Study of the Vedas - Excerpts from the Brahma Sutra Bhashyas of 5 Acharyas

[V Subrahmanian]

With regard to the eligibility to study the Veda, all the traditional schools are in agreement. The Smritis cited by them too are the same. Even Vallabha and Nimbarka agree with the earlier Three Acharyas.  Here is a short article in English consisting of the Bhashyas, English translation and an image from Gautama Dharma Sutra: 

https://adbhutam.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/eligibility-to-the-study-of-the-veda.pdf

[sunil bhattacharjya]

Even Ramayana says so for the Dwapara Yuga, but Parashara Smrti didn’t reiterate that- isn’t it?

Regards 

SKB

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 28, 2021, at 2:29 AM, V Subrahmanian <v.subra...@gmail.com> wrote:

With regard to the eligibility to study the Veda, all the traditional schools are in agreement. The Smritis cited by them too are the same. Even Vallabha and Nimbarka agree with the earlier Three Acharyas.  Here is a short article in English consisting of the Bhashyas, English translation and an image from Gautama Dharma Sutra: 

https://adbhutam.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/eligibility-to-the-study-of-the-veda.pdf

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[putran M]

Namaskaram Subbu-ji,

Are the punishment-injunctions in these smritis regarded within the tradition as 1. arthavada (not literal but meant primarily to emphasize the seriousness of eligibility and ineligibility rules), or 2. rules that applied in a different yuga (and believed to have been carried out legitimately by the kshatriyas of those times) and do not apply in kali yuga, or 3. rules that apply across yugas (including ours) though not practical any longer? (For the case of 3, one can cite (so I read) how Brahmins after Madhwa did not literally kill animals in their 'animal' sacrifices; so there was a universal shift in practice of religion though technically they would hold that the animal-sacrifice is dharmic if done correctly.)

The only similar incident that often is cited is Rama killing Shambuka, which some traditionalists say exemplifies kshatriya dharma against Shambuka whose tapas was motivated by adharmic intent and consequence http://madhwaprameyamahodadhi.blogspot.com/2019/05/shambuka-episode-facts-of-valmiki.html, others say the dharmic intent of Rama's action was in order to keep varna-order in society (this is aligned to the literal thrust of these passages), others like Gandhi say is an interpolation added to the Ramayana (hence serving purpose similar to arthavada), and others (who again take the literal meaning) cite as example of how evil Hinduism is etc. 

Outside of this episode, I do not know of other such examples in the scriptural records; nor of other records of Hindu kingdoms where such punishment is meted out based on a fundamental interpretation of such shastras. We do not seem to have legitimate pramana that establishes that this punishment was a part of Hindu society.

Since you are quoting these "controversial" passages, it is important to provide further clarification regarding how the tradition or sampradaya or acharyas understand them and how not to understand them. 

thollmelukaalkizhu

On Thu, Jan 28, 2021 at 5:29 AM V Subrahmanian <v.subra...@gmail.com> wrote:

With regard to the eligibility to study the Veda, all the traditional schools are in agreement. The Smritis cited by them too are the same. Even Vallabha and Nimbarka agree with the earlier Three Acharyas.  Here is a short article in English consisting of the Bhashyas, English translation and an image from Gautama Dharma Sutra: 

https://adbhutam.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/eligibility-to-the-study-of-the-veda.pdf

--

[putran M]

The only similar incident that often is cited is Rama killing Shambuka, which some traditionalists say exemplifies kshatriya dharma against Shambuka whose tapas was motivated by adharmic intent and consequence http://madhwaprameyamahodadhi.blogspot.com/2019/05/shambuka-episode-facts-of-valmiki.html, others say the dharmic intent of Rama's action was in order to keep varna-order in society (this is aligned to the literal thrust of these passages), others like Gandhi say is an interpolation added to the Ramayana (hence serving purpose similar to arthavada), and others (who again take the literal meaning) cite as example of how evil Hinduism is etc. 

remove the bold phrase; debatable. The website above argues well that the full content of the episode leads to deeper understanding of why.

 

[V Subrahmanian]

Dear Putran ji,

The smriti verses/passages (Gautama Dharma Sutra) are not relevant to the present age.  I don't there was any occasion when they were put into practice.  They have no more than academic value. That is the reason perhaps Shankara cited them in that adhikaraNam. From the fact that Ramanuja and Madhva have also cited them, it can be presumed that Shankara only followed a tradition that his predecessor Bhashya Kaara-s had cited these in that adhikaraNa. This is how I see it.  Even in the 'orthodox' mutts, Veda is surely 'heard' by those who are not eligible to learn.  Yet no action of the stated kind  is taken on them.  

With regard to the practice of animal in Yaga, there are votaries to the same even today.  Excepting Madhva-s, the others do not subscribe to the 'change.'

warm regards

subbu

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[V Subrahmanian]

Here is the working link for this article:

https://adbhutam.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/eligibility-to-the-study-of-the-veda.pdf

regards

subbu