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鈥攁n 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鈥檚 unique viewpoints on social, religious, and philosophical aspects, particularly the Sankhya and Yoga philosophies.
Chapter 10 - Philosophical aspect of the Devalasmriti
4 (of 75)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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clearly indicates the influence of Vaisesika-sutra upon Devala,
which may suggest posterity of Devala to the Vaisesika-sutras
Generally, purus artha is said to be of four kinds (1)
Duty or piety, (2) artha wealth, (3) kama
Dharma
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鈥�
pleasure,
(4) moksa
emancipation. Hemadri, by his title of the gigantic
work and Visvan膩na (Sahityadarpana paricheda I) refer to this
scheme of purus arthas. The Arthasastra of Kautilya5 (1/7/10-11)
6 emphasizes the artha aspect & gives prominence to it. It makes
the Dharma & Kama, as subordinate to it. Manu掳 (2/224) refers to
the various views, regarding the prominence of one over the other
of the first three purus arthas and declares that the triad of
purus arthas, namely Dharma, artha & kama are aggregatively
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important. Yajnavalkya' (I.115b) & Gautama (1.9.46) also seem
to endorse the same view of trivarga.
But it is noteworthy that mok峁 is not at all mentioned
or considered by Manu etc. in their treatment. Devala has not
at all employed the above conventional terms like Dharma, artha,
kama & moksa in his exposition. He does not verbally agree
with or subscribe to the view of trivarga. His approach to
the concept of purus artha is distinctive. But it seems that
according Devala, both the purus arthas, namely abhyudaya
& nihsreyasa can be acquired by Dharma & hence he included
the exposition of nihsreyasa also in his smrti-text. The
8 }
Mahabharata (svarga 5/62) mentions the view of Dharma, being
superior to artha & kama, as through the practice of Dharma,
in e tyre qe te staa
