Verse 2.144

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

य आवृणोत्यवितथं ब्रह्मणा श्रवणावुभौ ।
स माता स पिता ज्ञेयस्तं न द्रुह्येत् कदा चन ॥ १४४ ॥

ya āvṛṇotyavitathaṃ brahmaṇā śravaṇāvubhau |
sa mātā sa pitā jñeyastaṃ na druhyet kadā cana || 144 ||

He who rightly fills one’s both ears with the Veda should be regarded as his Father and Mother; one should not, at any time, do him harm.—(144)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘He who fills both ears with the Veda’—by teaching—‘should be regarded as his Father and Mother.’

The present verse does not enjoin that the words ‘Father’ and ‘Mother’ denote the teacher; because these two terms, ‘Father and Mother,’ have their denotations as well known as the words ‘Ācārya’ and the rest,—that the term ‘Father’ denotes the progenitor, and ‘mother’ the progenitress. As a matter of fact, these two terms have been applied here for the purpose of indirectly eulogising the Teacher; just as in such expressions as ‘the ploughman is an ox.’ Inordinary experience the father and the mother are known as one’s best benefactors; they give one birth, bring him up with food, and seek to do good to their child, even at the risk of their body. Hence, the Teacher also, being a great benefactor, is eulogised as being equal to them; the sense being that he who helps one by imparting learning is superior to all other benefactors.

‘Rightly’—is an adverb; the sense being that the Veda imparted is right, correct; not vitiated either by the omission of letters or by wrong accent.

‘Harm’ stands for injury, and also for disrespect.

‘At any time’—i.e., even after the learning of books has been accomplished, one should do him no harm. Says the author of the Nirukta—‘ The Brāhmaṇas who, after being taught, do not honour their teachers, by word, mind and act, etc., etc.’;—‘Do not honour,’ i.e., disregard;—‘Just as such pupils are of no use to the teacher’—bring him no benefit—‘so also does the learning bring no benefit to the pupils.’

‘Ātṛṇoti’ is another reading (for ‘āvṛṇoti’ in the Text), which means ‘pierces’ or ‘penetrates’ the two ears; which figuratively implies ‘teaching’; as we find in the line—‘he is called a man with impenetrated ears whose ears hare not been reached by learning.’

This verse prohibits the doing of harm, by one even after he has acquired all the learning, to all the three kinds of Teachers—the Preceptor, the Sub-teacher and the Mentor.—(144)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse, along with verse 114, occurs in an older form (as Burnell remarks) in the Viṣṇu and Vaśiṣṭha Smṛtis; and also in Nirukta II. 4, where the verb appears as ‘ātṛṇatti’.

It is quoted in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 93), which explains ‘āvṛṇoti’ as ‘fill’, and ‘avitatham’ as ‘free from wrong accentuation and other defects’.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu-smṛti, 30.40.—‘He who fills one’s ears with the truth, imparting nectar, without causing pain,—him I regard as Father and Mother; and knowing what he has done, one should hear no malice towards him.’

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra, 1.1.25.—‘One should never bear malice towards him.’

Nirukta, Naigamakāṇḍa, 4.—‘He who has expounded the Veda is to be regarded as similar to Viṣṇu.’