Verse 2.100

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

वशे कृत्वेन्द्रियग्रामं संयम्य च मनस्तथा ।
सर्वान् संसाधयेदर्थानक्षिण्वन् योगतस्तनुम् ॥ १०0 ॥

vaśe kṛtvendriyagrāmaṃ saṃyamya ca manastathā |
sarvān saṃsādhayedarthānakṣiṇvan yogatastanum || 100 ||

Having brought the host of organs under control, and having also subdued the mind, one should accomplish all his purposes, taking care not to injure his body.—(100)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The present verse sums up the section.

Even though the Mind also is an ‘organ’ yet it is mentioned separately by reason of its importance.

‘Grama,’ ‘host,’ means group.

Having brought under subjection the organs and the Mind, ‘me should accomplish’—bring about—‘all his purposes’—all those results that are accomplished by means of rites laid down in Śrutis and Smṛtis.

‘Not injuring’—causing pain to—his body.

‘Yogataḥ,’ ‘taking care,’—i.e., by careful means. This is added with a view to such cases in which a person with delicate constitution suffers great pain if, all on a sudden, he takes to such austere ways of living as sleeping upon hard beds and wearing the deer-skin and so forth. The sense is that people, who are accustomed to well-cooked and delicious food, and to soft beds, etc., should not abandon these all at once; they should only gradually accustom themselves to things other than those they are accustomed to.

The term ‘Yoga’ may stand for well-graduated activity. In this sense the epithet ‘Yogataḥ is to be construed with ‘having brought under control.’

Or, we may construe the epithet just as it stands, the meaning being that ‘he should have recourse to such methods as not to injure his body.’ That is, he should not hurriedly renounce what may be necessary for his body.

Or again, ‘Yoga’ may stand for care; and the ‘tasi’ affix in this case has the sense of the instrumental; the sense being ‘he should protect his body with care.’—(100)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Yogataḥ’—(a) ‘By careful means’ (construed with ‘akṣiṇvan’ or ( b) ‘gradually’ (construed with ‘vaśekṛtvā’)—(Medhātithi);—‘By the practice of yoga’ (Nārāyaṇa and Nandana).

This verse is quoted in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 122).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Vyāsa-ṣmrti (4.13), (also Vṛddha Śātātapa, 61).—‘Having brought his senses under control, wherever a man may live,—that place is Kurukṣetra, Naimiṣa and Puṣkara.’

Vyāsasmṛti (4. 60-61).—‘One does not become heroic by obtaining victory in battle; nor does he become learned by study; nor an orator by mere eloquence; nor liberal by making gifts of wealth; by conquering the organs does one become heroic; by following Dharma, learned,—by truthfulness, an orator; and liberal, by doing good to all beings.’

Vaśiṣṭha-smṛti (25. 8).—‘Wisdom is attained by Yoga; Yoga is the characteristic of Dharma; Yoga is ever the highest penance; therefore one should be always addicted to Yoga.’

Bhagavadgītā (5. 28).—‘The wise man, having his senses, Manas and Buddhi under control, having his heart fixed upon Liberation, with all his desires, fear and auger gone,—is ever free.’