Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c12.13

c12.13

**Kalpa.** The fifth Vedāṅga is the *Kalpa* or ceremonial of which we have already treated. The *Kalpa-Sūtras* are based entirely on the *Brāhmaṇas* of which they presuppose not only three distinct collections but also different *Sākhās* or recensions which in course of time had branched off from each of them. It is also to be noted that the Sūtras were intended by their authors for more than one *Charaṇa* or adapted to more than one *Śākhā*. No single *Sākhā* contained a complete account of the ceremonial and a reference to other *Śākhās* was absolutely necessary. Even if a Brahmin had studied the Saṁhitās and *Brāhmaṇas* of the three Vedas according to their various *Śākhās*, he would still have found it difficult to learn from them the correct performance of each sacrifice. To remove this difficulty the Sūtras were composed as a kind of grammar of the Vedic ceremonial useful for members of all *Charaṇas*. There were, of course, Kalpa Sūtras for the different classes of priests, viz. those for the Hotṛi, the Adhvaryu, and Udgātṛi priests. Another point to be noticed in this connection is that different communities, after adopting a collection of Sūtras as the highest authority for their ceremonial, became naturally inclined to waive minor points of difference in the *Saṁhitās* and *Brāhmaṇas* and thus coalesced into a new *Charaṇa* under the name and sanction of their *Sūtrakāra*. When once these new *Sautra-Charaṇas* were started, even the Saṁhitās and *Brāhmaṇas* which were current among their members came to be designated by the name of the new *Charaṇas*.