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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t1: 16. Atri

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t1

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16. Atri

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That Atri was an ancient writer on *dharma* follows from a reference to him in Manu (III. 16) as holding the view that a *dvijāti* taking as wife a śūdra woman became fallen (*patita*). In the Deccan College collection there are several mss. (Nos. 185-187 of A 1881-82) of the Ātreyadharmaśāstra in nine *adhyāyas*. They treat of gifts, prayers (*japya*) and *tapas* by which men are freed from all sins. Some of the chapters are in mixed prose and verse. The first three chapters are entirely in verse and some of the verses (such as ekākṣaraṁ param brahma) occur in the Manusmṛti. The fourth opens with a long sūtra, which, in style, resembles later bhāṣyas and commentaries.¹⁸⁸ The 5th also is in verse and contains several verses found in Vāsiṣṭha (Dh. S. 28. 1, 4, 6). The sixth speaks of the specially holy hymns and verses of the Veda. Some of the verses here are the same as Vasiṣṭha (28. 10-11). The seventh refers to secret prāyaścittas and the very first sūtra after the opening words speaks of several non-Aryan tribes such as the Śakas, Yavanas, Kāmbhojas, Bālhīkas, Khaśas, Vaṅgas and Pāraśa (Persians?) &c. It is to be noted that the same sūtra (with slight variations) is quoted as Atri's by Aparārka (on Yāj. III. 266 p. 1123). The 7th and 8th chapters are in mixed prose and verse. The 9th is in verse and speaks of Yoga and its *aṅgas*. It refers to the fact that Śiśupāla, son of Damaghoṣa, because in his hatred of Govinda he always thought of the latter, went to heaven. The same sūtra work is noticed in I. O. Cat., pp. 380-81, Nos. 1305 and 1306.

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¹⁸⁸ अचीर्णप्रायश्चित्तानां यमविषयनरकयातनानिष्य ( ? ) पतितानां यदि कदाचिन्मानुष्यं भवति तदैतच्चिह्नाङ्कितशरीरा जायन्ते । तयथा । अनृतवादी खली गलद्ग्रा कुष्ठी &c.

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¹⁸⁹ अथातो रहस्यानि व्याख्यास्यामः । नटनर्तकगायन-गान्धर्बिक-श्वपाककारुकवीशोत्कट-वीणाशस्त्र-शक-यवन-काम्बोज-बाह्लीक-शश-द्रविड-वङ्ग-पारश-बील्वातदीनां ( ! ) भुक्त्वा प्रतिगृह्य च स्त्रीगमने सहभोजने रहस्ये रहस्यान्यतिमकाशे प्रकाश्यानि चरेत् ।

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There are several works styled Atri-smṛti or saṁhitā in the mss. One of them is in six chapters on secret prāyaścittas, gifts, pitṛmedha and ācāra (vide I. O. Cat., p. 381, No. 1308). There is another work styled Atrisamhita printed in Jivananda's collection (part I. pp. 13-46). It contains about 400 verses and deals with the following topics:— importance of honouring *guru*, duties of four castes; purifications of several *malas*; virtues of Brāhmaṇās such as śauca, anasūyā; definition of *iṣṭa* and *pūrta*, ten yamas and niyamas; importance of sons; adopted sons, prāyaścittas for taking forbidden food or drink and for other transgressions, impurity on birth and death; cāndrāyaṇa, Kṛcra, Sāntapana; gifts; purifications from avoidable contacts with rajasvalā &c.; Śrāddha and the Brāhmaṇas to be invited for it.

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In this work Atri is himself cited as an authority. Other authors and works quoted are: Āpastamba (p. 30), Yama (p. 41), Vyāsa (p. 24), Śaṅkha (pp. 22, 35), Śātātapa (p. 35). The Vedānta, Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Purāṇas, Bhāgavataḥ (p. 45) are mentioned. It contains (on p. 14) the verse ‘sadyaḥ patati māṁsena’ which is found in Vasiṣṭha Dh. S. (2. 27) with the words ‘athāpyudāharanti’. There are other verses also which occur elsewhere e. g. ‘atha cenmantravid’ occurs in Vasiṣṭha 11. 20, ‘tryahaṁ sāyaṁ tryahaṁ prātaḥ’ (p. 23) is also Manu XI. 211. On p. 26 occur the words ‘atrāpyudāharanti’ and so what follows is a quotation. On p. 32 there are three verses in another metre.

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Atri's verse about adoption ¹⁹⁰ is quoted as the first authority on adoption in the Dattakamīmāṁsā. He mentions the seven *antyajas* to be the washerman, the shoemaker, *naṭa*, *buruḍa*, kaivarta (fisherman), meda, and *bhilla* (p. 29). He further says¹⁹¹ that there is no question of untouchability in fairs, marriage seasons, in Vedic sacrifices and in all festivals. He says that Brāhmaṇas from Magadha, Mathurā and three other places are not honoured (at a śrāddha) though as learned as Bṛhaspati.¹⁹²

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¹⁹⁰ अपुत्रेणैव कर्तव्यः पुत्रप्रतिनिधिः सदा। पिण्डोदकक्रियाहेतोर्यस्मात्तस्मात्प्रयत्नतः॥ अत्रि p. 17.

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¹⁹¹ देवयात्राविवाहेषु यज्ञप्रकरणेषु च । उत्सवेषु च सर्वेषु स्पृष्टास्पृष्टिर्न विद्यते ॥ p. 33.

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¹⁹² मागधो माधुरश्चैव कापटः कीटकस्तथा । पञ्च विप्रा न पूज्यन्ते बृहस्पतिसमा यदि ॥ (p. 45). What is कापट ? Should we read कीकटाङ्गजो (residents of the countries of कीकट and अङ्ग) ?

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The work mentions the signs of the Zodiac, Kanyā and the Scorpion (p. 43), and hence was not composed before the first centuries of the Christian era.

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In Jivananda there is a Laghu-Atri (part I, pp. 1-12) in 6 chapters and about 120 verses, dealing with the means of being freed from sins (such as prāṇāyāma, sacred formula, gifts &c.), with purifications from impurity on death and birth, with gifts. It mentions Manu. In the fourth chapter there are about ten lines in prose. There are numerous verses that occur also in the Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra, e. g. Vas. 26. 8-9 and 16-18 occur on p. 3; Vas. 28. 11-16 occur on pp. 4-5. It is difficult to say who the borrower is.

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There is a Vṛddhātreyasmṛti in Jivananda (part I. pp. 47-59) in five chapters and about 140 verses. This closely resembles the Laghu-Atri-smṛti described above. In the commencement both have the same six verses beginning with ‘bhagavan kena dānena’ and the works have many verses in common. In the fourth chapter of both the same prose passages occur.

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Viśvarūpa on Yāj. (III. 257) quotes two verses from Atri on prāyaścitta which are found in none of the three works described above.¹⁹³

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¹⁹³ The verses are भुक्त्वा तु प्रतिलोमानां सूतादीनामकामतः। प्राजापत्यं चरेत्कृच्छ्रं त्रिरात्रं त्वाहुताशनः ॥ चण्डालवर्जिते चान्ने स्पृष्ट्वा श्वेनं विशेषतः । भुक्त्वा कृच्छ्र-मविज्ञाते ज्ञात्वा चान्द्रायणं चरेत् ॥

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In the Mahābhārata (Anuśāsana 65. 1) Atri is credited with the view that those who make a gift of gold give (practically) all objects. This bears a close resemblance to two verses that occur in Laghvatri (Jīvānanda part I. p. 5) and Vṛddhātri (part I. p. 51).¹⁹⁴

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¹⁹⁴ सर्वान् कामान् प्रयच्छन्ति ये प्रयच्छन्ति काञ्चनम्। इत्येवं भगवानत्रिः पितामहसुतोऽब्रवीत् ॥ अनुशासन 65. 1. The verses in the two Atris are अग्नेरपत्यं प्रथमं सुवर्णं भूर्वैष्णवी सूर्यसुताश्च गावः। लोकास्त्रयस्तेन भवन्ति दत्ता यः काञ्चनं गां च महीं च दद्यात् ॥ सर्वेषामेव दानानामेकजन्मानुगं फलम् । हाटकक्षितिधेनूनां सप्तजन्मानुगं फलम् ॥ The first verse occurs in Vas. 28. 16, in Vanaparva 200. 28, in the Rajim plate of Tīvaradeva (Fleet's Gupta inscriptions No. 81).

Cites (5)