Pancakanya

[Jan E.M. Houben]

Coming back to this query of last week:
for the brahma puraa.na the edition to consult
seems to be the one by Schreiner and S�hnen,
T�bingen 1989, Purana research publication no. 2,
with word, name and motif index. The
three-numeral indication of the place (7.3.219)
given in the query is apparently wrong as it does
not match the common system in the brahma
puraa.na, which works with adhyaaya and verse
numbers (also in older editions as far as I could
quickly see). Under ahalyaa I only found
references to the story of ahalyaa-gautama-indra
which is told in adhyaaya 87. No reference to
anything similar to "our" verse.
A three-numeral indication (kha.n.da - adhyaaya -
verse) does suit the brahmavaivartapuraa.na but
it seems that it does not go beyond kha.n.da 3.
The latter puraa.na seems full of enumeration of
female heroines and goddesses, but so far I did
not discern anything sufficiently similar to the
verse in the query. Closest is perhaps:
ahalyaa'rundhatii mainaa taaraa mandodarii paraa
/ damayantii vedavatii ga;ngaa ca yamunaa tathaa
(brahmavaiv.pur 2.16.68 in 1981
edition-plus-hindi-transl. by taari.niiza jha,
Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Prayag).
Without checking I note that I found references
to a puraa.nic ahalyaa-tiirtha (matsya-puraa.na
190.86-89, skanda-puraa.na 1.2.52, kuurma
puraa.na 2.39.43, all to be checked) and that the
quoted verse would suit the context of such a
tiirtha or its maahaatmya.
Best, Jan Houben

--- beitel <beitel at GWU.EDU> wrote:
> Dear Colleagues,
> I have been asked to forward the following note
> from Pradip Bhattacharya, and
> would, indeed, be grateful for more on the
> matter myself, and for any further
> references (I do not have a copy of the BP) or
> information. With thanks,
> Alf Hiltebeitel
>
> =====
>
> I wonder if you could possibly help me out to
> track down a reference. This is
> the sloka celebrating the panchakanya, viz.
>
> Ahalya Draupadi Kunti Tara Mandodari tatha
> panchakanya svaranityam mahapataka nashaka
>
> The problem is to find out where it occurs. One
> reference cites the Brahma
> Purana, 3.7.219. Can anyone check up this
> reference? If found, can you let me
> know the context in which it occurs, who utters
> the sloka and why?


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