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YAŠASTILAKA AND INDIAN CULTURE
sacrifice, and there are also other instances in which the injunctions of the Veda follow the inclinations of the populace. This explains the universal popularity of the Veda, for no one who obeys the desires of the people is ever disliked. But men by nature lack the power of discrimination. and covet one another's wives and wealth, and what are we to think of a Scripture that sets itself to conform to their wishes ? प्रसिद्धिरत एवास्य सर्वसाधारणी मता। को हि नाम भवेद् द्वेष्यो लोकच्छन्दानुवर्तनः ॥
हिताहितावेदि जगनिसर्गतः परस्परस्त्रीधनलोलमानसम् । ..
तत्रापि यद्यागम एष तन्मनोवशेन वर्तेत तदा किमुच्यते ॥ Instances of self-contradiction are found in the Veda. There is a Vedic injunction against the drinking of wine and the killing of a Brāhmaṇa, but wine is nevertheless prescribed in the Sautrāmaņi sacrifice, and a Brahmana may be sacrificed to Brahman. Similarly, the Veda, after prohibiting a Brāhmaṇa from serving a Sūdra or accepting food or the means of livelihood from him, asks the former to accept for sacrificial purposes the flesh of animals killed by Cāņdālas, dogs, tigers and others. Even in worldly affairs a person who is consistent in what he says is alone trusted, and who can have any respect for a scripture containing such conflicting statements ?
प्रमाणं व्यवहारेऽपि जन्तुरेकस्थितिमतः । को नामेत्थं विरुद्धार्थे सादरो निगमे नरः॥
Yasodhara points out that independent discussion of the injunctions of the Veda, just as one discusses the scriptures composed by a known author, is held to be a great sin. But he asserts that it is absurd to say that a man is liable to sin as great as that of killing a Brāhmaṇa if he questions the authority of the statements of Manu, Vyāsa and Vasiştha, based on the Veda.
Yasodhara ridicules the suggestion that he should worship Siva or Visnu or the Sun.
उमापतिः स्कन्दपिता त्रिशूली संध्यासु यो नृत्यति चर्मवासाः ।
भिक्षाशनो होमजपोपपत्रः कथं स देवोऽन्यजनेन तुल्यः ॥ How can Siva be a god? He is just like other people. He is simply the husband of Pärvati and the father of Kārtikeya, carries a trident, and dances in the evening twilight. He is dressed in skins, and lives by begging and practises fire-oblation and mutters prayers.'
हरिः पुनः क्षत्रिय एव कश्चिज्योतिर्गणैस्तुल्यगुणो रविश्च ।
देवौ स्त एतौ यदि मुक्तिमागौं पृथुश्च सोमश्च कुतस्तथा न ॥ 1 मातरि स्वसरि वा चेत् प्रवर्तितुमिच्छसि प्रवर्तख । किं तु विधिपूर्वकं प्रवर्तितव्यम् । यदाह-गोसवे etc. For the
Gosava sacrifice see Chap.XIV. 2 एवमन्येऽपि सन्ति यथालोकाभिप्रायं प्रवृत्तास्ते ते विधयः । 3 See Ohap. XIV. 4 शूद्रानं शूद्रशुश्रूषा शूदप्रेषणकारिणः etc. See Chap. XVIII. 5 अथ पौरुषेयागमवच्चोदनायां विचारे महत् पातकम् ।। 6 तदाह-मानवं व्यासवासिष्ठं वचनं वेदसंयुतम् । अप्रमाणं तु यो ब्रूयात् स भवेद् ब्रह्मघातकः॥"इत्येतन्मुखभाषितम् ।
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