Grihya-sutras, or related to the domestic, were manuals detailing Vedic fire ceremonies relating to rites of passage in one’s life such as birth, first feeding of the child, Upanayanam (sacred thread ceremony), student life or the path to attain knowledge, marriage, conception (by a woman), renunciation and death. In addition, special occasions such as the building of a house (Grihapravesha) or buying new land or cattle justified the need to conduct a Grihya-sutra ritual. These texts narrated the protocols regarding Vedic domestic rites, designed to be practised by a householder.
Many of the hymns that comprise the Grihya-sutras were discovered in the Atharva Veda Samhita, much regarded as a powerhouse of Grihya verses.
The Shrauta-sutra, Grihya-sutra and Dharma-sutra are collectively known as Kalpa-sutra.