Verse 2.170

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

तत्र यद् ब्रह्मजन्मास्य मौञ्जीबन्धनचिह्नितम् ।
तत्रास्य माता सावित्री पिता त्वाचार्य उच्यते ॥ १७० ॥

tatra yad brahmajanmāsya mauñjībandhanacihnitam |
tatrāsya mātā sāvitrī pitā tvācārya ucyate || 170 ||

Among these, at that Brahmic birth which is. marked by the tying of the girdle, the Sāvitrī has been declared to be his “Mother,” and the Teacher his “Father.”—(170)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Among these’—above-mentioned births;—that which is ‘Brahmic birth’—i .e., U panayana—‘which is marked by the tying of the girdle,’—which is symbolised by the tying of the girdle made of Muñja-grass; at this ‘Sāvitrī is his mother,’—i.e., it becomes accomplished by the expounding of the Sāvitrī-mantra. This shows that in the whole Upanayana ceremony, the expounding of the Sāvitrī is the most important factor; it is for this purpose that the child is ‘brought near’ (upa-nīyate). ‘The Teacher is his father.’

Birth is always brought about by the Father and Mother; hence metaphorically the Teacher and the Sāvitrī hare, been described as ‘father’ and ‘mother.’—(170)

The Upanayana has been described as ‘marked by the tying of the Girdle’; and this might be understood to mean that it is on acoount of tying the girdle that the Teacher is to be honoured like the father; hence the next verse is added

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 335), as laying down that the Upanayana constitutes the ‘brahmajanma,’ ‘brahmic’ or ‘Vedic’ ‘birth.’ The compound ‘brahmajanma’ is expounded as ‘brahmaṇā vedena gāyatrīrūpeṇa janma iva,’—i. e. the rite which is like birth, through the Brahman or Veda, in the form of Gāyatṛī;—i.e. it is a rejuvenation brought about by the sanctificatory rite. The idea of this being a ‘birth’ has been spoken of in the Śruti also—‘Gāyatryā-brāhmaṇamasṛjat tṛṣṭubhā rājanyam jagatyā vaiśyam na kenachicchandasā śūdram—That the term ‘brahma’ (in the compound ‘brahmajanma’) does not stand for the whole Veda is made clear by the qualification ‘mauñjībandhana-chihnitam,’ ‘marked by the tying of the girdle—this tying of the girdle being done immediately after the imparting of the Gāyatrī, and not after the whole Veda has been taught It goes on to add that this same fact has been stated by Medhātithi negatively, in the passage ‘tayāhi anuktayā tanna niṣpannam bhavati, (until the Gāyatrī has been imparted, the Upanayana is not accomplished). [This passage occurs on p. 153, 1. 22 of Medhātithi, where however the reading found is tanniṣpannambhavati ‘It becomes accomplished by the expounding of the gāyatrī’ (Translation, p. 459); which is a positive, and not a negative, assertion, though the meaning is the same in both cases].—The conclusion therefore is that the name ‘Upanayana’ pertains to the imparting of the Gāyatri-mantra.

It is quoted in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 59) as supplying the reason for regarding Upanayana as a second ‘birth.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Vaśiṣṭha (2.4),
Viṣṇu (28.37),
—(reproduce the second half of Manu).

Śruti (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 335).—‘With the Gāyatrī, he created the Brāhmaṇa; with the Triṣṭup, the Kṣatriya; with the Jagatī, the Vaiśya; and the Śūdra without any Vedic verse.’

Gautama (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 335).—‘This is his second birth, whereat the Sāvitrī is the mother, and the Teacher the father