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Written by Sri Swami Chandrashekarendra
Saraswati |
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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". |
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