7. 4 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

4 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

The sfagry has been frequently printed in India (in the B, I. series, Ānandāśrama series and at the Venkateśvara Press in Bombay). Chapters 336-346 of the B. I. edition deal with subjects falling within the province of Poetics. Chapters 336-346 of the B. I. edition correspond to chapters 337-347 of the Anan. ed. of the Agnipurana; unfortunately, the readings of the Agnipurana presented in the Anan. ed. are much worse than those in the B. I. ed. In this work the B. I. text has been followed. The edition brought out by the Venkateśvara Press, Bombay, follows the Anan. ed. of the Agnipurana in the numbering of the chapters. It may be noted that, according to the Matsyapurāna 35. 28-30 and Skandapurāņa VII (Prabhasakhanda). 1. 2. 47-50 (यत्तदीशानकल्पस्य वृत्तान्तमधिकृत्य च। वसिष्ठायामिना प्रोक्माग्नेयं तत्प्रचक्षते। ... तञ्च षोडशसाहस्र सर्वक्रतुफलप्रदम्॥), the Agni is 16000 verses in extent, deals with the incidents of Isanakalpa and is narrated to Vasistha by Agni. The extant Agni states (in chap. 271. 11) that its extent is 12000 ślokas and that it expounds all the vidyas. In the first chapter Vasistha requests Agni (verse 12) to instruct him in the essence of vidyās, by knowing which a man may become omniscient. The extant Agnipurana has about 11500 verses (and not 16000). In the last chapter (382. 51-64) it states that all vidyas have been dealt with and it enumerates the several subjects treated of such as the avatāras, Gītā, Rāmāyaņa, Bhārata, Harivamśa, the Āgamas, āśauca, prāyaścitta, rājadharma, vyavahāra, vratas &c. Chapters 122-148 contain a summary of युद्धजयाणव. We have hardly any means for judging which parts were in the original Agnipurana and which were interpolated later. The commentary of Maheśvara and that on Vidyābhūsaņa quoted above apparently make no distinction oetween Agni- purāņa and Vahnipurāņa. But there is a Vahnipurāna that is different from the extant Agnipurana as Eggeling's Catalogue of India Office Sanskrit mss. part 6 pp. 1294 ff clearly shows. Vide Prof. Hazra's papers 'On present Agni' in I. H. Q. Vol. XII pp. 683-691, 'Studies in genuine Āgneya alias Vahnipurāņa' in 'Our Heritage' vol. I part 2 pp. 209-245, and vol. II part I pp. 70-109 and 'Discovery of genuine Agneyapurana' in JOI (Baroda)vol. V (1956) pp. 411-416. Most of the passages quoted in the दानसागर and अङ्भुतसागर of बल्लालसेन (3rd quarter of 12th century A. D.) from the Agnipurana are not found in the