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DHURTAKHYANA:
the legends as preserved in present-day texts. Haribhadra is not very particular in mentioning his sources, specifying the work and its author. Usually he refers to them in general terms like Śruti, Purana etc. (I. 14, 31, 35, 53, 89; II. 27, 51; III. 20, 53, 88; IV. 15, 27; V. 11, 64); Bharata1 and Rāmāyaṇa, however, are repeatedly mentioned (I. 14, 31, 35, 41, 82, 85; II. 27, 62; III. 20, 93; IV. 14, 15, 19; V. 60, 119); and there are single references to Visnupurāņa and Aranya-parvan (of the Bharata) and also to Vyasa, the author of Bharata (II. 27; II. 31; I. 41). Once Arthasastra is casually mentioned (V. 1) but not as a source. In the following paragraphs are presented the Legends found in the Dhu., their sources traced by us, and critical remarks on the same in
some cases.
I. *1*. 37-38: FOUR VARNAS IN BRAHMAN'S BODY. Rgveda X. 90. 12; Mahabharata, Aranyaka-parvan (critical ed.), 187. 18.
I. *2*. 39-40: HARA'S MALE ORGAN. Vayupurana (Anandāśrama ed., 1905), chap. 55. 23-28. Verse 26 mentions that they tried to measure its limits for one thousand years.
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I. *3*. 41-51: BIRTH OF KICAKAS (Bharata of Vyāsa). — [?]. Haribhadra specifically mentions the Bharata of Vyasa as his source. According to Mbh., Viraṭaparvan (critical ed.), App. I, p. 313, passage No. 19, Kekaya, a Suta king, had from his wife Malavi one hundred and six sons of whom Kicaka was the most mighty and was appointed as the commander by the Virata king. This is all that we learn about their origin; and in this context the legendary details noted by Haribhadra are not found. Kicaka does mean a hollow bamboo. I. *4*. 52: GANGA FOILED IN HARA'S JATA. Ramayana (Nirnayasagara ed. 1921), Balakanda, 43. 9.- Haribhadra says vasa-sahassam, while in the Rama. we have samvatsara-gaṇān bahūn. I. *5*. 53-7: BIRTH OF BRAHMAN. Mbh., Aranyaka-parvan (critical ed.), App. I, pp. 1084-5, passage No. 27, especially II. 13-30. -There is some verbal agreement with the Mbh. passage; but in this context it is not mentioned that Brahman came out with Danda etc. and that the lotus was stuck, as noted by Haribhadra. According to the Vayupurana, chap. 55. 14, Brahman is equipped with Kamandalu.
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I. *6*. 58-84: i) TILOTTAMA RUINS BRAHMAN'S AUSTERITIES; ii) BIRTH OF DRONACARYA; iii) BIRTH OF SVEDA AND RAKTA-KUNDALIN; iv) KARNA BORN THROUGH THE EAR (Bharata). i) Mbh. Adi. (critical ed.) 201 ff. and Matsyapurāņa (Anandasrama ed. 1907), Adhya. 3. 31 f.; ii) Mbh. Adi. (critical ed.), 57. 89, 121. 3-5, 154. 1-5; iii) Padmapurana (Anandaśrama ed. 1894), Sṛṣṭikhanda, Adhya. 14; iv) [?]. i) According to Adiparvan 201 ff, Viśvakarmian, at the instruction of Pitamaha (203. 10-17), created Tilottama, a veritable mine of jewels of beauty, for the destruction of Sunda and Upasunda.
Jain Education International
1
Haribhadra uniformly mentions Bharata and never Mahabharata.
2 The legend is split up for referential convenience. A story, much similar to No. 1; is found in tho Brhat Kathakosa of Harisena ( Bombay 1943), chap. 99.
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