25. Budha

The chapter on Budha meticulously examines the contributions of this particular *sūtrakāra* within the expansive Dharmaśāstra tradition. Budha's authority is evidenced by his frequent citation across several pivotal medieval commentaries and legal digests. Noteworthy among these are the comprehensive works of Hemādri, Aparārka, the encyclopedic Kalpataru, and the influential Jīmūtavāhana. These repeated references firmly establish Budha as a recognized source of legal and ritual precepts, signifying that his aphorisms were considered essential and authoritative by subsequent generations of scholars dedicated to codifying and interpreting Hindu law and custom. Despite his prominence as a cited source, Budha's extant corpus is characterized as a brief compilation, rather than an extensive, original treatise that might rival the foundational Smṛtis. Moreover, a critical assessment of its content, thematic concerns, and the historical period of its reception indicates that Budha's work is not very early in age. It is posited to have emerged considerably later than the venerable Smṛti texts, situating it within a subsequent stratum of Dharmaśāstra literature that primarily synthesized, elaborated, and adapted earlier principles.

— Synopsis by P.V. Kane, from History of Dharmaśāstra