Baudhayana Dharmasutra

by Georg Bühler | 1882 | 56,962 words

The prashnas of the Dharmasutra of Baudhayana consist of the Srautasutra and other ritual treatises, the Sulvasutra which deals with vedic geometry, and the Grihyasutra which deals with domestic rituals. The Dharmasutra of Baudhayana like that of Apastamba also forms a part of the larger Kalpasutra. Likewise, it is composed of prashnas which liter...

Praśna I, Adhyāya 9, Kaṇḍikā 17

1. The Rathakāra (carpenter), the Ambaṣṭha, the Sūta (charioteer), the Ugra, the Māgadha, the Āyogava, the Vaiṇa, the Kṣattṛ, the Pulkasa, the Kukkuṭa, the Vaidehaka, the Caṇḍāla, and so forth,[1]

2. Among these, sons of equal caste (spring) from women of equal caste.

3. A Brāhmaṇa (begets) on a female of the Kṣatriya caste a Brāhmaṇa, on a female of the Vaiśya caste an Ambaṣṭha, on a female of the Śūdra caste a Niṣāda,[2]

4. (According to) some a Pāraśava.

5. A Kṣatriya (begets) on a female of the Vaiśya caste a Kṣatriya, on a female of the Śūdra caste an Ugra.

6. A Vaiśya (begets) on a female of the Śūdra caste a Rathakāra.

7. A Śūdra begets on a female of the Vaiśya caste a Māgadha, on a female of the Kṣatriya caste a Kṣattṛ, but on a female of the Brāhmaṇa caste a Caṇḍāla.[3]

8. A Vaiśya begets on a female of the Kṣatriya caste an Āyogava, on a female of the Brāhmaṇa caste a Sūta.

9. If among these an Ambaṣṭha (male) and an Ugra (female) unite, (their son) will be born in the direct order of the castes (Anuloma).[4]

10. If a Kṣattṛ (male) and a Vaidehaka (female) unite, (their son will be) born against the order of the castes (Pratiloma).

11. An Ugra (begets) on a female of the Kṣattṛ caste a Śvapāka,[5]

12. A Vaidehaka on a female of the Ambaṣṭha caste a Vaiṇa,

13. A Niṣāda on a female of the Śūdra caste a Pulkasa,[6]

14. A Śūdra on a female of the Niṣāda caste a Kukkuṭaka.

15. The wise declare those sprung from an inter-mixture of the castes to be Vrātyas.[7]

p. 199

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

-2. 17. Manu X, 26-27.

[2]:

-6. See above, I, 8, 16, 6-7.

[3]:

-8. See above, I, 8, 16, 8.

[4]:

-10. I.e. the offspring of individuals of different Anuloma castes again become Anulomas, and the offspring of individuals of different Pratiloma castes, Pratilomas.

[5]:

-12. Manu X, 19.

[6]:

-14. See above, I, 8, 16, 11-12.

[7]:

Gautama IV, 25.

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