History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s15.5

v1.c6.s15.5

The Vaikhānasa-dharmapraśna is divided into three praśnas, each praśna being subdivided into khaṇḍas. There are in all 41 khaṇḍas. The work is a small one. The contents of the work are :- 1. the four *varṇas* and their privileges, and the four *āśramas*; duties of *brahmacārin*; four kinds of *brahmacārins*; duties of the householder; four kinds of gṛhastha, *vārtāvṛtti* (subsisting by agriculture), śālīna, yāyāvara and ghorācārika; forest anchorites; vānaprasthas are either sapatnīka (accompanied by their wives) or apatnīka (not so accompanied); Sapatnīka are of four sorts, Audumbara, Vairiñca, Vālakhilya and Phenapa; apatnīka Vānaprasthas; of four kinds of *bhikṣus*, viz. kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka, haṁsa and paramahaṁsa; sakāma (performed with desire of wordly gain) and niṣkāma (not so performed) *karma*; pravṛtti and nivṛtti; three kinds of Yogins and their subdivisions ; II. the details of the śrāmaṇaka rites of the vānaprastha (khaṇḍas 1-4); duties of the forest hermit ; details of joining the order of saṁnyāsins (khaṇḍas 6-8 ); age for saṁnyāsa (above seventy or when childless or widower) ; every day duties and observances of saṁnyāsins ; about *ācamana* and Saṁdhyā ; saluting (abhivādana ) of all relatives, male and female ; holidays for study (anadhyāya); bath and Brahmayajña ; rules about taking food ; forbidden and permitted food ; III. rules of conduct for gṛhastha (khaṇḍas 1-3 ), rules of the road ; purification of golden and other metallic things ; purification of other things ; about vānaprastha ; *bhikṣu* ; burial of a saṁnyāsin ; Nārāyaṇabali on the death of a saṁnyāsin, *tarpaṇa* in the case of saṁnyāsins with twelve names of Viṣṇu, Keśava &c. and with water ; *anuloma* and *pratiloma* ; the intermediate castes ; *Vrātayas*, their origin ; name and means of subsistence (khaṇḍas 11-15 ).