By Swami Harshananda
Out of the six subsidiary works known as ‘Vedāṅgas’ (‘limbs of the Vedas’), the kalpasutras deal mainly with sacrificial rites. There were still some more details, needed for the meticulous performance of the sacrificial rites, which were not mentioned in this work. To expound these details, some compendiums were composed which were called as ‘pariśiṣtas’ (‘what is left over,’ appendix).
Gobhila-sañgraha-pariśista is one such work related to the Sāmaveda. Based on this work, Kātyāyana (4th to 6th cent. A.D.) wrote a work called Karmapradipa. This work is known by several other names such as:
- ‘Sāmagṛhya’
- ‘Chāndogyapariśiṣta’
- ‘Chandogapariśiṣṭa’
- ‘Gobhila-smṛti’
This work contains about 500 verses. It deals with the topics like:
- Wearing the sacred thread
- Worship of Gaṇeśa and other deities
- Śrāddha (obsequial rites)
- Consecration of sacred fires
- Sandhyā ritual
- The five daily sacrifices
- Rules of personal cleanliness and ceremonial purity
- Duties of a wife
- Etc.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore