Indian Antiquary Vol 47

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 88

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[MARCH, 1918
MISCELLANEA. VAISHNAVA WORSHIP AND BUDDHISM. actually went up. The " Vishnu-pada" at Gaya
Tix date assigned by Sir R. G. Bhandarkar and Hill is still worshipped and was being worshipped in other scholars to the rise of the Vaishnava cult is too the days of and before the Vayu Purana (600 A. D.). well known to be quoted here. I want to draw The passage is not only important for the history attention to a piece of evidence which carries one of the Vaishnava cult, but throws light also on the aspect of Vaishnava cult to a period not later than religious history of early Buddhism. The custom 700—600 B.C. This was the worship of Trivikrama of worshipping foot-prints, it shows, had been Vishnu, curiously enough the form of worship was already an old institution before the time of the the worship of foot-prints.
Buddha. It probably originated in this Vedic legend The worship was current even before Yaska and of Vishnu's stepping over the earth. His supposed was alluded to by & predecessor of his. That foot-prints (Vishnu-pada) were worshipped by the predecessor was Aurpavabha, who was probably Aitih åsikas and those who believed with them. identical with the Teacher of that name in the
The passage also shows that Gaya had long Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Aurnavâbha is cited
become a sacred place before the Buddha went in several places by Yaska who gives his aitih isiku
there to do his meditation. or legendary and historical interpretations of the
And it was a sacred
place of the orthodox people who derived their Rigveda hymns.
cult from the Rigveda. Commenting on the wellknown Richa facfå ta fa T , Yaska in his Nirukta
I take this opportunity of pointing out that the
identification of the Trivikrama-Vamana Vishnu (Daivata, 6-3-19 ) quotes såkapůņi first, who
with Vasudeva was complete before the Baudhayanaexplains that Vishņu crosses all this with three
dharma-Satras (see II. 5. 9. 10). Also before the steps placing them on the earth, on the antariksha
Baudhayana dharma-Sutras child-Kțishọa (D&mo. (horizon) and on the sky. (af f art
dara) and the cow herd-Kțishna Govinda) were CIENT AY T ATT grapariat known deities (ibid.) 4 This disposes off the view rata :) Then he cites Aurņavabha held by Indian and European scholars that the who takes the verse in the sense that Vishnu
Krishna worship in the child form is post-Christ. literally and physically crossed in the past (7 ) The accepted date of the Baudhayana-dharma. in the manner described by Sakapuni, stepping over Sutras is "before 400 B.C." (Macdonell, Sanskrit the earth, horizon and sky, and he says "in ascend
and sky, and he says "in ascend Literature, p. 259.) ing (he stepped) at the Vishnu-pada on the Gaya Peak"
My own view which will appear in my Tagore HAURŲ facte Tierärdar:
Lectures is that the date is over-estimated by two
centuries. In any case the cowherd and the childAumavabba is referring to the first step prithio
god Krishna was worshipped here before Christ yam and is giving the Aitihasikas' view current in
was born. his time by referring to the “Vishnu-pada" at Gaya Hill from which place, they believed, Vishnu
K, P. JAYASWAL. NOTES AND QUERIES. NOTES FROM OLD FACTORY RECORDS. several months as reformadoe [ volunteers), duely 11. Company's officers obliged to go through performeing there duty, which wben Mr. King has the ranks.
well discharged the Governour will encourage him 13 December 1689. Letter from Elihu Yale and to his Moritta, but in this you must also have Council at Fort St. George to John Vicks and a regard not to discourage our officers whose Council at Conimere. We commend Mr. Kings mar. only hopes is there due succession and preferment siall Inclinations, but first he must well understand which ought duly to be observed to all that the duty of a Sontinall before he climes to an deserve. Records of Fort St. George, Letters from officer as those Gentlemen here did [whom] the Fort St. George, 1689, p. 67. Governour advanced in that Imploy, who served
R. C. T. 1 For Gayd-Peak in the Jatakas, see J. I. 142. • The orthodox worship of foot-prints to-day is confined to Vishnu-pada (Vishnu's footprints) only. 3 Apparently he went there because it was a sacred placé.
In the Anandhirama edition the twelve names Kesava, etc., are given separately. But see Bühler, SRE. XIV. The identity is ostablished by the Vaikhanasa-dharma 80era (lately published) which gives the pratika " Kekava " of the Baudhayana mantra and calls them the twelve names'. (The date of the Vaikhanasa in the present form is cir. 200 B.C. Its earlier shape which can be easily detected goes back before the Buddha's time and Panini, It is quoted by Gautama and Baudhayana and the quoted sutras are to be found in the present Vaikhnasa, I discuss its date and importance in my Tagore Lectures, The MS. known to Europoan scholar wwa later book than the present one.