History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s20.6

v1.c6.s20.6

Among comparatively early commentators and writers of digests, it is Aparārka, Ballālasena and Hemādri that quote most profusely from the purāṇas as sources of dharma. We saw above (p. 146) that Kullūka describes passages of the Bhaviṣya-purāṇa as glosses on Manu. The Matsya-purāṇa is pre-eminently a work containing much dharmaśāstra material. For example, chapters 16-22 deal with śrāddha, chapters 55-57 and 59-82 with vratas, chap. 54, 83, 278 with gifts, chap. 93 with śāntis, chap. 102 with tīrthas. Similarly in chapters 216-243 the Matsya speaks of rājadharma. The Viṣṇupurāṇa (in III, chap. 8-16) contains a good deal of information on the duties of the varṇas and āśramas, nitya and naimittika acts, good manners for a householder, the five great yajñas, Jātakarma and other saṁskāras, impu[rity] on death, śrāddha &c. Viṣṇudharmottara (Veṅkaṭeśvara Press) [in th]e 2nd khaṇḍa contains several chapters dealing with matters of dharma, e. g. chap. 24 gives the qualifications of state officers, chap. 65-72 speak of rājadharma, expedients of policy, punishments, 73-74 deal with prāyaścittas, 75 with impurity on death and birth, 79 with purification of dravyas, 80-81 with the four varṇas and mixed castes, 60 with various purely legal matters. The Agnipurāṇa also in chapters 220-225, 227, 233-242 contains a disquisition on rājadharma. Almost the whole of the vyavahāra section in the Yājñavalkyasmṛti occurs in chapters 253-258 of the Agnipurāṇa (Ānandāśrama edition) and many verses in chap. 253 are identical with verses of the Nārada-smṛti. The Garuḍapurāṇa (chap. 93-106) contains about 400 verses that are taken from the first and third sections of Yājñavalkya though not in the same order.