History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t2.5

v1.c6.s16.t2.5

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