History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c97.9

v7.c97.9

The first volume of the History of Dharmaśāstra, which was published in 1930, deals with the chronology and relative importance of famous and less known writers and works and covers 760 pages. As I regarded myself as one of the original founders of the B. O. R. I. and as I was a successful lawyer on the Appellate side of the High Court, I offered the volume to that Institute for publication without any agreement about payment. The Preface to the first volume makes it clear that I intended to finish the whole history in two volumes and that even at that time I suffered from a painful complaint (duodenal ulcer) which has dogged my footsteps throughout up to this day. The second volume of the History of Dharmaśāstra covering 1368 pages (including about 300 pages on Śrauta ritual, not included in the original plan) was published in June 1941 (i. e. eleven years after the publication of the first volume), when I was already 61 years old and pursued by an implacable ailment The third volume containing 1088 pages was published in October 1946 and deals with only three topics 'Rājadharma, Vyavahāra, and Sadācāra' (customs and customary law) On account of the 2nd world war there was paper shortage and the finances of B O. R. I. were at a low ebb I had therefore to advance three thousand rupees to the B O R. I. and had to purchase paper worth several hundred rupees for expediting the printing, in view of the fact that I was in my 67th year and that my physical condition was causing anxiety. The 4th volume is spread over 926 pages, was published in October 1953 (when I was in my 74th year) and deals with Pātaka (sins), Prāyaścitta (expiation), Karmavipāka (fruition of evil deeds), Antyeṣṭi (rites on death), Āśauca (impurity on death and birth), Śuddhi (purification), Śrāddha, Tīrthayātrā (pilgrimages to sacred places).