History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s6.4

v1.c6.s6.4

The following are the contents of the Baudhāyana-dharmasūtra:—*Praśna* I:—Sources of *dharma*, who are *śiṣṭas*, *pariṣad*, different practices of northern and southern India, countries where *śiṣṭas* reside and where mixed castes reside, prāyaścitta for visiting countries of the latter type; 2. Studenthood for 48, 24 or 12 years, time of *upanayana* and the girdle, skin, staff appropriate to each caste, duties of *brahmacārin*, eulogy of *brahmacarya*; 3. The duties of the *snātaka* who has completed his studies and observances but has not yet married; 4. directions about carrying the earthen jar (in the case of the *snātaka*); 5. bodily and mental *śauca*, purification of various substances, impurity on birth and death, meaning of *sapiṇḍa* and *sakulya*, rules of inheritance, purification on touching a corpse or a woman in her menses or on dog-bite, what flesh and food was allowed and forbidden; 6. Purification from the point of view of sacrifice, purification of clothes, ground, grass, fuel, vessels, and articles used in sacrifice; 7. Rules about the importance from the sacrificial point of view of sacrifice, of the sacrificial utensils, priests, the sacrificer and his wife, ghee, cooked offerings, the victim, *soma* and fires; 8. The four *varṇas* and the sub-castes; 9. Mixed castes; 10. the duties of kings, the five great sins and punishments for them, punishments for killing birds, witnesses; 11. The eight forms of marriage, holidays; *Praśna* II. 1. Prāyaścittas for *brahmahatyā* and other great sins, prāyaścittas for a *brahmachārin* violating his vow of celibacy, for marrying a *sagotra* girl, for marrying before elder brother, sins lesser than the great ones, description of such penances as Parāka, Kṛcchra, Atikṛcchra; 2. Partition of heritage, larger share for the eldest, the several substitutes for an *aurasa* son, exclusion from inheritance, dependence of women, prāyaścitta for adultery by men and women, rules about *niyoga*, means of subsistence in distress, continuous duties of the house-holder such as Agnihotra &c.; 3. The daily duties of the householder such as bathing, ācamana, Vaiśvadeva, giving food; 4. *Sandhyā*; 5. Rules about the manner of bathing, of Ācamana, worship of the sun, and about the method of propitiating (‘*tarpaṇa*’) gods, sages and pitṛs; 6. The five great daily *yajñas*; the four castes and their duties; 7. regulations about dinner; 8. Śrāddha; 9. eulogy of sons and spiritual benefit from sons; 10. rules about *saṃnyāsa*; *Praśna* III. 1 modes of subsistence for the two kinds of householders, Śālīna and Yayāvara; 2 the means of subsistence called ‘Śaṇṇivartanī’; 3. the duties of the forest hermit and his means of livelihood; 4. prāyaścitta for not observing the vows of *brahmacārin* or householder; 5. method of reciting *Aghamārṣaṇa*, the holiest of texts; 6. the ritual of *praśṛtayāvaka*; 7 the purificatory *homa* called Kūṣmāṇḍa; 9. the penance called *cāndrāyaṇa*; 9 the recital of the Vedas without taking food; 10. theories about purifications for sin, purifying things; *Praśna* IV. 1. prāyaścittas of various kinds viz. for eating forbidden food or drink &c.; 2. *prāṇāyāmas* and *Aghamārṣaṇa* as purifiers in case of several sins; 3. secret prāyaścittas; 4. Various Vedic texts as prāyaścittas; 5. Means of securing *siddhi* by means of *japa*, *homa*, *iṣṭi* and *yantra*: the penances called Kṛcchra, Ati-Kṛcchra, Sāntapana, Parāka, Cāndrāyaṇa; 6 the muttering (japa) of holy texts, the iṣṭis; 7 praise of *Yantras*, various Vedic texts used in *homa*; 8 censure of those who enter on the means of *siddhi* out of great greed, permission to get these things done through another in certain circumstances.