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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
ANTIQUITY OF THE PAÑCARĀTRA
15
Vaišampāyana and attained high prominence by the time the Nārāyaniya was composed, which refers to the Gīta respectfully and must therefore have followed the latter after a long time. Bhandarkar,' however, places the time of Gītā not later than the beginning of the 4th century B. C.
There are other minor evidences to determine the antiquity of the Pañcaratras, for instance, the one furnished by the Brahmasūtras. But it is well-known that the Brahmasútra refers to the leading schools of the Mahāyāna thought such as the Sarvästivādas and Vijñānavāda,' and, therefore, cannot have an antiquity earlier than the 3rd or the 4th century A. D. unless it is assumed that the portions mentioning the Buddhist doctrines are spurious or interpolations. This also, therefore, does not carry the investigator any further.
Another interesting evidence is furnished by two ancient Tamil works, namely, the Silappadikāram and Paripadalo which refer to the Garudadhvaja and the Sankarşaņa, Väsudeva and Aniruddha images. The second work which is a product of the 2nd century A. D. also states that there were images of Krşña and Baladeva together in Tirumalirunjolai, a sacred place near Madura. There are references also to the Trivikrama Avatāra and to the lotus-eyed Vişņu in Kural, 7 which belongs most probably to the second century after Christ.
Dr. S. K. Aiyangar8 has, however, traced the mention of the word Sattvata in the Aitareya and Satapatha Brāhmaṇas, and in determining the antiquity of the Pāñcarātra these references seem to be of the highest value. The Aitareya Brāhmana is one of the oldest Brāhmaṇas at present available
1, op. cit. p. 13. 2. II, 2, 42-45. 3 & 4 II, 2, 28-32. 5 & 6. Alwargal Kala nilai (Tamil) by M. Raghava Iyengar; also,
Vaikhâpasa Dharma Sutra (Intro. p. xiii) by K. Rangacari. 7. Vaikhānasa Dharma Sūtra, Introductory Vol. p. xiii. 8. Dr. S. K. Iyengar's paper titled Sattyatas, referred to above :
Ait Br. Il. 25-6; viii. 14-3. S. B, XIII, 5, 4, 21.
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