Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c7.236

c7.236

§ 9. *The fragments of metrical Smṛtis.* A far more reliable material is handed down to us in the fragments of metrical Smṛtis in the numerous quotations of mediaeval jurists than in the works discussed in § 8. Of course these quotations are not quite sufficient to enable us to exactly distinguish between the texts characteristic of every individual author. There are e.g. texts which are ascribed both to Bṛh. and Kāty., or are cited without any statement about the source. There is as little certainty about retaining or dropping the epithets such as Vṛddha, Laghu, etc. discussed in § 8. The later jurists appear to cite these Smṛtis mostly only indirectly after the quotations in older works, so that it is probable that they possessed complete Mss. of these works no more than we do at the present day. Yet discoveries like that of Hārita (§ 3) embolden us to hope that yet a Ms. of this or that lost work may come to light somewhere.