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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s34: 47. Prajāpati

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s34

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47. Prajāpati

v1.c6.s34.1

Prajāpati is cited as an authority by the Baudhāyanadharmasūtra (II. 4. 15 and II. 10. 71). Vasiṣṭha several times quotes Prājāpatya ślokas (viz. III. 47, XIV 16-19, 24-27, 30-32). It has been shown above that most of these verses are found in the Manusmṛti or have close correspondence with verses of Manu. So it is not unlikely that both the writers of dharmasūtras mean Manu by Prajāpati.

v1.c6.s34.2

In the Ānandāśrama collection (p. 90-98) there is a smṛti of Prajāpati in 198 verses on the various details of śrāddha, such as the time, place, the persons authorised to perform, proper food, Brāhmaṇas to be invited etc. The prevailing metre is Anuṣṭubh, but there are nine verses in the Indravajrā, Upajāti, Vasantatilakā (verse 137) and Sragdharā (verse 96). It speaks of Kalpaśāstra, smṛtis, dharmaśāstra, purāṇas. It contains a verse referring to the Kanyā and Vṛścika (scorpion) signs of the zodiac, which is almost the same as a verse of Kārṣṇājini.

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The Mit. (on Yāj. III. 25 and 260) quotes verses of Prajāpati on aśauca and prāyaścitta. Aparārka cites verses of Prajāpati on purification of various substances, śrāddha, witnesses, ordeals and aśauca. None of these is traced to the printed text of Prajāpati. Aparārka (p. 952) gives a long prose text of Prajāpati on the four orders of parivrājakas, viz. kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka, haṁsa, paramahaṁsa. Aparārka (p. 542) cites a verse of Laugākṣi which refers to the view of Prajāpati that the son of a putrikā was to offer piṇḍas to his mother by the gotra of his maternal grand-father.⁴⁴² Aparārka, Smṛticandrikā, Parāśara-Mādhavīya and other works quote several verses of Prajāpati on vyavahāra. Witnesses are of two kinds, kṛta and akṛta. In this he seems to have followed Nārada (ṛṇādāna, verse 149). Prajāpati lays down the characteristics of valid reply (uttara) of the defendant and defines⁴⁴⁴ the four varieties of uttara. The Parāśara-Mādhavīya cites several verses of Prajāpati on ordeals. Prajāpati recognised the right of the sonless widow to succeed to her husband's wealth⁴⁴⁵ and enjoined on her the duty of offering śrāddha every month and year to her husband's manes and to honour his relatives.⁴⁴⁶

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⁴⁴² मातामहस्य गोत्रेण मातुः पिण्डोदकक्रियाम् । कुर्वीत पुत्रिकापुत्र एवमाह प्रजापतिः ॥ अपरार्क.

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⁴⁴⁴ स्मृतिच० (व्य. p. 42-43), परा. मा. vol. III. p. 69-73.

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⁴⁴⁵ पूर्वं प्रमीताऽग्निहोत्रं मृते भर्तरि तद्धनम् । लभेत् पतिव्रता नारी धर्म एष सनातनः ॥

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⁴⁴⁶ जङ्गमं स्थावरं हेम कुप्यं धान्यरसम्बरम् । आदाय दापयेच्छाद्धं माससंवत्सरादिकम् ॥ पितृव्यगुरुदौहित्रान् भर्तृस्वस्त्रीयमातुलान् । पूजयेत्कव्यपूर्ताभ्यां वृद्धानाथातिथींस्तथा ॥ स्मृतिच० (p. 291), परा. मा. vol. III. p. 536.

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