History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s36.9

v1.c6.s36.9

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