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JUNE, 1877.]
ON THE KRISHNAJANMASHTAMI.
169
in its calendaric aspect, with a thorough investigation of the controversy started by Hemadri and Madhava, whether the simple and the Jayanti form of the festival are two different vratas. The quotations adduced from the Puranas are mostly those already known, T but a few other works and authors are also added, e.g. Anantabhatta, Chûdâ mani, Madanaratna, &c. (see Aufrecht, loc. cit. pp. 277-280); the differing views of the Gau das and Maithilas are particularly reflected upon several times (once, e.g., in the following order : Madanaratn 1- Nirnayámrita-'nantabhatta-Gauda-Mai. thilagranthadishu). According to a statement in the Mudanaratna purporting to have been taken from the Vahni Purana, the festival may also be celebrated every month on every "eighth ;" whoever does this throughout a whole year is proprised an abundant reward.* The description of the festival itself (fol. 246-25a) is based on the Bhavishya Purana, or rather on Hemdri's quotation from it.
The eighth place may be assigned to Bhattoji Dikshita's (Bhd.) Sankshepatithinirnaya (Chambers 625). According to Colebrooke's Misc. Ess. II. 12 (1801) the authorlived" between one and two centuries ago ;" and according to Hall (Index, p. 156) not much before A.D. 1676. He puts together the calendaric statements in a compressed form (fol. 9b to 10a), referring to the antagonistic views of Hem ådri and Madhava in respect to the Jayanti (Hemddris tu : Jayantivratar na bhinnam.) The celebration of the festival is touched on but slightly by him, as he refers the reader to Hemâdri.
In the ninth place the Vratarája (Vr.) of Visvanatha, composed at Banáras A.D. 1736, is at least briefly to be mentioned. The sectiont treating of the subject presents, however, almost nothing particular, but is, with a few
omissions, or additions, identical with the corresponding passage in the Vratarka of Sarkara. whence it has been directly taken without acknowledgment.
In the tenth place the description of the festival is to be mentioned which occurs in a ritual of the Vaishnavas, calendarically arranged bearing the name Másakritya (Ms.) (Chambers 282, Catal. of the Berlin Sanskrit MSS. p. 335). It is entirely of a ritual character (fol. 32-33), and breaks off abruptly. Here the Jayanti form of the festival is treated quite separately (fol. 250-26b = J.), and is placed, moreover, on the twelfth ; see the remarks made on this in the course of this treatise in connection with the statements from the Varáha Purana. The date of the work is not known.
In the eleventh place, I mention the janmdshtami-vratodyapanum (Ud.), which treats ex. clusively of the festival in question, and which exists in a Berlin MS. (Chambers 606 f. fol. 9). without date, but evidently modern. It is composed in prose, of a purely ritual kind, and contains one reference to the Bhagavata. Conf. herewith what has already been observed in the 2. der D. M. G. VI. 93, Catal. of the Berlin Sanskrit MSS. p. 338. Devakî is, on the occasion of a pája dedicated to her, invoked under various names belonging to Durgå, finally even as Durga herself.
The twelfth place may be occupied by the Dharmasindhusára of Kasin åthopadhyâya (Kd.), though composed only in A.D. 1790, but is highly valuable for its rich contents. Here the festival is considered in two parichhedas. fol. 176 to 22a of the Bombay edition ; first, namely, from a calendar view, with an accurate statement of the time measured by nadi and pala (to fol. 196), and then from a ritual aspect. In both respects the author adheres to the
Among others also a quotation from the Brahmanda Purona (fol. 22a), utilized already by Hem&dri according to K. Bh., is new :
sbhijin nama nakshatram Jayanti nama sarvari muhurto vijayo nama yatra jato Janardanah. Conf. with this Harivansa, v. 3320; the passage is of interest because it men. tions another nakshatra-Abhijit, rot Rohini-as that under which Krishna's birth took place (see below). Fur. tber, a few quotations from the Vahnipurdna, -thas, fol. 22a :
Tretåyåm Dv&pare chaiva rijan Křitayuge tath& rohin sahità chegar vidvadbhih samuposhital and fol. 33a (after Hem&dri): atab paran mahipala samprapte támase kalau 1 janmans VAdevasya bhavita vratam attamam. (It is surprising that K. quotes by the side of the Vahnipurna also the Agni Purana, both according to Hem&dri, --see here, and
above, p. 164,--whilst under both names the same work ought to be understond; we are evidently to conclude front this that two each Puranas cxisted.) Lastly, a quotation from Vysa-janmishtamir purvaviddhim sarikshamn sakulam api vihảya navamim suddhim uposhya vratan achared iti
• madanaratne Vahninrane: pratim sam cha te pujám ashtamyarn yah karishyati mama chaiva 'khilan kimin sa sampr&peynty asamsayarl tatha: anena vidhin & yas ta pratim sann nareávara karoti vatsaram purnar yavad Agamanam harehdadylchhayam (susampurnim gobbi ratnair alamkritâm. Il
It embraces fol. 961-1041 of the Bombay edition (on which see Z. der D. M. G. XVII. 782) and fol. 1810.1937 of an Oxford MS., on which see Aufrecht, Catalogtce, . 285a.
I See 2. der D.M.G. XVII., 783-5.
