Introduction to the Sutra class of literature

The Sutra class of literature is treated as unrevealed though it has developed from the Vidhi or rule portion of the Brahmana class. Thus their main function is to complile rules concerning the sacrifices, sacraments and secular and religious custom and usage. Sutras are divided into three main classes known Srauta, Grihya, and Dharma but there is a further

division called Kalpa of which a portion is known as Sulva. The Srauta-sutras deal generally with the Vedic sacrifices compiling the rules for practical purposes of the priests in doing sacrificial rituals in a shorter and connected form than in the Vedas and the Brahmanas. Thus there are rules, for instance, concerning the laying of sacrificial fire, etc. The Grihya-sutras similarly deal with the Grihya rites or domestic ceremonies Thus there are rules in connected form concerning the sacraments including marriage, five-fold daily sacrifices of the householder, the duties of the student life (Brahmacharya), of the forest life (Vanaprastha) and of the renunciation (Sanyasa). The Grilya sutras of Gautama, Angirasa and Asvalayana are well known. The Dharma Sutras like those of Manu and others deal with dharma or right, duty and law derived from religion, custom and usage. Thus there are both religious and secular laws governing the duties of four castes, four stages (a srama) of life, and of the king and ruler. The laws of public administration includes the system of taxes and revenues, the machinary of government, the court of justice, the method of punishment, etc. In some Vedic schools the Srauta and Grihya Sutras are combined and jointly known as the Kalpa-sutra. The Sulva-sutras like those of Baudhayana and Apastambha are supplements to the Kalpasutras. The term Sulva means measuring string. They deal with rules of mensuration and geometry which were required for the construction of the place of sacrific and fire altars. Full particulars about the shape of different altars' and the bricks which were employed for their construction. Every one of these altars was constructed of five layers of bricks, which together camp up to the height of the knee; in some cases 10 or 15 layers, and the proportionate increase in the height of the altar were prescribed. Every layer in its turn was to consist of two hundred bricks, so 1. The types of altars are described. They are known as Syenachit of the falcon shape made of square bricks. Kanka chit of the heron-hape, Alajachit without the additional wings. Praugachit of equilateraltriangular shape, ubhayatah Praugachita made up of two such triangles joined at their bases, Ratha-chakra-chit in the form of a wheel with sixteen spokes or without spokes. Drona-chit of square or circular shape, Parichayya-chit or where bricks are placed in six concentric circle, Samuhya-chit in circular shape, and Kurma-chit in triangular or circular shape.

that the whole altar contine a thousand. 305 Of the existing Sulvas the Avyalayana and Sankhayana, both Kalpa sitras, belong to the Rigveda. To the Samaveda also the only Kalpa-sutras are known as the Lityayana, Gobhila and Jaiminiya. The Kalpa-sutras of the Black Yajurveda are known as the Baudhayana, Apastamba, Hiranya-kesi, and Bharadvaja. The Manava Dharma-sutra also belongs to the same Veda. The Katyayana Kalpa-sutra belongs to the White Vajurveda. The Kaushitaki Kalpa-sutra and the Vaitana-srautasutra are placed under the Atharva-veda.