________________
Precisely line 18, which matters here, is missing in another Niryukti-passage (in Utt.niry. 426) where the word bambha is dealt with exactly in the same manner for the rest. Nevertheless, the line is probably ascribable to the author of the Niryukti since the nine gāthā-s that follow (19-27) offer an explanation for it, which, because it does not say exactly the same thing, characterizes itself as a Bhāṣya-interpolation, and in this manner guarantees that line for the basic work.' Since 18 now speaks of seven castes and nine intermediate castes only very generally the text insertion in 216-27 presents the following system:
A. Progeny of a man from a main caste and of a woman from the next-following main caste always belong to the caste of the woman.
a. Brahmins & Kṣatriya-woman: Kṣatriya.
b. Ksatriya & Vaiśya-woman: Vaisya. c. Vaiśya & Śūdra-woman: Śūdra.
English translation by George Baumann
davvam sarīra-bhavie annāṇiya vatthi-samjamo ceva, bhāve u vatthi-samjamo nāyavvo samjamo ceva || 28
B. A first group of mixed castes results when a man and a woman are separated by one or two main castes and the man, in this case, belongs to the higher caste.
1. Brahmin & Vaiśya-woman: ambaṣṭha.
2. Kṣatriya & Sūdra-woman: ugra.
3. Brahmin & Śūdra-woman: niṣāda (or pāraśava).
C. A second group of mixed castes is formed when a man and a woman belong to any different main caste and the woman, in this case, is of higher rank.
4. Śūdra & Vaiśya-woman: ayogava.
5. Vaisya & Kṣatriya-woman: māgadha.
6. Ksatriya & Brahmin-woman: sūta. 7. Śūdra & Kṣatriya-woman: kṣattṛ.
8. Vaisya & Brahmin-woman: vaideha.
9. Śūdra & Brahmin-woman: canḍāla.
D. A third group of mixed castes is formed through relationships between members of the
last main caste and certain mixed castes. 10. Ugra & Kṣattr-woman: svapāka.
11. Vaideha & Kṣattr-woman: vainava. 12. Niṣāda & Ambaṣṭhī or Śūdra: pulkasa. 13. Śūdra & Niṣāda-woman: kukkura.
The author of the Niryukti probably had the combination of the groups B & C in mind with his nine intermediate castes. As 21a shows, he understands under the seven castes the four main castes, together with the three middle castes, whereby, according to him, the latter originate from the combination mentioned in A. Group D is missing with him.
A comparison with relevant Dharmasastra data - for which Jolly has kindly offered his help shows the following:
The above Bhāṣya-schema agrees exactly with the prosaic (still unprinted) schema of Uśana; also with Manu, only that the latter does not speak very clearly about A2. Also Nārada's system, which does not let itself be defined3, corresponds, more or less, to the above. Baudhayana inter-changes some names in C and in D all four are differently deduced1. Authors who (like the Niryukti author) ignore D now follow:
1 If it is thought that the entire passage has been taken care of by a simple reference to the Uttarâdhyayana-niryukti because it precedes in the collection, then it has to be said, in general, that only extensive (multiple strophic) handlings of a word are not repeated by the Niryukti-author.
2 It says the progeny are pitṛ-sadṛśa "similar (only) to the father", which the commentaries convey in the sense of the above system as mātṛ-savarna. - Manu X 5 ff.
because of the dissimilarity of the manuscripts; particularly marked is the difference between A and B. Nār. XII 103-113.
4 magadha, 5 ayogava, 6 lacking (?), 8 sūta.
3
4
Jain Education International
79
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
