Pariśiṣṭa

Pariśiṣṭa (Devanagari: परिशिष्ट, "supplement, appendix") is the term applied to various ancillary works of Vedic literature dealing with details and elaborations not covered in the texts logically and chronologically prior to them: the Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Sutras.

Parisista works exist for each of the four Vedas. However, only the literature associated with the Atharvaveda is extensive.

Rigveda

The Āśvalāyana Gṛhya Pariśiṣṭa is a very late text associated with the Rigveda canon. It is a short text of three chapters expanding on domestic rites such as the daily sandhyopāsana and rites of passage such as marriage and śrāddha.[1]

Samaveda

The Gobhila Gṛhya Pariśiṣṭa,[2] ascribed to Gobhilaputra, is a concise metrical text of two chapters, with 113 and 95 verses respectively. Its subjects are covered in a manner clear to those who understand Vedic Sanskrit. The first chapter deals with physical aspects of sacred cosmic rituals e.g. names of the 37 types of sacred fires, the rules and measurements for the firewood, preparation of the holy site and the timings of each cosmic activity. The second chapter deals mainly with major domestic rites such as matrimony or Shrāddha (communication with ancestral beings). Noteworthy are injunctions such as that a girl should be given away in marriage before she attains puberty.[3]

A second short text, the Chāndogya Pariśiṣṭa[4] has roughly similar coverage.[5]

Yajurveda

Śukla (White)

The Kātiya Pariśiṣṭas, ascribed to Kātyāyana, consist of 18 works enumerated self-referentially in the fifth of the series (the Caraṇavyūha):[6] Six other works of parisista character are also traditionally ascribed to Kātyāyana, including a work of identical name (Pratijña) but different contents. How many of these 24 are actually due to Kātyāyana is dubious; in all probability, they were composed by different authors at different times, with the Pratijña and the Caraṇavyūha being among the latest as they mention the others.[7]

Scope[8] Books
Form and language of the Saṃhitā Pratijña I(3), Anuvākasaṃkhya(4), Caraṇavyūha(5), Ṛgyajuṣa(8), Pārṣada(9), Pratijña II, Sarvānukrama, Yājñavalkyaśikṣā
Śrauta rituals Yūpalakṣaṇa(1), Chāgalakṣaṇa(2), Śulba(7), Iṣṭakāpūraṇa(10), Pravarādhyāya(11), Mūlyādhyāya(12), Hautrika(16), Kūrmalakṣaṇa(18), Kratusaṁkhyā
Śrauta and Gṛhya Nigama(14), Yajñapārśva(15), Mantrabhrāntihara Sūtra
Gṛhya rituals Śrāddhasūtra(6), Uñchaśāstra{13), Śuklayajurvidhāna
Dharmaśāstra Prasavotthāna(17)

Kṛṣṇa (Black)

The Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda has 3 parisistas:[3]

Atharvaveda

For the Atharvaveda, there are 79 works, collected as 72 distinctly named parisistas.[9]

Book Coverage
1 Lore of the constellations
2-19 Royal ceremonies
20-33 Ritual
34-36 Magic
37-40 Ritual
41-44 Religious observances
45-46 Ritual
47-48 Phonetics and Lexicography
49 Vedic conspectus (the Caraṇavyūha)
50-72 Omens

Notes

  1. ↑ Modak 1993, p.189
  2. ↑ Also known as the Gṛhyasaṃgraha
  3. 1 2 Modak 1993, p.190
  4. ↑ also known as the Karmapradīpika
  5. ↑ Modak 1993, p.201
  6. ↑ (II.4): Kashikar 1994, p.6; Modak 1993, p.190
  7. ↑ Kashikar 1994, p.8; Chakrabarti(2004), pp.92-94
  8. ↑ Kashikar 1994,p.7-8
  9. ↑ Modak 1993, p.191

References

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