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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
111
PREFACE
TO THE CONTENTS OF VOLS. IV-V.
THE hymns of the Vedic Samhitās were mainly intended for
being recited in the sacrifices in certain cases and in certain other cases they were descriptions of the methods of performance relating to the several acts to be performed in the sacrifices. These methods and the rules regulating the procedure were hand. ed down by oral tradition. A need was felt to preserve them in tact and consequently various seers began to sit at them and codify the rales relating to the procedure. The Brāhmaṇas and the Aranyakas were of immenge age to them in the preparation of the codes of procedure. A comparison of these codes with the respective Brāhmaṇas of the sakha to which the sutra belongs will convince anybody of the truth of this statement. The Asvalayangbreata sūtra is mainly based on the Aitareya Aradyaka ; the Sãokhāyana srauta on the Sankhāyana Aranyaka and so on. Thus, in one sense, the Srautasūtras are the natural outcome of the Brāhmana literature.
The Srautasūtras are many in number; many of them are lost now, though some are still available. Some have been printed and a few others still remain only in manuscript. The Tanjoro library oontains some of the most important of the Srautasūtras.
ASVALĀYANASRAUTASŪTRA. Nos. 1943–1969 describe the manuscripts on Afvaliyanasrauta
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