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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s26: 39. Aṅgiras

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s26

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39. Aṅgiras

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From Viśvarūpa downwards Aṅgiras is quoted very frequently on all topics except that of civil law (vyavahāra). Aṅgiras is one of the writers on dharma enumerated by Yāj. Viśvarūpa (on Yāj. I. 9) states that according to Aṅgiras a *pariṣad* may comprise 121 Brāhmaṇas. On Yāj. I. 50 Viśvarūpa quotes a verse of Aṅgiras that what is done according to one's own will without following the dictates of śāstra is fruitless.⁴¹³ On Yāj. III. 248 Viśvarūpa says that the *vrata* called Vajra was prescribed by Aṅgiras for Brāhmaṇas guilty of deadly sins. Viśvarūpa (on Yāj. III. 265) quotes two verses of Aṅgiras on the prāyaścitta for killing the wife of a Brāhmaṇa who has kindled the sacred fires, for killing wives of other Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas. On Yāj. III. 266 he quotes two verses of Aṅgiras laying down prāyaścitta for killing certain beasts and birds, wherein Aṅgiras himself is mentioned with honour (*bhagavān*). Aparārka (pp. 22-23) quotes thirteen verses from Aṅgiras on the constitution of *pariṣad*, wherein such terms as chāturvidya, vitarkī, aṅgavid, dharmapāṭhaka are explained and the last of which says that a *pariṣad* sitting in judgment over those who are guilty of mahāpātakas may consist of hundreds. The Mitākṣarā (on Yāj. I. 86) quotes several verses on the practice of *satī* and ascribes them to both Śaṅkha and Aṅgiras.⁴¹⁴ Aparārka (pp. 109, 112) quotes four other verses on the same practice, one of which is in the Indravajrā metre and another prohibits a Brāhmaṇa wife from following that practice. Medhātithi (on Manu. V. 157) quotes the view of Aṅgiras on *satī* and disapproves of it. The Mitākṣarā, Haradatta and others quote numerous verses of Aṅgiras on āśauca and prāyaścitta. Haradatta on Gautama (20. 1) quotes a verse of Aṅgiras about the seven *antyajas*.⁴¹⁵ Viśvarūpa (on Yāj. III. 237) quotes a sūtra of Sumantu in which Āṅgirasa is cited as an authority. The Śuddhi-mayūkha quotes a verse of Aṅgiras which relies upon Śātātapa.⁴¹⁶ The Smṛticandrikā quotes Aṅgiras on the enumeration of Upasmṛtis (vide note 260 above). The Smṛticandrikā also contains a few prose quotations from Aṅgiras; the same work cites a verse of Aṅgiras holding the dharmaśāstra of Manu as the supreme guide.⁴¹⁷

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⁴¹³ स्वस्वाभिप्रायकृतं कर्म यत्तु धर्मविवर्जितम्। क्रीडाकर्मेव बालानां तत्सर्वं निष्प्रयोजनम् ॥

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⁴¹⁴ One of them is the well known verse तिस्रः कोट्योऽर्धकोटी च यानि लोमानि मानुषे। तावत्कालं वसेत्स्वर्गे भर्तारं यानुगच्छति ॥

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⁴¹⁵ चण्डालः श्वपचः क्षत्ता सूतो वैदेहिकस्तथा। मागधायोगवौ चैव सप्तैतेन्त्यावसायिनः ॥

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⁴¹⁶ सर्वेषामेव वर्णानां सूतके मृतके तथा। दशाहाच्छुद्धिरितेषामिति शातातपोऽब्रवीत् ॥

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⁴¹⁷ यत्पूर्वं मनुना प्रोक्तं धर्मशास्त्रमनुत्तमम्। नहि तत्समतिक्रम्य वचनं हितमात्मनः ॥ स्मृतिच० (आह्निक).

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The Aṅgiras-smṛti (in Jivananda part I, pp. 554-560) in 72 verses is probably an abridgment. It lays down prāyaścittas for various occasions, such as taking food and drink from antyajas, for cruelly beating or causing various injuries to cows. It also lays down various rules for the wearing of the dark cloth (*nīlivastra*) by women. It cites Aṅgiras and Āpastamba by name. The penultimate verse condemns those who rob women of their wealth.

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There are several mss. in the Deccan College Collection which contain a varying number of verses on prāyaścitta agreeing more or less with Jīvananda's text. For example, No. 53 of 1879-80 contains about one hundred verses, No. 205 of 1882-83 contains 54 verses, while No. 65 of Viśrāmbāg collection and No. 83 of 1895-1902 contain only 32; No. 81 of 1884-86 is styled Bṛhad-Aṅgiras and contains 151 verses, many of which are identical with those in the Calcutta text.

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The Mitākṣarā (on Yāj. III. 277) and the Smṛtiratnāvalī of Vedācārya (I. O. cat. No. 1552 p. 475) quote a Bṛhad-Aṅgiras and the Mitākṣarā also quotes a Madhyama-Aṅgiras several times (on Yāj. III. 243, 241, 258, and 260).

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