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History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s36: 49. Yama

History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s36

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49. Yama

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The Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra ( 18. 13–15 and 19. 48 ) cites four ślokas of Yama and quotes ( 11. 20 ) one verse in which Yama is spoken of as an authority. All the ślokas except one are found in Manu.⁴⁵¹ Vasiṣṭha quotes a śloka of Prajāpati wherein Yama's view is set forth. Yama is one of the sages enumerated in the list of Yājñavalkya. Govindarāja (on Manu 5. 16) and Aparārka quote a verse of Śaṅkha wherein Yamas' view that the flesh of certain birds could be eaten is referred to.⁴⁵² Aparārka (p. 1231) also cites a verse of Śaṅkha in which the view of Bhagavān Yama that one should save one's life in all ways (even by incurring sin) is relied upon.

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⁴⁵¹ अथापि यमगीताञ्श्लोकानुदाहरन्ति । श्मशानमेतत्तत्प्रत्यक्षं ये शूद्राः पापचारिणः । तस्माच्छूद्रसमीपे तु नाध्येतव्यं कदाचन ॥ न शूद्राय मतिं दद्यान्नोच्छिष्टं न हविष्कृतम् । न चास्योपदिशेद्धर्मं न चास्य व्रतमादिशेत् ॥ यश्चास्योपदिशेद्धर्मं यश्चास्य व्रतमादिशेत् । सोसंवृत्तं तमो घोरं सह तेन प्रपद्यते ॥ वसिष्ठ 18. 13-15. The last two are almost the same as मनु IV. 80-81 and the first is a paraphrase of आप. श्रौ. 'पद्यु ह वा एतच्छ्मशानं यच्छूद्रः । तस्माच्छूद्रसमीपे नाध्येतव्यम्’. नाघदोषोस्ति राज्ञां वै व्रतिनां न च सत्रिकाम् । ऐन्द्रस्थानमुपासीना ब्रह्मभूता हि ते सदा ॥ वसिष्ठ 19. 48 and मनु V. 93. ‘अथाप्युदाहरन्ति । अथ चेन्मन्त्रविद्युक्तः शारीरैः पङ्किदूषणैः । अदूष्यं तं यमः प्राह पङ्क्तिपावन एव सः ॥ वसिष्ठ॥ 11. 20; vide बृहद्यम 3. 41. घृतं वा यदि वा तैलं विप्रो नाद्यान्नखच्युतम् । यमस्तदशुचि प्राह तुल्यं गोमांसभक्षणैः ॥ वसिष्ठ. 14. 30.

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⁴⁵² तित्तिरिं च मयूरं च लावकं च कपिञ्जलम् । वार्ध्रीणसं वर्तकं च भक्ष्यानाह यमः सताम् ॥ (सदा v. l.) अपरार्क p. 1167.

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In Jivananda's collection (part I. pp. 560-568) there is a smṛti of Yama in seventyeight verses on prāyaścitta and purification (śuddhi). In this smṛti Yama himself is cited in the third person (verse 65). One verse (33) refers to the view of Bhāsvati (son of the sun, by which may be meant either Manu or Yama himself).⁴⁵³ Some of the verses are identical with those of Manu (e. g. verses 26, 28 are the same as Manu 11. 178 and 3. 19). Verse 44 is in the Upajāti metre. In the Ānandāśrama collection there is a Yamasmṛti in 99 verses on prāyaścitta, śrāddha, and purification. Most of the topics of this smṛti are the same as those of the Calcutta text, but most of the verses are not identical. A few verses are found in both, e. g. the verses about the seven lowest castes⁴⁵⁴ (antyajas). Verse 11 quotes the view of Śātātapa. This smṛti contains the well-known text that a woman passes on marriage into the gotra of her husband, which is cited by the Mit. (on Yāj. I. 254).⁴⁵⁵ In the same collection there is a smṛti of Bṛhad-Yama (pp. 99-107). It is divided into five chapters and contains 182 verses. It deals with prāyaścittas for various lapses, purification from various kinds of contacts (śuddhi), śrāddha, partition and a few matters of medical procedure. In this smṛti Yama is frequently cited by name. Śātātapa is cited on partition (V. 20). Many of the verses of this text are identical with those of Yama in Jivananda's text. For example, Jivananda (p. 561) verses 15-17 are the same as Bṛhad-Yama III. 1-3, Jivananda p. 563 verses 29-33 are the same as Bṛhad-Yama III. 34-38, Jivananda verses 35-36 are the same as Bṛhad-Yama III. 16-17. The verse in the Upajāti metre (Jivananda 44) is Bṛhad-Yama III. 61. Two of the verses at the end of chap. V. are the same as Yāj. II. 17 and 23.

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⁴⁵³ ततो देवलकश्चैव भृतको वेदविक्रयी । एते वर्ज्याः प्रयत्नेन एतद्भास्वतिरब्रवीत् ॥ Compare मनु 3. 180.

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⁴⁵⁴ रजकश्चर्मकारश्च नटो बुरुड एव च । कैवर्तमेदभिल्लाश्च सप्तैते अन्त्यजाः स्मृताः ॥ Jivananda verse 54, Ānandāśrama verse 33.

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⁴⁵⁵ स्वगोत्राद्भ्रश्यते नारी विवाहात्सप्तमे पदे । स्वामिगोत्रेण कर्तव्यास्तस्याः पिण्डोदकक्रियाः ॥ verse 78.

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The numerous mss. of Yama contain either one or other of the above three texts or different texts bearing on the same topics. For example, Deccan College collection Nos. 209-211 of A 1881-82 and No. 153 of 1895-1902 are the same as the Yamasmṛti in the Ānandāśrama collection, No. 401 of 1891-95 seems to be the same as Bṛhad-Yama in the Ānandāśrama collection. But the I. O. Cat. No. 1334 p. 390 contains 57 ślokas, the last 20 of which are in the Indravajrā metre.

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Viśvarūpa, Vijñāneśvara, Aparārka, the Smṛticandrikā and other later works quote over three hundred verses of Yama on all topics of dharmaśāstra including vyavahāra. This establishes that they had an extensive work of Yama before them from which it is probable various abridgments corresponding with the printed works were made. Viśvarūpa quotes about ten verses of Yama on water as purifier (on Yāj. I. 187), on śrāddha (on Yāj. I. 225 and 252) and on prāyaścitta for killing a cow (on Yāj. III. 262). The identical verses are not found in the printed texts. Some of the verses quoted from Yama in Aparārka and the Smṛticandrikā can be traced in the printed text. For example, Aparārka (p. 42) quotes a verse of Yama in which Yama himself is referred to as an authority.⁴⁵⁶ It occurs in Jivananda's text (verse 65). The two verses in Jivananda's text (verses 26, 28) that are identical with Manu are cited in the Smṛticandrikā as Yama's. Two verses of Bṛhad-Yama (III. 20-21) about the proper age of marriage in the case of girls are quoted as Yama's in the Smṛticandrikā.⁴⁵⁷ In some of the verses quoted by Aparārka from Yama, the opinions of Manu are cited which can be identified with the views of the Manusmṛti. For example, according to Yama food polluted by the touch of hair, moths and insects, or seen by sinners and women in their courses is purified by water, holy ashes etc.⁴⁵⁸ This refers to Manu V. 125. Similarly the Smṛticandrikā quotes a verse of Yama which says that according to Manu those who administer poison, who are incendiaries and robbers and those guilty of homicide and abetment thereof should pay the extreme penalty of death.⁴⁵⁹ Aparārka (p. 988 on Yāj. III. 109) quotes five verses of Yama which refer to the 26th *tattvas* well known in the Sāṅkhya system, regard Puruṣottama as a 26 *tattva* and propound that he who correctly understands the 25 *tattvas*, in whatever āśrama he may be, reaches the highest abode of Viṣṇu. Aparārka quotes a few prose passages from Yama on the garments to be worn by brahmacārins,⁴⁶⁰ on prāyaścitta for killing various kinds of birds and insects, for cutting trees and bushes, for drinking wine, for stealing gold and for the other deadly sins etc.⁴⁶¹

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⁴⁵⁶ अपः करनखस्पृष्टा य आचामति वै द्विजः । सुरां पिबति स व्यक्तं यमस्य वचनं यथा ॥ This is attributed to यम in the स्मृतिच० also.

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⁴⁵⁷ अष्टवर्षा भवेद्गौरी नववर्षा च रोहिणी । दशवर्षा भवेत्कन्या अत ऊर्ध्वं रजस्वला ॥ प्राप्त द्वादशमे वर्षे कन्यां यो न प्रयच्छति । मासि मासि रजस्तस्याः पिता पिबति शोणितम् ॥ स्मृतिच० (आह्निक p. 79.).

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⁴⁵⁸ अवक्षुतं केशपतङ्गकीटैरुदक्यया वा पतितैश्च दृष्टम् । अलातभस्माम्बुहिरण्यभागैः संस्पृष्टमन्नं मनुरह भोज्यम् ॥ अपरार्क p. 267.

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⁴⁵⁹ विषामिदायकाश्चोश घातकाश्चोपघातकाः । स्वशरीरेण दण्ड्याः स्युर्मनुरह प्रजापतिः ॥ स्मृतिच०, vide मनु. 9. 278.

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⁴⁶⁰ सर्वेषां रौरवशाणक्षौमाविकानि सामर्थ्यादधोवस्त्राणीतराणि न । अपरार्क p. 58.

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⁴⁶¹ Vide pp. 1130, 1135, 1218, 1222.

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The Mahābhārata (Anuśāsana 104. 72-74) quotes *gāthās* of Yama.

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The Smṛticandrikā quotes a verse of Yama which speaks of the sun being in the zodiacal sign Virgo.⁴⁶²

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⁴⁶² इंसे वर्षासु कन्यास्थे &c. स्मृतिच० (श्रा. p. 366 Gharpure.).

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Yama required the king to look into the disputes of litigants carefully and impartially.⁴⁶³ Yama cites the authority of Manu for the proposition that everything brought about by coercion such as a gift or a deed was liable to be set aside. This is almost identical with Manu 8. 168. Yama lays down that a Brāhmaṇa was never to be awarded corporal punishment, but that a Brāhmaṇa guilty of crimes was to be imprisoned and made⁴⁶⁵ to work. Yama, like Yāj. (II. 145), prescribed that the strīdhana of a woman married in the Āsura form went to her father,⁴⁶⁶ if she died childless. Aparārka (p. 822) quotes two verses of Yama that prescribed the first ammercement for him who, though forbidden, wrongfully takes the water of a lake or disturbs a water-course and the highest ammercement for him who breaks a lake. Aparārka (p. 860) also cites Yama for the fine of five kṛṣṇalas in the case of adultery with another's wife of the same caste as that of the paramour and twelve paṇas in case the wife is of a lower caste. The Smṛticandrikā and the Vyavahāramayūkha on the other hand direct that the king should punish the Brāhmaṇa woman guilty of adultery with a Śūdra by throwing her to dogs and by forcible tonsure and riding on an ass in case of adultery with a Kṣatriya or Vaiśya. The Smṛticandrikāra, Parāśara-Mādhavīya and Vyavahāramayūkha quote a verse of Yama about a debtor, who, being able to pay, does not wantonly pay, being punished by taking twice the amount. Yama remarks that the order of saṁnyāsa is not allowed to women in the Vedas or in the śāstra⁴⁶⁷ (dharmaśāstra) and that her real dharma is to be the mother of children from one of her own caste. A Bṛhad-Yama is cited by the Mit. (on Yāj. III. 255 and 290), Haradatta and by Aparārka on prāyaścitta. Similarly a Laghu-Yama is cited by Haradatta and Aparārka and a Svalpa-Yama (probably same as Laghu-Yama) by the Smṛtiratnākara of Vedācārya.

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⁴⁶³ राजा मन्त्रिसहायस्तु द्वयोर्विवदमानयोः । सम्यक्कार्याण्यवेक्षेत रागद्वेषविवर्जितः ॥ अपरार्क p. 596.

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⁴⁶⁴ बलाद्धस्तं बलाद्भुक्तं बलायच्चापि लेखितम् । सर्वान् बलकृतानर्थान् निर्वर्त्यानाह वै मनुः ॥ स्मृतिच० (व्य. p. 130).

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⁴⁶⁵ न शारीरो ब्राह्मणस्य दण्डो भवति कर्हिचित् । गुप्ते तु बन्धने बद्ध्वा राजा भक्तं प्रदापयेत् ॥ ... यथापराधं विप्रं तु विकर्माण्यपि कारयेत् । अवध्या ब्राह्मणा गावो लोकेस्मिन् वैदिकी श्रुतिः ॥ स्मृतिच० (व्य. p. 316).

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⁴⁶⁶ आसुरादिषु यद् द्रव्यं विवाहेषु प्रदीयते । अप्रजायामतीतायां पितैवे तु धनं हरेत् ॥ स्मृतिच० (व्य. p. 286.). Note अप्रजायामतीतायां, which is the reading in विश्वरूप (p. 172 above).

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⁴⁶⁷ स्त्रियाः श्रुतौ वा शास्त्रे वा प्रव्रज्या न विधीयते । प्रजाः हि तस्याः स्वो धर्मः सवर्णादिति धारणा ॥ स्मृतिच० (व्य. p. 254).

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