History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t1.1

v1.c6.s16.t1.1

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.