Verse 2.182

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

उदकुम्भं सुमनसो गोशकृत्मृत्तिकाकुशान् ।
आहरेद् यावदर्थानि भैक्षं चाहरहश्चरेत् ॥ १८२ ॥

udakumbhaṃ sumanaso gośakṛtmṛttikākuśān |
āhared yāvadarthāni bhaikṣaṃ cāharahaścaret || 182 ||

He should fetch the jar of water, flowers, cowdung, earth and kuśa-grass,—as much as may be required; and day by day he should beg for alms.—(182)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

He should fetch as much of water in jars and other things as might serve the purposes of the Teacher.

This is only by way of illustration; the meaning being that he should do other household-work also,—all that is not absolutely demeaning. What this verse is meant to indicate is that the pupil should not be made to do any demeaning work,—such as touching the utensils in which food has been eaten by persons other than the Teacher himself. For as regards the Teacher himself, his service has been already prescribed in a general way.

The compound ‘yāvadarthāni’ is to be expounded as ‘yāvān arthaḥ eṣām.’

‘Day by day he should beg for alms’;—‘alms’ here stands for a very small quantity of cooked, just enough for sustenance. It would not be right to argue that it stands for food in general (not necessarily cooked); since the generic term ‘anna’ (food) is found to be used in the prohibition coming later on (in 188) regarding ‘the food of one person’; because in view of the injunction ‘having collected the alms, he should present it to the Teacher and then eat it,’ where the bringing and eating are mentioned together, it is clear that cooked food is meant; if dry grains had been brought in, how could they be eaten forthwith? If the grain were collected and then cooked in the Teacher’s house, the food thus cooked would be one that has the alms for its source, it would not be the aims itself. In common usage also it is cooked food that is called ‘alms.’

‘Day by day.’—“The daily begging for alms is already implied in what follows later on (in 188)—‘He should live every day on alms.’

In 188, the term ‘every day’ has been added for the purpose of laying down the means of subsistence; while the term ‘day by day’ in the present verse is meant to preclude the possibility of some one keeping the food mixed with butter, etc., overnight and then eating it next day; the sense being that he should beg for alms and eat it day by day; and he should never beg on one day and then, having kept it over-night, eat it next day after mixing it with butter, etc—(182)

The Author next mentions the persons from whom the alms are to be begged.

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśatramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 394), as laying down what should be done by the Religious Student, in the event of a ‘wet dream—in Madanapārijāta (p. 39);—in Aparārka (p. 1141);—in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 127) as showing that unintentional emission involves only an expiation;—and in Prāyoscittaviveka (p. 462).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (2.4.13.14).—‘Morning and evening he should fetch jars of water; every day fetching fuel from the forest, he should keep it on the ground.’

Āśvalāyana Gṛhyasūtra (22.5).—‘He should beg alms morning and evening.’

Gobhila Gṛhyasūtra (5.2.27).—‘Wearing of the girdle, begging of alms, carrying of the staff, fetching of fuel, bathing in water, and morning-salutation,—these are the daily obligatory duties.’