Page Text
________________
INTRODUCTION.
xxxi
knowledge of the ritual which is acquired through the study of the proper Srauta-sâtral. It is not necessary to quote the numerous places where the Grihya-sätras either expressly refer to the Srauta-stras, or point to them by repeating the same phrases or often even whole Satras. It will be sufficient to quote one out of many places, the opening words of the Asvalayana-Grihya, which in a way characterise this work as a second part of the Srauta-sútra :
The rites based on the spreading (of the three sacred fires) have been declared; we shall declare the Grihya rites?'
Thus it is not difficult to perceive the dependence of the Grihya-sQtras on the Srauta-sútras; but there remains the much more difficult question whether in each particular case both texts are to be regarded as by the same author, or whether the Grihya-sūtra is an appendix to the Srautasūtra composed by another author. Tradition accepts the one alternative for some Satras ; for other Satras it accepts the other; thus in the domain of the Rig-veda literature Asvaldyana and Sankhayana are credited with the authorship of a Srauta-sūtra as well as of a Grihya-sútra ; the same is true of Apastamba, Hiranyakesin, and other authors. On the other hand, the authorship of the Grihya-sätras which follow the Srauta-sútras of Katyayana, Latyayana, Dráhyâyana, is not ascribed to Katyayana, Latyayana, Drahyâyana, but to Paraskara, Gobhila, and Khadirakarya.
It seems to me that we should consider the testimony of tradition as entirely trustworthy in the second class of cases. Tradition is very much inclined to ascribe to celebrated masters and heads of schools the origin of works which are acknowledged authorities in their schools, even though they are not the authors. But it is not likely that tradition should have made a mistake in the opposite
"In the domain of the Atharva-veda literature alone we find this relation reversed; here the Srauta-sâtra (the Vaitâna-satra) presupposes the Grihya-satra (the Kausika-satra). Cf. Prof. Garbe's preface to his edition of the Vaitána. sútra, p. vii. This relation is not extraordinary, considering the secondary character of the Vaitdna-sutra.
· Uktâni vaitånikáni, gribyâni vakshyamah,
Digilized by Google
| SR No. | 007685 |
| Book Title | Grihya Sutras |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Hermann Oldenberg |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1886 |
| Total Pages | 2642 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 49 MB |