadini ...... | itihasa mahabharatadayah | puranani vyasadi- pranitani srstyadivarnanarupani | khilani srisuktamahanamnikadini | Thus Akhyanas and Puranas (as well as Itihasas) were once treated as separate classes of works. 3. Purana, Itihasa and akhyana as identical The words purana, itihasa and akhyana have also been taken as synonyms and applied to the same stories and works. A few examples are given here. (a) Applied to the same stories (i) pulastya uvaca - etadakhyanakam purvamagastyena maharsina | ramaya kathitam rajamstena vaksyami sampratam || bhisma uvaca- 23. The Matsya-reading (Printed edns, 53. 64) differs from it, but some of the Mss. of the Matsya agree with the reading of the Skanda-P. see Infra.

July, 1964] PURANA, ITIHASA AND AKHYANA kasminvamse samutpanno raja'sau nrpasattamah | yasyagastyena gaditascetihasah puratanah || (Pad.-P., An. edn, V, 32. 9-10) (ii) atrapyudaharantimamitihasam puranam paramam punyam puratanam | sarvapapaharam subham || kumarena ca lokanam namaskrtya proktam cedam mamakhyanam devarse pitamaham | brahmasununa || (Ibid., VI. 29. 1-2) (iii) itihasamimam punyam sandilyo'pi munisvarah | citrakutastho brahmanandapariplutah || akhyanametatparamam pavitram srutam sakrdvai videhedadhaugham || pathate (Ibid,, 193. 90-91 ab) (b) Applied to the same works or compilations. 24 (i) Vayu and Bd. Puran is called Itihasa idam yo brahmano vidvanitihasam puratanam | srnuyacchravayedva'pi tatha'dhyapayate'pi ca || dhanyam yasasyamayusyam punyam vedaisva sammatam | ( Bd. sammitam ) krsnadvaipayanenoktam puranam brahmavadina | (Vayu, 103.48, 51; Bd.-P., IV. 4. 47, 50) (ii) Brahma-Purana called Akshyana :- idam yah sraddhaya nityam puranam vedasammitam | yah pathecchrnuyanmartyah sa yati bhuvanam hare ||27 | trih sandhyam yah pathed vidvandraddhaya susamahitah | idam varisthamakhyanam sa sarvamipsitam labhet || 30 || (Br. P., an. edn., Adh. 245) 459 (iii) Mahabharata called Purana, Akshyana and Itihasa :- dvaipayanena yatproktam puranam paramarsina | surairbrahmarsibhiscaiva srutva yadabhipujitam || 17|| 24. Cf. also Pargiter, op. cit., p. 35. and its footnotes 4.7.

puranam - PURANA 460 tasyakhyana varisthasya [Vol. VI., No. 2 vicitrapadaparvanah | 18 pu0 | bharatasyetihasasya punyam gramtharthasamyutam | 16 pu0 | samhitam srotumicchami punyam papabhayapaham || 21 u0 || (MBh., Ch. Press. edn., I. 1. 17-21 ) yo vidyacaturo vedan sangopanisado dvijah | na cakhyanamidam vidyannaiva sa syad vicaksanah || " (Ibid. I. 2. 382) - (iv) Mahabharata called Bharatakhyana yattu saunakasatre te bharatakhyanamuttamam | janamejayasya tatsatre vyasasisyena dhimata || kathitam vistarartham ca yasovirya mahiksitam | (Ibid. I. 2 33 f.) (v) Purana called Puranakhyana :- tamajam visvakarmanam citpatim lokasaksinam | puranakhyana jijnasurbrajami saranam prabhum || (Vayu-P., 1. 6) puranakhyanakam vipra nanakalpasamudbhavam | vahuvistaram || (Nar.-P., I. 92. 5) nana kathasamayuktamadbhutam (vi) Five angas in the Puranas called akhyanaka : pancangani puranesu akhyanakamiti smrtam | 26 sargasca pratisargasca vamso manvantarani ca | vamsanucaritam caiva puranam pancalaksanam || - (Matsya-P., 53. 64) 25. Cf. yo vidyaccaturo vedan sangopanisado dvijah | na cetpuranam samvidyannaiva sa syad yicaksanah || (Vayu. P., Venk ed., I. 1. 180 ). 26. The Skanda - P. (VII. 2.84 ab) reads this line as follows :- pancangani puranasya cakhyanamitarat smrtam | The next two lines are the same as in the Matsya. Thus, according to the Sk. P. Akhyana is other than the five characteristics of the Purana, while according to the Matsya (Vulgate) the five characteristics in the Purana are called akhyana (-ka). The Mss of the Matsya. P. collated by the Purana-Dept. of the Kashiraj Trust have the following variants of the Matsya line:

July, 1964] PURANA, ITIHASA AND AKHYANA 461 Thus Purana, Itihasa and Akbyana which were treated as separate subjects and works, became, in course of time identical. Akhyanas became essential ingredients of both Itihasa and Purana, and Itihasa became absorbed in Purana, with the result that Itihasa and Purana came to be similarly defined, e. g.- (1) Itihasa - 'itihasah puravrttam ' (Amarakosa, I, 5.4) (2) Purana- 'puranam puravrttam ' (Nilakantha on MBh. I. 5.1) 26 " pancangani puranesu akhyanakamiti smrtam | " 19 53 "" vyakhyanamiti tatsmrtam | puranasya prakhyanamiti tatsmrtam | ww tadakhyanamiti smrtam | (1 Ms.) (Matsya, 53.64) (2 Mss. ) (1 Ms.) " " vyakhyanamiha tatsmrtam | (1Ms. ) 99 19 akhyanamitarat smrtam | (6 Mss.) "; vyakhyanamitarat smrtam | (5 Mss.) " " "" vyakhyatamiti tatsmrtam | vyakhyatani maya tava | (1 Ms.) (5 Mss.)