42. Chaturvimshati-mata
Volume I: Part I pp. 510–513
Embodies in 525 verses the opinions of 24 sages – contents – quoted by Mitākṣarā and Aparārka, but not by Viśvarūpa and Medhātithi – suggests alternative penances even for very heinous sins – quoted many times by Smṛticandrikā on Āhnika and śrāddha – (probably compiled about 8th or 9th century A. D.) – Bhaṭṭoji commented upon it.
— Synopsis by P.V. Kane, from History of Dharmaśāstra
42. Chaturvimshati-mata
40. Rṣyaśṛṅga This is a writer who is frequently quoted on ācāra, āśauca, śrāddha, and prāyaścitta by the Mit., Aparārka, Smṛticandrikā and other workṣ Aparārka (p. 724) quotes as Rṣyaśṛṅga's a verse ascribed to Śaṅkha in the Mitākṣarā (on Yāj. II. 119) and other works, which states that when one coparcener recovers with his own efforts family property that was lost to the family, he gets a fourth share of it and the others become sharers in the rest.1 The Smṛticandrikā (I. p. 32) quotes ‘api vāsasā yajñopavītārthān kuryāt tadabhave trivṛtā sūtreṇa’, which is in prose.
Rṣyaśṛṅga is frequently quoted by Aparārka on the Prāyaścitta section of Yāj. (about 13 verses) on Prāyaścitta. The Vy. N. of Varadarāja (p. 26) ascribes the verse of Yāj. II. 32 (Maṭṭonmaṭṭārta &c) to Rṣyaśṛṅga also. Aparārka (p. 724) quotes one verse of Rṣya°. on Vyavahāra viz. ‘If one coparcener in a joint family recovers by his efforts property lost to the family, he should be awarded one-fourth of it and the remaining portion should be distributed among the remaining coparceners according to their proper shareṣ This verse is ascribed to Śaṅkha by the Smṛticandrikā (on p. 276). Kalpataru (on Vy. 622) quotes two verses on a wife's dutieṣ
41. Kārṣṇājini This writer is quoted by the Mit. (Yāj. III. 265 three verses), Aparārka, Smṛticandrikā and other works mostly on śrāddha. Aparārka (p. 138) quotes a verse from him which enumerates the seven sons of Brahmā, viz. Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana, Kapila, Āsuri, Vodha (?) and Pañcaśikha. Aparārka (p. 424) quotes a verse of Kārṣṇājini which refers to the two signs of the Zodiac, Kanyā, and Vṛścikā.
42. Caturvimśatimata There are two Msṣ of this work in the Bhandarkar Institute, Poona (No. 244 of A. 1881–1882 and 111 of 1895–1902). It contains 525 verseṣ The work is so called because it embodies the essence of the teachings of 24 sages, Manu, Yājñavalkya, Atri, Viṣṇu, Vasiṣṭha, Vyāsa, Uśanas, Āpastamba, Vatsa, Hārīta, Guru ( Bṛhaspati ), Nārada, Parāśara, Baudhāyana, Dakṣa, Śaṅkha, Aṅgiras, Śātātapa, Sāṅkhya ( Sāṅkhyāyana ? ), Saṁvarta. The subjects treated of are :— The usages of the varṇas and āśramas, śauca, ācamana, cleansing the teeth, bath, prāṇāyāma, repeating the Gāyatrī, study of the Vedas, marriage, agnihotra, five great daily yajñas, means of livelihood, forest hermits, saṁnyāsins, duties of Kṣatriyas and the other two varṇas, prāyaścittas for the deadly sins and other lesser misdeeds, means of livelihood, śrāddha, āśauca ( on birth and death ).
In the Govt. Msṣ library at the B. O. R. Institute ( Poona ), there is a Mṣ bearing No. 111 of 1895–1902 of Caturvimśatimata which contains 526 verses and another No. 244 of A. 1881–82 which has 525 verseṣ
The work often quotes the views of Uśanas, Manu, Parāśarya, Aṅgiras, Yama, Hārīta. It quotes Manu III 5 ( 'asapiṇḍā ca yā' etc. ) and Manu XII. 95 (yā vedabāhyāḥ smṛtayaḥ). Two other verses which it contains are indicated as interpolated in several editions of Manu.2 It says that the teachings of Arhat, Cārvāka and Buddha delude people.3 Its position is that whatever is not found in the Veda or the Purāṇas, the Rāmāyaṇa, or Mahābhārata or in the śāstras of Manu and others is as good as non-existent.4
The Caturvimśatimata is frequently quoted by the Mit., Aparārka and later works,5 but not by Viśvarūpa and Medhātithi. It was probably compiled about the time when the latter two writers flourisheḍ Aparārka6 (p. 1121) quotes a prose passage from the work on the prāyaścitta for a dvijāti procreating children on a Śūdra wife. This passage could not be traced in the two msṣ referred to above.
The Mit. on Yāj. III. 58 quotes the Catur° for the proposition that a person resorting to the 4th āśrama (i. e. Sannyāsa) may be ‘ekadaṇḍin’ or ‘tridaṇḍin’. The Mit. quotes several verses from the Catur° on penances (prāyaś- cittas ) for serious and light sins or offenceṣ It suggests alternative penances for even very heinous sins, e. g. on Yāj. III. 308 it provides that if a person performs the Japa of Gāyatri ( Rg. III. 62. 10 ‘tat-savitur-vareṇyam) a crore of times he atones for the sin of brāhmaṇa murder, becomes free from the sin of drinking liquor by japa of Gāyatri 80 lakhs of times, from the sin of the theft of gold by repeat- ing 70 lakhs of times the Gāyatri. The Smṛti-candrikā quotes Catur° many times on Āhnika and on Śrāddha. It quotes the opinion of Baudhāyana in a verse and goes so far as to say that a man becomes free from sins by the japa of Brāhmaṇa works, the six aṅgas, the ākhyānas ( legends ), Itihāsa, Purāṇas and praises of gods and expositions on Dharma. Aparārka also quotes about 60 verses of Caturvimśatimata and one prose passage on p. 1121 (quoted below).
Anothor somewhat remarkable point is that Aparārka in several cases places Caturvimśatimata passages immediate- ly near Ṣaṭ-trimśatmata passages (vide Aparārka pp. 1081, 1172–74, 1182, 1248 ).
The portions of the works on saṁskāra and śrāddha together with the commentary of Bhaṭṭoji, son of Lakṣmīdhara, have been published in the Benares Sanskrit Series ( Noṣ 137 and 139 ). The commentary is a very learned one and refers to a host of writerṣ This commentary is in some msṣ ascribed to Ramacandra ( vide I. O. Cat. No. 1554, p. 473 ).