Essay name: Devala-smriti (critical study)
Author:
Mukund Lalji Wadekar
Affiliation: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda / Department of Sanskrit Pali and Prakrit
This essay represents an English study of the Devala-smriti—an ancient text attributed to sage Devala classified as belonging to the Dharma-Shastra branch of Indian literature which encompasses jurisprudence and religious law. This study deals with the reconstructed text of the Devala-smriti based on surviving references, emphasizing Devala’s unique viewpoints on social, religious, and philosophical aspects, particularly the Sankhya and Yoga philosophies.
Synopsis
4 (of 10)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
XX 4 1 the distinctive features, on various Smrti-topics of Devala, but
will also be an aid to the historical understanding of the then
socio-cultural set-up. The Sankhya-Yoga philosophy, elucidated
by Devala, in accordance with the ancient & lost Tantra works of
Sankhya-Yoga, is of great value from the point of view of history
of Sankhya-Yoga philosophy & for understanding the nature,
import and purport of the ancient Tantras of these systems, the
information about which is very rarely available. Devala, in a way,
is a singled out and the only ancient authority, who deals elabo-
rately with the problem of re-admittance by purification of
persons, converted by mlecchas.
(7) CONCLUDING REMARKS :
Hence this present research work was undertaken, with a
view to satisfying a long-felt desideratum, in respect of
retrieval and preservation of an ancient text of Dharmas astra.
It is felt that this sort of research work of reconstructing of
almost a lost text, coupled with its critical study would enhance
its utility in general.
