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INTRODUCTION.
xiii
of Katha-sætra on divers questions concerning Srauta offerings, and at the time, when the Kasmirian Devapala wrote his Commentary on the Kathaka Grihya-stra, which was, according to the Kasmirian tradition, as explored by Dr. Bühler, before the conquest of Kasmîr by the Mahommedans. Devapâla, in the Introduction to his work, refers to thirty-nine Adhyâyas treating of the Vaitånika (= Srauta) ceremonies,' by which the Grihya-sætra was preceded, from which statement it may be inferred that the Kathaka Srauta-satras must have been a very voluminous work indeed, as the Grihya-sútra, which is at least equal if not superior in extent to other works of the same class, forms but one Adhyâya, the fortieth, of the whole Kalpasútra, which, according to Devapala, was composed by one author. It does not seem likely that the Vishnu-satra was composed by the same man, or that it ever formed part of the Kathaka Kalpa-sátra, as the Dharma-sútras of Baudhayana, Âpastamba, and Hiranyakesin form part of the Kalpasætras of the respective schools to which they belong. If that were the case, it would agree with the Grihya-sâtra on all those points which are treated in both works, such as e.g. the terms for the performance of the Samskâras or sacraments, the rules for a student and for a Snataka, the enumeration and definition of the Krikkhras or 'hard penances,' the forms of marriage, &c. Now though the two works have on those subjects a number of such rules in common as occur in other works also, they disagree for the most part in the choice of expressions, and on a few points lay down exactly opposite rules, such as the Vishnusätra (XXVIII, 28) giving permission to a student to ascend his spiritual teacher's carriage after him, whereas the other work prescribes, that he shall do so on no account. Moreover, if both works had been destined from the first to supplement one another, they would, instead of having several entire sections in common, exhibit such crossreferences as are found e. g. between the Âpastamba Grihya and Dharma-sútras ?; though the absence of such
· Bühler, Introduction to Âpastamba, Sacred Books, II, pp. xi-xiv.
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