History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.231

v7.c93.231

The first division of Vedic material is into *Mantra* and *Brāhmaṇa*. It has been already stated above (p. 1096 note 1776) that those are mantras that are recognized as such by the learned. P. M. S. (II. 1. 31-32) provides¹⁹⁷⁹ that mantra is that which simply asserts (and is not hortatory) or (to say the same thing in another way) 'those are mantras that are so called on account of their asserting something'. On P. M. S. I 4. 1 Śabara describes mantra as one that at the time when the procedure of a sacrifice is being followed, recalls or reminds or makes clear to the performer the matter that is prescribed e. g. 'I cut (the blades of) kuśa grass that is an abode for the deity'. This is only a general description of mantra and not an accurate definition. Mantras are-not supposed to be useful in sacrifices by their mere utterance (*uccāraṇa*) but are really ‘*abhidhāyaka*’ (reminders of what is to be done or is being done). Śabara remarks that *lakṣaṇa* is the only way for the recognition of mantras and not an enumeration of some characteristics of mantras as done by the Vṛttikāra such as these viz. ¹⁹⁸⁰ some end in ‘asi’ (thou art) or ‘*tvā*’ as in Tai. S I. 1. 1 ‘iṣe tvā’, prayer or wish (as in ‘āyurdhā asi’ in Tai. S. I. 6. 6. 1), praise (‘agnir mūrdhā divaḥ’ in Tai. S. IV. 4. 4). Śabara points out that ‘asi’ and ‘tvā’ occur even in the middle of mantras, the other characteristics such as blessing and praise are found in Brāhmaṇas also. The M B P. remarks that there are (p. 66) one hundred kinds of mantras and that if we take into account the fourteen Vedic metres and their sub-varieties there would be 273 different varieties of *ṛk* mantras alone (p 67). There are certain texts regarded as mantras (e g. ‘Vasantāya kapiñjalānālabhate’ Vāj. S. 24. 20) which are not merely assertive but rather relate to the procedure of a yāga (in the case of Vāj. S. 24. 20, of Aśvamedha).