Abstract
What is a paribhāṣā? How does it work in Śrautasūtra-texts? This paper tries to examine these questions and to trace a story of the paribhāṣās in the Śrautasūtras, giving some indications for future researches. Often translated as “meta-rule”, paribhāṣā is a primary derivative from the Sanskrit root “bhāṣ”, which means “to talk”, with the prefix “pari”, which means “around”, “beyond”. The term indicates a specific discourse “around” or “beyond” something. Therefore, it represents the link with the context, a hybrid element placed between text and context. A paribhāṣā is an explanation, an element around discourse that acts as a frame for what is said: it is a rule that is valid in a wider context than that of the object under analysis, that goes “beyond” discourse. It is a unique opportunity to glance at the ritual in itself, at the “ritual string”, in opposition to every “discourse of the ritual”. This rule’s validity is put into effect through the other rules expressed within the text, in other words it is a meta-rule. However, the subject of the relationship between paribhāṣās and the texts of the śruti is still uncharted territory: the categorizations that have so far been suggested are weak or not useful, and need stronger foundations. The present paper pretends to be a first step in this direction.
The Non-saying of What Should Have Been Said
