Descriptive Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts Asiatic_Society Vol 01 Part 01

SR No.: 020266
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Narendrachandra Vedanttirtha
Publisher: Asiatic Society
Publication Year: 1969
Total Pages: 376
Language: English, Sanskrit
Classification: Catalogue
File Size: 15 MB

Page 7

The importance of Smộti literature lies in the fact that herein we get the social, political and religious history of ancient India. During the age of the Mahommedan conquests of India, the Brahmins felt the urgency of codifying all laws relating to the Hindu Society, so that the Mahommedans could not damage and defile the Hindu ideas. Therefore, they interpreted the Samhitās systematically and rigidly to serve the purpose of maintaining the purity of the social and religious concepts. The digests were written very carefully and they contain forceful interpretations of the subjects mentioned in the Samhitās. There are twenty such Samhitās, which are to be seen in the following verses :
मन्वत्रिविष्णुहारीतयाज्ञवल्क्योशनोऽङ्गिराः, यमापस्तम्बसंवर्ताः कात्यायनबृहस्पती॥ पराशरोव्यासः शङ्खलिखितौ दक्षगौतमौ । शातातपो वशिष्ठश्च धर्मशास्त्रप्रवर्तकाः॥
T
Of these the Manusamhitā is the most authoritative. It is said
A TTET, aq HAFTH'; Manu's saying is as beneficial as medicine. As a man takes medicine for preventing and for curing diseases, so a Hindu should act according to the dictates of Manu in order to prevent and remedy social maladjustments. Otherwise, he should be an outcaste in the society.
In the present catalogue we get the following subjects :
Original Samhitās, Complete Codes of law, Comprehensive works on sacred Law, Ahnikas or daily duties of the Brahmins, Marriage, Aśauca, Śrāddha, Vyavahāra or Civil Law, Dāna, Tīrtha, Pratișthā, Consecration and Dedication, Prāyaścitta, Karmavipāka, śānti, Jyotişa as applied to Smrti, Pūjāpātha, Vrata, Castes, Yatidharma and miscellaneous. The index at the end of this volume will show the names of manuscripts with corresponding numbers of them, from which the reader will be able to get the contents of these manuscripts. Therefore, no separate synopsis of contents is deemed necessary.
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