History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s4.4

v1.c6.s4.4

Mānava Śrauta and Gṛhya sūtras are extant; in the same way the Śāṅkhāyana Śrauta and Gṛhya sūtras, but no Śāṅkhāyana sūtra. It is only in the case of the Āpastamba, Hiraṇyakeśi, Baudhāyana Sūtracaraṇas that we have a complete *kalpa* tradit with its three components of Śrauta, Gṛihya and Dharma sūtras. Tantravārtika of Kumārila contains very interesting observations on this point. It tells us that Gautama (dharmasūtra) and Gobhila (gṛhyasūtra) were studied by the *Chandogas* (Sāmavedins), Vasiṣṭha (dharmasūtra) by the Ṛgvedins, the dharmasūtra of Śaṅkha-Likhita by the followers of Vājasaneya-saṁhitā and the sūtras of Āpastamba and Baudhāyana by the followers of the Taittirīya Śākhās. The Tantravārtika (p. 179) establishes it as a *siddhānta* (on Jaimini I. 3. 11) that all the *dharma* and *gṛhya* sūtras are authoritative for all Aryan people. From this it appears that although originally all sūtracaraṇas might not have possessed dharmasūtras composed by the founder of the *caraṇa* or ascribed to him, yet gradually certain dharmasūtras were specially taken over or appropriated by certain *caraṇas*. As the *dharmasūtras* were mostly concerned with rules about the conduct of men as members of the Āryan community and did not deal with ritual of any kind, all *dharmasūtras* gradually became authoritative in all schools.