19. Rules of Precedence

Āpastamba

राज्ञः पन्था ब्राह्मणेनअसमेत्य ॥5 समेत्य तु ब्राह्मणस्यएव पन्थाः ॥6 यानस्य भारअभिनिहितस्यअतुरस्य स्त्रिया इति सर्वैर् दातव्यः ॥7 वर्णज्यायसां चैतरैर् वर्णैः ॥8 अशिष्टपतितमत्तौन्मत्तानाम् आत्मस्वस्तिअयनअर्थेन सर्वैर् एव दातव्यः ॥9

.5The road belongs to the king, except when he meets a Brahmin; 6 and when he does, it is to the Brahmin that the road belongs, 7 All must yield to vehicles, people carrying heavy loads, the sick, and women; 8 so also must people of lower classes yield to people of higher classes. 9 For their own well-being, moreover, all must yield to fools, outcastes, drunkards, and madmen. [A 2.11.5–9]

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Gautama

वित्तबन्धुकर्मजातिविद्यावयांसि मान्यानिपरबलीयांसि । ॥20 श्रुतं तु सर्वेभ्यो गरीयः । ॥21 तन्मूलत्वाद् धर्मस्य ॥22 श्रुतेश् च । ॥23 चक्रिदशमीस्थानुग्राह्यवधूस्नातकराजभ्यः पथोदानम् । ॥24 राज्ञा तु श्रोत्रियाय श्रोत्रियाय । ॥25

20 People should be honored on account of wealth, relatives, occupation, birth, learning, and age, but each succeeding one is more important than each preceding, 21 but vedic learning is the most important of all, 22 because it is the source of Law 23 and because it is so stated in the vedic texts. 24 One must yield the way to people in vehicles, extremely old people, the sick, women, bath-graduates, and kings; 25 and a king to a vedic scholar. [G 6.20–5]

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Baudhāyana

पन्था देयो ब्राह्मणाय गवे राज्ञे ह्य् अचक्षुषे ॥30 वृद्धाय भारतप्ताय गर्भिण्यै दुर्बलाय च ॥30

30 A man should give way to a Brahmin, a cow, a king, a blind man, an old man, someone weighed down by heavy load, a pregnant woman, and a feeble person. [B 2.6.30]

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Vasiṣṭha

विद्यावित्तवयस्संबन्धास्कर्म च मान्यम् ॥56 पूर्वस्पूर्वस्गरीयान् ॥57 स्थविरबालअतुरभारिकस्त्रीचक्रीवगताम्पन्थास्समागमे परस्मैपरस्मै देयः ॥58 राजस्नातकयोस्समागमे राज्ञा स्नातकाय देयः ॥59 सर्वैसेव वध्वैऊह्यमानायै ॥60

56 Knowledge, wealth, age, kinship, and occupation are deserving of respect, 57 each preceding one being more respectable than the one that follows. 58 Old people, children, the sick, people carrying heavy loads, women, people riding on vehicles-when someone meets these, he should give way to them, the ones mentioned later taking priority over the ones mentioned earlier. 59 If a king and a bath-graduate meet, the king should give way to the bath-graduate. 60 All should give way to a bride being taken to her husband's house. [Va 13.56–60]