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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t14: 29. Sumantu

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t14

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29. Sumantu

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From Viśvarūpa, Haradatta and Aparārka it follows that Sumantu composed a sūtra work on *dharma*, particularly on ācāra and prāyaścitta. Viśvarūpa quotes prose passages from Sumantu on upapātakas,²⁴⁷ on prāyaścitta for Brāhmaṇa-murder (on Yāj. III. 237), for drinking wine (on Yāj. III. 250), for theft of gold (on Yāj. III 252), for incest (on Yāj. III. 253-54), for killing a cow and about ātatāyin (on Yāj. III. 261). In one quotation from Sumantu cited by Viśvarūpa the views of ācāryas and of Āṅgirasa are mentioned.²⁴⁸ The prāyaścittas for Brāhmaṇa-murder and for killing a cow contained in Viśvarūpa occur in Haradatta (on Gaut. 22. 13 and 18). Most of the quotations cited by Viśvarūpa occur in Aparārka also. The Hāralatā (p. 68) quotes sūtras of Sumantu on āśauca. One well-known sūtra of Sumantu is 'no prāyaścitta (or blame) is incurred by killing an ātatāyin, except cows and brāhmaṇas'.²⁴⁹ Aparārka quotes sūtras from Sumantu condemning marriage with maternal uncle's or paternal aunt's daughter and recommending the abandonment of a young wife in certain circumstances.²⁵⁰ In the Sarasvatīvilāsa a prose passage of Sumantu is cited on the seven constituents of rājya.250a

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²⁴⁷ एवं सुमन्तुः 'स्त्रीरजतगोस्तेन्यं गोश्व गमनं नाशकं भूम्यनृतं क्षत्रियवैश्यगोध्नता परिविसितावकीर्णिता प्रतिरूपकवृत्तिश्चेत्युपपातकानि' इति। विश्वरूप on याज्ञ. III. 229-236.

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²⁴⁸ न ब्राह्मणस्य पतनमिच्छन्त्याचार्याः किल्बिष्युपगतः पातव्य इत्याङ्गिरसः—इति । विश्वरूप on याज्ञ. III. 237.

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²⁴⁹ विश्वरूप on याज्ञ. III. 262 quotes it as 'नाततायिवधे प्रायश्चित्तमन्यत्र गोब्राह्मणेभ्यः,' while the मिता. on याज्ञ. II. 21 quotes it as 'नाततायिवधे दोषोऽन्यत्र गोब्राह्मणात्'; the स्मृतिमञ्जरी of गोविन्दराज (I. O. ms. No 1736) has 'आततायिव्यदोषोऽन्यत्र गोब्राह्मणेभ्यः'.

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²⁵⁰ मातुलसुतां पितृष्वसेयीं समानार्षगोत्रां च परिणीय चान्द्रायणं चरेत् परित्यज्यैनां बिभृयात् । अपरार्क on याज्ञ. I. 53; 'कन्या कुत्सितान्यजातिकर्मशीला व्याध्युपहता परिणीता यद्यक्षतयोनिः स्यात्पारित्यक्तव्या' अपरार्क on याज्ञ. I. 65.

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250a अतः सप्ताङ्गानि सर्वथा संरक्ष्याणीत्याह सुमन्तुः 'स्वाम्यमात्मना संरक्षेत् । अमात्यान् समानेन । वर्णान् रञ्जन । जनान् वर्णधर्मरञ्जनेन । दुर्गं धनधान्यादिसमृद्ध्या । कोशमुचितव्ययेने । दण्डं स्वधर्मेण । मित्रं सत्यभाषणेन । इति ।' सरस्वती० p. 46.

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These quotations from Viśvarūpa and others establish that a prose work on dharma by Sumantu existed early enough. It appears however that the work was not a very ancient one. Neither Yājñavalkya nor Parāśara mentions Sumantu among the propounders of *dharma*. On the other hand the name of Sumantu is an ancient one. In the Bhāgavatapurāṇa (XII. 6. 75 and 7. 1). Sumantu is said to have been a pupil of Jaimini and a promulgator of the Atharvaveda. Vide Śāntiparva 341. 19 for Sumantu and other pupils of Vyāsa. In the daily *tarpaṇa* the name of Sumantu occurs along with Jaimini, Vaiśampāyana, Paila.

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Numerous verses on dharma are also cited from Sumantu by Aparārka, the Smṛticandrikā and other works. This may probably be a different work from the sūtra work of Sumantu. In one verse of Sumantu (Aparārka on Yāj. I. 223) occur the words ‘Śaṅkhasya vacanaṁ yathā’ and in another (Aparārka on Yāj. I. 217-218) the *Kanyā* sign of the zodiac is referred to.

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It is remarkable that the Mit. and Aparārka contain no verses of Sumantu on vyavahāra. The Sarasvatī-vilāsa is rich in quotations from Sumantu on vyavahāra. A compromise, exchange or partition, if fair, could be annulled up to the tenth day, but if unfair up to the 9th year (vide note 244 above). ‘If even as much as a *māṣa* went from the buyer to the seller, that would support the sale of the land (sold) just as a small dose of poison permeates the whole body and when no purchase-money is paid or only a portion is paid, then the purchase is called *avakraya* and is liable to be set aside if the price is not paid in (good time).’ Sumantu prescribes a fine for selling and purchasing land without the consent of the neighbouring members of the family and says that in case of pre-emption, the neighbours on the east are preferred to all and those on the south come last.²⁵² Sumantu defines a mortgage by conditional sale (called ‘uktalābhakraya’) and a sale for arrears of revenue by the king’s orders (called ājñākraya).²⁵³

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²⁵² ज्ञात्यादीनननुज्ञाप्य समीपस्थानतान्द्रिनाम् । क्रयविक्रयकर्त्तारौ तत्समं दण्डमर्हतः ॥ सरस्वती० p. 322 ; 'चतुःसामन्तसान्निध्ये प्राची दिग्बलवत्तरा । उदीची च प्रतीची च सर्वाभावे तु दक्षिणा ॥ p. 323.

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²⁵³ किंचिच्च द्रव्यमादाय काले दास्यामि ते क्वचित् । नो चेन्मूलमिदं त्यक्तं केदारस्येति यः क्रयः ॥ स उक्तलाभ इत्युक्त उक्तकालेप्यनर्पणात् ॥ सरस्वती० p. 324; मूल्यस्य पादमर्धं वा मूल्यमाज्ञाक्रये स्थितम् । मूल्यं तदाप्तमखिलं दत्त्वा क्षेत्रं समाप्नुयात् ॥ आ त्रिभोगात् ततः क्रेतुः परतो दृढतामियात् । p. 323.

Cites (8)