Vasiṣṭha Dharmasutras
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By Swami Harshananda
Significance of Vasiṣṭha Dharmasutras[edit]
Vasiṣṭha Dharmasutras is a fairly ancient work belonging to the period 300-100 B. C. Though assigned to the Kalpasutra group of the Ṛgveda there is no specific proof to conclusively prove it. One of the printed editions considered as a standard publication contains 30 chapters. Only one commentary, the Vidvanmodini by Yajñasvāmin, is available.
Contents of Vasiṣṭha Dharmasutras[edit]
The contents may be briefly summed up as follows:
- Definition of dharma
- Limits of Āryāvarta
- Sins and sinners
- Six forms of marriage
- Four varṇas
- Ātatāyins or criminals
- Duties common to all varṇas
- Four āśramas and the duties pertaining to them
- Vedic studies
- Permitted and forbidden food
- Rules of adoption
- King and administration of justice
- Partition of property
- Pratiloma castes
- Certain prāyaścittas or expiations
- Virtues of prāṇāyāma and Gāyatrīmantra as purifiers
- Eulogy of Vedic mantras
- Eulogy of dharma
References From and Of this Work[edit]
The work refers to several verses of the Ṛgveda. Other dharmaśāstra works like the Mitākṣarā on Yājñavalkya Smṛti by Vijñāneśvara[1] quote from this work. Vijñāneśvara[2] quote from this work. It has many things in common with the dharmasutras of Baudhayana and Gautama.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore