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II ADHYÂYA, I PÂDA, I.
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Brahman only is the cause of this world cannot be maintained, because there results from it the fault of there being no room for (certain) Smritis.' Such Smritis are the one called Tantra which was composed by a rishi and is accepted by authoritative persons, and other Smritis based on it?; for all of which there would be no room if your interpretation of the Veda were the true one. For they all teach that the non-intelligent pradhana is the independent cause of the world. There is indeed room (a raison d'être) for Smritis like the Manu-smriti, which give information about matters connected with the whole body of religious duty, characterised by injunction ? and comprising the agnihotra and similar performances. They tell us at what time and with what rites the members of the different castes are to be initiated; how the Veda has to be studied ; in what way the cessation of study has to take place; how marriage has to be performed, and so on. They further lay down the manifold religious duties, beneficial to man, of the four castes and asramas. The Kapila Smriti, on the other hand, and similar books are not concerned with things to be done, but were composed with exclusive reference to perfect knowledge as the means of final release. If then no room were left for them in that connexion also, they would be altogether purposeless; and hence we must explain the Vedanta-texts in such a manner as not to bring them into conflict with the Smritis mentioned 4.-But how, somebody may ask the pûrvapakshin, can the eventual fault of there being left no room for certain Smritis be used as an objection against that sense of Sruti which—from various
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The Smriti called Tantra is the Sânkhyasastra as taught by Kapila ; the Smriti-writers depending on him are Âsuri, Pañikasikha, and others.
: Mîmâmsa Sa. I, 1, 2: kodanâlakshano srtho dharmah. Commentary: kodanâ iti kriyâyâh pravartakam vakanam áhuh.
: Purushårtha; in opposition to the rules referred to in the preceding sentence which are kratvartha, i.e. the acting according to which secures the proper performance of certain rites.
It having been decided by the Pârvâ Mîmânsâ already that Smritis contradicted by Sruti are to be disregarded.
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