History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.t2.625

v4.c63.t2.625

The general rule is that when a custom or usage is opposed to the text of the Veda the latter must prevail. So early a writer as Āpastamba states this rule emphatically in several places. In Āp. Dh. S. I. 1. 4. 8 it is stated¹⁶⁸¹: 'For, an explicit śruti text has greater force than ācāra (usage) from which a śruti text (on which it may be supposed to be based)