|
|
Vaidyanatha
Diksita's own name for his work is
Smrti-Muktaphala-Nibhandana-Grantha. We know very little about
the author of this extremely useful book. Diksita must have lived
some two hundred years ago; he belonged to Kandiramanikkam, near
Nacciyarkoil (in Tanjavur district). It must be noted that he
himself practised the dharmas he had dealt with in his nibhandana
and he is also believed to have performed big sacrifices.
Vaidyanatha-Diksitiyam
is considered superior to similar works by Medhatithi,
Vijnesvara, Hemadri and so on. Exhaustive in nature, it deals
with the duties and rites pertaining to the different castes and
asramas (the four stages of life), ritual purity, sradhha,
prayascitta, stridharma, dayabhaga, dravyasuddhi. It even gives
directions about the division of paternal property. When the
Hindu code Bill was introduced in free India some put forward the
view that the division of property must be based on the sastras.
Such division is called "Dayabhaga". The division of
property in Kerala, in the uncle-nephew line, is called marumakkatayam. The
word "dayadi" is derived from "daya".
Diksitiyam
is the last among the nibhandanas. In the preparation of this
work Vaidyanatha Diksita had the advantage of making a
comparative study of all the previous works on Dharmasastra.
Before it the authority followed it to some extent in the South
was the nibhandana of Tozhappar. Vaisnavas and Smartas alike
today accept the Diksitiyam as an authority.
The
nibhandanas are not like the Vedas (Sruti), the Kalpa-sutras and
the Smrtis. Since they came later it is not easy to make them
acceptable to all. Diksita, it must be noted, does not show the
least trace of bias in his work and has followed the Mimamsa in
determining the meaning of Vedic texts. He has brought together
previous sastras and arrived at conclusions only after resolving
the contradictions in them. This is the reason why his work is
considered as authority in the South. When the Smrtis differ in
some matters, he takes a broad view and suggests: "Let each
individual follow the practices of his region and the tradition
of his forefathers".
|
|
|
|
|
"Hindu Dharma" is a book
which contains English translation of certain invaluable and
engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamiji (at
various times during the years 1907 to 1994).
For a general background, please see here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
