Apastamba Dharmasutras - Teacher

The sutra style is brief and proverbial. Each adage is short and concise, occasionally comprising only one or two words and regularly, minus a verb. Texts composed in this style were meant to be read with an annotation, written down or spoken.

Dharma comprises of all aspects of appropriate individual and social behavior as required by one's role in society and in keeping with one's identity. The term dharma may be interpreted as "Law", if we do not bind ourselves to its narrow explanation as domestic and unlawful decrees, but take it to consist of all the rules of behavior, including moral and religious conduct, which a community recognizes as requisite on its members.

Dharmasutras epitomize the zenith of an extensive tradition of scholarship. They divulge profound erudition and document intense arguments and opposing views on an assortment of issues, as broad as the category of dharma itself.

Apastamba is widely believed to have lived in the southern part of India, as evidenced by the presence of followers of his school of thought. Early twentieth century Indologists place him in the period between 450 – 350 BCE.

Of the 30 ‘books’ of his, the first 24 form the part of Srautasutra, the next two form the Mantrapaatha, a book on Grhyasutra, two books on Dharmasutra, and finally a book on Sulvasutra.

Apastamba provides the following explanation regarding Dharma, that they are the "accepted customary", or that the dharmas that are accepted or agreed upon by those who know dharma. But what exactly is Dharma? To that, he says, “It is difficult to gain mastery of dharma by means of scriptures alone, but by acting according to the markers one can master it. And the markers in this case are as follows: he should model his conduct after that which is unanimously approved in all regions by Aryas who have been properly trained, who are elderly and self-possessed, and who are neither greedy nor deceitful" [Dharmasutras - Patrick Olivelle]

For the following series, specific Dharmasutras have been chosen and presented here, to provide an overview of the way, the society was expected to function.

The first is about what a guru means to a student and how the former is to be perceived. Here, Apastamba writes how a guru (acharya) is necessary to lead a person, away from darkness. Following this, he mentions how important a guru is to every student, going as far as saying that the teacher is the one who gives birth to a person (by imparting knowledge).

He further mentions when a student is to be enrolled, depending upon what he intends to learn. When a student seeks to gain knowledge of the Vedas, he is to be initiated in the seventh year. He, who intends to live a long life, is to be initiated at the age of eight. A person seeking power is initiated at nine years of age. The one seeking an abundance of food, is taken in at ten years of age, eleven years for someone seeking strength and finally at twelve years, a student can be taken in where he seeks cattle.