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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t2: 17. Uśanas

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t2

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17. Uśanas

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That Uśanas wrote a work on politics follows from several circumstances. The Kauṭilīya quotes the Auśanasāḥ seven times. It is almost certainly referring to a work. That work contained directions on the administration of justice also, as Kauṭilya speaks of Auśanasa method of partition (in allowing a tenth additional share to the eldest son, III. 6), as Auśanasāḥ prescribed fines in cases where witnesses proved stupid &c. (III. 11) and fines for forcible seizure of jewels &c. (III. 17). The Mahābhārata, Śāntiparva¹⁹⁵ (chap. 56, 29-30 and 57. 3) refers to a work on politics by Uśanas and quotes three verses, the last being found in Sabhā 55. 14. In other places also we have a Nītiśāstra ascribed to Bhārgava (Śānti 210. 20) and certain verses are ascribed to him (Śānti 57, 40-41 and 139, 70-71). *Vide* also Anuśāsana 39, 8-9 and Sabhā 62. 11-12. The Nītiprakāśikā of Janamejaya refers to a succession of teachers of politics from Brahmā down to Janamejaya and says that Śukra was one of those who abridged the enormous extent of rājaśāstra.¹⁹⁶ The Mudrārākṣasa (I. p. 71 Telang's ed.) also speaks of Auśanasī Daṇḍanīti. Viśvarūpa (on Yāj. I. 307) asks the king to appoint ministers in accordance with the views propounded in the śāstras of Bṛhaspati and Uśanas and quotes a long passage in prose from Bṛhaspati in which the śāstras of Manu, Bṛhaspati and Uśanas are joined together. This work on politics probably contained verses also. Medhātithi on Manu (7. 15) quotes two verses speaking of eight activities of a king.196a So also on Manu 8. 50 Medhātithi cites from Uśanas the words ‘prakṛtīnām balaṁ rājā,’ which are an Anuṣṭubh *pāda*. This sūtra work on politics by Uśanas has not yet been discovered. The Tāṇḍya-Mahābrāhmaṇa says that Kāvya Uśanas was the purohita of the Asuras (7. 5. 20).

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¹⁹⁵ श्लोकौ चोशनसा गीतौ पुरा तात महर्षिणा । तौ निबोध महाराज त्वमेकाग्रमना नृप ॥ उद्यभ्य शस्त्रमायान्तमपि वेदान्तगं रणे। निगृह्णीयात्स्वधर्मेण धर्मोपेक्षी नर।धिपः॥ विनश्यमानं धर्मं हि योभिरक्षेत्स धर्मवित् । न तेन धर्महा स स्यान्मन्युस्तं मन्युमृच्छति ॥ शान्तिपर्व 56. 28-30; भगवानुशना चाह श्लोकमत्र विशांपते। तदिहेकमना राजन् गदतस्तं निबोध मे ॥ द्वाविमौ ग्रसते भूमिः सर्पो बिलशयानिव । राजानं चाविरोद्धारं ब्राह्मणं चाप्रवासिनम् ॥ शान्ति० 57. 2-3; श्लोकश्चायं पुरा गीतो भार्गवेण महात्मना । आख्याते रामचरिते नृपतिं प्रति भारत ॥ राजानं प्रथमं विन्देत् ततो भार्यां ततो धनम् । राजन्यसति लोकस्य कुतो भार्या कुतो धनम् ॥ शान्ति० 57. 40-41; निश्चयः स्वार्थशास्त्रेषु विश्वासश्चासुखोदयः । उशना चैव गाथे द्वे प्रह्रादायाब्रवीत्पुरा ॥ शान्ति० 139. 70.

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¹⁹⁶ ब्रह्मा महेश्वरः स्कन्दश्चेन्द्रः प्राचेतसो मनुः । बृहस्पतिश्च शुक्रश्च भारद्वाजो महातपाः ॥ वेदव्यासश्च भगवान् तथा गौरशिरा मुनिः । एते हि राजशास्त्राणां प्रणेतारः परंतपाः । लक्षाध्यायाञ्जगौ ब्रह्मा राजशास्त्रे महामतिः । पञ्चाशच्च सहस्राणि रुद्रः संक्षिप्य चाब्रवीत् ॥ It is further said that Skanda, Indra, Prācetasa Manu, Bṛhaspati, Śukra, Bhāradvāja, Gauraśiras and Veda-Vyāsa abridged respectively to 25000, 10000, 6000, 3000, 1000, 700, 500 and 300 adhyāyas and that Janamejaya abridged even the last.

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196a आदाने च विसर्गे च तथा प्रेषनिषेधयोः । पञ्चमे चार्थवचने व्यवहारस्य चेक्षणे ॥ दण्डशुद्ध्योः सदा युक्तस्तेनाष्टगतिको नृपः । अष्टकर्मा दिवं याति राजा शत्रुभिरर्चितः ॥ These are quoted also by कुल्लूक on Manu VII. 154.

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In the Deccan College collection there are two mss. of an Auśanasa-dharmaśāstra in prose with a few verses, *viz.* No. 644 of Visrambag (i) and No. 191 of A 1881-82. The first contains only two folios (2 and 4) and the available portion begins in the midst of the 2nd chapter. In the second ms. also the first folio is wanting and there are gaps in the fourth chapter. It is noteworthy that the second folio of the second ms. begins just at the beginning of the 2nd folio of the first. The work is a brief one (8 folios) in seven adhyāyas. Their contents are:—II. impurity on birth and death; purification of certain things in certain ways such as with water, ashes &c.; III. the four varṇas and the mixed castes such as Rathakāra, Ambaṣṭha, Sūta, Ugra, Māgadha &c, the Vrātyas; IV. no bodily injury to be done to Brāhmaṇa; prāyaścittas for killing a Brāhmaṇa or a man of the other varṇas and for other Mahāpātakas, prāyaścitta for eating the flesh of certain animals and for eating certain plants like garlic, prāyaścitta for adultery; discussion whether a Brāhmaṇa could marry a śudra woman; prāyaścittas for killing various beasts and birds; fourteen vidyās; V. śrāddhakalpa; what Brāhmaṇas are *pankti-pāvana*; details of śrāddha, food and flesh at śrāddha; who are unfit to be invited at śrāddha; VI. what things a Brāhmaṇa could not sell; VII. punishments for the Mahāpātakas; what are pure things at all times. Some of the views of the Auśanasa-dharmaśāstra are worth special notice. The son of a Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya or Vaiśya from a wife of the varṇa immediately next to it belonged to the caste of the father.¹⁹⁷ No sin or punishment attached to one if one killed an *ātatāyi* armed Brāhmaṇa. The fourteen vidyās are said to be the six *aṅgas* and the four Vedas, Mīmāṁsā, Nyāya, dharmaśāstra and Purāṇa.¹⁹⁸

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¹⁹⁷ ब्राह्मणेन क्षत्रियायां जातो ब्राह्मण एव सः । chap. III folio 3 a.

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¹⁹⁸ चतुर्दश विद्यास्थानानि पुनः षडङ्गाश्चत्वारो वेदा मीमांसा न्याय एव च । धर्मशास्त्रं पुराणं च विद्या ह्येताश्चतुर्दश ॥. It will be noticed that there is a śloka from षडङ्गाः which is almost the same as Yāj. I. 3.

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The work very often quotes the views of others with the words ‘eke’; for example it says ‘the impurity on birth is ten nights for the parents of the child, but according to some only for the mother.’¹⁹⁹ The son of a Brāhmaṇa from a śūdra woman is called *pāraśava*, but according to some he is *niṣāda*. The whole of the portion in the ms. about the mixed castes bears a very close resemblance to Baudhāyana (Dh. S. I. 9) except in a few particulars.²⁰⁰ At the end of all chapters from the second (except the third) there are verses and also in the midst. There are verses introduced with the words ‘there is a śloka on this point’ (bhavati cātra ślokaḥ) or with the words ‘api codāharanti’.

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¹⁹⁹ दशरात्रं मातापितृभ्यः सूतकं मातुरित्येके । folio 2 a; compare गौ. ध. सू. 14. 14 ‘मातापित्रोस्तन्मातुर्वा ।’ (and हरदत्त's comment thereon for various views); बौ. ध. सू. I. 5. 105-109, where Baudhāyana's own view is that both are impure for ten days, but according to some the mother and according to others the father has to observe impurity for ten days.

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²⁰⁰ The ms. (3rd chap.) has तत्र सवर्णासु सवर्णाः । ब्राह्मणेन क्षत्रिया ... सः । वैश्यायामम्बष्ठः । शूद्रायां पारशवो निषाद इत्येके । क्षत्रियेण वैश्यायां क्षत्रियः शूद्रायामुग्रः । वैश्येन शूद्रायां वैश्यः । शूद्रेण वैश्यायामायोगवः क्षत्रियायां क्षत्ता ब्राह्मण्यां चण्डालः &c.

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There are about 45 verses in the work, the 7th and last chapter being almost entirely in verse. As the mss. are corrupt and full of gaps, it is often difficult to find out whether a particular passage is prose or verse. In several verses the words ‘Manur abravīd’ occur and in one place ‘tan manor anuśāsanam’. The latter closely agrees with Manu. Several verses are common to Manu and Uśanas. The verse ‘gurutalpe bhagaḥ kāryaḥ’ (Manu 9. 237) occurs in the ms. So also the verse ‘yena yena cidaṅgena’ occurs in both.²⁰² The words of Manu (V. 78) ‘bāle deśāntarasthe’ are expressly quoted with the words ‘Manur-āha’. There are many other verses which, though not cited expressly as from a particular author, are found in other ancient works. For example, the verse ‘āpaḥ śuddhā bhūmigatāḥ’ is Manu 5. 128 and Baud. Dh. S. I. 5. 57. The half verse ‘kāruhastaḥ śucir nityam’ is Manu 5. 126 and Baud. Dh. S. I. 5. 48. The verse ‘yadekarātreṇa karoti pāpam’ occurs in Āp. Dh. S. (I. 9. 27. 11) and Baud. Dh. S. II. 1. 42. The verse ‘tryaham prātas tryaham naktam’ is Manu XI. 211. It is a remarkable fact that some of the verses in this dharmasūtra agree closely with the verses in the Uśanas-smṛti in verse, published by Jivananda, e. g. the verse ‘dattvā tu Vedānatyartham’ occurs on p. 525 and the verse ‘nimantritastu yo vipro adhvānaṁ saṁprapadyate’ on p. 527. Even the prose passages bear a close resemblance to the versified smṛti on many points, e. g. the prose passages about the duration of the satisfaction of the Manes by the offerings of the flesh of various animals occur almost in the same words in the versified smṛti of Uśanas (Jivananda, part I, p. 522).

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²⁰² The ms. reads येन येन हि चण्डेन ( चिदङ्गेन ? ) हिंस्याच्छ्रेयांसमन्त्यजः । तदेव तस्य छेत्तव्यं छिन्ने निर्विषहो भवेत् ॥; in मनु (8.279) the last pāda is तन्मनोरनुशासनम्.

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The Auśanasa-dharmasūtra contains several passages in prose which are the same as some verses in Manu.²⁰³ The sūtra quotes in one place the divergent views of Vasiṣṭha,²⁰⁴ Hārīta, Śaunaka, and Gautama on the question whether a Brāhmaṇa could marry a śūdra woman. The view of Vasiṣṭha (as quoted in the ms.) is that a Brāhmaṇa could take to wife girls of all the four castes, but in the printed text of Vasiṣṭha (I. 24) a Brāhmaṇa is allowed to marry girls of the three higher castes only. It is possible that the ancient reading of Vasiṣṭha's text was ‘catasraḥ’ (as quoted in the Auśanasa) which was changed into ‘tisraḥ’. The passage reminds us of Manu III. 16 (Śūdrāvedī patatyatreḥ), but the views ascribed to Śaunaka and Gautama in the ms. differ from those ascribed to them in Manu. In another passage Vasiṣṭha's views seem to be quoted.²⁰⁵

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²⁰¹ The ms. reads ‘दशस्थानानि दण्डस्य चात्मनो ( तन्मनो ? ) रनुशासनम् । त्रिषु वर्णेषु सामान्यं ब्राह्मणस्त्वक्षतो भवेत् ॥’; while मनु (8.124) is दश ... दण्डस्य मनुः स्वायंभुवोऽब्रवीत् । त्रिषु वर्णेषु यानि स्युरक्षतो ब्राह्मणो व्रजेत् ॥

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²⁰³ The ms. has (in chap. II) रजःसु स्त्रीमुखं शुचिः । शुचयः फलपातने पक्षिणः । प्रसवे वत्सः । शृङ्ग (मृग ?)ग्रहणे श्वा । ऊर्ध्वं नाभेः पुरुषः । गौर्मेध्या पृष्ठतः। पुरस्तादजः । स्त्रियः सर्वतः । हृदयमासामशुचि । Compare मनु I. 92, बो. ध. सू. I. 5. 49 and वसिष्ठ 3. 45.

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²⁰⁴ The ms. (chap. IV) has पतितो वृषलीपतिरित्याचक्षते। न पततीत्येके। ब्राह्मणस्य कल्पविहिताश्चतस्त्रो-(स्रो?)नुपूर्वेण भार्या भवन्तीति वसिष्ठ आह। पतति न पततीति संशयः। वृषलीं पतीति (वृषलीं गत्वा पततीति!) हारीतः। जननात्पततीति शौनकः। तदपत्यः पततीति गौतमः। The words of वसिष्ठ are ‘तिस्रो ब्राह्मणस्य भार्या वर्णानुपूर्वेण द्वे राजन्यस्य एकैका वैश्यशूद्रयोः। शूद्रामप्येके मन्त्रवर्जं तद्वत् । तथा न कुर्यात्। I. 24-26. It should be noted that one ms. of वसिष्ठ omits the words 'वर्णानु...कुर्यात्'.

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²⁰⁵ यस्तु पुनर्ब्राह्मणो धर्मपत्नीमुखेन मैथुनं सेवेत स दुष्यतीति वैवस्वतः (वै वासिष्ठः?) प्राजापत्येन शुध्यतीति हारीतः (chap. 4); compare वसिष्ठ 12. 23. and Manu XI. 67 and 173. The reading वैवस्वतः also is explicable. वैवस्वत may stand for मनु.

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From quotations in Haradatta's commentary on Gautama and from the Smṛticandrikā it appears that they had access to a sūtra work of Uśanas dealing with all branches of *dharma*, viz., ācāra, vyavahāra and prāyaścitta. For example, the Smṛticandrikā quotes prose passages of Uśanas on *anadhyāya* (I. p. 59), on *dantadhavana* (I. p. 106) and Haradatta quotes a prose passage on *anadhyāya* (on Āp. Dh. S. I. 3. 10. 1) and a prose passage on the fine for a kṣatriya abusing a śūdra (on Gau. Dh. S. 12. 10) and on *Niyoga* (on Gau. Dh. S. 18. 5). These passages are not found in the ms. But there are others that are found. For example, the Smṛticandrikā quotes two passages, which occur in the mss.²⁰⁶ It appears therefore that the mss. either contain a portion only of the complete Auśanasa-dharma-sūtra or an independent sūtra work. The former alternative looks more probable. The foregoing discussion has shown that the sūtra work is later than the dharma-sūtras of Gautama and Vasiṣṭha and also than the Manusmṛti, which it probably knew in a very ancient version slightly differing from the extant one.

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²⁰⁶ The passages are 'तत्र गोमयोदकैर्भूमिभाजनभाण्डशौचं कुर्यात्' (chap. V, about śrāddha) and ‘श्वविड्वराहमाजॉरककुक्कुटनकुलश्वद्ररजस्वलाशूद्रीभर्तारश्च दूरमनपायितव्याः (०मपनेतव्याः). They occur in स्मृतिचन्द्रिका (III. p. 409 and p. 411).

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In Jivananda's collection of smṛtis there is an Auśanasa-dharma-śāstra in 51 verses (part I. pp. 497-501). It deals with mixed castes and their avocations, such as sūta, māgadha, caṇḍāla, śvapaca, pulinda &c. The same work occurs in the Ānandāśrama collection, pp. 46-48. The Mit. (on Yāj. I. 94) remarks that the means of livelihood for the mixed castes should be sought for in the works of Uśanas and Manu.²⁰⁷ It is probably this smṛti that is meant. Kullūka on Manu X. 49 says that the sale of hides and working on hides were the means of livelihood for Dhigvaṇas according to the Auśanasa.

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²⁰⁷ एतेषां च वृत्तय औशनसे मानवे च द्रष्टव्याः । मिता.

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In the same collection (part. I. pp. 501-554) there is another smṛti ascribed to Uśanas in 9 chapters and about 600 verses. It treats of Upanayana, daily observances like *ācamana*, Vedic study, occasions of *anadhyāya*, the dharmas of *snātaka*; śrāddha, proper Brāhmaṇas for śrāddha, impurity on birth and death, rites after death, prāyaścittas for the mortal sins and lesser sins.

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This smṛti quotes Uśanas himself, also Manu, Bhṛgu (Bhṛgu-putra III), Prajāpati and speaks of dharmaśāstras, Purāṇas, Mīmāṁsā, Vedānta, Pāñcarātras, Kāpālikas and Pāśupatas. Numerous verses from the Manusmṛti are found in it (e. g. Manu II. 42, 49, 50, 125) occur in the first chapter alone. There is a brief prose passage towards the end of the 9th chapter. It speaks of Kāpālikas, Pāśupatas and atheists together (p. 525).

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None of these smṛtis in verse contains the passages in verse on vyavahāra ascribed to Uśanas that occur in the Mitākṣarā, Smṛti-candrikā and other works.

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The Mit. (on Yāj. III. 260) and Aparārka (e. g. p. 158, 192, 255) contain prose passages ascribed to Uśanas and the same works contain numerous verses ascribed to Uśanas most of which are not found in the two smṛtis in Jivananda. Some of the verses in Aparārka ascribed to Uśanas are found in the Auśanasasmṛti (e. g, Aparārka p. 418 'kuryād-aharaḥ śrāddham' is Jivananda I. p. 521).

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In other cases the verses quoted from Uśanas in Aparārka, though not quite identical, bear a very close resemblance (e. g. the four verses in Aparārka p. 450 closely resemble Jivananda I. p. 525 and have some verses in common).

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Among the views on Vyavahāra quoted from Uśanas are some interesting ones. It was he who said that a son was not bound to pay his father's debt, if it was a fine or unpaid toll or what is not vyāvahārika.²⁰⁸ He holds that even blind, deaf or old men, women, minors could be witnesses in charges of *sāhasa* (Aparārka p. 671). He is quoted also on ordeals, on svāmipālavivāda and on steya.

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²⁰⁸ दण्डो वा दण्डशेषो वा शुल्कं तच्छेषमेव वा । न दातव्यं तु पुत्रेण यच्च न व्यावहारिकम् ॥ मिता. and अपरार्क on याज्ञ. II. 47.

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A work styled Śukranītisāra was edited by Oppert (Madras 1882) and by Jivananda (Cal. 1892) and translated by Benoy Kumar Sarkar in S. B. H. Series. That work is a very interesting one, but is comparatively of a late date.

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