Part 4: Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra (Introduction)

The Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra belongs to the Śukla Yajurveda. The Śrautasūtra is named after its composer Kātyāyana. The Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra is relates to on both the recensions of the Vājasaneyī Saṃhitā.

Karka has opined it in his commentary on the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra as follows:

śākhādvayamadhikṛtya tātparyeṇānupravṛttaācāryaḥ /^[1].

Vidyadhar Sarma has expressed the same view in the Bhūmikā of the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra—

viśeṣataḥ kāṇvamādhyandinīyaśākhādvayamadhikṛtaivapravṛttamiti pūrvamupavarnitam/ śākhādvaye ca yaḥ kramaḥ ādṛtaḥ karmaṇāṃ,tameva kramamavalambya pravṛttamidaṃ sūtram/^[2]

For its subject matter, the compendious text of this Śrautasūtra is indebted to the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa and partly to the Pañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa. This ritualistic text has come down in twenty six chapters. Out of these chapters, the chapters from 2^nd to eighteenth are based on the first nine Kāṇḍas of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. The 19^th and the 25^th chapters have taken a good number of materials from the 12^th kāṇḍa of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. The chapters 20^th and 21^st follow the 13^th kāṇḍa of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. But, the chapters 22^nd and 24^th of the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra are indebted to the 16^th and 25^th chapters of the Pañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa. The last chapter of the Kātyāyana is based on the first three chapters of the 14^th kāṇḍa of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa^[3].

Furthermore, the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra resembles with some Sūtras of the Pūrvamīmāṃśā Sūtra of Jaimini which indicates that the writer was influenced by the Pūrvamīmāṃśā Sūtra of Jaimini^[4].

The Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra deals with the following subjects:

The Paribhāṣāsūtras i.e., general rules for Śrauta sacrifices are dealt with in the first chapter of the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra. The subject matter of the 2^nd and 3^rd chapters is the Darśapaurṇamāsa sacrifice. The Piṇḍapitṛyajña, Dākṣāyana, Āgrayaṇa, Agnyādheya, Agnihotra etc. have been dealt with in the 4th chapter. The subject matter of the 5^th chapter is the Cāturmāsya sacrifices. The animal sacrifice has been enumerated in the 6th chapter. The Agniṣṭoma sacrifice covers the next five chapters.

The 12th chapter is on the Dvādaśāha sacrifice. The 13^th chapter deals with the Gavāmayana sacrifice, the 14th chapter explains the Vājapeya sacrifice, The 15th chapter deals with Rājasūya sacrifice. The rite called Agnicayana has been discussed in the chapters from 16th to 18th. The next chapter consists of description of the Sautrāmaṇīsattra. The Aśvamedha sacrifice is dealt with in the 20^th chapter. The 21^st chapter contains descriptions of the Puruṣamedha, Sarvamedha and Pitṛmedha sacrifices. The sacrifices which are performed within one day i.e., Ekāha have been stated in the 22^nd chapter. The ahīna sacrifices are stated in the 23^rd and 24^th chapters. The 25^th chapter deals with Prāyaścittas and the last chapter is on the Pravargya rite.

Different commentaries have come down to posterity on the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra. The most well known commentaries are Karkabhāṣya of Karka and Paddhati of Devayājñika. The Saralāvṛtti of Vidyadhar Sharma is another important commentary on the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra. Another commentator is Anantadeva, but his commentary is at present not available. However yet, another commentary known as Sampradāya is available on the Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Karka on Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra , 2.1.3

[2]:

Bhūmikā of Vidyadhar Sharma, Vidyadhar Sharma(ed.),op.cit., p.27

[3]:

Kundanlal Sharma, Kalpasūtra, p.94

[4]:

Kundanlal Sharma,op.cit,p.92