PREFACE
It is a little over ten years since the first volume of my History of Dharmaśāstra was published. In the preface to that volume I expressed the hope that time and health permitting I might issue in a few years the second volume dealing with the development of the various subjects comprised in Dharmaśāstra, For several years thereafter whatever leisure I could seouro from professional work was devoted to the collection and orderly assortment of the vast Literature on Dharmasastra. After my return from a few months’ visit to Europe in 1937 I commenced the work of writing the second volume. It soon became apparent to me that to compress within the limits of a single volume the development of the thousand and one topios that fall within the purview of Dharmaśāstra would present only a sorappy and faint outline of the whole field. To add to the difficulties of my task my old painful complaint ( duodenal ulcer) recurred with far greater virulence than before, so much so that, partly on medical advice and partly out of despair, in October 1938 I gave up the work altogether. When relief did not come even after six months’ total abstinence from literary labours I resumed, in spite of my extremely painful complaint, the work of writing, for fear that otherwise the extensive materials that I had been collecting for nearly two decades might be entirely lost to the world of Sanskrit scholars and that my labours might be altogether wasted. Being afraid that my strength and resolu tion may not last till the completion of the rather ambitious undertaking, I decided upon bringing out in two volumes the development of the various subjects comprised in Dharmaśāstra. The present volume contains the treatment of varṇa and Aśrama, the samskāras, āhnika and acāra, dāna, pratiṣtha and utsarga, and srauta (vedic) sacrifices. The next volume (the last) will deal with the following topics: vyavahāra (Law and procedure), āśauca (impurity on birth and death), sraddha, prāyasoitta, tirtha, vrata, kāla, sānti, the influence of the Pūrva. mimams. and other sāstras on Dharmaśāstra, customs and usages modifying Dharmasastra, the pbilosophical background of Dhermaśāstra, and future developments in Dharmasastra. Looking to my past performance I am unwilling to make any promise about the time when the next volume may be
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expected to be published. I may state, however, that in view of the fact that at present I am in much better health than I have been for several years I shall try to publish it in three years more.
Excellent works dealing with distinct topics of Dharmaśāstra have been given to the world by eminent scholars. But so far 88 I know no writer has yet attempted single-handed to survey the whole field of Dharmaśāstra. From that point of view this volume partakes of the nature of a pioneer undertaking. It is therefore to be expected that such an ambitious project will manifest the defects of all pioneer work. The circumstances (adverted to above) in whioh this work had to be written and the great hurry with which it had to be rushed through are other factors that are responsible for the awkward or obscuro expreso sions and the errors that it may contain. I mention these matters for lessening the surprise that such blemishes might lead my friends to feel and not for blunting the edge of adverse criti oism. The critic is certainly entitled to mercilessly criticizo the work for its shortcomings and mistakes. Some readers may complain that the present work is prolix, while others may say that the space devoted to several topics is meagre,
I have tried to pursue a middle course.
There was great temptation throughout this work to com. pare ancient and medieval Indian oustoms, usages and beliefs as disclosed by dharmaśāstra works with those of other peoples and countries. But I have tried to omit, as far as possible, such comparisons. Whenever I indulge in them I do so for several reasons. It is the fashion among many writers, both European and Indian, to hold the caste system and the dharma. bāstra view of life responsible for most of the evils from which India suffers at present. To a very large extent I do not subscribe to that view. I have endeavoured to show that human nature being the same in essentials throughout the world, the same tendencies and evils manifest themselves in all countries, the game abuses prevail and the same perversions of originally beneficent institutions take place everywhere and anywhere, whether partioular countries or societies are within the grip of the caste system or any other casteless system. Undoubtedly the caste system has in fact produced certain evils, but it is not singular in this respect. No system is perfect and immune from evil effeots. Though I have been brought up in the midst of the Brahmanical system, I hope it will be conceded by scholara
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that I have shown both sides of the picture and that I have endeavoured to write with detachment.
A few words must be said about the extensive quotations from Sanskrit works and the references to modern Indian Legis lation and case-law. For those who cannot read English (most pandits and sāstris do not) the quotations will be of great help in understanding at least the trend of the arguments. Besides Indian scholars are as a class poor and cannot afford to pur chase numerous books. Nor are there many good libraries in India where all works of reference can be had. For all these reasons thousands of quotations have been cited in the footnotes. The quotations are mostly drawn from published works and references to mss. are few and far between. I hope that the numerous quotations will not intrude themselves on the atten tion of those who want to read only the English portion of the work. Legislative enactments and case-law have been referred to for showing that many regulations of dharmaśāstra are still very much alive, that they govern the every-day life of Hindus and permeate all classes of Hindu society in spite of the fact that a considerable part of dharmaśāstra has become obsolete. Similar remarks apply to the numerous references to inscriptions on stone and copper. These latter serve to prove that rules laid down in the dharmaśāstra were throughout two thousand years observed by the people and enforced by kings and that such rules were not mere precepts composed by
dreamers or scholastio pedants.
I acknowledge with great pleasure that I am under deep obligations to many predecessors and workers in the same and other fields and to many friends. Among the works to which I had to refer constantly and from which I derived the greatest benefit I must specially refer to the following: Bloomfield’s Vedic Concordance, the Vedic Index of Professors Macdonell and Keith, the Sacred Books of the East edited by Max Mūller (vol. II, VII, XII, XIV, XXV, XXVI, XXIX, XXX, XXXIIII, XLI, XLIII, XLIV). As I was handicapped by the fact that I know little German and less French, I could not fully utilise all the work done by modern European scholars. I am highly obliged to Paramahamsa Kevaldnanda Svāmi of Wai for constant help and guidance (particularly in the srauta portion); to Chintaman gāstri Datar of Poona for assistance in the chapter on darga. pārṇamāsa and for carefully going through the other chapters on srauta; to Mr. Keshav Lakshman Ogale for his work on &iv
portion of the Index ; to Tarkatirtha Raghunāthasastri Kokje for reading through the whole work and suggesting additions and emendations.
Besides, assistance in various ways during the progress of the work for over three years was very kindly rendered by a host of friends, among whom I should like to make special mention of Prof. H. D. Velankar, Prof. Rangaswami Ayyangar Prof. P. P. S. Sāstri, Dr. Alsdorf, Mr. Bhabatosh Bhattacharya, Mr, N. G. Chapekar, Mr. G. H. Khare, Mr. N. O. Bapat, Pandit Rangacharya Raddi, Mr. L. S. Dravid (a Sāmavedi of Poona), Pandit S. D. Satavlekar, Mr. P.K. Gode. Thanks are due to all these and other friends for their help and interest in this volume, I must state, however, that I alone am responsible for the views and mistakes contained in this work.
In & work containing thousands of quotations and refe rences it is very likely that many slips have oocurred. Besides it is very much to be regretted that several misprints have crept into the footnotes by the loss or displacement of dots and other loose parts of Sanskrit letters in the process of printing.
15th June 1941
P. V. KANE