Sutras of Bharadvaja – The Srauta, Paitrmedhika and Parisesa :Two Volumes

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Foreword

We feel great pleasure in presenting this second edition of the Bharadvaja Srauta Sutra to the scholars.

We sincerely thank Dr. C. G. Kashikar who showed keen interest and also took great efforts in making this edition flawless. We gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness to Mrs. Meera Desai. Pune who generously donated Rs. 30,000/- in memory of her husband the Late Mr. Krishnaji Govind Desai and also to the Office of the Trustees of the Pars! Punchayet Funds & Properties, Mumbai and to Advocate M1: Vivek Khatrl., Pune for their sumptuous donations of Rs. 15,000/- and Rs. l0, 000/• respectively. The financial support of these philanthropic donors could enable us to complete this Project.

Finally it is our duty to express our thanks to the Step in Services, Pune, for their neat and quick printing. We hope, this second edition will 4 meet the approval of the scholars.

I have great pleasure to present in the following pages a critical edition of the Srauta, the Paitrmedhika and the Parisesa Sutras attributed to Bharadvaja.

I was attracted towards the study of the Vedic ritualistic literature when the Vaidika Samsodhana Mandala of Poona, with which I have had the privilege of associating myself for thirty years, undertook the project of compiling and publishing the Srautakosa. Being attached to that department, I had the opportunity to undertake a close study of the various Srautasutras. The Adhvaryu’s manuals were of course the more prominent, and next to the well known Srauta- sutras of Bodhayana and Apastamba belonging to the Taittiriya recension, my attention was drawn to the Bharadvaja Srauta Sutra published by RAGHU VIRA. We had to make a comparative study of this Sutra, and as a result I began to think that the text as it was published required a fresh study. Consequently I published my studies of some of its portions. The published Sutra-text was incomplete. I discovered certain manuscripts of the text, not used by RAGHU VIRA, which dealt with the rituals ending with the Jyotistoma. Enquiries showed that the publication of the remaining portion of the Sutra-text was not likely to be undertaken by RAGHU VIRA.

So I began to study the Bharadvaja Srauta Sutra in 1949, and even entertained an idea of preparing a new complete edition of the text. However, the work was seriously undertaken in 1956. The scope of the work was further extended by including the study of the Bharadvaja Paitrmedhika Sutra and the Bharadvaja Parisesa Sutra, thus covering the available ritual literature of the Bharadvaja school excluding the Bharadvaja Grhya Sutra which has already been brought out by H. J. W. SOLOMGNS (Leyden 1913).

In the Srauta Sutra of Bharadvaja presented herein, a significant portion of the Sutra-text dealing with the Iyotistoma is being published for the first time. The I Paitrmedhika Sutra and the Parisesa Sutra of Bharadvaja are also being published here for the first time. An English translation of these Sutra-texts is given in Part II. The word-index, the Mantra-index and the other indices given at the end of this Part will be found useful for a thorough study of these texts.

A study of the ritual-manuals is no doubt interesting in itself; besides it helps a better understanding of the relevant Mantra and Brahmana-texts. So far as the study of the Sutra-texts belonging to the Taittiriya recension is concerned, the Bharadvaja Sutra is closely related to the Sutra of Bodhayana on the one hand and the Sutras of Apastamba and Satyasadha-Hiranyakesin on the other. The Srauta Sutra, of Bharadvaja contained certain portions which have not become available so far. It is hoped that the lost portions will come to light; some day.

I am grateful to the Vaidika Samsodhana Mandala, Poona, for having undertaken to publish this work. I express sincere gratitude to the Education Ministry of the Government of India for having given liberal grant towards the publication of this work. For preparing the edition of the Bharadvaja-texts, I have borrowed manuscripts and transcripts from several Institutions and libraries whose names are mentioned in the Introduction. I express 'gratitude to the authorities of all of them. I had the opportunity of discussing certain portions, particularly from the Parisesa Sutra, with Vedaratna G.A. KHAM! SASTRI of Gokarn (N. Kanara) to whom I express my sincere thanks. Thanks are due to Professor R. N. DANDEKAR, Head of the Department of Sanskrit, University of Poona, for having gone through the Introduction and for having made useful suggestions. Shri V. V. BHIDB, my colleague in the Srautakosa department, has helped me in proof-reading. Occasionally I had useful discussions with him. I thank Pandit V. B. BHAGAVAT, Principal, Sri Balamukund Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya of T. M. Vidyapith, Poona, for having helped me in reading the proofs of the Index of words. The Proprietors of the Samarth Bharat Press and the Veda-Vidya Press of Poona have printed the book with care.

The editor acknowledges his indebtedness to the University of Poona for the grant•in-aid received by him from the University towards the cost of the publication of his book.

Preface

In the following pages is given an English translation of the Srauta, Paitrmedhika and Parisesa Sutras of Bharadvaja. For the translation of the mantras from the Taittiriya texts occurring in the Sutras, the commentaries of Sayana and Bhatta Bhaskara and the translation of the Taittiriya Samhita by KEITH have been consulted. Help has also been derived from the translation of the portions of the Taittiriya Brahmana bearing on the Full-moon and the New-moon sacrifices by P.-E. DUMONT. The translation of the Apastamba Srauta Sutra by CALAND has served as a constant reference-book. In the notes added to the translation of each sutra, exact references to the mantras have been given, the various injunctions have been clarified, a comparison with the corresponding sutras from the Srauta Sutras of Apastamba and other Sutra-writers has been made, and exegetical points have been discussed wherever necessary. Translation of full verses and formulas has been given even when these are indicated in the sutras by means of mere pratikas. CALAND has followed this procedure in his translation of the Apastamba Srauta Sutra. In some places, however, this procedure has been followed here in a more comprehensive manner than in CALAND,S work. CALAND has occasionally referred in the notes to his translation to the relevant passages from the Brahmana portions in the Taittiriya and other Yajurveda recensions with a view to clarifying the various injunctions in the Sutra. It was not considered necessary to mention here such passages in entirety.

I am grateful to the Vaidika Samsodhana Mandala, Poona, for having under- taken to publish this work. I also express my gratitude to the Education Ministry of the Government of India for having made a liberal grant towards the publication of this work. Thanks are due to the authors and editors of the books which I have had the privilege of utilising for the preparation of this work. I thank Prof. R. N. DANDEKAR, Head of the Department of Sanskrit, University of Poona, who went through major portion of the translation of the Srauta Sutra, and made some useful suggestions. I had the opportunity of discussing certain portions, particularly from the Parisesa Sutra, with Vedaratna G.A. Khare Sastri of Gokarn (N.Kanara) to whom I express my sincere thanks. Shri V.V. Bhide, my colleague in the Srautakosa Department, has helped me in proof-reading. I have also had useful discussions with him. The authorities of the Samarth Bharat Press and the Vedavidya Press of Poona have printed the book with care.

I have also to acknowledge my indebtedness to the University of Poona for the grant-in-aid received by me from the University towards the cost of the publication of this book.

It is with great pleasure that I am issueing the second edition of the English translation of the Bharadvaja Srauta Sutra and the Paitrumedhika and Parisesa Sutras. A second edition of the text of these sutras was published some time back. I have nothing to add to the Preface to the first edition. A few more corrections have been made. The Baudhayana Srauta Sutra is much similar to the Bharadvaja Srauta Sutra. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts was kind enough to entrust to me the project of the revised Sanskrit text of the Baudhayana Srauta Sutra together with an English translation with notes. This project has recently been completed in four volumes. This was indeed a great honour done to me by the management of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. A conscientious reader may take the opportunity to make a comparative study so far as the common portion goes.

May I hope that the contributions recently made to the Taittiriya studies will help scientific Vedic studies in general.