Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi
by Ganganatha Jha | 1920 | 1,381,940 words | ISBN-10: 8120811550 | ISBN-13: 9788120811553
This is the English translation of the Manusmriti, which is a collection of Sanskrit verses dealing with ‘Dharma’, a collective name for human purpose, their duties and the law. Various topics will be dealt with, but this volume of the series includes 12 discourses (adhyaya). The commentary on this text by Medhatithi elaborately explains various t...
Verse 1.100
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
सर्वं स्वं ब्राह्मणस्येदं यत् किं चित्जगतीगतम् ।
श्रैष्ठ्येनाभिजनेनेदं सर्वं वै ब्राह्मणोऽर्हति ॥ १०० ॥sarvaṃ svaṃ brāhmaṇasyedaṃ yat kiṃ citjagatīgatam |
śraiṣṭhyenābhijanenedaṃ sarvaṃ vai brāhmaṇo'rhati || 100 ||Whatever is contained in this world is all the property of the Brāhmaṇa; the Brāhmaṇa verily deserves all by virtue of his superiority and noble birth. (100).
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
Having raised the question that, if the Brāhmaṇa happen to be discontented and should again undertake to receive gifts, he would incur sin,—the Author offers his answer to it in this verse.
‘All this’—i.e., whatever wealth exists in the three worlds—‘is the property of the Brāhmaṇa’; so that for him there can he no ‘acceptance of gifts’; what he takes possession of, he does by virtue of his being its possessor, and not as the receiver of a gift.
This is mere praise, not an injunction; hence we have the word ‘deserves’.
‘Noble birth’—high hirth, superior character. (100). VERSE CI.
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in the Aparārka (p. 282) as indicating that the learned Brāhmaṇa is the owner of all things.