स्मृतिमीमांसा- Smrtimimamsa (Sanskrit Text with Introduction in English)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Though humble, the present collection is a rigorous exercise in providing the interested readers with the essentials of oriental conventions with special reference to India on a variety of issues and problems which may be taken as a holistic approach to things Indian. Preceded by a general conceptual framework of Dharmasastra, the book attempts to cover topics from Varnasrama to Hindu jurisprudence via Panchamahayajña, Ancestor worship and Law of inheritance. Topics like social justice, Arthasastra and Indian Constitution and Human ideals are only substantiations of the Indian concept of jurisprudence whereas pilgrimage is a category by itself in depicting the speciality of the peculiarity that Indian way of life stands for. Techniques of saštric interpretation and communicative Sanskrit and its utility along with conventional research methodology are purely meant for the readers to intimately acquaint them with the Indian style and provide them with a scope for comparison with the West. The effort of the author will be construed as worthy if constructive criticism pore over for further development.

The author Prof. Brajakishore Swain besides being an eminent scholar in Oriental Studies and Professor of Dharmasastra (33 years in Sri Jagannath Sanskrit University, Purij is known for his unquenchable thirst in not only allied areas but arvas beyond that horizon. To hes credit he has authored thirty one books and one hundred. and twenty-two research papers in noted journals and lives the life of a student quite true to the Indian tradition of an ideal Acarea.

The literature of Smrti falls into three periods. The first is that of the Dharmasutras and of the Manusmrti. It is a period dating from the sixth century BC to first century AD. The second period starts from the first century AD to eighth century AD. In this period most of the versified Smrti-texts have been composed. The third period covers over a thousand years from seventh century AD. This period bears the records of commentators and the nibandhakaras'. In order to assess the Smrti tradition in general one has to take into account those three periods. If we move to assess this tradition on the basis of the Smrti, namely, Vedic school, Puranic school and Tantric school, in the long span of time these three schools gave rise to regional schools of Smrti of which Eastern school (pracya) is one. For the first time in the history of India, the Eastern school of Dharmasastra is referred to in the bhasya of Sabaraswami on Púrvamimämsä (1.3.8). This school is constituted comprising three regions i.e. Mithila, Gauda and Utkala. After the integration of Orissa by Anantavarman Chodaganga Dev (C. 1077-1147 AD) for the first time in Utkal School, Acarya Satananda composed two Smrti treatises, namely, Satananda-samgraha and Satanandaratnamala which are not discovered so far.