History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.22

v5.c74.22

¹²⁵³ सरस्वत्या विनशने दीक्षन्ते। ..दृषद्वत्या अप्ययेऽपोवभृथीथं यन्नं निरूप्याथाति-यन्ति। चतुरश्चत्वारिंशदाश्वीनानि सरस्वत्या विनशनात् प्लक्षः प्रास्रवणः तावदितः स्वर्गो लोकः सरस्वतीसंमितेनाध्वना स्वर्गलोकं यन्ति। ... यदा प्लक्षं प्रास्रवणमागच्छन्त्यथोत्यानम् । . कार-पचवं प्रति यमुनायमवभृथमभ्यवयन्ति। ताण्ड्य 25 10 1, 15, 16, 21, 23. मनु II 17 de-fines ब्रह्मावर्त as the country between the divine rivers सरस्वती and दृषद्वती and (II 21) मध्यदेश as the country between the Himālaya and Vindhya mount- (Continued from the last page) ains, which is to the east of विनशन and west of Prayāga For the mention of विनशन in the Baud. Dh. S, Vanaparva and Śalyaparva, vide H of Dh vol. II p. 14 note 35. Dr. D. R. Patil in his thesis 'Cultural History of Vāyupurāṇa' (p. 334) remarks that the institution of pilgrimage was first started by Buddhists and Jains and that later on it became common to all faiths in India. This is quite wrong The Brāhmaṇa and Śrautasūtra passages clearly show that there were holy places in the comparatively small part of India up to the Yamunā where the Sārasvata sattras had to be carried on The importance of holy places, visiting them and performing religious rites there were known in the Brāhmaṇa period at least a thousand years before Buddhism and Jainism began to spread.