History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.38

v5.c73.38

⁷⁷⁴ पञ्च जना मम होत्रं जुषध्वम् । गन्धर्वाः पितरो देवा असुरा रक्षांसीत्येके। चत्वारो वर्णा निषादः पञ्चम इत्यौपमन्यवः। निरुक्त III. 8. The तै. ब्रा. 13.7 has 'सप्तदश प्रजानां सूक्तं देवमनुष्याणां गन्धर्वाप्सरसां सर्पाणां च पितॄणां च' The real meaning of पञ्चजना is the same as that of पञ्चकृष्टयः (in Ṛg X 60 4), पञ्च क्षितीर्नाधुषी (Ṛg VII. 79.1), पञ्च चर्षणीः (Ṛg. V. 86 2) and we have यत् पाञ्चजन्यया विशा in Ṛg VIII. 63 7. पञ्चजनाः means विशः, the whole Aryan people divided probably into five clans. By the time of the Ait. Br. the original meaning of पञ्चजना was probably forgotten. The वेदान्तसूत्र (I. 4. 11-13) explains that the expression पञ्चपञ्चजना occurring in Bṛ. Up. IV 4 17 refers to Prāṇa, Cakṣuḥ (eye), ear, food and mind occurring in the next verse (Bṛ. Up IV. 4 18). Śaṅkarācārya in his bhāṣya on Vedāntasūtra I. 4.12 states that the word पञ्चजन in Ṛg. VIII 53 7 means *prajā* (people).