History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.274

v5.c71.s1.274

The literature on prāyaścittas is vast in extent, since in ancient times they loomed very large in the popular mind. Out of the 28 chapters of the Gautamadharma-sūtra, ten (i. e. more than one-third of the whole) are devoted to penances. Out of the 30 chapters of the printed Vasiṣṭha-dharmasūtra, prāyaścittas cover nine (20-28) Manu devotes verses 44 to 265 (in all 222) of chapter eleven to penances and the Yājñavalkyasmṛti containing 1009 verses deals with prāyaścittas in 122 verses (III. 205-327). Several printed smṛtis such as those of Aṅgiras (168 verses), Atri (chapters 1-8), Devala (90 verses), Bṛhad-Yama (182 verses), Śātātapasmṛti (in 274 verses) from the Ānandāśrama collection of smṛtis alone deal only with prāyaścittas. Many other smṛtis and several purāṇas, such as the Agni (chap 168-174), Garuḍa 52, Kūrma (Uttarārdha 30-34), Varāha 131-136, Brahmāṇḍa (Upasaṃhārapāda chap. 9), Viṣṇudharmottara (II 73, III 234-237) contain hundreds of verses on prāyaścittas. Besides commentaries like the Mitākṣarā, Aparārka, Par. M. and others and digests like Madanapārijāta (pp. 691-994), there are special digests dealing with prāyaścittas alone such as Hemādri on Prāyaścitta (which is of doubtful authenticity), the Prāyaścittaprakaraṇa of Bhavadeva, Prāyaścittaviveka, Prāyaścittatattva, Smṛtimuktāphala (prāyaścitta section), Prāyaścittasāra (part of Nṛsiṃhaprasāda), Prāyaścittamayūkha, Prāyaścittaprakāśa (ms. in the Anūp Sanskrit library, Bikaner, No. 2610), Prāyaścittenduśekhara of Nāgojībhaṭṭa, which have been utilised in this work. The most elaborate treatment is found in Prāyaścittaviveka, Par. M. II parts 1 and 2, and Prāyaścittaprakāśa.