 The fifth chapter of the "Vishnu Purana" was likely influenced by the Mahabharata.Similarly, the verses on rites of passage and ashramas (stages) of life are likely drawn from the Dharmasutra literature.Rajendra Hazra, in 1940, assumed that Vishnu Purana is ancient and proposed that texts such as "Apasthamba Dharmasutra" borrowed text from it.