History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.33

v5.c73.33

There is another division of pitṛs viz. *pitaraḥ somavantaḥ*,⁷⁷¹ *pitaraḥ barhiṣadaḥ*, *pitaraḥ agniṣvāttāḥ* The latter two are named in Ṛg X. 15 4 and 11 (which occur also in Tai. S. II. 6. 12. 2). The Śat. Br. defines these as follows.—"those that performed a soma sacrifice are *pitaraḥ somavantaḥ*; those that offered cooked oblations (like *caru* and puroḍāśa) and secured a world are *pitaraḥ barhiṣadaḥ*; those that did none of these (two actions) and whom fire consumes when burning them are '*pitaraḥ agniṣvāttāḥ*;’ these are the only ones that are *pitaraḥ*." The Tai.⁷⁷² Br. has a somewhat similar passage and the Kāṭhaka Saṁhitā IX. 6. 17 also refers to these three kinds of *pitṛs*. Later writers introduced certain changes in the meanings of the words for the different classes of *pitṛs* and also increased the number of the classes of *pitṛs*. For example, the Nandipurāṇa q. by Hemādri states: the *pitṛs* of brāhmaṇas are called 'agniṣvātta', those of kṣatriyas 'barhiṣadaḥ', those of vaiśyas 'kāvyas', those of śūdras 'sukālin' and those of mlecchas and untouchables are called 'vyāma'.⁷⁷³ Even Manu (III. 193-198) mentions several classes of *pitṛs*, connects *pitṛs* called Somapās, Havirbhujah Ājyapās and Sukālins with the four varṇas and in III. 199 states that the *pitṛs* of brāhmaṇas are designated as Anagnidagdha, Agnidagdha, Kāvya, Barhiṣad, Agniṣvātta and Saumya. Those verses of Manu appear to summarize different traditions about the several classes of *pitṛs*. Vide Matsyapurāṇa 141. 4 for the same last four names and 141. 15-18 for their definitions. In Śātātapasmṛti (VI. 5-6) twelve groups or divisions of *pitṛs* are mentioned viz. piṇḍabhājah (three), lepabhājah (three), Nāndīmukhas (three) and Aśrumukhas (three). This is a classification of *pitṛs* from two different standpoints. In Vāyu 72.1 and 73.60, Brahmāṇḍa (Upodghāta 9.53), Padma V. 9. 2-3, Viṣṇudharmottara I. 138 2-3 and other Purāṇas the classes of *pitṛs* are said to be seven, three of which are formless (*amūrtimat*) and four have forms (*mūrtimat*) and they and their offspring are described in detail All this is passed over here. The Skandapurāṇa (VI. 216. 9-10) speaks of nine groups of *pitṛs*, being Agniṣvāttāḥ, Barhiṣadaḥ, Ājyapāḥ, Somapāḥ, Raśmipāḥ, Upahūtāḥ, those called 'āyantuṇaḥ', Śrāddhabhujaḥ, Nāndīmukhāḥ. In this list old and new elements are mixed up The Indian mind often revels in divisions, sub-divisions and classifications without much basis therefor and this is probably an illustration of that tendency. Manu (III 201) states that from the sages the *pitṛs* sprang, from the *pitṛs* sprang gods and human beings and from the gods arose the whole world whether moving or immovable. It is remarkable that here the gods are spoken of as springing from the *pitṛs* This is really a mere eulogy of *pitṛs* (i. e. it is an *arthavāda*).