Preface -The Vishnu Purana -The Fifth Book

[Anne Terri]

The Vishnu Purana
The Fifth Book

The fifth book of the Vishn?u Purán?a is exclusively occupied with the life of Krishn?a. This is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Purán?a, and is one argument against its antiquity. It is possible, though not yet proved, that Krishn?a as an Avatára of Vishn?u, is mentioned in an indisputably genuine text of the Vedas. He is conspicuously prominent in the Mahábhárata, but very contradictorily described there. The part that he usually performs is that of a mere mortal, although the passages

p. lxxi

are numerous that attach divinity to his person. There are, however, no descriptions in the Mahábhárata of his juvenile frolics, of his sports in Vrindávan, his pastimes with the cow-boys, or even his destruction of the Asuras sent to kill him. These stories have all a modern complexion: they do not harmonize with the tone of the ancient legends, which is generally grave, and sometimes majestic: they are the creations of a puerile taste, and grovelling imagination. These Chapters of the Vishn?u Purán?a offer some difficulties as to their originality: they are the same as those on the same subject in the Brahmá Purán?a: they are not very dissimilar to those of the Bhágavata. The latter has some incidents which the Vishn?u has not, and may therefore be thought to have improved upon the prior narrative of the latter. On the other hand, abridgment is equally a proof of posteriority as amplification. The simpler style of the Vishn?u Purán?a is however in favour of its priority; and the miscellaneous composition of the Brahmá Purán?a renders it likely to have borrowed these chapters from the Vishn?u. The life of Krishn?a in the Hari-van?a and the Brahma-vaivartta are indisputably of later date.

---

Next: Preface -The Sixth Book

  'The Vishnu Purana', translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, is public domain in the US because it was published prior to 1923.