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According to Wikipedia: "The Dharmasutras are Sanskrit texts dealing with custom, rituals and law. They include the four surviving written works of the ancient Indian tradition on the subject of dharma, or the rules of behavior recognized by a community. Unlike the later Dharmashastra, the dharmasutras are composed in prose. The oldest Dharmasutra is generally believed to have been that of Apastamba, followed by the dharmasutras of Gautama, Baudhayana, and an early version of Vasishtha. It is difficult to determine exact dates for these texts, but the dates between 500–300 BCE have been suggested for the oldest Dharmasutras."
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INTRODUCTION TO ÂPASTAMBA
INTRODUCTION TO GAUTAMA
ÂPASTAMBA'S APHORISMS ON THE SACRED LAW OF THE HINDUS.
General Rules, Initiation, Studentship, A Student who has returned Home, The Study of the Veda, A Student who has returned Home, Saluting, Purification, Eating, and Forbidden Food, Lawful Livelihood, Penance, Rules for a Snâtaka, The Duties of a Householder, Inheritance, Funeral Mations, The Four Orders The King
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 1, KHANDA, 2.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 1, KHANDA, 2.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 1, KHANDA 3.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 1, KHANDA 3.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 1, KHANDA 4.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 1, KHANDA 4.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 2, KHANDA 5.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 2, KHANDA 5.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA 1, PATALA 2, KHANDA 6.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA 1, PATALA 2, KHANDA 6.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 2, KHANDA 7.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 2, KHANDA 7.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 2, KHANDA 8.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 2, KHANDA 8.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 3, KHANDA 9.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 3, KHANDA 9.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 3, KHANDA 10.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 3, KHANDA 10.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 3, KHANDA 11.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 3, KHANDA 11.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 4, KHANDA 12.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 4, KHANDA 12.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 4, KHANDA 13.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 4, KHANDA 13.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 4, KHANDA 14.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 4, KHANDA 14.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 5, KHANDA 15.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 5, KHANDA 15.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 5, KHANDA 16.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 5, KHANDA 16.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 5, KHANDA 17.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 5, KHANDA 17.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 6, KHANDA 18.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 6, KHANDA 18.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 6, KHANDA 19.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 6, KHANDA 19.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 7, KHANDA 20.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 7, KHANDA 20.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 7, KHANDA 21.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 8, KHANDA 22.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 8, KHANDA 22.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 8, KHANDA 23.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 8, KHANDA 23.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 9, KHANDA 24.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 9, KHANDA 24.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 9, KHANDA 25.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 9, KHANDA 25.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 9, KHANDA 26.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 9, KHANDA 26.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 9, KHANDA 27.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 9, KHANDA 27.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 10, KHANDA 28.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 10, KHANDA 28.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 10, KHANDA 29.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 10, KHANDA 29.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 11, KHANDA 30.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 11, KHANDA 30.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 11, KHANDA 31.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 11, KHANDA 31.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 11, KHANDA 32.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 11, KHANDA 32.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 1, KHANDA 1.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 1, KHANDA 1.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 1, KHANDA 2.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 1, KHANDA 2.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 2, KHANDA 3.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 2, KHANDA 3.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 2, KHANDA 4.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 2, KHANDA 4.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 2, KHANDA 5.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 2, KHANDA 5.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 3, KHANDA 6.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 3, KHANDA 6.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 3, KHANDA 7.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 3, KHANDA 7.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 4, KHANDA 8.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 4, KHANDA 8.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 4, KHANDA 9.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 4, KHANDA 9.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 5, KHANDA 10.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 5, KHANDA 10.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 5, KHANDA 11.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 5, KHANDA 11.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 5, KHANDA 12.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 5, KHANDA 12.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 6, KHANDA 13.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 6, KHANDA 13.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 6, KHANDA 14.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 6, KHANDA 14.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 6, KHANDA 15.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 6, KHANDA 15.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 7, KHANDA 16.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 7, KHANDA 16.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 7, KHANDA 17.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 7, KHANDA 17.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 8, KHANDA 18.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 8, KHANDA 18.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 8, KHANDA 19.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 8, KHANDA 19.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 8, KHANDA 20.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 8, KHANDA 20.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 9, KHANDA 21.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 9, KHANDA 21.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 9, KHANDA 22.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 9, KHANDA 22.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 9, KHANDA 23.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 9, KHANDA 23.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 9, KHANDA 24.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 9, KHANDA 24.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 10, KHANDA 25.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 10, KHANDA 25.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 10, KHANDA 26.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 10, KHANDA 26.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 10, KHANDA 27.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 10, KHANDA 27.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 10, KHANDA 28.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA I, PATALA 10, KHANDA 28.
ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 11, KHANDA 29.ÂPASTAMBA PRASNA II, PATALA 11, KHANDA 29.
GAUTAMA'S INSTITUTES OF THE SACRED LAW.
Initiation, Purification, Studentship, The Ascetic, The Hermit, The Householder, Saluting, Times of Distress, A King and Brâhmana versed in the Vedas, The Duties of a Snâtka, Lawful Occupations and Livelihood, The Duties of a King, Civil and Criminal Law, Witnesses, Impurity, Funeral Oblations, The Study of the Veda, Eating, and Forbidden Food, Women, Penances, Inheritance
GUATAMA CHAPTER I
GUATAMA CHAPTER II
GUATAMA CHAPTER III
GUATAMA CHAPTER IV
GUATAMA CHAPTER V
GUATAMA CHAPTER VI
GUATAMA CHAPTER VII
GUATAMA CHAPTER VIII
GUATAMA CHAPTER IX
GUATAMA CHAPTER X
GUATAMA CHAPTER XI
GUATAMA CHAPTER XII
GUATAMA CHAPTER XIII
GUATAMA CHAPTER XIV
GUATAMA CHAPTER XV
GUATAMA CHAPTER XVI
GUATAMA CHAPTER XVII
GUATAMA CHAPTER XVIII
GUATAMA CHAPTER XIX
GUATAMA CHAPTER XX
GUATAMA CHAPTER XXI
GUATAMA CHAPTER XXII
GUATAMA CHAPTER XXIII
GUATAMA CHAPTER XXIV
GUATAMA CHAPTER XXV
GUATAMA CHAPTER XXVI
GUATAMA CHAPTER XXVII
GUATAMA CHAPTERXXVIII
FOR all students of Sanskrit philology and Indian history Âpastamba's aphorisms on the sacred law of the Aryan Hindus possess a special interest beyond that attaching to other works of the same class. Their discovery enabled Professor Max Müller, forty-seven years ago, to dispose finally of the Brahmanical legend according to which Hindu society was supposed to be governed by the codes of ancient sages, compiled for the express purpose of tying down each individual to his station, and of strictly regulating even the smallest acts of his daily life [1]. It enabled
[1. Max Müller, History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature, p. 133 seq. The following letter, addressed to the late W. H. Morley, and published by him in his Digest of ludian Cases, 1850, may be of interest as connected with the first discovery of the Âpastamba-sûtras:-
9, Park Place, Oxford, July 29, 1849.
MY DEAR MORLEY,--I have been looking again at the law literature, in order to write you a note on the sources ofManu. I have treated the subject fully in my introduction to the Veda, where I have given an outline of the different periods of Vaidik literature, and analysed the peculiarities in the style and language of each class of Vaidik works. A hat I consider to be the sources of the Mânava-dharma-sûtra, the so-called Laws of Manu, are the Sûtras. These are works which presuppose the development of the prose literature of the Brâhmanas (like the Aitareya-brâhmana, Taittirtya-brâhmana, &c.) These Brâhmanas, again, presuppose, not only the existence, but the collection and arrangement of the old hymns of the four Samhitâs. The Sûtras are tberefore later than both these classes of Vaidik works, but they must be considered as belonging to the Vaidik period of literature, not only on account of their intimate connection with Vaidik subjects, but also because they still exhibit the irregularities of the old Vaidik language. They form indeed the last branch of Vaidik literature; and it will perhaps be possible to fix some of these works chronologically, as they are contemporary with the first spreading of Buddhism in India, Again, in the whole of Vaidik literature there is no work written (like the Mânava-dharma-sûtra) in the regular epic Sloka, and the continuous employment of this rnetre is a characteristic mark of post-Vaidik writings.
One of the principal classes of Sûtras is known by the nameof Kalpa-sûtras, or rules of ceremonies. These are avowedly composed by human authors, while, according to Indian orthodox theology, both the hymns and Brâhmanas are to be considered as revelation. The Sûtras generally bear the name of their authors, like the Sûtras of Âsvalâyana, Kâtyâyana, &c., or the name of the family to which the Sûtras belonged. The great number of these writings is to be accounted for by the fact that there was not one body of Kalpa-sûtras binding on all Brahmanic families, but that different old families had each their own Kalpa-sûtras. These works are still very frequent in our libraries, yet there is no doubt that many of them have been lost. Sûtras are quoted which do not exist in Europe, and the loss of some is acknowledged by the Brahmans themselves. There are, however, lists of the old Brahmanic families which were in possession of their own redaction of Vaidik hymns (Samhitâs), of Brâhmanas, and of Sûtras. Some-of these families followed the Rig-veda, some the Yagur-veda, the Sama-veda, and Atharva-veda; and thus the whole Vaidik literature becomes divided into four great classes of Brâhmanas and Sûtras, belonging to one or the other of the four principal Vedas.
Now one of the families following the Yagur-veda was that of the Mânava (cf. Karanavyûha). There can be no doubt that that family, too, had its own Sûtras. Quotations from Mânava-sûtras are to be met with in commentaries on other Sûtras; and I have found, not long ago, a MS. which cortains the text of the Mânava-srauta-sûtras, though in a very fragmentary state. But these Sûtras, the Srauta-sûtras, treat only of a certain branch of ceremonies connected with the great sacrifices. Complete Sûtra works are divided into three parts: 1. the first (Srauta), treating on the great sacrifices; 2. the second (Grihya), treating on the Samskâras, or the purificatory sacraments; 3. the third, (Sâmayâkârika or Dharma-sûtras), treating on emporal duties, customs, and punishments. The last two classes of Sûtras seem to be lost in the Mânava-sûtra. This loss is. however, not so great with regard to tracing the sources of the Mânava-dharma-sâstra, because whenever we have an opportunity ofcomparing Sûtras belonging to different families, but following the same Veda, and treating on the same subjects, the differences appear to be very slight, and only refer to less important niceties of the ceremonial. In the absence, therefore, of the Mânava- sâmayâkârika-sûtras, I have taken another collection of Sûtras, equally belonging to the Yagur-veda, the Sûtras of Âpastamba. In his family we have not only a Brâhmana, but also Âpastamba Srauta, Grihya, and Sâmayâkârika-sûtras. Now it is, of course, the third class of Sûtras, on temporal duties, which are most likely to contain the sources of the later metrical Codes of Law, written in the classical Sloka. On a comparison of different subjects, such as the duties of a Brahmakârin, a Gihastha, laws of inheritance, duties of a king, forbidden fruit, &c., I find that the Sûtras contain generally almost the same words which have been brought into verse by the compiler of the Mânava-dharma-sûtra. I consider, therefore, the Sûtras as the principal source of the metrical Smritis, such as the Mânava-dharma-sâstra, Yâgñavalkya-dharma-sâstra, &c., though there are also many other verses in these works which may be traced to different sources. They are paraphrases of verses of the Samhitâs, or of passages of the Brâhmanas, often retaining the same old words and archaic constructions which were in the original. This is indeed acknowledged by the author of the Mânava-dharma-sâstra, when he says (B. II, v. 6), 'The roots of the Law are the whole Veda (Samhitâs and Brâhmanas), the customs and traditions of those who knew the Veda (as laid down in the Sûtras), the conduct of good men, and one's own satisfaction.' The Mânava-dharma-sâstra may thus be considerd as the last redaction of the laws of the Mânavas. Quite different is the question as to the old Manu from whom the family probably derived its origin, and who is said to have been the author of some very characteristic hymns in the Rig-veda-samhitâ. He certainly cannot be considered as the author of a Mânava-dharma-sûtra, nor is there even any reason to suppose the author of this work to have had the same name. It is evident that the author of the metrical Code of Laws speaks of the old Manu as of a person different from himself, when he says (B. X, v. 63), 'Not to kill, not to lie, not to steal, to keep the body clean, and to restrain the senses, this was the short law which Manu proclaimed amongst the four castes.'Yours truly, M. M.]
him not only to arrive at this negative result, but also to substitute a sounder theory the truth of which subsequent investigations have further confirmed, and to show that the sacred law of the Hindus has its source in the teaching of the Vedic schools, and that the so-called revealed law codes are, in most cases, but improved metrical editions of older prose works which latter, in the first instance, were destined to be committed to memory by the young Aryan students, and to teach them their duties. This circumstance, as well as the fact that Âpastamba's work is free from any suspicion of having been tampered with by sectarians or modern editors, and that its intimate connection with the manuals teaching the performance of the great and small sacrifices, the Srauta and Grihya-sûtras, which are attributed to the same author, is perfectly clear and indisputable, entitle it, in spite of its comparatively late origin, to the first place in a collection of Dharma-sûtras.
The Apastamblya Dharma-sûtra forms part of an enormous Kalpa-sûtra or body of aphorisms, which digests the teaching of the Veda and of the ancient Rishis regarding the performance of sacrifices and the duties of twice-born men, Brâhmanas, Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas. and which, being chiefly based on the second of the four Vedas, the Yagur-veda in the Taittirîya recension, is primarily intended for the benefit of the Adhvaryu priests in whose families the study of the Yagur-veda is hereditary.
The entire Kalpa-sûtra of Âpastamba is divided into thirty sections, called Prasnas, literally questions [1]. The first twenty-four of these teach the performance of the so-called Srauta or Vaitânika sacrifices, for which several sacred fires are required, beginning with the simplest rites, the new and full moon offerings, and ending with the complicated Sattras or sacrificial sessions, which last a whole year or even longer [2]. The twenty-fifth Prasna contains the Paribhâshâs or general rules of interpretation [3], which are valid for the whole Kalpa-sûtra, the Pravara-khanda, the chapter enumerating the patriarchs of the various Brahmanical tribes, and finally the Hautraka, prayers to be recited by the Hotraka priests. The twenty-sixth section gives the Mantras or Vedic prayers and formulas for the Grihya rites, the ceremonies for which the sacred domestic or Grihya fire is required, and the twenty-seventh the rules for the performance of the latter [4]. The aphorisms on the sacred law fill the next two Prasnas; and the Sulva-sûtra[5], teaching the geometrical principles, according to which the altars necessary for the Srauta sacrifices must be constructed, concludes the work with the thirtieth Prasna.
The position of the Dharma-sûtra in the middle of the collection at once raises the presumption that it originally formed an integral portion of the body of Sûtras and that it is not a later addition. Had it been added later, it wouid either stand at the end of the thirty Prasnas or altogether outside the collection, as is the case with some other treatises attributed to Âpastamba [6]. The Hindus are, no doubt, unscrupulous in adding to the works of famous teachers. But such additions, if of considerable extent, are usually not embodied in the works themselves which they are intended to supplement. They are mostly given
[1. Burnell, Indian Antiquary, 1, 5 seq. 2 The Srauta-sûtra, Pr. I-XV, has been edited by Professor R. Garbe in the Bibliotheca Indica, and the remainder is in the press. 3. See Professor Max Müller's Translation in S. B. E., vol. xxx. 4. The Grihya-sûtra has been edited by Dr. Winternitz, Vienna, 1887. 5. On the Sulva-sûtras see G. Thibaut in 'the Pandit,' 1875, p. 292. 6. Burnell, loc. cit.]
as seshas or parisishtas, tacked on at the end, and generally marked as such in the MSS.
In the case of the Âpastamba Dharma-sûtra it is, however, not necessary to rely on its position alone, in order to ascertain its genuineness. There are unmistakable indications that it is the work of the same author who wrote the remainder of the Kalpa-sûtra. One important argument in favour of this view is furnished by the fact that Prasna XXVII, the section on the Grihya ceremonies has evidently been made very short and concise with the intention of saving matter for the subsequent sections on the sacred law. The Âpastambîya Grihya-sûtra contains noth ing beyond a bare outline of the domestic ceremonies, while most of the other Grihya-sûtras, e. g. those of Asvalâyana, Sânkhâyana, Gobhila, and Pâraskara, include a great many rules which bear indirectly only on the performance of the offerings in the sacred domestic fire. Thus on the occasion of the description of the initiation of Aryan students, Âsvalâyana inserts directions regarding the dress and girdle to be worn, the length of the studentship, the manner of begging, the disposal of the alms collected, and other similar questions [1]. The exclusion of such incidental remarks on subjects that are not immediately connected with the chief aim of the work, is almost complete in Âpastamba's Grihya-sûtra, and reduces its size to less than one half of the extent of the shorter ones among the works enumerated above. It seems impossible to explain this restriction of the scope of Prasna XXVII otherwise than by assuming that Âpastamba wished to reserve all rules bearing rather on the duties of men than on the performance of the domestic offerings, for his sections on the sacred law.
A second and no less important argument for the unity of the whole Kalpa-sûtra may be drawn from the cross-references which occur in several Prasnas. In the Dharma-sûtra we find that on various occasions, where the performance
[1. Asvalâyana Grihya-sûtra 1, 19, ed. Stenzler.]
of a ceremony is prescribed, the expressions yathoktam, 'as has been stated,' yathopadesam, 'according to the injunction,' or yathâ purastât, 'as above,' are added. In four of these passages, Dh. I, 1, 4, 16; II, 2, 3, 17; 2, 5, 4; and 7, 17, 16, the Grihya-sûtra is doubtlessly referred to, and the commentator Haradatta has pointed out this fact. On the other hand, the Grihya-Sûtra refers to the Dharma-sûtra, employing the same expressions which have been quoted from the latter. Thus we read in the beginning of the chapter on funeral oblations, Grihya-sûtra VIII, 21, 1, mâsisrâddhasyâparapakshe yathopadesam kâlâh, 'the times,for the monthly funeral sacrifice (fall) in the latter (dark) half of the month according to the injunction.' Now as neither the Grihya-sûtra itself nor any preceding portion of the Kalpa-sûtra contains any injunction on this point, it, follows that the long passage on this subject which occurs in the Dharma-sûtra II, 7, 16, 4-22 is referred to. The expression yathopadesam is also found in other passages of the Grihya-sûtra, and must be explained there in a like manner[1]. There are further a certain number of Sûtras which occur in the same words both in the Prasna on domestic rites, and in that on the sacred law, e. g. Dh. I, 1, A; I, 1, 2, 38; I, 1, 4, 14. It seems that the author wished to call special attention to these rules by repeating them. Their recurrence and literal agreement may be considered an additional proof of the intimate connection of the two sections.
Through a similar repetition of, at least, one Sûtra it is possible to trace the connection of the Dharma-sûtra with the Srauta-sûtra. The rule ritve vâ gâyâm, 'or (he may have conjugal intercourse) with his wife in the proper season', is given, Dh. II, 2, 5, 17, with reference to a householder who teaches the Veda. In the Srauta-sûtra it occurs twice, in the sections on the new and full moon sacrifices III, 17, 8, and again in connection with the Kâturmâsya offerings, VIII, 4, 6, and it refers both times
[1. See the details, given by Dr. Wintemitz in his essay, Das altindische Hochzeitsrituell, p. 5 (Denkschr. Wiener Akadernie, Bd. 40).]
to the sacrificer. In the first passage the verb, upeyât, is added, which the sense requires; in the second it has the abbreviated form, which the best MSS. of the Dharma-sûtra offer. The occurrence of the irregular word, ritve for ritvye, in all the three passages, proves clearly that we have to deal with a self-quotation of the same author. If the Dharma-sûtra were the production of a different person and a later addition, the Pseudo-Âpastamba would most probably not have hit on this peculiar irregular form. Finally, the Grihya-sûtra, too, contains several crossreferences to the Srauta-sûtra, and the close agreement of the Sûtras on the Vedic sacrifices, on the domestic rites, and on the sacred, both in language and style, conclusively prove that they are the compositions of one author[1].
Who this author really was, is a problem which cannot be solved for the present, and which probably will. always remain unsolved, because we know his family name only. For the form of the word itself shows that the name Âpastamba, just like those of most founders of Vedic schools, e. g. Bhâradvâga, Âsvalâyana, Gautama, is a patronymic. This circumstance is, of course, fatal to all attempts at an identification of the individual who holds so prominent a place among the teachers of the Black Yagur-veda.
But we are placed in a somewhat better position with respect to the history of the school which has been named after Âpastamba and of the works ascribed to him. Regarding both, some information has been preserved by tradition, and a little more can be obtained from inscriptions and later works, while some interesting details regarding the time when, and the place where the Sûtras were composed, may be elicited from the latter themselves. The data, obtainable from these sources, it is true, do not enable us to determine with certainty the year when the Âpastambîya school was founded, and when its Sûtras were composed. But they make it possible to ascertain the position of the school and of its Sûtras in Vedic literature,
[1. See Dr. Winternitz, loc. cit.] their relative priority or posteriority as compared with other Vedic schools and works, to show with some amount of probability in which part of India they had their origin, and to venture, at least, a not altogether unsupported conjecture as to their probable antiquity.
As regards the first point, the Karanavyûha, a supplement of the White Yagur-veda which gives the lists of the Vedic schools, informs us that the Âpastambîya school formed one of the five branches of the Khândikîya school, which in its turn was a subdivision of the Taittirîyas, one of the ancient sections of Brâhmanas who study, the Black Yagur-veda. Owing to the very unsatisfactory condition of the text of the Karanavyûha it is unfortunately not possible to ascertain what place that work really assigns to the Âpastambîyas among the five branches of the, Khândikîyas. Some MSS. name them first, and others, last. They give either the following list, 1. Kâleyas (Kâletas), 2. Sâtyâvanins, 3. Hiranyakesins, 4. Bhâradvâgins, and 5. Âpastambins, or, I. Âpastambins, 2. Baudhâyanins or Bodhâyanins, 3. Satyâshâdhins, 4. Hiranya-kesins, 5. Aukheyas[1]. But this defect is remedied to, a certain extent by the now generally current, and probably ancient tradition that theApastambiyas are younger than, the school of Baudhâyana, and. older than that of Satyâshâdha Hiranyakesin. Baudhâyana, it is alleged, composed the first set of Sûtras connected with the Black Yagur-Veda, which bore the special title 'pravakana,' and hel,~, was succeeded by Bhâradvâga, Âpastamba, and Satyâshâdha Hiranyakesin,who all founded schools which bear their names[2].
[1. Max Müller, Hist. Anc. Sansk. Lit, p. 371. AMS. of the Karanavyûha, with an anonymous commentary, in my possession, has the following passage:
2. Max MüllIer, Hist. Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 194. These statements occnr in the introduction of Mahâdeva's commentary on the Srauta-sûtra of Hiranyakesin (Weber, Hist. Sansk. Lit., p. 110, 2nd ed.) and, in an interpolated: passage of Bhâradvâgâ's Grihya-sûtra (Winternitz, op. cit., p. 8, note i), as well as, with the omission of Bhâradvâgâ's name, in interpolated passages of Baudhâyana's Dharma-sûtra (II, 5, 9, 14) and of the same author's Grihya-sûtra (Sacred Books of the East, vol. xiv, p. xxxvi, note i). Adherents of a Pravakana-sûtra, no doubt identical with that of Baudhâyana, the Pravakanakartâ (Sacred Books of the East, vol. xiv, p. xxxvi), are mentioned in a land grant, originally issued by the Pallava king Nandivarman in the beginning of the eighth century A.D., see Hultzsch, South Indian Inscriptions, vol. ii, p. 361 seqq.; see also Weber, Hist Sansk. Lit., p. 110, 2nd ed.]
This tradition has preserved two important pieces of in-formation. First, the Âpastamba school is what Professor Max Müller appropriately calls a Sûtrakarana, i.e. a school whose founder did not pretend to have received a revelation of Vedic Mantras or of a Brâhmana text, but merely gave a new systematic arrangement of the precepts regarding sacrifices and the sacred law. Secondly, the Sûtras of Âpastamba occupy an intermediate position between the works of Baudhâyana and Hiranyakesin. Both these statements are perfectly true, and capable of being supported by proofs, drawn from Âpastamba's own and from other works.
As regards the first point, Professor Max Müller has already pointed [1] out that, though we sometimes find a Brâhmana of the Âpastambîyas mentioned, the title Âpastamba-brâhmana is nothing but another name of the Taittirîya-brâhmana, and that this Brâhmana, in reality, is always attributed to Tittiri or to the pupils of Vaisampâyana, who are said to have picked up the Black YagurVeda in the shape of partridges (tittiri). The same remark applies to the collection of the Mantras of the Black Yagur-veda, which, likewise, is sometimes named Âpastamba-samhitâ. The Karanavyûha states explicitly that the five branches of the Khândîkîya school, to which the Âpastambîyas belong, possess one and the same recension of the revealed texts, consisting Of 7 Kândas. 44 Prasnas, 651 Anuvâkas, 2198 Pannâsîs, 19290 Padas[2], and 253,868 syllables, and indicates thereby that all these five schools were Sûtrakaranas. If we now turn to Âpastamba's own works, we find still
[1. Max Müller, op. cit., p. 195. 2 See also Weber, Ind. Lit., p. 98, 2nd ed.]
clearer proof that he laid no claim to the title Rishi, or inspired seer of Vedic texts. For (Dharma-sûtra I, 2, 5, 4-5 says distinctly that on account of the prevalent transgression of the rules of studentship no Rishis are born, among the Avaras, the men of later ages or of modern times, but that some, by virtue of a residue of the merit which they acquired in former lives, become similar to Rishis by their knowledge of the Veda. A man who speaks in this manner, shows that he considers the holy ages during which the great saints saw with their mind's eye the uncreated and eternal texts of the Veda to be past, and that all he claims is a thorough acquaintance with the scriptures which had been handed down to him. The same spirit which dictated this passage is also observable in other portions of the Dharma-sûtra. For Âpastamba repeatedly contrasts the weakness and sinfulness of the Avaras, the men of his own times, with the holiness of the ancient sages, who, owing to the greatness of their 'lustre,' were able to commit various forbidden acts without diminishing their spiritual merit[1]. These utterances prove that Âpastamba considered himself a child of the Kali Yuga, the age of sin, during which, according to Hindu notions, no Rishis can be born. If, therefore, in spite of this explicit disclaimer, the Samhitâ and the Brâhmana of the Black Yagur-veda are sometimes called Âpastamba or Âpastambîya, i.e. belonging to Âpastamba, the meaning of this expression can only be, that they were and are studied and handed down by the school of Âpastamba, not that its founder was their author, or, as the Hindus would say, saw them.
The fact that Âpastamba confined his activity to the composition of Sûtras is highly important for the determination of the period to which he belonged. It clearly shows that in his time the tertiary or Sûtra period of the Yagur-veda had begun. Whether we assume, with Professor Max Müller, that the Sûtra period was one and the same for all the four Vedas, and fix its limits with him
[1. Dharma-sûtra II, 6, x 3, 1-10; II, 10, 27, 4.]
between 600-200 B.C., or whether we believe, as I am inclined to do, that the date of the Sûtra period differed for each Veda, still the incontestable conclusion is that the origin of the Âpastambîya school cannot be placed in the early times of the Vedic period, and probably falls in the last six or seven centuries before the beginning of the Christian era.
The correctness of the traditional statement that Âpastarnba is younger than Baudhâyana may be made very probable by the following considerations. First, Baudhâyana's and Âpastamba's works on Dharma have a considerable number of Sûtras in common. Thus in the chapter on Penances not less than seven consecutive Sûtras, prescribing the manner in which outcasts are to live and to obtain readmission into the Brahmanical community for their children, occur in both treatises[1]. Besides this passage, there are a number of single Sûtras [2] which agree literally. Taken by itself this agreement does not prove much, as it may be explained in various ways. It may show either that Baudhâyana is older than Âpastamba, and that the latter borrowed from the former, or that the reverse was the case. It may also indicate that both authors drew from one common source. But if it is taken together with two other facts, it gains a considerable importance. First, Âpastamba holds in several cases doctrines which are of a later origin than those held by Baudhâyana. With respect to this point the puritan opinions which Âpastamba puts forward regarding the substitutes for legitimate sons and regarding the appointment of widows (niyoga), and his restriction of the number of marriage-rites, may be adduced as examples. Like many other ancient teachers, Baudhâyana permits childless Âryans to satisfy their craving for representatives bearing their name, and to allay their fears of falling after death into the regions of torment through a failure of the funeral oblations, by the affiliation
of-eleven kinds of substitutes for a legitimate son. Illegitimate sons, the illegitimate sons of wives, the legitimate -and illegitimate offspring of daughters, and the children of relatives, or even of strangers who may be solemnly adopted, or received as members of the family without any ceremony, or be acquired by purchase, are all allowed to take the place and the rights of legitimate sons[1]. Âpastamba declares his dissent from this doctrine. He allows legitimate sons alone to inherit their father's estate and to follow the occupations of his caste, and he explicitly forbids the sale and gift of children[2].
In like manner he protests against the custom of making over childless widows to brothers-in-law or other near relatives in order to obtain sons who are to offer the funeral oblations to the deceased husband's manes, while Baudbayana has as yet no scruple on the subject[3]. Finally, he omits from his list of the marriage-rites the Paisâka vivâha, where the bride is obtained by fraud[4]; though it is reluctantly admitted by Baudhdvana and other ancient teachers. There can be no doubt that the law which placed the regular continuance of the funeral oblations above all other considerations, and which allowed, in order to secure this object, even a violation of the sanctity of the marriage-tie and other breaches of the principles of morality, beloncrs to an older order of ideas than the stricter views of Âpastamba. It is true that, according to Baudhâyana's own statement[5], before his time an ancient sage named Aupaganghani, who is also mentioned in the Satapatha-brâhmana, had opposed the old practice of taking substitute's for a legitimate son. It is also very probable that for a long time the opinions of the Brâhmana teachers, who lived in different parts of India and belonged to different schools, may have been divided on this subject. Still it seems very improbable that of two authors who both belong to the same Veda and to the same school, the
[1. Baudh. Dh. II, 2, 3, 17 seqq. 2. Âp. Dh. II, 5, 13, 1-2, 11. 3. Âp. Dh. II, 10, 27, 2-7. 4. Âp. Dh. II, 5, 11 and 12. 5. Baudh. Dh. II, 21 3, 33.]
earlier one should hold the later doctrine, and the later one the earlier opinion. The contrary appears the more probable assumption. The same remarks apply to the cases of the Niyoga and of the Paisâka marriage[1].
The second fact, which bears on the question how the identity of so many Sûtras in the two Dharma-sûtras is to be explained, affords a still stronger proof of Âpastamba's posteriority to Baudhâyana. For on several occasions, it appears, Âpastamba controverts opinions which Baudhâyana holds, or which may be defended with the help of the latter's Sûtras. The clearest case of this kind occurs in the chapter on Inheritance, where the treatment of the eldest son on the division of the estate by the father is discussed. There Âpastamba gives it as his own opinion that the father should make an equal division of his property 'after having gladdened the eldest son by some (choice portion of his) wealth,' i.e. after making him a present which should have some value, but should not be so valuable as to materially affect the equality of the shares[2]. Further on he notices the opinions of other teachers on this subject, and states that the practice advocated by some, of allowing the eldest alone to inherit, as well as the custom prevailing in some countries, of allotting to the eldest all the father's gold, or the brack cows, or the black iron and grain, is not in accordance with the precepts of the Vedas. In order to prove the latter assertion he quotes a passage of the Taittirîya Samhitâ, in which it is declared that 'Manu divided his wealth among his sons,' and no difference in the treatment of the eldest son is prescribed. He adds that a second passage occurs in the same Veda, which declares that 'they distinguish the eldest son by (a larger portion of) the heritage,' and which thus apparently countenances the partiality for the first-born. But this second passage, he contends, appealing to the
[1. For another case, the rules, referring to the composition for homicide, regarding which Âpastamba holds later views than Baudhâyana, see the Festgruss an R. von Roth, pp. 47-48. 2 Âp. Dh. II, 6, 13, 13, and II, 6, 14, 1]
opinion of the Mimânsists, is, like many similar ones, merely a statement of a fact which has not the authority of an injunction[1]. If we now turn to Baudhâyana, we find that he allows of three different methods for the distribution of the paternal estate. According to him, either an equal share may be given to each son, or the eldest may receive the best part of the wealth, or, also, a preferential share of one tenth of the whole property. He further alleges that the cows, horses, goats, and sheep respectively go to the eldest sons of Brâhmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sûdras. As authority for the equal division he gives the first of the two Vedic passages quoted above; and for the doctrine that the eldest is to receive the best part of the estate, he quotes the second passage which Âpastamba considers to be without the force of an injunction [2]. The fact that the two authors' opinions clash is manifest, and the manner in which Âpastamba tries to show that the second Vedic passage possesses no authority, clearly indicates that before his time it had been held to contain an injunction. As no other author of a Dharma-sûtra but Baudhâyana is known to have quoted it, the conclusion is that Âpastamba's remarks are directed against him. If Âpastamba does not mention Baudhâyana by name, the reason probably is that in olden times, just as in the present day, the Brahmanical etiquette forbad a direct opposition against doctrines propounded by an older teacher who belongs to the same spiritual family (vidyâvamsa) as oneself. A similar case occurs in the chapter on Studentship [3] where Âpastamba, again appealing to the Mîmâmsists, combats the doctrine that pupils may eat forbidden food, such as honey, meat, and pungent condiments, if it is given to them as leavings by their teacher. Baudhâyana gives no explicit rule on this point, but the wording of his Sûtras is not opposed to the doctrine and practice, to which Âpastamba objects. Baudhâyana says that students
[1. Âp. Dh. II, 6,14, 6-13. Baudh. Dh. II, 2, 3, 2-7. 2. Âp. Dh. I, 1, 4, 5-7.]
shall avoid honey, meat, pungent condiments, &c.; he further enjoins that pupils are to obey their teachers except when ordered to commit crimes which cause loss of caste (patanîya); and he finally directs them to eat the fragments of food given to them by their teachers. As the eating of honey and other forbidden substances is not a crime causing loss of caste, it is possible that Baudhâyana himself may have considered it the duty of a pupil to eat any kind of food given by the teacher, even honey and meat. At all events the practice and doctrine which Âpastamba blames, may have been defended by the wording of Baudhâyana's rules [1].
The three points which have been just discussed, viz. the identity of a number of Sûtras in the works of the two authors, the fact that Âpastamba advocates on some points more refined or puritan opinions, and, especially, that he labours to controvert doctrines contained in Baudhâyana's Sûtras, give a powerful support to the traditional statement that he is younger than that teacher. It is, however, difficult to say how great the distance between the two really is. Mahddeva, as stated above, places between them only Bhâradvâga, the author of a set of Sûtras, which as yet have not been completely recovered. But it seems to me not likely that the latter was his immediate predecessor in the vidyâvamsa or spiritual family to which both belonged. For it cannot be expected that two successive heads of the school should each have composed a Sûtra and thus founded a new branch-school. It is
[1. Cases, in which Âpastamba's Grihya-sûtra appears to refer to, or to controvert, Baudhâyana's Grihya-sûtra, have been collected by Dr. Wintemitz, op. cit., p. 8. Dr. Burnell, Tanjore Catalogue, p. 34, too, considers Baudhâyana to be older than Âpastamba, because his style is so much simpler. With this remark may be compared Dr. Winternitz's very true assertion that Baudhâyana's style resembles sometimes, especially in the discussion of disputed points, that of the Brâhmanas. On the other hand, Dr. R. G. Bhindirkar, Second Report on the Search for Sanskrit MSS., p. 34, believes Baudhâyana to be later than Âpastamba and Bhâradvâga, because he teaches other developments of sacrificial rites, unknown to the other two Sûtrakâras. This may be true, but it must not be forgotten that every portion of Baudhâyana's Sûtras, which has been subjected to a critical enquiry, has turned out to be much interpolated and enlarged by later hands.]
more probable that Baudhâyana and Bhâradvâga, as well as the latter and Âpastamba, were separated by several intervening generations of teachers, who contented themselves with explaining the works of their predecessors. The distance in years between the first and the last of the three Ritrakiras must, therefore, I think, be measured rather by centuries than by decades [1]. As regards the priority of Âpastamba to the school of Satyâshâdha Hiranyakesin, there can be no doubt about the correctness of this statement. For either Hiranyakesin himself, or, at least, his immediate successors have appropriated Âpastamba's Dharma-sûtra and have inserted it with slight modifications in their own collection. The alterations consist chiefly in some not very important additions, and in the substitution of more intelligible and more modern expressions for difficult and antiquated words'. But they do not extend so far as to make the language of the Dharma-sûtra fully agree with that of the other sections of the collection, especially with the Grihya-sûtra. Numerous discrepancies between these two parts are observable. Thus we read in the Hiranyakesi
[1. The subjoined pedigree of the Sûtrakâras of the Black Yagur-veda will perhaps make the above remarks and my interpretation of the statements of Mahâdeva and the other authorities mentioned above more intelligible:- Khândika, taught the Taittirîya recension of the Black Yagur-veda. (Successors of Khândika, number unknown, down to) Baudhâyana, Pravahanakartâ, i.e. 1st Sûtrakâra, and founder of Baudhâyana-karana. (Successors of Baudhâyana down to fellow-pupil of Bhâradvâga, number unknown.) (Successors of Baudhâyana after the schism down to the present day.) Bhâradvâga, 2nd Sûtrakâra, and founder of Bhâradvâga-karana. (Successors of Bhâradvâga down to fellow-pupil of Âpastamba, number unknown.) (Successors after the schism down to the present day.) Âpastamba, 3rd Sûtrakâra, and founder of Âpastamba-karana. (Successors of Âpastamba duwn to fellow-pupil of Satyâshâdha Hiranyakesin, number unknown.) (successors of Âpastamba down to the present day.) Satyâshâdha Hiranyakesin, 4th Sûtrakâra, and founder of Hiranyakesikarana. (Successors of Satyâshâdha Hiranyakesin down to the present day.) After the schism of Satyâshâdha Hiranyakesin the pedigree has not been continued, though Mahâdeva asserts that several other Sûtrakâras arose. But to work it out further would be useless. 2. See Appendix II to Part I of my second edition of Âpastamba's Dharma-sûtra, p. 117 seqq.]
Grihya-sûtra that a Brâhmana must, ordinarily, be initiated in his seventh year, while the rule of the Dharma-sûtra, which is identical with Âp. Dh. I, 1, 1, 18, prescribes that the ceremony shall take place in the eighth year after conception. The commentators, Mâtridatta on the Grihya-sûtra and Mahâdeva on the Dharma-sûtra, both state that the rule of the Grihya-sûtra refers to the seventh year after birth, and, therefore, in substance agrees with the Dharma-sûtra. They are no doubt right. But the difference in the wording shows that the two sections do not belong to the same author. The same inference may be drawn from the fact that the Hiranyakesi Grihya-sûtra, which is much longer than Âpastamba's, includes a considerable amount of matter which refers to the sacred law, and which is repeated in the Dharma-sûtra. According to a statement which I have heard from several learned Brâhmanas, the followers of Hiranyakesin, when pronouncing the samkalpa or solemn pledge to perform a ceremony, declare themselves to be members of the Hiranyakesi school that forms a subdivision of Âpastamba's (âpastambântargatahiranyakesisâkhâdhyâyi . . . aham). But I have not been able to find these words in the books treating of the ritual of the Hiranyakesins, such as the Mahesabhattî. If this assertion could be further corroborated, it would be an additional strong proof of the priority of Âpastamba, which, however, even without it may be accepted as a fact[1]. The distance in time between the two teachers is probably not so great as that between Âpastamba and Baudhâyana, as Mahâdeva mentions no intermediate Sûtrakâra between them. Still it is probably not less than 100, or 150 years. The results of the above investigation which show that the origin of the Âpastamba school falls in the middle of the Sûtra period of the Black Yagur-veda, and that its Sûtras belong to the later, though not to the latest products of Vedic literature, are fully confirmed by an
[1. Compare also Dr. Winternitz's remarks on the dependence of the Grihya-sûtra of the Hiranyakesins on Âpastamba's, op. cit., p. 6 seqq., and the second edition of the Âp. Dh., Part 1, p. xi.]
examination of the quotations from and references to Vedic and other books contained in Âpastamba's Sûtras, and especially in the Dharma-sûtra. We find that all the four Vedas are quoted or referred to. The three old ones, the Rik, Yagus, and Sâman, are mentioned both separately and collectively by the name trayî vidyâ, i.e. threefold sacred science, and the fourth is called not Atharvângirasah, as is done in most ancient Sûtras, but Atharva-veda. The quotations from the Rik and Sâman are not very numerous. But a passage from the ninth Mandala of the former, which is referred to Dh. I, 1, 2, 2, is of some extent, and shows that the recens:on which Âpastamba knew, did not differ from that which still exists. As Âpastamba was an adherent of the Black Yagur-veda, he quotes it, especially in the Srauta-sûtra, very frequently, and he adduces not only texts from the Mantra-samhitâ, but also from the Taittirîya-Brâhmana and Âranyaka. The most important quotations from the latter work occur Dh. II, 2, 3, 16-II, 2, 4, 9, where all the Mantras to be recited during the performance of the Bali-offerings are enumerated. Their order agrees exactly with that in which they stand in the sixty-sevcnth Anuvâka of the tenth Prapâthaka of the recension of the Âranyaka which is current among the Ândhra Brâhmanas [2]. This last point is of considerable importance, both for the history of the text of that book and, as we shall see further on, for the history of the Âpastambîya school.
The White Yagur-veda, too, is quoted frequently in the Srauta-sûtra and once in the section on Dharma by the title Vâgasaneyaka, while twice its Brâhmana, the Vâasaneyi-brâhmana, is cited. The longer one of the two passages, taken from the latter work, Dh. I, 4, 12, 3, does, however, not fully agree with the published text of the Mâdhyandina recension. Its wording possesses just sufficient resemblance to allow us to identify the passage which Âpastamba meant, but differs from the Satapatha-
[1. Âp. II, 29, 12. The Taittirîya Âranyaka exists in three recensions, the Karnâta, Drâvida, and the Ândhra, the first of which has been commented on by Sâyana.]
Brâhmana in many details[1]. The cause of these discrepancies remains doubtful for the present [2]. As regards the Atharva-veda, Âpastamba gives, besides the reference mentioned above and a second to the Angirasa-pavitra [3], an abstract of a long passage from Atharva-veda XV, 10-13, regarding the treatment of a Vrâtya, i.e. a learned mendicant Brâhmana, who really deserves the title of an atithi, or guest [4]. It is true that Âpastamba, in the passage referred to, does not say that his rule is based on the Atharvaveda. He merely says that a Brâhmana is his authority. But it seems, nevertheless, certain that by the expression a Brâhmana, the Brâhmana-like fifteenth book of the Atharva-veda is meant, as the sentences to be addressed by the host to his guest agree literally with those which the Atharva-veda prescribes for the reception of a Vrâtya. Haradatta too, in his commentary, expresses the same opinion. Actual quotations from the Atharva-veda are not frequent in Vedic literature, and the fact that Âpastamba's Dharma-sûtra contains one, is, therefore, of some interest. Besides these Vedic texts[5], Âpastamba mentions, also, the Angas or auxiliary works, and enumerates six classes, viz. treatises on the ritual of the sacrifices, on grammar, astronomy, etymology, recitation of the Veda, and metrics [6]. The number is the same as that which is considered the correct one in our days [7].
As the Dharma-sûtra names no less than nine teachers in connection with various topics of the sacred law, and frequently appeals to the opinion of some (eke), it follows that a great many such auxiliary treatises must have existed in Âpastamba's time. The Âkâryas mentioned are Eka, Kânva, Kânva, Kunika, Kutsa, Kautsa, Pushkarasâdi,
[1. Compare on this point Professor Eggeling's remarks in Sacred Books of the East, vol. xii, p. xxxix seqq. 2. See the passage from the Karanavyûhabhâshya given below, ver.10. 3. Âp. Dh. I, 2, 2. 4. Âp. Dh. II, 3, 7, 12-17. 5. Some more are quoted in the Srauta-sûtra, see Professor Garbe in the Gurupûgakaumudî, p. 33 seqq. 6. Âp. Dh. II, 4, 8, 10. See also Max Müller, Hist. Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 111.]
Vârshyâyani, Svetaketu, and Hârita [1]. Some of these persons, like Hârita and Kânva, are known to have composed Sûtras on the sacred law, and fragments or modified versions of their works are still in existence, while Kânva, Kautsa, Pushkarasâdi or Paushkarasâdi, as the grammatically correct form of the name is, and Vârshyâyani are quoted in the Nirukta, the Prâtisikhyas, and the Vârttikas on Pânini as authorities on phonetics, etymology, and grammar [1]. Kânva, finally, is considered the author of the still existing Kalpa-sûtras of the Kânva school connected with the White Yagur-veda. It seems not improbable that most of these teachers were authors of complete sets of Angas. Their position in Vedic literature, however, except as far as Kânva, Hârita, and Svetaketu are concerned, is difficult to define, and the occurrence of their names throws less light on the antiquity of the Âpastambîya school than might be expected. Regarding Hârita it must, however, be noticed that he is one of the oldest authors of Sûtras, that he was an adherent of the Maitrâyanîya Sâkhâ [3], and that he is quoted by Baudhâyana, Âpastamba's predecessor. The bearing of the occurrence of Svetaketu's name will be discussed below.
Of even greater interest than the names of the teachers are the indications which Âpastamba gives, that he knew two of the philosophical schools which still exist in India, viz. the Pûrvâ or Karma Mimâmsâ and the Vedânta. As regards the former, he mentions it by its ancient name, Nyâya, which in later tirnes and at present is usually applied to the doctrine of Gautama Akshapâda. In two passages [4] he settles contested points on the authority of those who know the Nyâya, i.e. the Pûrvâ Mîmâmsâ, and
[1. p. Dh. I, 6, 19, 3-8; I, 10, 2 8, 1-2; I, 4, 13, 10; I, 6, 18, 2; I, 6, 19, 12; I, 10, 28, 5, 16; I, 10, 29, 12-16. 2. Max Müller, loc. cit., p. 142. 3. A Dharma-sûtra, ascribed to this teacher, has been recovered of late, by Mr. Virnan Shastri Islampurkar. Though it is an ancient work, it does not contain Âpastamba's quotations, see Grundriss d. Indo-Ar. Phil. und Altertumsk, II, 8, 8. 4. Âp. Dh. II, 4, 8, 13; II, 6, 14, 13.]
in several other cases he adopts a line of reasoning which fully agrees with that followed in Gaimini's Mimâmsâ-sûtras. Thus the arguments[1], that 'a revealed text has greater weight than a custom from which a revealed text may be inferred,' and that 'no text can be inferred from a custom for which a worldly motive is apparent,' exactly correspond with the teaching of Gaimini's Mimâmsâ-sûtras I, 3, 3-4. The wording of the passages in the two works does not agree so closely that the one could be called a quotation of the other. But it is evident, that if Âpastamba did not know the Mimâmsâ-sûtras of Gaimini, he must have possessed some other very similar work. As to the Vedânta, Âpastamba does not mention the name of the school. But Khandas 22, 23 of the first Patala of the Dharma-sûtra unmistakably contain the chief tenets of the Vedântists, and recommend the acquisition of the knowledge of the Âtman as the best means for purifying the souls of sinners. Though these two Khandas are chiefly filled with quotations, which, as the commentator states, are taken from an Upanishad, still the manner of their selection, as well as Âpastamba's own words in the introductory and concluding Sûtras, indicates that he knew not merely the unsystematic speculations contained in the Upanishads and Aranyakas, but a well-defined system of Vedântic philosophy identical with that of Bâdarâyana's Brahma-sûtras. The fact that Âpastamba's Dharma-sûtra contains indications of the existence of these two schools of philosophy, is significant as the Pûrvâ Mîmâmsâ occurs in one other Dharma-sûtra only, that attributed to Vasishtha, and as the name of the Vedânta school is not found in any of the prose treatises on the sacred law.
Of non-Vedic works Âpastamba mentions the Purâna. The Dharma-sûtra not only several times quotes passages from 'a Purâna' as authorities for its rules [2], but names in one case the Bhavishyat-purâna as the particular Purâna from which the quotation is taken [3]. References to the
[1. Âp. Dh. I, 1, 14, 8, 9-10 2. Âp. Dh, I, 6, 19, 13; I, 10, 29, 7. 2. Âp. Dh. II, 9, 24,6.]
Purâna in general are not unfrequent in other Sûtras on the sacred law, and even in older Vedic works. But Âpastamba, as far as I know, is the only Sûrakâra who specifies the title of a partirular Purâna, and names one which is nearly or quite identical with that of a work existing in the present day, and he is the only one, whose quotations can be shown to be, at least in part, genuine Paurânic utterances.
Among the so-called Upa-purânas we find one of considerable extent which bears the title Bhavishya-purâna or also Bhavishyat-purâna [1]. It is true that the passage quoted in the Dharma-sûtra from the Bhavishyat-purâna is not to be found in the copy of the Bhavishya-purâna which I have seen. It is, therefore, not possible to assert positively that Âpastamba knew the present homonymous work. Still, considering the close resemblance of the two titles, and taking into account the generally admitted fact that most if not all Purânas have been remodelled and recast [2], it seems to me not unlikely that Âpastamba's
[1. Aufrecht, Catalogus Catalogorum, p. 400. 2 Max Müller, Hist. Anc. Sansk. Lit., pp. 40-42. Weber, Literaturgeschichte, pp. 206-208. Though I fully subscribe to the opinion, held by the most illustrious Sanskritists, that, in general, the existing Purânas are not identical with the works designated by that title in Vedic works, still I cannot believe that they are altogether independent of the latter. Nor can I agree to the assertion that the Purânas known to us, one and all, are not older than the tenth or eleventh century A.D. That is inadmissible, because Bêrûnî (India, I, 130 enumerates them as canonical books. And his frequent quotations from them prove that in 1030 A. D. they did not differ materially from those known to us (see Indian Antiquary, 19, 382 seqq.). Another important fact bearing on this point may be mentioned here, viz. that the poet Bâna, who wrote shortly after 600 A.D., in the Srîhatshakarita, orders his Paurânika to recite the Pavanaprokta-purâna, i.e. the Vâyu-purâna (Harshakarita, p. 61, Calcutta ed.). Dr. Hall, the discoverer of the life of Harsha, read in his copy Yavanaprokta-purâna, a title which, as he remarks, might suggest the idea that Bâna knew the Greek epic poetry. But a comparison of the excellent Ahmadâbâd and Benares Devanâgarî MSS. and of the Kasmîr Sâradâ copies shows that the correct reading is the one given above. The earlier history of the Purânas, which as yet is a mystery, will only be cleared up when a real history of the orthodox Hindu sects, especially of the Sivites and Vishnuites, has been written. It will, then, probably become apparent that the origin of these sects reaches back far beyond the rise of Buddhism and Jainism. It will also be proved that the orthodox sects used Purânas as text books for populpr Teadings, the Purânapâthana of our days, and that some, at least, of the now existing Purânas are the latest recensions of those mentioned in Vedic books.]
authority was the original on which the existing Upapurâna is based. And in favour of this view it may be urged that passages, similar to Âpastamba's quotation, actually occur in our Paurânic texts. In the Gyotishprakâra section of several of the chief Purânas we find, in connection with the description of the Path of the Manes (pitriyâna)[1], the assertion that the pious sages, who had offspring and performed the Agnihotra, reside there until the general destruction of created things (bhûtasamplavât), as well as, that in the beginning of each new creation they are the propagators of the world (lokasya samtânakarâh) and, being re-born, re-establish the sacred law. Though the wording differs, these passages fully agree in sense with Âpastamba's Bhavishyat-purâna which says, 'They (the ancestors) live in heaven until the (next) general destruction of created things. At the new creation (of the world) they become the seed.' In other passages of the Purânas, which refer to the successive creations, we find even the identical terms used in the quotation. Thus the Vâyup., Adhy. 8, 23, declares that those beings, which have gone to the Ganaloka, 'become the seed at the new creation' (punah sarge ... bigârtham ta bhavanti hi).
These facts prove at all events that Âpastamba took his quotation from a real Purâna, similar to those existing. If it is literal and exact, it shows, also, that the Purânas of his time contained both prose and verse. Further, it is possible. to trace yet another of Âpastamba's quotations from 'a Purâna.' The three Purânas, mentioned above, give, immediately after the passages referred to, enlarged versions of the two verses[2] regarding the sages, who begot offspring and obtained 'burial-grounds,' and
[1. Vâyup., Adhy. .50, 208 seqq.; Matsyap., Adhy. 123, 96 seqq.; Vishnup. II, 8. 86-89; H. H. Wilson, Vishnup., vol. ii, pp. 263-268 (ed. Hall). 2 Âp. Dh. II, 9, 23,4-5.]
regarding those who, remaining chaste, gained immortality[1]. In this case Âpastamba's quotation can be restored almost completely, if certain interpolations are cut out. And it is evident that Âpastamba has preserved genuine Purânic verses in their ancient form. A closer study of the unfortunately much neglected Purânas, no doubt, will lead to further identifications of other quotations, which will be of considerable interest for the history of Indian literature.