History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s13.8

v1.c6.s13.8

The four sūtras of Vasiṣṭha (IV. 5-8) which are the sheet anchor of Bühler’s argument have been dealt with above under Vasiṣṭha (pp. 53-56). If, as Bühler says, the four sūtras are one quotation, since ‘*iti*’ occurs at the end of the 8th sūtra, then we have here a quotation within a quotation, as ‘iti’ occurs also in sūtra 5. But this would be absurd. Besides sūtra 8 is really summarised from some Brāhmaṇa passage, as indicated above. The proper construction of the four sūtras is as follows:— The fifth sūtra merely summarises the views of the Manusmṛti to be gathered from Manu V. 41 and 48. The word ‘Mānavam’ stands for the Manusmṛti just as it does in the Tantravārtika and in Viśvarūpa. Then the two verses of Manu are quoted. In the 8th sūtra a Brāhmaṇa passage is cited in support of the position that sacrificing an animal is not ‘killing’(that leads to sin).