73. 70 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

70 HISTORY OF SANSKRIT POETICS

this half verse; सूत्रेष्वेव हि तत्सवं यद्वृत्तं (यद्वृत्तौ१) समुदाहतम्. This is almost the same as a verse quoted by Kumarila in the तन्त्रबार्तिक from a (predecessor सुत्रेष्वेव हि तत्सर्वं यद्वृत्तौ यञ्च वार्तिके। सूत्रं योनिरिहार्थानां सर्व सूत्रे प्रतिष्ठितम्।। इति ये वदन्ति तान्प्रत्युच्यते।).1 So this would indicate that the विष्णुधर्मोस्तर cannot be very much earlier than about 500 A. D. Besides, the युक्तिकल्पतरु of भोज (Calcutta p. 85) quotes six verses from the विष्ुधर्मोत्तर on precious stones. It is interesting to note that Alberuni who wrote his work on India about 1030 A. D. quotes about thirty passages from the विष्युधर्मोत्तर of which 22 have been identified by Buhler in I. A. vol. 19 pp. 381-409. Buhler holds that the पुरायS विष्युधर्म (under which name Alberuni mentions the quotations) and विष्णुधर्मोत्तर were canonical works in Kashmir in Alberuni's time and that many of the passages quoted by Alberuni from Visnudharma can be traced in the विष्ुधर्मोत्तर (but not all) . Vide I. A. vol. 19 pp. 402, 407. This indicates that the विष्ुधर्मोत्तर was regarded as a very authoritative work befure 1000 A.D. In Hemadri's2 व्रतखएड alone the विष्युधर्मोत्तर is quoted about 150 times. The third aru3 on image-making is often quoted. For reasons of space only two or three examples are set out. On aaeus part I p. 123 seven verses about the image of महादेव are quoted from विष्णु; they occur in विष्युध. III. chap. 44. 14-20. On p. 110 of व्रतखएड part I five verses are quoted about the image of विष्यु which occur in विष्णुध. III. 44. 9-13. On p. 108 of व्रतखएड eight verses are quoted from विष्यु. on how the images of the four Vedas and of शार्तs like पाञ्रात्र, पाशुपत, पातजल, अर्थशाख and कलाशाख are to be made and all of them occur in chap. 73 of विष्ुध. (part III) at the end. So also seven verses about वरुण image quoted in व्रतखएड I pp. 145-146 occur in विष्ुध. III chap. 52. 1-7. The दानसागर of बल्लालसेन quotes numerous verses of the विषयुय० 3rd खएड. For example, verses 1-5 of chap.290 on ब्राह्मणाप्रशंसा are quoted in it at the very beginning; similarly, 15 verses of chap. 307 on घृतधेनु are quoted in दानसागर and 15 verses from विष्ुधर्भीत्तर chap. 309 on जलधेनु; 15 verses of chap. 308 on तिलधेनु are alsu quoted therein. Mr. Bhabatosh Bhattacharya, who has now brought out the whole of the Danasagara (text in 3 parts and Introduction in 4th ) for the B. I. series, originally conveyed to 1. Vide तन्सवार्तिक p. 602 (Anan. ed.) on जैमिनि II. 3.16. 2. हेमाद्रि flourished about 1270 A. D .; videH. of Dh. vol. 1 p. 357.