Verse 2.134 [Degrees of Respect]

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

दशाब्दाख्यं पौरसख्यं पञ्चाब्दाख्यं कलाभृताम् ।
त्र्यब्दपूर्वं श्रोत्रियाणां स्वल्पेनापि स्वयोनिषु ॥ १३४ ॥

daśābdākhyaṃ paurasakhyaṃ pañcābdākhyaṃ kalābhṛtām |
tryabdapūrvaṃ śrotriyāṇāṃ svalpenāpi svayoniṣu || 134 ||

Among citizens friendship and equality are regarded as ranging within ten years (of age-difference); among artists, it is regarded as ranging within five years; among learned men, it proceeds up to three years; and among blood-relations, it ranges only within a very short period of time.—(134)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

It has been said above (under 120) that ‘the life-breaths of the younger men rush outwards at the approach of the elder now the present verse proceeds to determine by bow many years one may be regarded as an ‘elder’; among ordinary men people come to be regarded as ‘elderly’ when they become grey-headed.

Among citizens, equality and friendship are regarded as subsisting among people who differ in their age by ten years, so that among these, one conies to be regarded as ‘elder’ when he happens to be more than ten years older; and those less than that should be treated as ‘friends and equals’; and hence accosted as ‘Oh, Sir,’ as declared by Gautama (6.14)—“Equals in age should be accosted as ‘Oh, Sir’; when the difference in age is more than ten years, the person should be regarded as ‘elder.’

In the expression ‘daśābdākhya,’ ‘ākhyā’ stands for ‘ākhyānam,’ ‘description’; and the compound, a three-termed Bahuvrīhi, means ‘that whose description is ten years’; the years being construed as qualifying ‘friendship’ on the basis of ‘description,’ and no significance being attached to the difference between cause and effect (the ‘years’ being the cause of the ‘friendship’), all that the compound means is that—‘one who is senior by about ten years is an equal friend.’

‘Pauras,’ ‘citizens,’ are ‘persons living in cities.’ The mention of ‘cities’ is only by way of illustration; the same rule holds good among inhabitants of villages also. Among people living in the same village, all those come to be regarded as ‘friends’ among whom there happens to be some ground for close intimacy.

Those persons who practise some sort of art—crafts, music and the rest,—among these one who is older by less than five years is an ‘equal’; beyond that, he is ‘elder.’

‘Tryabdam’ means ‘that which is preceded by three years’; and of this kind is the ‘equality’ among learned men.

‘Among blood-relations, it ranges within a very short period of time’;—i.e., among persons belonging to the same family, he who is senior by only a few days is also ‘elder.’

“What period of time is to be regarded as very short?”

It cannot he three years; for having spoken of three ‘years,’ the text mentions ‘short,’ which means that it must be less than that. It cannot mean two years, because of the singular number. Nor lastly, can it mean one year, as in that case there would be no point in the qualification ‘very short.’ Because ‘year’ is the name given to a well-defined period of time; so that a period of time which is less than that even by a single day ceases to be a ‘year.’ For these reasons ‘short’ must refer to time in general (unspecified), the only peculiarity being tbat it, should be less than a year.

The particle ‘ca’ should be taken as standing for ‘?va,’ ‘only’; the meaning being ‘friendship ranges only within a very short period of time, beyond that the man becomes elder.’ All this should be taken as holding good only among people of the same caste, possessed of similar qualifications; so that the definition of ‘elder’ as something relative in sense is that obtaining among ordinary people.

Other persons explain the verso as follows:—This verse does not define what is tho characteristic of being ‘elder’; it only serves to define ‘Friendship.’ It could be taken as defining ‘elderliness’ only if we abandoned its direct meaning; as only then could it be taken to mean that ‘during such time one is a friend, and after that he becomes an elder.’ As a matter of fact, what the verse means is as follows:—(a) People who live in the same city for ten years become ‘friends’; (b) among people knowing the arts—sixty-four in number—companionship during five years establishes ‘friendship’; (c) among blood-relations, friendship is established by living together even for a very short time. Thus then, one does not become a ‘friend’ simply because he happens to be of equal age, in fact the ‘friend’ is as described; but the said conditions of ‘friendship’ all require tbat the parties concerned be of equal age.

All this may be true; but this explanation is inconsistent with the next verse; in the latter, ‘caste’ is mentioned as the pre-eminent factor, and not the age; and the reason is that if the mere fact of being so many years older in age were to make one ‘elder,’ then we could not get rid of the contingency of persons of different (and inferior) castes being regarded as ‘elders.’

Older commentators have all adopted the first explanation (put forward by us).—(134)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

“Those who are ‘friends’ and equals may address each other with the words ‘bhoḥ’, ‘bhavat,’ or ‘vayasya’, ‘friend’. The explanation of the verse, which is substantially the same in all the commentaries, is based on Gautama’s passage (6.14-17); while Haradatta’s interpretation of Āpastamba (1.4.13) somewhat differs.”—(Buhler).

“A small difference in age constitutes among relatives a difference in position; but in other cases only a considerable difference as specified.—This ‘equality’ refers to the form of salutation among equals.”—(Burnell—Hopkins).

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 466), where the following explanation is given:—Among persons living in the same city, and not possessed of any exceptional learning or wealth or other qualifications, if the difference in the age of two persons extends to within ten years, they are to treat each other as ‘friends,’ and there is to be no salutation; the ‘city’ here includes the village also;—among persons versed in music and other arts, equality extends to within five years of difference in age;—and among those learned in the Veda to within one (as read here) year;—and among Sapiṇḍas, to within a very short period of time. In every case there is ‘superority’ if the difference exceeds the periods mentioned.

It is quoted also in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 299), where also we have the following explanation Among inhabitants of the same village one is to be treated as ‘friend’ if he is older by less than ten years; beyond that he is to be treated as ‘superior’.—Among men expert in the arts and in learning, there is equality if there is a difference of five years;—among persons learned in the Veda, or students of the Veda, there is equality if there is a difference of three years, after which the older man becomes ‘superior’;—among blood relations, brothers and the rest, the older person is to be treated as an equal only when the difference in age is very small.

Parāśaramādhava raises the question of saluting such Ṛtvik and others as are younger in age. In view of the general rule that these should be saluted, the fact of any one being younger in age does not deprive him of his right to a salute. The conclusion however is that all that is meant is that they have to be ‘treated with respect’; and this implies that one should stand up to receive and welcome them with agreeable words, as is clearly laid down by Baudhāyana, who says,

ṛtvikśvaśurapitṛ?yamātulānāṃ tu yaviyasāṃ pratyutthānābhibhāṣaṇam.

That these are not to he saluted is clearly asserted by Gautama (6.9), which lays down that these are anabhivāthāḥ (?), It is interesting to note that in quoting Gautama, Mādhava has read abhivādanam in place of anabhivādyāḥ; but knowing somehow that the meaning of Gautama was that these are not abhivādyāḥ, he has explained abhivādanam as abhibhāṣaṇam, speech.

The verse is quoted also in Madanapārijāta (p. 29) as declaring the difference in age which constitutes ‘superiority’. It practically repeats the explanation given in Parāśaramādhava (see above); but at the end adds that among blood-relations, the difference of even one day establishes superiority; while between relations born on the same day there is equality as declared by Āpastamba.—‘One born on the same day is a friend.’

Aparārka (p. 53) quotes this verse and adds the following explanation:—Among citizens even one who is ten years older is a ‘friend and it is only one who is more than ten years older is to be regarded as an ‘elder’; among musicians and other artists one older by five years or less is a ‘friend’, older than that he becomes an ‘elder’; among Vedic scholars, it is upto three years; and among these latter, superority or inferiority is determined by special qualifications.—-The particle ‘api’ means ‘eva’.

It is quoted in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 101), which offers the following explanation:—Among citizens, one who is senior by one to ten years is to be regarded as a ‘friend’—an equal; one older than that is an ‘elder’—a superior;—among artists people versed in singing, dancing and so forth there is ‘friendship’ upto a difference of five years; among Vedic scholars it extends to a difference of three years; older than that, is ‘elder’—superior; among blood-relations there is ‘friendship’ within a limit of very few years; one even a little older is to be saluted like an ‘elder’;—all this refers to Brāhmaṇas.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1.24.13).—‘Friendship (equality) among citizens extends up to ten years; among members of the same Vedic sect, up to five years and the elder Vedic scholar deserves salutation if he is senior by three years.’

Gautama-Dharmasūtra (6.2.5).—‘One born on the same day as oneself is his friend; a citizen who is senior by ten years; an artisan, who is senior by five years; a Vedic scholar of the same Vedic sect, who is senior by three years.’