- Harivamsa
The Harivamsha (also Harivamsa;
Sanskrit "IAST|Harivaṃśa" _sa. हरिवंश "the lineage ofHari (Vishnu )") is an important work ofSanskrit literature , containing 16,374 verses, mostly in "IAST|Anuṣtubh" metre. The text is also known as IAST|Harivaṃśa Puraṇa. This text is believed as a "khila" (appendix or supplement) to the Mahabharata [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/mbs/mbs01002.htm The Mahabharata in Sanskrit: Book I: Chapter 2] in sacred-texts.com website] and traditionally ascribed to Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa. The most celebrated commentary of theMahabharata by IAST|Nīlakaṇṭha, the "IAST|Bhārata Bhāva Dīpa" covered the IAST|Harivaṃśa too.Overview
The text is complex, containing layers that may go back to the 1st or 2nd centuries CE. The bulk of the text is derived from two traditions, the "IAST|pañcalakṣaṇa" tradition, that is, the "five marks" of the
Purana corpus one of which is "IAST|vaṃśa" "genealogy", and stories about the life ofKrishna as a herdsman. The latter portion presents the earliest source of Krishna's early life and his affairs with thegopis , presenting him as a tribal hero.Contents
According to a tradition mentioned in the Mahabharata (Adi Parva, II. 69,233), the IAST|Harivaṃśa is divided into two "parva"s, IAST|Harivaṃśa parva and IAST|Bhaviṣyat parva [cite webᅵurl=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/mbs/mbs01002.htm The Mahabharata in Sanskrit: Book I: Chapter 2] in sacred-texts.com website] . But the extant text of the IAST|Harivaṃśa has total 271 IAST|adhyāyas (chapters), divided into three "parva"s, IAST|Harivaṃśa parva (55 chapters), IAST|Viṣṇu parva (81 chapters) and IAST|Bhaviṣya parva (135 chapters).
Translations
There have been translations of the "Harivamsa" in many Indian vernacular languages, English (Manmatha Nath Dutt, 1897), French (M. A. Langlois, Paris, 1834-35), and other languages. [ [http://www.geocities.com/harindranath_a/maha/transm.html Translations of the Harivamsa] ]
Jaina Harivamshas
There are also
Jaina Harivamshas in various languages that present Jaina traditions of the Krishna story. One of the earliest of these is the IAST|Harivaṃśapurāṇa (783) ofJinasena .References
*Bowker, John, The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions, New York, Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 410
External links
* [http://www.mahabharata-resources.org/harivamsa/ Original Sanskrit text online with English translation]
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