History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s18.21.2

v1.c6.s18.21.2

He cites numerous quotations from the first chapter of the Manusmṛti to the last. He looks upon all parts of the extant Manusmṛti as equally authoritative and regards the Manusmṛti as the highest authority on matters of *dharma*. The Mṛccha-kaṭika²⁷⁶ (9. 39) refers to the ordinance of Manu that a Brāhmaṇa sinner was not to be sentenced to death, but was to be banished. An inscription of the Valabhi king Dharasena dated in the year 252 of the Valabhi era (i. e. 571 A. D.) speaks of a king as one who obeyed the rules composed by Manu²⁷⁷ (I. A. vol. 8. p. 303 = Gupta Inscriptions p. 165). *Vide also* I. A. vol. IV. p. 105 where the same words occur in an inscription from Valabhi dated 216 of the Valabhi era (i. e. 535 A. D.). Śabarasvāmin, the bhāṣyakāra of Jaimini's sūtras, who cannot be placed later than 500 A. D. and may be a few centuries earlier still, says “Manu and others have given instruction²⁷⁸" and quotes a verse as a smṛti passage which is practically the same as Manu IX. 416 and similar to Udyoga-parva²⁷⁹ 33. 64. Aparārka and Kullūka point out how the Bhaviṣyapurāṇa expounds passages of the Manusmṛti (vide Kullūka on Manu XI. 72, 73, 100 and Aparārka pp. 1071, 1076).²⁸⁰ It will be shown below that Bṛhaspati must have composed his work before 500 A. D.