आपस्तम्बश्रौतसूत्रम्: Apastamba Shrauta Sutra with Four Commentries in Sanskrit (Set of 7 Volumes)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Our Sanatana Bharatiya tradition has Dharma as its basis. Such Dharma is only knowable through the Vedas and the Shastras based on them. It is capable of giving us prosperity and happiness in our mundane life, and will also help us rise in our spiritual life.

Yaga-s have been the important part of our Dharmic life since olden days. Today due to many reasons the performance of Yaga-s has declined. One important reason for this is that their prayoga (procedure) is not clearly known.

If Yaga-s are the important part of Dharma, among the mantra-s used in Yaga-s, those from the Yajur Veda are the most important. In fact the words Yajur and Yaga are from the same root 'yaj'. This Yajur Veda is two-fold, by the name Shukla and Krishna. In Southern Bharat, Krishna Yajur Veda is the one widely practised and among its schools, the Taittiriya Shakha (branch) is most prevalent.

The sages Apastamba, Bodhayana, Satyashadha, Bharadvaja, Vaikhanasa and Agniveshya have written prayoga sutra-s based on this Taittiriya Veda. This is because it is difficult to know the procedures directly from the Veda-s. So only the sutra-s of Apastamba etc give the procedure from beginning to end for each yaga. (Sutra means short sentence.)

Of these sutra-s, it is Apastamba's sutra-s which are most widely in practice in Tamil Nadu, Andhra and (some parts of) Maharashtra. These sutra-s are arranged in 32 prashna-s (chapters). Of these the first 24 prashna-s are regarding the yaga-s which are directly described in the Veda (shruti) and hence called shrauta. (The other prashna-s are about many other procedures like upanayana etc.)

Of these shrauta sutra-s, one Dhurta Svami has composed bhashya (detailed commentary) for the first 15 prashna-s. Ramandar, famed as Periyazhvar the father of Andal, has composed a vritti (short commentary) on this bhashya. One Rudradatta has also composed a separate vritti on the sutra-s. From prashna-s 16 to 32 one Kapardi Svami has composed bhashya. Other commentaries are also available for some prashna-s.

Despite this, until today only the Bhashya and Ramandar Vritti of the first 10 prashna-s, and the Rudra Datta Vritti of the first 15 prashna-s have been printed. Even those books are not available now. Thus we are now publishing the remaining prashna-s with all commentaries with the help of many scholars based on palmleaves from various sources.

This work extending to thousands of pages is very unique and most important to the preservation of our Bharatiya tradition. Much effort and expense is required for this. Those dedicated to Bharatiya culture are requested to encourage us by helping in whatever way they can.

Further, the bhashya and Ramandar vritti for the 14th and 15th prashna-s was not found despite searching. If anyone could assist in that it would be a great help.