(“wishing-tree”) In
the middle of the twelfth century, the scholar Lakshmidhara collected an
extensive collection of texts on religious law.
The Kalpataru is one of the oldest instances of nibandhas
("collec tions"), or commentarial literature.
The nibandhas were compilations of Hindu learning in which
the compilers relied on the Vedas, dharma literature, puranas, and other
canonical religious writings for references on a specific issue.
The passages were then combined into a single book.
The fourteen volumes of the Kalpataru are each dedicated to
a different facet of Hindu religious life, including as daily practice,
worship, gift-giving (dana), vows, pil grimage, penances (prayashchitta),
purification, and ultimate soul liberation (moksha).
The Kalpataru, being one of the first nibandhas, served as a
model and a valuable resource for succeeding authors.
Lakshmidhara's writing is unique in that he relied on just a
few sources for his work, namely the Mahabharata and a few puranas (sectarian
compilations).
He does not reference the Vedas, the oldest Hindu religious
books, or the regulations contained in the dharma literature, unlike subsequent
interpreters.
His book likewise consists mostly of these abridged portions with minimal original commentary, although subsequent nibandha authors sometimes provide extensive explanations.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
