The institutes of Vishnu (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1880)

INTRODUCTION.

xxiii

indivisible objects ‘a book,’ pustakam ; Manu (IX, 219)
has the same Sloka, but for pustakam he reads praZa-
kshate. Now pustaka is a modern word1, and Varaha-
mihira, who lived in the sixth century A.D., appears to be
the first author, with a known date, by whom it is used. It
occurs again, Vishzzu-sutra XXIII, 56 (prokshazzena Za pus-
takam), and here also Manu (V, 122) has a different reading
(punaZzpakena mrz'nmayam). The only difference between
Vishzzu-sutra XXII, 93 and Manu V, no consists in the
use of singular forms (te, jrz'zzu) in the former work, and of
plural forms (vaZz, jz'z’zzuta) in the latter. Now there are
a great many other Smrz’tis besides the Manu-smrzti, such
as e. g. the Yagmavalkya and Para^ara Smzvtis, in which
the fiction is kept up, that the laws contained in them are
promulgated to an assembly of Az’shis ; but there are very
few Smzfftis of the least notoriety or importance besides
the Vishzzu-sutra, in which they are proclaimed to a single
person. Other instances in which Manu’s readings appear
preferable to Vishzzu’s may be found, LI, 60 (pretya Zeha
Za nishkz'ztim) = Manu V, 38 (pretya ^anmani ^anmani);
LI, 64 (iti kathanZana) = M. V, 41 (ity abravinmanuZz);
LI, 76 (tasya) = M. V, 53 (tayo/z); LIV, 27 (brahmazzyat) -
M. XI, 193 (brahmazza); LVII, 11 (purastad anuZoditam)
— M. IV, 248 ; Vasish/Za XIV, 16 ; Apastamba I, 6, 19,
14 (purastad apraZoditam); LXVII, 45 (sayampratas tva-
tithaye)=M. Ill, 99 (sampraptaya tvatithaye), &c. But
these instances do not prove much, as all the passages in
question may have been tampered with by the Vishzzuitic
editor, and as in some other cases the version of Vishzzu
seems preferable. Thus ‘practised by the virtuous’ (sadhu-
bhizrZa nishevitam, LXXI, 90) is a very common epithet of
‘aZara,’ and reads better than Manu’s nibaddhazzz sveshu
karmasu(IV, 155); and krz'ZZ/zratikz'z'ZZ/zram(LIV,3o) seems
preferable to Baudhayana’s and Manu’s kzvZZZratikzrZZZzrau
(XI, 209). What is more important, the Vishzzu-sutra does
not only contain a number of verses in the ancient Trish/ubh
metre, whereas Manu has none, but it shows those identical
three TrishZubhs of Vasish/Zza and Yaska, which Dr. Buhler

1 See Max Muller, Hist. Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 512.