Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c7.195

c7.195

Śātātapa, Hārīta, etc., even excepting the works known only from quotations.¹ In many cases the epithets Laghu, Madhyama, Bṛhat, Vṛddha, Pūrva, Uttara, Śloka, etc. are subjoined to these names, to characterise these works according to their bulk and age, and to distinguish them from other Smṛtis of the same author. It can hardly be conceded to the Indian commentators that, for example, Vṛddha Manu or "the ancient Manu" represents a work of the age anterior to the M. we are acquainted with. These distinctive appellatives, which in part seem to be derived from the authors themselves, but which mostly however, appear to emanate from the commentators alone, apparently qualify rather the works than the authors and thus, for instance, terms like Bṛhat, which is often changed into Vṛddha "the ancient", Laghu "the small", Madhyama "the middling," Śloka "the metrical," are used to designate the works of the same author. Historical value cannot be given to the epithet Vṛddha as has been frequently done; rather, where it occurs it is to be regarded as a sign of the late origin of the work concerned, for if there was only one work of the author, it would not have been necessary to attach to it any such distinct ive epithet.