कल्पान्तरे विश्वासटिप्पन्यः

The Smṛticandrikā of Devannabhatta This is a well-known digest on Dharmaśāstra. An English translation of the portion of it which is concerned with dāyabhāga was published in 1867 by T. Krisnasvami Iyer at Madras. The text has been published by Mr. J. R. Gharpure ( up to śrāddha) in Bombay and also in the Mysore Government Oriental Series ( up to āśauca ). In the following Mr. Gharpure’s edition has been used and the Mysore edition for āśauca section.

The Smsticandrikā published by Mr. Gharpure is a huge work of large size covering about 736 pages on the topics of some samskāras (88 pages ), Ahnika ( 144 pages ), Vyavahāra ( 332 pages ), and Sraddha ( 172 pages ). According to the colo phons at the end of the sections, it appears that the author was called Devapna-bhattopadhyāya, son of Keśavāditya-bhattopā dhyāya. The fifth introductory verse asserts that all that he writes is based on authoritative texts and that he has stated noth ing purely relying on his own ideas (or imagination ).1068

1064 अथान्यान्यपि हरिहरेण कुहग्रहणपराण्येवानितिकर्तृत्वेन महार्णवलिखितत्वेन

3191277 fuerak FAITHFata i agafo III, 1. 183. 1065 इह जयन्तस्वामिमतं हरिहरेणोपन्यत्तम् । अग्न्यभावे तु विप्रस्येति श्लोकस्य कदा

चित्कचिदसंनिहिताग्निः साग्निरेव विषयः । …तदेतज्जयन्तस्वामिसंमतं त्रैवर्णिक

hlauchty a crear i Fofo III. 1. 1339. 1066 स्वाभिप्रायेण हि मया न किंचिदिह लिख्यते । किं तु वाचनिकं सर्वमतो ग्रादैव

निर्भयैः।। 5th Intro. verse. ग्राह्या referring to the word स्मृतिचन्द्रिका

in the preceding line, H. D.-93

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The Smsticandrika is a very extensive digest. It is almost the earliest (except the Kalpataru ) among digests on dharmaśāstra of which mss. have yet been discovered. The printed text deals with the topics (kāndas ) of Samskara, Ahnika, Vyavahāra, Srāddha, Asauca. It appears that he worte on prāyaścitta also. In the colophons of mss. of the work the name of the author is variously written as Devansa, Devana, Devananda or Devagaña (vide 1. O. Cat. pp. 405-406 ). He is also described therein as the son of Keśavadityabhatta and as a Somayāji.

The Smsticandrikā quotes most profusely from numerous smrtikāras and affords valuable assistance in reconstructing some of the smstis and checking mss. and editions thereof. For example, it quotes about 600 verses from Kātyāyana on vyavahāra and about the same number from Bṛhaspati. From Manu and Nārada more verses are quoted than even from Kātyāyana and Bșhaspati. Among works, commentators and authors of digests named by it the following may be noted : Aparārka, Karmapradipa which is the same as Gobhilasmīti ( II. 126-127) with slight variations (Anand. ed.), Devarāta, Devasvāmi, Apastambakalpabhāsyār thakāra (Asauca p. 84), Dhāreśvara, Dharmabhāṣya, Dhūrtasvāmi, Pradipa, Bhavanātha, Bhāṣya on Apastamba Dharmasūtra, Dharmadipa or Pradipa ( Asauca p. 63), Bhāsyārthasamgraha kāra, Manuvṛtti, Medhātithi, Mitākṣarā, Rāmāyana (four verses), and Varāhamihira (one verse), Vaijayanti ( a lexicon ), Viśvarūpa, Viśvadarsa ( Asauca p. 164 ), Sambhu, Srikara, Śivasvāmi, Smsti bhāskara, Smṛtyarthasara. He mentions a Bhattācārya on Asauca (p. 1,2), probably Śrinivāsa, the author of Suddhidipikā who worte about 1159-60 A. D. (JASB 1915 p. 334 ). He quotes a passage from the work of an author, whom he styles Guru (proba bly his own teacher or father ). 1067 The Smsticandrikā often criti cizes these works and authors and advances its own views after considering the positions of others. Devarṇabhatta was a south ern writer and his work is according to judicial decisions of great authority in southern India,1068 But it has been held that in

1067 ततश्च द्वादशरात्रादिष्वप्येतत्सूचितमिति गुरुणा व्याख्यातं ततश्च दशमेहनि यदि

दिवाशौचोत्पत्तिस्तदापि द्वाभ्यामित्येतद्वेदितव्यमित्येतदन्तेन ग्रन्थेन । स्मृतिच०

( 34T117 . 63). 1068 Vide 11 Moo. I. A. p. 487, 2 Mad. H. C. R. p. 206 at p. 209,

L. R. 3 Mad, 200 (P. C.) at p. 302, I. L. R. 33 Mad, 439 and I. L. R. 44 Mad. 753 (P. C.) for the high authority of the widaft in southern India.
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spite of its high authority it cannot override the Mitākṣarā even in the Madras Presidency.1069

The Smṛticandrikā quotes from 23 Purāṇas and Upapurāṇas i. e. from more Purāṇas than even Apasārka. They are set out in the note below.1070

For the Asauca-kānda of the Sms. C. I had to use the Mysore University’s edition of 1921 (203 pages ). It starts with the verse of Sarkha that the following religious acts are stopped while the āśauca (impurity on account of death ) exists, viz. religious gifts and their acceptance, homa (worship of Fire ), study of the Veda and rites for one’s deceased ancestor (except the offering of pindas to the recently dead person for whose sake asauca is observed ). It quotes immediate performance of purificatory rite for one day, three days, four days, six days, ten days, twelve days, a fortnight, a month and until death. It deals with impu rity on birth also and concludes with the putting into the Ganges or some holy place the ashes of the dead and with Sraddha at Gaya.

The contents of the Smsticandrikā are : various Dharmas, such as those of varṇas, āśramas; usages of countries; samskāras, garbha-dbāna, puṁsavana, jātakarma, nāmakarana, cūdākarana, upanayana, marriage, etc., duties of student-hood and holidays; daily duties such as sauca, ācamana, brushing the teeth, bath ing, samdhya, śrauta and smārta rites; duties of householder ; the five daily yajñas; rules about taking food, forbidden food; proce dure of law-courts, means of proof, ordeals, the various titles of law such as deposit, partnership, dāyabhāga; detailed rules about sraddha, its various kinds, persons entitled to perform sraddhas, the brahmanas proper to be invited at śrāddha etc.

1069

1070

Vide I. L. R. 3 Mad, 265, 269 ( barren daughter not excluded by a daughter having sons, I. L. R. 35 Mad 152 at p. 160, for this proposition. The names of the Purāṇas quoted by Smr. C. are fe (once ) 3T, 3 fart, falfest («nly two verses ), F, The, arata, THE, 44, EY, ES, e, f, HESTER (once ), H4, H7 154, athal, ary, arte, fasoj, fasetunt, fers, thras

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The Smsticandrikā refers to Vijñāneśvara with great respect.1071 Yet there are several interesting points on which the Smsticandrika differs from the Mitākṣarā. The Smsticandrika questions ( vide note 825 above) the statement of the Mit. that unequal distribu tion by the father of ancestral property among his sons should not be resorted to, as it has come to be abhorred by the people. The Smsticandrikā does not approve of the definition of daya given by the Mit.1072 The Smxticandrika does not accept Vijnanesvara’s explanation of the word ‘apratisthitā’ occurring in the sūtra of Gautama, but upholds Apararka’s explanation of it (vide note 1031 above). The Smrticandrika favours the theory of spiritual benefit in matters of succession and therefore among daughters prefers one that has sons over another daughter who is sonless.1078 It criticizes the reasons advanced by the Mit. for preferring the mother over the father as an heir to their deceased son and says that both parents succeed together.1074 Though the Smsticandrika in this way in some cases criticizes the Mit., it generally follows its lead. It holds, just as the Mit. does, that sons acquire by birth ownership in ancestral property. The author asserts that he puts forward no imaginary views but only such views as are based on (authoritative) texts.1075

As the Smsticandrikā names the Mit., Aparārka and Smrtyar. thasara, its upper limit cannot be placed earlier than 1150 A. D.

1071 व्याख्यातं चान्यथा विज्ञानेश्वरपादैः । मातरि पूर्व प्रमीतायां … पक्षिणी क्षिपेदिति ।

स्मृतिच० (आशौच p.64). This is a quotation from मिताक्षरा on

याज्ञ. III. 20. 1073 न च दायशब्देन यद्धनं स्वामिसंबन्धादेव निमित्तादन्यस्य स्वं भवति तदुच्यत इति

दायादिशब्दनिरूपणार्थ मिताक्षरायामुक्त युक्तम् । एवं हि पत्युः स्वं पतिसंबन्धादेव निमित्तात्पत्नीस्वं भवतीति तस्यापि दायत्वापत्तिः । ततश्च अदाया: स्त्रिय इति श्रुति विरोधो दुर्वारः स्यात् । अस्मन्मते तु विभागार्ह स्वं स्वामिसंबन्धादेवं निमित्तादन्यस्य स्वं भूतं दायशब्दार्थ इति विभागानह पत्नीस्वं न दायः । स्मृतिच० II. pp.

267-268. 1073 एवं च दुहितृषु संतानमुखेनादृष्टोपकारसंबन्धनासन्नता । स्मृतिच० II. p. 295. 1074 च शब्देन सूचितस्य दौहित्रस्यानन्तरमेव मातापितरौ समसमये धनभाजौ तयोर

वान्तरक्रमन्यायाभावादित्यवगन्तव्योभिप्रायः । अन्यैः पुनरन्यथोत्प्रेक्षितम्। पिता सपत्नीपुत्रेष्वपि साधारण: &c. स्मृतिच० II. p. 297 ; vide note 825 above

for the full quotation. 1075 सर्वलोकहितार्थाय क्रियते स्मृतिचन्द्रिका । स्वाभिप्रायेण हि मया न किंचिदिह

लिख्यते । किं तु वाचनिकं सर्वमतो ग्राहदैव निर्भयैः।। Intro. verses,86.

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Their Lordships of the Privy Council say in Buddhasingh vs Laltu singh1076 that Devanandabhatta is supposed to have been a contemporary of Aparārka. But this supposition is not quite correct. Since Aparārka is quoted several times as an authority to be preferred even to the Mit., it looks more probable that there is some distance of time between Aparārka and Devanna bhatta. Hemādri quotes the views of the Smṛticandrikā probably oftener than those of any other nibandhakāra. In one place1077 he does not approve of the explanation given by the Smsticandrika of a verse occurring in the Mahabharata about a man with male issue performing sraddha on the thirteenth tithi. In an other!078 place Hemādri refers to the view of the Smrticandrikā on the question whether the śrāddha on amāvāsyā is optional with śraddha in dark half. Therefore it follows that the Smsticandrikā must have been composed at least a generation earlier than Hemādri i. e. before 1225 A. D. The Smsticandrika is frequently quoted by the Sarasvativilāsa, the Viramitrodaya and other digests.

Several authors composed works styled Smrticandrika, e. g. there is a Smrticandrikā of Sukadeva-miśra ( I. O. Cat. p. 471 No. 1549), another by Ápadeva (Mitra’s Notices, vol. VI, p. 301 ), another by Vamadevabhattācārya (Mitra’s Notices, vol. IX. p. 137 ).

1076 L. R. 42. I. A. 208 at p. 223. 1077 यत्तु महाभारते दानधर्मेषु-ज्ञातीनां तु भवेच्छ्रेष्ठः कुर्वन् श्राद्ध त्रयोदशीम् । नावश्यं

तु युवानोस्य प्रमीयन्ते नरा गृहे ॥ -इति पुत्रमरणरूपस्य दोषस्यापस्तम्बाद्युक्तस्य निराकरणं कृतं तदपि नात्यन्तकृतम् । …यत्त्ववश्यं न म्रियन्त एवेति स्मृतिचन्द्रिका FTTET ETTEATI GET I gaito ( 15 ) vol. III. 2. p. 482; the स्मृतिच० does quote the text of the महाभारत and remarks, ‘अवश्य Forfata a fra R : ’ p. 369. The passage is found in Anuśā sana 87, 16 ( Bombay edition) and is read as ‘avasyam tu

yuvānosya’ &c. 1078 यन्निगमस्मरणं-अपरपक्षे यदहः संपद्येताममावास्यायां विशेषेणेति तत् पृथक्त्वेपि

उभयपक्षाविरोधीति न विकल्पे प्रमाणमिति स्मृतिचन्द्रिकाकारः । चतुर्वर्ग III. 2. 461; the frīaao does contain the text quoted and remarks, अतो यत्कश्चिदुक्तममावास्याश्राद्धमपरपाक्षिकेण श्राद्धेन विकल्प्यत इति तदपास्तम् । II. p. 399.

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History of Dharmaśāsira