History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.283

v7.c93.283

We must now turn to the 2nd great division of Vedic texts, viz. Arthavādas. They are dealt with in P. M. S. first adhyāya, 2nd pāda. There are numerous Vedic passages such as 'he roared; because he roared he came to be called Rudra' (Tai. S. I. 5. 1. 1.), 'Prajāpati cut out his own fat' (Tai. S. II. 1. 1. 4), 'the gods, having reached the sacrificial ground, did not know the directions' (Tai S VI. 1. 5. 1.); 'who knows whether one lives in the other world or not' (Tai. S. VI. 1. 1. 1.); 'there should be no piling of fire altar on the earth nor in the sky nor in heaven' (Tai. S. V 2.7.1). The objector says 'you have yourself declared that enjoining religious rites is the purpose of the Veda' (P. M. S. I. 1. 2). The above and similar passages do not serve any purpose in the matter of religious acts, they are therefore useless and are non-eternal (or do not refer to any permanent matter). The reply is that these passages form one syntactical or connected whole with hortatory passages of the Veda and they serve the purpose of commending (or glorifying) the hortatory passages. Śabara cites on I. 2. 7 the passage 'one desiring prosperity should sacrifice a white animal in honour of Vāyu; Vāyu indeed is the swiftest deity; he runs near Vāyu with the share proper (to Vāyu); he (Vāyu) leads the sacrificer to prosperity'.²⁰¹⁴ These words form one whole passage; the first part 'vāyavyam ..bhūtikāmaḥ' is clearly a vidhi, as the word 'ālabheta (in the optative form) shows. The latter portion is an arthavāda for the purpose of commendation. People are familiar with the fact that Vāyu is swift. Therefore, the latter portion (Vāyurvai &c.) merely repeats what is already well known (that is, it is an anuvāda). In sūtras 19-25 of I. 2 the P. M. S. considers certain passages that look like vidhis but are declared to be arthavādas. For example, (Tai. S. II. 1. 1. 6) 'the sacrificial post is to be of udumbara wood; the udumbara wood is indeed vigour (or food or sap); cattle are vigour; by this strong (or juicy) post, he (sacrificer) secures cattle, for 'the securing of strength'. The objector says that this is a *phalavidhi* (an injunctive text about a result) as the words 'ūrjośvaruddhyai' contain the purpose and there is no word of commendation. The reply is that there is only commendation.