Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c12.s6.60

c12.s6.60

Thus the *Parishad* was a distinctive and higher type of institution which was meant to give instruction regarding doubtful points of law There are distinguished in the Sūtras three sources¹ of sacred law, viz. (*a*) the Veda or *Śruti*, (*b*) the *Smṛiti* (i.e. the sacred law as explained by tradition), and (*c*) the practices of the *Śishṭas*, i.e. those who are free from the ordinary human passions (such as envy, pride, covetousness; prudence, hypocrisy, anger, etc.), and who in accordance with the sacred law have studied the Veda together with its appendages and are able to draw inferences from same and adduce proofs perceptible by the senses from the *Śruti* or revealed texts. On failure of these, a *Parishad* is to decide disputed points of law [*Baudh.*, i, 1, 1, 1–7; *Manu*, xii, 106–9]. Hence the *Parishad* was intended to be an academy of experts from whom emanated authoritative interpretations and decisions on doubtful points in the sacred texts which would be as binding on the community as the sacred texts themselves. Āpastamba refers to a *Parishad* as a Brahminical school which studies a particular redaction of the Veda. He refers us to the teaching and works of other *Parishads* for "further particulars regarding the interruption of the Veda study" [i, 3, 11, 38].