History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v1.c6.s72.1

v1.c6.s72.1

Hemādri and Mādhava are the Castor and Pollux in the galaxy of *dākṣiṇātya* writers on Dharmaśāstra. Hemādri is a very voluminous writer. He is the author of the Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi, an encyclopædia of ancient religious rites and observances. According to the statements contained in the work itself the author intended to treat Dharmaśāstra in five sections, called vrata, dāna, tīrtha, mokṣa and pariśeṣa.⁸³⁸ The Pariśeṣa-khaṇḍa was divided into four parts, viz., Devatā, Kālanirṇaya, Karmavipāka, Lakṣaṇasamuccaya.⁸³⁹ The Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi has been published in the Bibliotheca Indica series. Four volumes containing 6 parts and covering about 6000 pages have been so far printed. The second and third volumes have two parts each. The fourth volume which deals with *prāyaścitta* does not appear to be the work of Hemādri.⁸⁴⁰ The work so far published is concerned with *vrata*, *dāna*, *śrāddha* and *kāla* (the latter two being parts of the pariśeṣa-khaṇḍa). That portion of the Caturvarga-cintamaṇi which was intended to treat of *tīrtha* and *mokṣa* has not yet come to light. It is extremely doubtful whether the author was able to carry out his gigantic scheme. Mss. of portions of the great work are described in the catalogues under various names, e. g. I. O. cat. No. 1379, p. 407 on *śāntika-pauṣṭikāni* is the same subject that is treated in *vratakhaṇḍa* pp. 1003ff., though there are considerable variations between the Ms. and the printed text.