Verse 2.109 [Specially qualified Pupils]

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

आचार्यपुत्रः शुश्रूषुर्ज्ञानदो धार्मिकः शुचिः ।
आप्तः शक्तोऽर्थदः साधुः स्वोऽध्याप्या दश धर्मतः ?? ॥ १०९ ॥

ācāryaputraḥ śuśrūṣurjñānado dhārmikaḥ śuciḥ |
āptaḥ śakto'rthadaḥ sādhuḥ svo'dhyāpyā daśa dharmataḥ ?? || 109 ||

The teacher’s son, one who is eager to do service, one who imparts knowledge, one who is righteous, one who is clean, a near relative, one who is competent, one who gives monet, one who is gentle, and one’s own (son)—these ten should be taught for the sake of merit.—(109)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

In verse 233 below the author is going to declare that ‘Of all gifts the gift of the Veda is the best’; and the question arising as to the sort of person to whom knowledge should be imparted—the present verse proceeds to describe the characteristics of the recipient of knowledge. And this contains the injunction of teaching, which is connected with the section dealing with the duties of the student.

‘The Teacher’s son.’—‘He who is eager to do service,’ i.e.,—personal attendance, or other household work in accordance with his strength, such as rubbing the body and so forth.

‘One who imparts knowledge,’—such knowledge as may not be known to the Teacher, but which may have been learnt somehow by the pupil; e.g., sciences dealing with property, love and the arts, or with Dharma; the teaching of suoh a pupil is by way of exchange of knowledge.

‘One who is righteous ';—he who makes it his chief business to perform the Agnihotra and such religious acts.

‘One who is clean’;—one who keeps his body clean with clay and water.

The three words ‘righteous,’ ‘clean’ and ‘gentle’ are not needless repetitions,—their use being similar to the use of such expressions as ‘go-balīvarda’ (where the second term serves to qualify the first).

‘A near relatice’—a friend or closely related person.

‘One who is competent’—capable of getting up and remembering texts.

‘One’s own son,’—who has been previously ‘initiated.’

These ten, even though ‘initiated’ by others, should be taught.

“The text uses the term dharmataḥ, which means that by teaching them one acquires merit. But one who pays money clearly brings a visible benefit to the teacher; wherefore then can there be any justification for the assuming of an unseen result—in the shape of merit—in this case?”

Who says that there is to be an assumption of unseen results? There can be no assumption of what is directly stated. It has been distinctly declared tbat “these ten should be taught ‘for the sake of merit.’”

The revered teacher however says that what the term ‘dharmataḥ’ means is that what is here stated is the rule of the sacred law; by teaching these persons there is no transgression of the law. It does not mean that by imparting knowledge to one who pays money the teacher acquires the merit that results from the act of imparting knowledge.—(109)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Dharmataḥ’—‘According to the sacred law’ (Kullūka and Nandana);—‘for the sake of merit’ (Medhātithi, Govindarājā and Nārāyaṇa).

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 517) as laying down the duties of the Teacher;—in Saṃskāramayūkha (p. 51);—in Saṃskāraratnamālā (p. 812);—and in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 140) which explains ‘śaktaḥ’ as ‘capable of acquiring knowledge’ and ‘jñānadaḥ’ as ‘one who has imparted knowledge.’

Medhātithi (p. 125, 1. 22)—‘Upādhyāyastu’—This ‘Upādhyāya’ is referred to several times. He is either Medhātithi’s teacher, or an older commentator on Manu. The former is more probable.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Yājñavalkya (1.28).—‘(1) One who is grateful, (2) who bears no hatred, (3) who is exceptionally intelligent, (4) who is clean, (5) who is not jealous, (6) who is gentle, (7) who is competent, (8) a near relative, (9) who imparts knowledge and (10) who gives money;—these should be taught for the sake of merit.’