Talk:Grhyasutras
By Swami Harshananda
Grhyasutras
The Vedas, the basic scriptures of Hinduism, are considered ‘apauruṣeya’ (not man-made but revealed). Couched in an archaic language they are often difficult to decipher or comprehend. Hence the six Vedāṅgas (‘limbs of the Vedas’), six subsidiary sciences that help unfold the Vedic wisdom, came into existence.
Out of these six Vedāṅgas, the Kalpa is the last. ‘Kalpa’ means ‘prayoga’ or practical method of doing a thing. It has, again, four branches: śrauta, gṛhya,
dharma and śulba. All these four are in the form of sutras composed by different authors.
The Gṛhyasutras, the second in the series, deal with the various rites to be performed in one’s gṛha or house, such as the sixteen samskāras like upanayana, vivāha and others.
A list of the Gṛhyasutras belonging to the four Vedic traditions, as available now, may now be given:—
Rgveda:
Aśvalāyana Grhyasutras Sāñkhāyana Grhyasutras
Sukla Yajurveda:
Pāraskara Grhyasutras
Krsna Yajurveda:
Āpastamba Grhyasutras Baudhāyana Grhyasutras Bharadvāja Grhyasutra
Sāmaveda:
Gobhila Grhyasutras Jaiminlya Grhyasutras Khādira Grhyasutras
Atharvaveda:
Kauśika Grhyasutras
See under each title for more details.
References[edit]
* The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore
OLD CONTENT[edit]
Grhyasutras The Vedas, the basic scriptures of Hinduism, are considered ‘apauruṣeya’ (not man-made but revealed). Couched in an archaic language they are often difficult to decipher or comprehend. Hence the six Vedāṅgas (‘limbs of the Vedas’), six subsidiary sciences that help unfold the Vedic wisdom, came into existence. Out of these six Vedāṅgas, the Kalpa is the last. ‘Kalpa’ means ‘prayoga’ or practical method of doing a thing. It has, again, four branches: śrauta, gṛhya, dharma and śulba. All these four are in the form of sṅtras composed by different authors. The Gṛhyasutras, the second in the series, deal with the various rites to be performed in one’s gṛha or house, such as the sixteen sarhskāras like upanayana, vivāha and others. A list of the Gṛhyasutras belonging to the four Vedic traditions, as available now, may now be given:— Rgveda: Aśvalāyana Grhyasutras Sāñkhāyana Grhyasutras Sukla Yajurveda: Pāraskara Grhyasutras Krsna Yajurveda: Apastamba Grhyasutras Baudhāyana Grhyasutras Bharadvāja Grhyasutra Sāmaveda: Gobhila Grhyasutras Jaiminlya Grhyasutras Khādira Grhyasutras Atharvaveda: Kauśika Grhyasutras See under each title for more details.