QJorttell ItttwEraitg Cibrarg Stlfara. Jftm ^nrfe BOUGHT WITH THE fNCOME OF THE FISKE ENDOWMENT FUND THE BEQUEST OF WILLARD FISKE LIBRARIAN OF THE UNIVERSITY 1868-1883 1905 ""'^"^''y "-ibrary DS 451.P22"^" 3 1924 024 065 504 ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORICAL TRADITION The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024065504 ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORICAL TRADITION BY F. E, PARGITER, M.A. INDIAN Civil. SERVICE (HETIRED) LATE JUDGE, HIGH COURT, CALCUTTA LONDON OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS HUMPHREY MILFORD 1922 /<•' NSSoxSS OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS London Edinburgh Glasgow Copenhagen New York Toronto Melbourne Cape Town Bombay Calcutta Madras Shanghai HUMPHREY MILFORD Publisher to the University i I '1 11 M U • iVIHU — PREFACE The views about ancient India now held by scholars are based upon an examination of the Veda and Vedie literature, to the neglect of Puranic and epic tradition; that is, ancient Indian history has been fashioned out of compositions, which are purely religious and priestly, which notoriously do not deal with history, and which totally lack the historical sense. The extraordinary nature of such history may be perceived, if it were suggested that European history should be constructed merely out of theological literature. What would raise a smile if applied to Europe has been soberly accepted when applied to India. This contrast is full justification for a consideration of what historical tradition has to tell us, and the results obtained from an examination of Puranic and epic tradition as well as of the Rigveda and Vedic literature are set out in the following pages. Nothing herein has been the outcome of preconceived ideas, speculation, or haste. It began with a study of the epics and Puranas for geographical information about ancient India thirty years ago, during the translation of the Markandeya Purana, in order to elucidate its geographical chapters. Geography included political divisions, and led to an examination of ancient kingdoms, and so on to their dynastic genealogies and traditions —subjects that were generally regarded as of little or no historical value, and were practically neglected. With no views about ancient Indian historical tradition, and a desire merely to see whether there was any substance in it, it was collected, compared, and studied, and inferences were drawn therefrom, revised continually with fresh material, and discarded freely if they proved untenable which is simply the scientific process of collecting and testing facts copiously before forming any opinion or theory. At length some substance and order seemed to manifest themselves, and certain results gradually took shape; and some of these have been pub- lished in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society during the last fourteen years. These results developed with further study in vi PREFACE various directions, especially on the religious side, and all have been revised and recast repeatedly, as their mutual relations became more complex, with fresh material from all sources. The outcome of all these inquiries is set out here. No con- clusion is put forward but what is based upon definite statements, and the authorities for every statement are cited. The results are totally different from the views now held by scholars as noticed really in- above ; yet there is nothing in them, as far as I am aware, consistent with the most ancient book we possess, namely, the Rigveda, and they throw much new light thereon, and on all problems concerning ancient India. It remains however to be seen how far Professor M. Bloomfield''s recent book, Rig-Veda Repetitions, which should lead to some solid chronological results, will support what tradition indicates regarding the order of rishis. No pains have been spared to verify the references and make them complete and accurate. Unfortunately a few errors escaped notice in the proof-reading, and a considerable number of typo- graphical blemishes have crept into the finally printed page, mostly the loss of diacritical marks which have failed or broken off in the printing, such as the stroke over the capital palatal sibilant, and the long mark over capital vowels. All these are exhibited in the list of Corrigenda at the end. I trust there are none others overlooked, yet feel sure that, if there are any, whether in the test or in the map, they can be readily corrected, and will not create any doubt as to what is intended. My sincere thanks are given to the University of Oxford and the Government of India for generous help towards lightening the cost of this book for the benefit of readers. Oxford, Marcl/, 1922. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter PAGE I. General survey of ancient Indian historical tradition ... ... 1 II. Tradition, its preservers, and the origin of the Puranas ...... 15 III. Contents of the earliest Puranas . 33 IV. Age of the original Purana 49 V. Brahmanieal and ksatriya tradition 58 VI. The Puranas and their genealogical texts "il VII. General survey of the genealogies 84 VIII. The Solar race ..... 90 IX. The Aila or Lunar race 99 X. General credibility of the genealogies . 119 XI. Consideration of names 126 XII. Synchronisms and Table of royal genealogies 138 XIII. Major synchronisms established 150 XIV. Minor synchronisms established 167 XV. The four ages and date of the Bharata battle 175 XVI. Brahman families and chronological Table of rishis 184 XVII. The Bhargavas . 193 XVIII. The Vasisthas 203 XIX. The Angirasas and Kanvas 218 XX. The Atreyas and Kasyapas 228 XXI. The Visvamitras 234 XXII. Agastyas, Paulastyas, Paulahas, and Kratus 238 XXIII. Ksatriyan brahmans ...... 243 XXIV. Ancient history from tradition 253 XXV. Inferences suggested by traditional history, with map . ..... 287 XXVI. The ancient brahmans and the Vedas . 303 XXVII. The Vedic schools and teachers, and the Brahmanas 321 Index 335 MAP OF ANCIENT INDIA facing page 394 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Aff Agni Parana. Bd Brahmanda Piirana. Bhag Bhagavata Purana. Br Brahma Purana. Brahm Brahmana. Brhadd Brhaddevata. BV Brahmavaivarta Purana. DKA ' Dynasties of the Kali Age.' Gar Garuda Purana. Hv Harivam^a. JA08 Journal of American Oriental Society. JASB Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal. JEAS Journal of Eoyal Asiatic Society. Ktir Kurma Purana. Lg Linga Purana. Mark ]\Iarkandeya Purana. Mat Matsya Purana. MBh Jlahribharata. Pad Padma Purrina. Eaghuv RaghuvamSa. Ram Ramayana. Rigv Rigveda. SEE Sacred Books of the East. Siv Siva Purana. Up Upanisad. Va Vayu Purana. Vam Vamana Purana. Var Varaha Purana. Vedarth Vedarthadlpika. Vis Visnu Purana. VN Vrhannaradlya Purana. Other abbreviations are readily intelligible. CHAPTER I GENERAL SURVEY OF ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORICAL TRADITION The brahman, who may know the four Vedas with the Ahgas and Upanisads, should not really be (regarded as) having attained proficiency, if he should not thoroughly know the Parana. He should reinforce the Veda with the Itihasa and Parana. The Veda is afraid of him who is deficient in tradition,- (thinking) ' he will do me hurt '. Our knowledge of the most ancient times in India rests mainly on tradition. We know from the evidence of language that the Aryans entered India very early, and established themselves ultimately throughout North India and in the north-west of the Dekhan, so that the history of those times is bound up closely with the Aryan conquest. The Puranas, the ^Nlahabharata and in a minor degree the Ramayana profess to give accounts from tradition about the earliest occurrences. The Vedas, the Erahmanas and other brahmanic literature supply information also. The oldest of these, the Rigveda, contains historical allusions, of which some record contemporary persons and events, but more refer to bygone times and persons and are obviously based on tradition. Almost all the information therefore comes from tradition. ' has the two Va 1, 200-1. Pad v, 2, 50-2. Siv v, 1, 35. MBh verses separately, the first (modified) in i, 3, 645, and the second in i. i' ?60. " Sruta here means ' tradition ', see chap. II. 9jeB ^ ; 2 IMPORTANCE OF TRADITION Ancient India has bequeathed to us no historical works. ' History is the one wealc spot in Indian literature. It is, in fact, non- existent. The total lack of the historical sense is so characteristic, that the whole course of Sanskrit literature is darkened by the shadow of this defect, suffering as it does from an entire absence of exact chronology.' '^ This is especially true of the brahmanic literature, for it has been truly said, ' That the Vedic texts, the Samhitas and the Brahmanas, are not books of historical purpose is notorious,' nor do they deal with history.^ The evidence in the Rigveda, whether contemporary notices or matter concerning the past borrowed from tradition, consists of statements more or less isolated; they are merely allusions and make up no connected account. Even the contemporary notices, though having all the trustworthiness of first-hand evidence, yet fix little or nothing definitely of themselves, because they have no certain chronological setting with reference to other events. The same remarks hold good for the brahmanical literature later than the Rigveda. This may be illustrated by the contemporary infor- mation about king Sudas in the Rigveda. It tells us of his battle with the ten kings, but that event can- not be assigned to any definite time unless we know when he lived and there is the widest difference, whether it took place (as scholars believe at present) when the Aryans were in the Panjab conquering their way into India, and was a battle between them and the hostile races who opposed their eastward advance j or whether it took place (as tradition indicates) long after the Aryans had established themselves in N. India, and was a battle between Sudasa (Sudas), king of North Pancala, and other Aryan and non-Aryan kings who opposed his westward conquests.