Leverite; Vyasa; The Mahabharata

[Steve Brown]

friends;

As an aspiring undergraduate indologist; i read your discussions daily with interest (albeit often a bit confusedly when you speak about languages).  Now, i must ask for your learned advice and assistance.  I have been Studying Krsna Dvaipayana Vyasa's character in the Mahabharata for some time now, and as the time of my paper draws imminently near, i have taken a bit of a new direction.  I am now curious about Vyasa's enaction of leverite to maintain the Kuru line.  so i am undertaking a short-term (to be continued over the summer after completion of the paper as well) quick and dirty examination of the law of leverite. currently my only source is Doniger's translation of The Laws of Manu, which i have failed to find anything discussing leverite in.  so, what can you all tell me about leverite, any english sources i can look to, i have access to the History of the Dharmasastra, however, i do not really have time to scour that several thousand page text this week, does anyone have an idea where this law may be discussed in either of these volumes?  Beyond that, what can anyone tell me about how this law works, who it is intended to be enacted by, the dharmic consequences of enacting it?

thanks much
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephen J Brown
University of Rochester

" The Spirit of God, I realized, is exaustless Bliss; His body is countless tissues of light..."

-Paramahansa Yogananda

Lord Buddha was once asked why a man should love all persons equally.
"Because," the great teacher replied, "in the very numerous and varied lifespans of
each man, every other being has at one time or another been dear to him."



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