Verse 1.106

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

इदं स्वस्त्ययनं श्रेष्ठमिदं बुद्धिविवर्धनम् ।
इदं यशस्यमायुष्यं इदं निःश्रेयसं परम् ॥ १०६ ॥

idaṃ svastyayanaṃ śreṣṭhamidaṃ buddhivivardhanam |
idaṃ yaśasyamāyuṣyaṃ idaṃ niḥśreyasaṃ param || 106 ||

This (treatise) is ever conducive to welfare; it is most excellent; it expands the understanding brings fame and constitutes the highest good.—(106)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Svasti,’ ‘Welfare’—is the non-hindrance (fulfilment) of what is desired; ‘dyana’ ‘conducive,’ is that which brings about; hence ‘svastyayana,’ ‘conducive to welfare,’ means that which brings about the fulfilment of what is desired.

‘Most excellent’—in comparison to such acts as the telling of beads, pouring of libations and so forth; without this treatise the performance of such acts is not possible; hence as leading to their performance, it is described as ‘most important.’ Or, it may mean that the words and sentences that serve to bring about the knowledge of virtue are excellent; while the actual performance is painful; hence the former are spoken of as ‘most excellent.’

‘It expands the intellect’—when the treatise is duly studied, its subject-matter becomes illuminated, and the hard knots become untied; hence follows the expansion of the understanding, as is well known.

‘it brings fame,’—when a man knows Dharma his opinion is sought for by enquirers, and thus he acquires fame. The term ‘Yaśasyam’ means that which is the cause of fame’, ‘fame’ consists in being known as possessing the qualities of learning, nobility and so forth.

‘The highest good’—It brings about the due knowledge of Actions and Wisdom, which lead to the attainment of bliss unalloyed with pain, such bliss appearing in the form of ‘Heaven’ and ‘Final Release’; and for this reason this treatise constitutes the ‘highest,’ most excellent, ‘good’—(106).