कृषि-पाराशर (महर्षि पराशर - प्राचीन भारतीय कृषि, मृदा-परीक्षण, वर्षा-पूर्वानुमान व बीज-संस्कार)

viii KRṢI-PARĀŚARA
any scope for the inclusion of the duties of castes. Hence, the
identity of the authors of the two works may be possible. Among
the minor points of agreement between the two, the number of bulls
to be yoked together for cultivation deserves mention. In this res-
pect, the striking similarity of the verses, found in the two, leads one
to consider them to be of the same hand.⁵ For the reasons, stated
above, we cannot form any definite opinion about the identity of the
authors of the Parāśara-smṛti and the Kṛṣi-parāśara. Some of the
verses, found in the Kṛṣi-parāśara, are ascribed by Raghunandana to
different authors—a fact which seems to throw some light on the
date of the author of the Kṛṣi-parāśara. Some of these verses are
attributed to the Rājamārtaṇḍa and others to Varāha. From certain
literary evidences, P. V. Kane, in his History of Dharmaśāstra (Vol.
I, p. 276), establishes that the Rājamārtaṇḍa was a book by King
Bhoja of Dhārā. Certain fairly reliable evidences lead the same scho-
lar to conclude that the date of Bhoja must have been between 1000-
1055 A.D. From the references to these authors by Raghunandana,
one cannot come to any conclusion as the borrowing might have been
from these authors by that of the Kṛṣi-parāśara or vice versa,
or both might have drawn upon a common source. If the
author of the Kṛṣi-parāśara be supposed to be the borrower, he
must have lived at least towards the end of the 11th century A. D.
Had the borrowing been in the other way, the author may be reaso-
nably supposed to have lived at least half a century before the rise of
Bhoja, i. e. about the middle of the 10th century A. D. Whoever
the borrower, as one of them must have been, one may, from these
data, safely place the author of the Kṛṣi-parāśara in the period between
950-1100 A.D., a date which is certainly very old.
Inspite of many legendary accounts of Varāhamihira,⁶ it has now
been ascertained beyond doubt that he was a historical figure, and
that he is one of the greatest authorities in Indian astronomical
5 halam-aṣṭa-gavaṁ proktaṁ ṣaḍgavaṁ madhyamaṁ smṛtam |
caturgavaṁ nṛśaṁsānāṁ dvigavaṁ vṛṣa-ghātinām ||
6 For details, see Viśvakoṣa and Āmāder Jyotiṣi O Jyotiṣa by Jogesh
Ch. Roy, Calcutta, Saka 1825.