The Shulbasutras of Baudhayana, Apastamba, Katyayana and Manava: With Text, English Translation and Commentary c5.s4: Source Materials and Plan of Work
The Śulbasūtras of Baudhāyana, Āpastamba, Kātyāyana and Mānava: With Text, English Translation and Commentary c5.s4
- Language
- English
Source Materials and Plan of Work
c5.s4.1
In our edition of the *Baudhāyana-śulba*, we have used Thibaut's edition as printed in the *Paṇḍit* and Caland's edition of the *śulba* attached to Baudhāyana's *Śrautasūtra*. Bürk's plan in the break-up of the *sūtras* and their numbering has been followed. This plan appeared to us systematic and logical inasmuch as the breaking up of the *sūtras* and their numbering were generally guided by considerations of self-contained statements. It may also be noted that Caland punctuated the *sūtras* from similar considerations although no numbering was used. We have, however, retained Thibaut's numbering within parenthesis in order that scholars already accustomed to Thibaut's edition may not experience any difficulty. Our edition of the *Āpastamba-śulba* is based on Bürk's *Das Āpastamba-śulbasūtra* and the Mysore edition of the same text. Bürk's arrangement and numbering have been mostly retained; only a few *sūtras* have been regrouped from considerations of self-consistency. In such regroupings also Bürk's number has been given within parenthesis. For the *Kātyāyana-śulba*, we have used the editions by Madana Pāṭhaka, the Kāśī Sanskrit series and the MS. No. G. 6145 of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta. In our edition of the *Mānava-śulba*, Van Gelder's edition of the *śulba* attached to the *Śrautasūtra* and the MS. No. Th. 184 of the National Library, Calcutta have been used and Gelder's arrangement and grouping retained.
c5.s4.2
As to commentaries, Dvārakānātha's *Śulbamīmāṃsā* on Baudhāyana, the commentaries of Kapardisvāmī, Karavindasvāmī and Sundararāja on Āpastamba, *Karkabhāṣya* and Mahīdhara's *Śulbasūtravṛtti* on Kātyāyana, and MS. No. 536 of the Bombay Branch of the Asiatic Society, a commentary on the *Mānava-śulba*, have been used. Other manuscripts used by previous editors like Thibaut, Bürk and Van Gelder have been referred to in the foot-notes.
c5.s4.3
We have given the texts, translations and our own commentaries in separate parts, always referring to the number used in our edition wherever necessary. In writing the commentaries again, the *sūtras*, singly as well as in groups, have been treated as found convenient for purposes of elucidation. In the case of the *Āpastamba-śulba*, a number of chapters dealing with the same topic, e.g. the construction of *śyenacit*, have been dealt with together for the same reason.