Manu In Vedic Literature

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Born in a family related to the shākala recension of the Rigveda-samhitā, from childhood a regular training I could receive for chanting Rigvedic hymns and Rudri etc of Yajurveda under guidance of my grand-father, Late Pdt. Narahari Shastri Kshirsagar who had extaordinary command over the Bhagawat-Purāna, the twelfth skandha of which he would generally recite orally without help of the text. Such a background inspired me for post-graduation in Sanskrit that helped to understand the samhita in various dimensions discussed by Sayana and other commentators upto T.Kapali shastri of Pondicherry that gave a vision to understand, rather to interpret the text, or at least some portion of it in a different manner that present a study of the Manu legend as found in vedic and post-vedic traditions; of course with special reference to Manu, figured in the Rigveda.

Manu, more popularly known as an author of Manusmriti is known to post-vedic literature as a founder of solar dynasty, king who became an ideal, to be followed by later kings, a ruler of 14 manvantaras, parallel to kulkaras of the Jain tradition, while in later vedic texts he is father, Prajāpati and to some extent a preacher whose every word proved effective like that of a medicine.

It is a great pleasure to write a foreword to the fascinating book, Manu in Vedic Literature by Dr. D. B. Kshirsagar who is one of the most brilliant students I ever had.

The author has presented a coherent and consistent account of Manu found scattered and hidden in the whole of Rigveda, followed by a huge material in other Vedic and post Vedic texts. However, the work is not a mere compilation of textual facts and scholaraly views but contains an interesting and illuminating interpretation of Manu-legend based on the modern technique and special adherence to the spirit of the Vedic tradition.

In the words of Marco pallis, 'readers familiar with the usual works of erudition that pass under the general heading of 'orientalism' might expect to find..... here...... results that could be of no practical value, but what we find in these pages is something of fundamental value to the proper understanding of Indian tradition as a whole. In fact such an approach to Vedic study has already been envisaged by great savants like Sri Aurobindo, Anand Coomarswamy and the authors like M.P. Pandit and T.Kapali Shastri of Pondicherry Ashrama. The Manu legend, forming the very basis of not only Hindu Dharma but also, through its counter-part Noah-legend, even of the western tradition, had not, however, been studied with a similar stand-point. Dr. Kshirsagar, I am glad, has done this work admiraby well.

**Contents and Sample Pages**