The positive background of Hindu sociology / by Benoy Kumár Sarkár ; with appendices by Brajendranáth Seal.

  • Benoy Kumar Sarkar
Date:
1914-<21>
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The positive background of Hindu sociology / by Benoy Kumár Sarkár ; with appendices by Brajendranáth Seal. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    46/430 (page 10)
    “ This is not an exhaustive enumeration (parisankhya), but it is merely illustrative. Therefore, the Dharma Sastras of Baudhdyana and others are not excluded. “ As each of these Smritis possesses authority, so the points not mentioned by one, may be supplied from the others. “ But if one set of Institutes contradicts the other, then there is an option (to follow any one of them).”1 * * BSlambhatta’s Gloss on the above furnishes much interesting information on the subject. Devala gives the following list of the Dharma-SSstras1. Manu, 2. Yama, 3. Vasistha. 4. Atri, 5. Daksa, 6. Visnu, 7. Angira, 8. Usana, 9. Vakpati, 10. Vyasa ; 11. Apastamba, 12. Gautama, 13. Katyayana, 14. Narada, 15. Yajnyavalkya, 16. Para- sara, 17. Samvarta, 18. Sankha, 19. Harita, 20. Likhita. In this list NSracla is an addition, while in the Y&jnyavalkya9s list we have S&tatapa instead. The Sankha gives the following list:—1. Atri, 2. Brihaspati, 3. Usanas, 4. Apastamba, 5. Vasistha, 6. Katyayana, 7. Paras’ara, 8. Vyasa, 9. Sankha, 10. Likhita, 11. Samvarta, 12. Gautama, 13. Satatapa, 14. Harita, 15. Yajnyavalkya, 16. Prachetas and the rest. By the phrase “ and the rest ” is meant 17. Budha, 18. Devala, 19. Sumantu, 20. Jamadagni, 21. Visvamitra, 22. Prajapati, 23. Paithinasi, 24. Pitamaha, 25. Baudhayana, 26. Chhagaleya, 27. Jabala, 28. Chyavana, 29. M'arichi, 30. Kas'yapa. In the Bhavisya Purana w7e find the following addressed by Isvara to Guha:— “Having pondered over the texts of the eighteen Puranas, O child, and over the texts ef the Smritis, beginning with Manu and which are thirty-six in number, I now tell thee.’. [This shows that the Smritis are 36 in number.] The Smritis like the 1. Vriddha- Satatapa, 2. • Yogi—Yajnyavalkya r 3. Vriddha-Vasistha, 4. Vriddha-Manu, 5. Laghu- Harita, &c„ should be included in the well-known thirty-six under their original authors. [Thus Manu includes the ordinary and the Vriddha Manu, and so on.] Thus Yajnyavalkya says (III. 110) “ 1 have declared the science of Yoga.’’ RatnSkara says: “we find in the Bhavisya Purana itself the enumeration of other Smritis like Gobhila, Risya Sringa, &c., which are over and above the thirty- six ; so we conclude that thirty-six does not exhaust the number of Smritis, but is only an enumeration made by the Sistas.” Those which are found as Grihya Sutras and their Parisistas, &c., they belong to a different Category : like the Pur&nas. As in the Bhavisya :—“ The Maitrayaniya, the Chhandogya, the Katha, the Apastamba, the Bhavrichas, their Paris'istas and those called Khilas (are also Smritis).” The Visnu-Dharma, the Siva-Dharma, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana and the rest are also to be included among Smritis. As says the BhavisyaThe eighteen Puranas, the history of Rama (Ramayana), the Visnu-Dharma-SSstra, &c., the S;iva-Dharma; the fifth Veda called the Mahabharata composed by Krisna- Dvaipayana, the Sauradharma, the Manavokta Dharma, are also taken as such by the wise,” (adhyaya 4, v. 87-88). 1 See Manu, II, 14, for conflict of Sruti, &c. “But when two sacred texts (Sruti) are conflicting both are held to be law; for both are pronounced by the wise to be valid law.”