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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[NOVEMBER, 1910.
These are the documents from which it may be inferred that Bhagavatism or Vâsudêvism was not founded by Krishna Vasudeva, as Dr. G. A. Grierson says on page 3 of his Nârâyanîya and the Bhagavatas' (Indian Antiquary, 1908)3; but it may be safely said that Krishna Vâsudêva was most decidedly a propagator or promulgators of that religion.
In this same paper (loc. cit.) Dr. Grierson further says: "Krishna Vasudeva. must be identified with the Krishna Dêvaktputra, mentioned as a disciple of Ghôra Angiras in Chhandogyo-'panisad III. 17, 6." Why should the two be identified? Is it because the disciple of Ghôra Angiras happens to bear the matronymic Dêvakî-putra, i. e., the son of Dêvak!, which Sri Krishna also bore? But no identification should so hastily be established or conceived, simply from similarity of names. For such similarities are a legion in Indian literature, and much historical confusion is, therefore, likely to occur. Further, there is no vindication for this identification in view of the fact that Ghôra Angiras is never mentioned as the Tutor of Krishna Dêvaki-putra (=Krishna Vasudeva, by the bye) in any of the several treatises dealing with Sri Krishna, for instance, Vishnu-Purana, Sri-Bhagavata, Mahabharata or Harivansa. Whereas, in all these treatises, Sândîpani is the real Tutor of Krishna Vasudeva, who is also of course Krishna Dêvakiputra. But the other Krishna Dêvaki-putra3, who is the pupil of Ghôra Angiras is quite a different personage altogether, is further made clear from Sri Madhva's (= Purga-Prajña) Bhashya on the Chhandogya passage under discussion. This is what he writes there:
"Sakshât sa Bhagavan Vishnuh tan-nâmaiko munir hy abhût | Krishnas tu Vâsudêvâ 'kbyaḥ Parama-tmaiva kevalam || tan-nama Dêvaki-putras | tv anyo 'py abhavad añjasâ Kapilô Vasudeva 'khyaḥ Sakshad Narayanah prabhuḥ || tan-nâmâ Kapilô 'nyas tu Sishya namna saha 'bhavat | Sa shoḍaśa-satam jîvî Mahidûso paras tv rishiḥ || Ghora-sisbyas tatha Krishnah Kapilaś cha ku-sâstra-krit || traya êtê varam prâpya | Brahmanaḥ paramêshthinah |
Krita-krityâh pra-mumuduh |
tan-nâmânas cha tê 'bhavan" (Kalakiye.)
That the two Vasudevas are different is also evident from the verse :-" Vasudeva sutasya pi'sthapanom Vasudeva vat" [Pancharatra, Pädma, III. 29, 28].
Hence, in the light of these remarks one needs be over-cautious before establishing identities between personages from mere similarity of names, particularly in Hindu literature.
176].
Ante. Vol: xxxvii, p. 253.
"Vasudev Apatyatvê dvigaṭka-'dhyatmam niyachhati-'ti Vasudevaḥ" (Sahasra-nama-bhagya, Name 714). Devakt also means Brahma-vidya. Read: "Devakyam Brahma-vidyavām" [Brihad-Brahma-Samhita, II, 4,
