History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s30: 43. Dakṣa
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s30
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43. Dakṣa
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Dakṣa is one of the writers on dharma enumerated by Yāj. Viśvarūpa quotes verses of Dakṣa several times, viz. on Yāj. I. 17 (on clods of earth for purifying the body), on Yāj. III. 30 (two verses on āśauca), on Yāj. III. 66 (about a parivrājaka), on Yāj. III. 191 (about padmāsana). The Mit. (on Yāj. I. 89) quotes a half verse of Dakṣa to the effect that a dvija should not remain unattached to an āśrama (i. e. without a wife in the context) even for a moment; on Yāj. III. 58 two verses about bhikṣus; on Yāj. III. 243 (one verse). Aparārka cites numerous verses of Dakṣa on ācāra, āśauca, śrāddha and similar topics. In one case (p. 368) he attributes a prose passage to Dakṣa about the gift of gold.⁴²² Two of Dakṣa's verses most frequently quoted by writers on vyavahāra are those that lay down what nine things cannot be the subjects of gift.⁴²³
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⁴²² सुवर्णमेव स्वर्णमस्य च देशकालपात्रसुवर्णपरिमाणाच्च फलविशेषः। अपरार्क.
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⁴²³ सामान्यं याचितं न्यस्तमाधिर्दारश्च तद्धनम् । अन्वाहितं च निक्षेपः सर्वस्वं चान्वये सति ॥ आपत्स्वपि न देयानि नव वस्तूनि पण्डितैः । यो ददाति स मूढात्मा प्रायश्चित्तीयते नरः ॥ अपरार्क p. 404. These occur in the दक्षस्मृति (Jivananda part II, p. 391).
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In Jivananda's collection there is a Dakṣasmṛti (part II, pp. 383–402) in seven chapters and 220 verses (vide also Ānandāśrama collection pp. 72–84). The principal subjects treated of are:—Four āśramas, two kinds of brahmacārins; the daily round of duties for dvijas; various subdivisions of actions, nine karmans, nine vikarmans, nine actions that should be concealed, nine acts that should be made public, nine things that should not be gifted; gifts; eulogy of a good housewife; śauca of two kinds; impurity due to birth and death; Yoga and its six aṅgas viz. prāṇāyāma, dhyāna, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, tarka and samādhi, maithuna of eight kinds to be avoided by ascetics, duties of bhikṣu, dvaita, and advaita.
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This smṛti is certainly a very old one. All the quotations from Dakṣa cited by Viśvarūpa occur in the printed Dakṣa (vide pp. 395, ˙396, 384, 397 which reads ‘na pathyāśanād yogo’). Similarly all the quotations in the Mit. from Dakṣa are found in the Calcutta text. Aparārka contains over forty verses from the printed Dakṣa, though there are a few verses cited by him as Dakṣa’s which are not found therein. The Smṛticandrikā quotes about ten verses of Dakṣa on woman which are all found in the 4th chap. of the Calcutta text.
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In the Deccan College collection there is a ms. of Dakṣa (No. 120 of 1895-1902) which contains 197 verses on the same topics as above, many of which are identical with the Calcutta text. The Bombay University has also a similar ms. Vide I. O. cat. No. 1320 p. 385 for a similar ms. in 197 verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Yājñavalkyasmṛti — Yājñavalkya, Sanskrit