________________
218
Dharmaśāstra
[779
Extent - 19 leaves; 11 lines to a page; 26 letters to a line.
Description - Country paper; Devanāgari characters; handwriting
legible; paper very old, much worn out, musty and slightly worm-eaten; first 13 leaves are in Sanskrit, the remaining 6 in Marathi.
“This Ms. gives a history of the attempt of the Parabhū Kāyasthas of the Marhatta Country to assume the holy thread and to be admitted into the three Aryan castes. The attempt was first made during the reign of Sambhāji by Bālāji, a Parabhū who was his writer. He came to invite the Rājā with his ministers at the ceremony of the investiture of his son with the holy thread. This led to an enquiry as to their origin and it was ascertained that
माहिष्यवनितासूनुं वैदेहो यं प्रसूयते । स कायस्थ इति प्रोक्तस्तस्य कर्म विधीयते । लिपीनां देशजाताना लेखनं स समाचरेत् ।
वैदेहकेन माहिष्यायामुत्पादितः कायस्थसंज्ञो भवति । अस्य संस्कारा नमोमन्त्रेणैव भवन्ति ।।
Bālāji's grandson Govind Rāy, who held the same appointment, raised the same question in the court of Rājā sāhu; and he spent a deal of money in procuring favourable opinion of Brahmins. Sāhu invited a large assembly of Pandits from various parts of the country and their verdict was against Govind Rāy who was fined two lakhs of Rupees, dismissed from his appointment and banished from the city (Satara). गोविन्दरायेणैव अयमनर्थः प्रवर्तित इति गोविन्दरायोपि लक्षद्वयधनं गृहीत्वा अधिकार दूरीकृत्य नगरादुद्वासितः । A copy of the — Vyavastha ' or opinion of the Pandits on the occasion is given in full. It is dated in the 71st year of the coronation of Sivaji and Saka 1671 (page 12B and page 13A). And the finding of the Pandits was :सह्याद्रिखण्डे -
"मृतकायस्थभार्यायां परेण व्यभिचारतः । उत्पादितः स परभूः कायस्थः परिकीर्तितः। शूद्राधमो धर्महीनो लिपिलेखनवृत्तिमान् ।" इति ।