Part 4 - Commentaries of Dharmasūtras

The first commentator of Gautama Dharmasūtra is Ācārya Maskarin (900-1100 A.D). Next commentator is Haradatta, who wrote a com. namely, “Mitākṣarā”. Most probably he has borrowed the ideas from the Bhāṣya of Bhartṛyajña. Besides these, Asahāya also appears to have written a com. on Gautama Dharmasūtra^[1] According to P.V.Kane it is believed that both Asahāya and Bhartṛyajña have written separate Bhāṣyas. In the year 1989 Pandit Kulamani Mishra has written a Vṛtti named Sūkṣmā. It was published in 1991. The Vivaraṇa com. of Govinda Svāmin is a well-known com. on the Baudhāyana Dharmasūtra Burnell says that the oldest commentator of the Baudhāyana Dharmasūtra was Bhavasvāmin.^[2] English translation of Baudhāyana Dharmasūtra is included in the Sacred Books of the East.^[3] Ujjvala com. of Haradatta is a well known com. of Āpastaṃba Dharmasūtra

The oldest com. of Vasiṣṭha Dharmasūtra, known as Vidvanmodinī is written by Kṛṣṇa Paṇḍita Dharmādhikārin. There is a noticable relation between Vasiṣṭha Dharmasūtra and Manusmṛti. The Vasiṣṭha Dharmasūtra expressly mentions the quotations as mānavaṃ or mānavaṃ ślokamudāharanti. English translations of Vasiṣṭha Dharmasūtra is included in Sacred Books of the East.^[4] Vaijayantī ṭīka of Nandapaṇḍita is a notable com. of Viṣṇu Dharmasūtra. Ujjvala com. of Hiraṇyakeśi Dharmasūtra is written by Mahādevadīkṣita.

Unpublished Dharmasūtra works are, Hārīta Dharmasūtra, Mānava Dharmasūtra, Ātreya Dharmasūtra, Auśanasa Dharmasūtra, Kāśyapa Dharmasūtra, Budha Dharmasūtra, Bharadwāja Dharmasūtra etc. Dharmasūtras like Śaṅkhalikhita Dharmasūtra, Gārgya Dharmasūtra, Cyavana Dharmasūtra, Jātukarṇya Dharmasūtra, Devala Dharmasūtra, Paithīnasi Dharmasūtra, Bṛhaspati Dharmasūtra, Śātātapa Dharmasūtra, Sumantu Dharmasūtra etc. are extinct today.