gislator. Some of them affirm (probably the majority) that Parasurama
brought into existence some of these customs and left a special Smriti
for the guidance of the people of Malabar; others say that it was
Sankaracharya who sanctioned these peculiar customs. It is not very
difficult to perceive why these two persons were selected by them.
According to the Hindu Puranas, Parasurama lived in Malabar for some
time, and according to Hindu traditions Sankara was born in that
country. But it is extremely doubtful whether either of them had
anything to do with the peculiar customs of the said country. There is
no allusion whatever to any of these customs in Sankara's works. He
seems to have devoted his whole attention to religious reform, and it is
very improbable that he should have ever directed his attention to the
local customs of Malabar. While attempting to revive the philosophy of
the ancient Rishis, it is not likely that he should have sanctioned the
customs of Malabar, which are at variance with the rules laid down in
the Smritis of those very Rishis; and as far as our knowledge goes, he
left no written regulations regarding to the castes of Malabar.

II. The statements contained in Kerala Utpatti are opposed to the
account of Sankara's life given in almost all the Sankara Vijayams
(Biographies of Sankara) examined up to this time--viz., Vidyaranya's
Sankara Vijayam, Chitsukhachary's Sankara Vijayavilasam, Brihat Sankara
Vijayam, &c. According to the account contained in these works, Sankara
left Malabar in his eighth year, and returned to his native village when
his mother was on her death-bed, and on that occasion he remained there
only for a few days. It is difficult to see at what period of his
lifetime he was engaged in making regulations for the castes of Malabar.

III. The work under consideration represents Malabar as the seat of
Bhattapada's triumphs over the Buddhists, and says that this teacher
established himself in Malabar and expelled the Buddhists from that
country. This statement alone will be sufficient to show to our readers
the fictitious character of the account contained in this book.
According to every other Hindu work, this great teacher of Purva Mimamsa
was born in Northern India; almost all his famous disciples and
followers were living in that part of the country, and according to
Vidyaranya's account he died at Allahabad.

For the foregoing reasons we cannot place any reliance upo