sing that the Vedas are difficult to fathom by all beings other
than himself ... with a view to enable his devotees to grasp the true
meaning of the Vedas, himself composed the Pancaratra-Sastra."[441]

This later sectarian literature falls into several divisions.

A. Certain episodes of the Mahabharata. The most celebrated of these
is the Bhagavad-gita, which is probably anterior to the Christian era.
Though it is incorporated in the Epic it is frequently spoken of as an
independent work. Later and less celebrated but greatly esteemed by
Vishnuites is the latter part of book XII, commonly known as
Narayaniya.[442] Both these episodes and others[443] are closely
analogous to metrical Upanishads. The Mahabharata even styles itself
(I. 261) the Veda of Krishna (Karshna).

The Ramayana does not contain religious episodes comparable to those
mentioned but the story has more than once been re-written in a religious
and philosophic form. Of such versions the Adhyatma-Ramayana[444] and
Yoga-vasishtha-Ramayana are very popular.

B. Though the Puranas[445] are not at all alike, most of them show
clear affinity both as literature and as religious thought to the
various strata of the Mahabharata, and to the Law Books, especially
the metrical code of Manu. These all represent a form of orthodoxy
which while admitting much that is not found in the Veda is still
Brahmanic and traditionalist. The older Puranas (_e.g._ Matsya, Vayu,
Markandeya, Vishnu), or at least the older parts of them, are the
literary expression of that Hindu reaction which gained political
power with the accession of the Gupta dynasty. They are less
definitely sectarian than later works such as the Narada and Linga
Puranas, yet all are more or less sectarian.

The most influential Purana is the Bhagavata, one of the great
scriptures for all sects which worship Krishna. It is said to have
been translated into every language of India and forty versions in
Bengali alone are mentioned.[446] It was probably composed in the
eighth or ninth century.[447] A free translation of the tenth book
into Hindi, called the Prem Sagar or Ocean of Love, is greatly revered
in northern India.[448] Other sectarian Puranas are frequently read
at temple services. Besides the eighteen great Puranas there are many
others, and in south India at any rate they were sometimes composed in
the vernacular, as for instance the Periya Purana (_c._ 1100 A.D.).
These vernacular Puranas seem to