History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c26.201

v2.c26.201

The Dāyabhāga does not rely upon any Vedic passages for its theory of sapiṇḍa relationship. The Mit. (on Yāj. I. 52) relies upon three Vedic passages only in propounding the theory of sapiṇḍa relationship viz. 'indeed the man himself is born from himself (as son, Ait. Br. 33. 1)'; 'thou art born again (or reproduced) in the offspring' (Tai. Br. I. 5. 5) and 'this body is made of six kośas (sheaths); three are derived from the father, three from the mother; bones, muscles and marrow from the mother' (Garbhopaniṣad). These passages at the most say that particles of the bodies of the parents continue in their offspring; but they do not say anything about the meaning of sapiṇḍa or the limits of the sapiṇḍa relationship for marriage or inheritance. Even in the Ṛg. the words jñāti and bandhu which occur in the dharmasūtras (e. g. Āp. Dh. S. I. 3. 10. 3, I. 5. 11 17. and Gaut. II. 44, IV. 3 and 5, VI. 3) frequently occur (vide Ṛg. VII. 55. 5 and X. 85. 28 for jñāti and Ṛg. I. 113. 2, V. 73. 4, VII. 72. 2, VII. 67. 9 for bandhu). All that we can say is that both meanings of sapiṇḍa were implicit in the word piṇḍa from the earliest times and that the sūtra writers were conscious of both meanings.