History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s10.2
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s10.2
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v1.c6.s10.2.1
The contents of the Viṣṇu-dharma-sūtra are :-1. The earth being lifted out of the surging ocean by the great Boar, went to Kaśyapa to inquire as to who would support her thereafter, and was sent by him to Viṣṇu who told her that those who would follow the duties of *varṇas* and *āśramas* would be her support, whereupon the earth pressed the great God to impart to her their duties; 2. the four *varṇas* and their *dharmas*; 3. the duties of kings (*rājadharmaḥ*); 4. the Kārṣāpaṇa and smaller measures; 5. punishments for various offences; 6. debtors and creditors, rates of interest, sureties; 7. three kinds of documents; 8. witnesses; 9. general rules about ordeals; 10-14. ordeals of balance, fire, water, poison and holy water (*kośa*); 15. the twelve kinds of sons, exclusion from inheritance, eulogy of sons; 16. offspring of mixed marriages, aud mixed castes; 17. partition, joint family and rules of inheritance to one dying sonless, re-union, strīdhana; 18. partition among sons of a man from wives of different castes; 19. carrying the dead body for cremation, impurity on death, praise of Brāhmaṇas; 20. the duration of the four Yugas, Manvantara, Kalpa, Mahākalpa, passages inculcating that one should not grieve too much for the departed; 21. the rites for the dead after period of mourning, monthly śrāddha, sapiṇḍīkaraṇa; 22.
v1.c6.s10.2.2
periods of impurity on death for *sapiṇḍas*, rules of conduct in mourning, impurity on birth, and rules about impurity on touching various persons and objects; 23. purification of one's body and of various substances; 24. marriage, forms of marriage, inter-marriages, guardians for marriage; 25. the *dharmas* of women; 26. precedence among wives of different castes; 27. the saṁskāras, garbhādhāna and others; 28. the rules for *brahmacārins*; 29. eulogy of ācārya; 30. time for the starting of Vedic study and holidays; 31. father, mother and ācārya deserve the highest reverence; 32. other persons deserving of respect; 33. the three sources of sin, viz. passion, anger, greed; 34. kinds of *atipātakas*, deadliest sins; 35. five *mahāpātakas*; 36. *anupātakas*, that are as deadly as the mahāpātakas; 37. numerous upapātakas; 38-42. other lesser sins; 43. the twenty one hells and the duration of hell torments for various sinners; 44. the various low births to which sinners are consigned for various sins; 45. the various diseases suffered by sinners and the low pursuits they have to follow by way of retribution; 46-48. various kinds of kṛcchras (penances), sāntapana, cāndrāyaṇa, prasṛtiyāvaka; 49. actions prescribed for a devotee of Vāsudeva and the rewards thereof; 50. prāyaścitta for killing a brāhmaṇa and other human beings, for killing cows and other animals; 51-53.
v1.c6.s10.2.3
prāyaścittas for drinking wine and other forbidden substances, for theft of gold and other articles, for incest and sexual intercourse of other kinds; 54. prāyaścittas for miscellaneous acts; 55. secret penances; 56. holy hymns like *Aghamarṣaṇa* that purge sin; 57. whose society should be avoided, Vrātyas, unrepentant sinners, avoiding gifts; 58. the pure, variegated (mixed) and dark kinds of wealth; 59. The duties of house-holders, *pākayajñas*, the five daily *mahāyajñas*, honouring guests; 60. the daily conduct of a householder and good breeding; 61-62. rules about brushing the teeth, *ācamana*; 63. means of livelihood for a householder, rules for guidance, good and evil omens on starting on journey, rule of the road; 64. bathing and *tarpaṇa* of gods and Manes; 65-67. worship of Vāsudeva; flowers and other materials of worship, offering of food to deities and *piṇḍas* to ancestors and giving food to guests; 68. rules about time and manner of taking food; 69-70. sexual intercourse with wife and about sleep; 71. general rules of conduct for a *snātaka*; 72. value of self-restraint; 73-86. śrāddhas, the procedure of śraddhas, aṣṭakā śrāddha, the ancestors to whom śrāddha is to be offered, times of śrāddha, fruits of śrāddha on the several week days and the 27 *nakṣatras* and the *tithis*, materials for śraddha, brāhmaṇas unfit to be invited at śrāddha, brāhmaṇas who are *paṅktipāvana*; countries unfit for śrāddha, tīrthas, letting loose of a bull; 87-88.
v1.c6.s10.2.4
gifts of antelope skin, or a cow; 89. kārtika snāna; 90. eulogy of gifts of various sorts; 91-93. works of public utility such as wells, lakes, planting gardens, embankments, gifts of food, flowers &c.; difference in merit according to the recipient; 94-95. rules about forest hermit (*vānaprastha*); 96-97. about *saṁnyāsa*, anatomy of the bones, muscles, veins, arteries &c.; concentration in various ways 98-99. praise of Vāsudeva by the Earth and of Lakṣmī; 100. rewards of studying this Dharmaśāstra.