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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t4: 19. Kaśyapa and Kāśyapa

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s16.t4

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19. Kaśyapa and Kāśyapa

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Baudhāyana (Dh. S. I. 11. 20) cites a verse which contains the view of Kaśyapa that a woman who is bought cannot be a *patnī* and that she is not authorised to take part in religious (daiva) rites or rites for the Manes.²¹¹ This verse is ascribed to Kātyāyana in the Smṛticandrikā (I. p. 87). The Vanaparva quotes *gāthās* of Kāśyapa on forbearance (29. 35-40). Whether Kaśyapa and Kāśyapa are two different writers of dharmasūtras it is rather difficult to say. Probably they are identical. It appears that the dharmasūtra of Kāśyapa comprised all the usual topics of dharmasūtras, such as daily duties, śrāddha, āśauca, prāyaścitta. This sūtra has been quoted by all eminent writers from Viśvarūpa downwards. Viśvarūpa quotes Kāśyapa (in prose) on the prāyaścitta for contact with caṇḍālas²¹² and for killing a cow when the sinner is a Brāhmaṇa or a member of another caste.²¹³ The Mit. (on Yāj. III. 23) quotes a prose passage from Kāśyapa on freedom from impurity on death.²¹⁴

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²¹¹ क्रीता द्रव्येण या नारी सा न पत्नी विधीयते । सा न देवे न सा पित्र्ये दासीं तां कश्यपोऽब्रवीत् ॥

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²¹² चण्डालश्वपाकपुल्कसादिसांकर्ये सव्यवधाने षण्मासान् गोमूत्रयावकाः पञ्चाहकालं पातव्याः । एवं प्रतिमासवृद्ध्या बुद्धिरा परिवृत्तेः सूर्यस्य । विश्वरूप on याज्ञ. III. 257.

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²¹³ प्रायश्चित्तमकामावाप्तौ कामकृतेऽप्येके ।... ब्राह्मणेभ्यो निवेदयित्वा सशिखं वपनं कृत्वा प्राजापत्यं कृच्छ्रमाचरेत् । चीर्णान्ते धेनुं तिलधेनुं दद्यात् ।... तेन चर्मणा प्रावृतो मासं गोष्ठे वसेत् । विश्वरूप on याज्ञ. III. 262.

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²¹⁴ बालानामदन्तजातानां त्रिरात्रेण शुद्धिः ।

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The quotations in the Smṛticandrikā on āhnika and śrāddha are all in verse. Haradatta on Gautama (22. 18) quotes a sūtra on the prāyaścitta for *govadha*,²¹⁵ which is also quoted by Viśvarūpa. Haradatta (on Gaut. 23. 26) quotes a very long sūtra on the prāyaścitta for eating several things and doing several forbidden acts.²¹⁶ Haradatta (on Āp. Dh. S. II. 6. 13. 2) quotes several verses mentioning the seven kinds of punarbhūs. The Hāralatā quotes a sūtra from Kaśyapa on āśauca. Aparārka quotes several sūtras and a few verses under both names Kaśyapa and Kāśyapa (vide Yāj. I. 64, III. 265, I. 222-25, III. 251, 288, 290, 292 for verses).

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²¹⁵ गां हत्वा तच्चर्मणा परिवृतो मासं गोष्ठेशयस्त्रिषवणस्मायी नित्यं पञ्चगव्याहारः ।

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²¹⁶ लशुनपलाण्डुगृञ्जनकुकुटभक्षणे मेदःशुक्रपानेऽयाज्ययाजनेऽभोज्यभोजनेऽभक्ष्यभक्षणेऽगम्यागमने चैवं प्रायश्चित्तं ब्राह्मणेभ्यो निवेद्य षडूरात्रोपोषितश्शीर्णान्ते प्राच्यामुदीच्यां दिशि गत्वा यत्र ग्राम्यपशूनां शब्दो न श्रूयते तस्मिन्देशेऽग्निं प्रज्वाल्य बर्हासनमास्तीर्य तत्प्रणीतेन विधिना पुनःसंस्कारमर्हति ।

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In the Deccan College collection there are two mss. (No. 200 of 1884-87 and No. 122 of A. 1881-82) which contain a Kāśyapa-smṛti in prose (4 folios having 8 lines on each side). It begins 'athātaḥ Kāśyapīyān gṛhasthadharmān vyākhyāsyāmaḥ'. It deals with the duties of householders, with prāyaścittas for doing mischief to wells, dikes, ponds, temples and houses of Brāhmaṇas, for killing a cow and other beasts and birds, with rules on mourning after death and impurity on birth, with prāyaścittas for eating garlic and other similar things, with the five mortal sins, with prāyaścittas when such portents as earthquakes, lightning flashes occur, or for such accidental occurrences as the breaking of the milk pot, with purification of vessels of wood, metals, with the visible physical sins of sins committed in previous lives, with the seven *punarbhūs*.

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In this work some of the sūtras quoted as Kāśyapa's in the commentaries are found, (e. g. the quotation No. 216 'laśuna' &c. above). So also the verses about punarbhūs of seven kinds quoted by Haradatta are found in the mss. In this smṛti, Kāśyapa is frequently cited as an authority.

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It is to be noted that Kāśyapa is not mentioned by Yāj. as one of the dharmaśāstraprayojakas, though Parāśara (chap. I) mentions Kāśyapā dharmāḥ. The Smṛticandrikā (I. p. 1) and the Sarasvatīvilāsa (p. 13) speak of 18 Upasmṛtis in which Kāśyapa's is included.

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