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 1.110 [Contents of the Treatise]
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
एवमाचारतो दृष्ट्वा धर्मस्य मुनयो गतिम् ।
सर्वस्य तपसो मूलमाचारं जगृहुः परम् ॥ ११० ॥evamācārato dṛṣṭvā dharmasya munayo gatim |
sarvasya tapaso mūlamācāraṃ jagṛhuḥ param || 110 ||Having thus seen that virtue is got at from Right Behaviour, the sages regarded Right Behaviour as the very root of all Austerity.—(110)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Of all Austerity,—i.e. Breath-control, silence, observances, self-control, and the busts of ‘Kṛcchra, Chāndrā yaṇa, and also absolute Fasting’;—of all this ‘Austerity,’ Right Behaviour is ‘the root,’—the direct cause, leading to the growth of their fruit.—For the reason given, the sages regarded, accepted, it as being the root,—i.e. the cause,—of Austerity, performed by men desiring results.—‘Having seen that virtue is got at,’—acquired—‘from Right Behaviour.’—However difficult the Austerity performed, it is not fruitful for the man that is without Right Behaviour so says the Śruti.—(111).