Verse 2.183

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

वेदयज्ञैरहीनानां प्रशस्तानां स्वकर्मसु ।
ब्रह्मचार्याहरेद् भैक्षं गृहेभ्यः प्रयतोऽन्वहम् ॥ १८३ ॥

vedayajñairahīnānāṃ praśastānāṃ svakarmasu |
brahmacāryāhared bhaikṣaṃ gṛhebhyaḥ prayato'nvaham || 183 ||

The Religious Student, being pure, should fetch alms daily from the houses of persons who are not devoid of Veda and sacrifices, and who are famed for their deeds.—(183)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Who are not devoid of Veda and sacrifices—who are equipped with Vedic learning, and perform the sacrifices to which they are entitled;—‘not devoid’ means not without, i.e., fully equipped.

‘Famed for their deeds;’—thoso who may not be entitled to the performance of sacrifices, but who are accustomed to meritorious acts. Or, those persons may be called ‘for their deeds’ who are content with their own means of livelihood, and do not go in for such means of living as usury and the like.

‘From the houses of’ these people ‘he should fetch alms’—i.e., beg and bring it away.

‘Pure’—Clean.

‘Daily’—This is a descriptive reiteration.—(188)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 453) in support of the view that alms are to be begged only from ‘praiseworthy’ persons;—in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 381), as laying down the special qualifications of the Brāhmaṇas from whom the Brāhmaṇa Student is to beg alms;—and in Vidhānapārijāta (p. 496) in support of the view that even among people of his own caste, alms should be begged only from the houses of specially qualified men.

This is quoted in Aparārka (p. 59);—in Saṃskāramayūkha (p. 60);—in Saṃskāraratnamālā (p.

288), which adds the following notes:—Those who are not devoid of the knowledge of one or two or three Vedas,—those who have not omitted to perform the sacrifices,—and those who are carrying out in a praiseworthy manner all the duties prescribed for them,—from the house of such parsons, the Brahmacārī—ha who is keeping the vows for the sake of Vedic study—keeping all the restraints and observances—should daily obtain ‘alms’—‘bhaikṣam’ being a collective noun;—and in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 109).

 

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1.3.1).—‘All that he obtains he should present to the Teacher, going out pot in hand, morning and evening, for begging alms from all except those that are considered unfit for this purpose and also those of ill-repute.’

Baudhāyana. (1.2.19).—‘Persons to be begged from are the Brāhmaṇa and the rest, who are firm in their duties.’

Gautama (2.42).—‘Alms-begging should be done from all castes, except from those who are accused or outcast.’

Viṣṇu (29.9).—‘Alms-begging should be done from qualified persons, except from the teacher’s family.’

Viṣṇu (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 482).—‘Alms should be begged from the good people among Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas who are firm in their duties; from all four castes in times of distress.’

Yājñavalkya (1.29).—‘For his own subsistence, he should beg alms from irreproachable Brāhmaṇas.’

Vyāsa (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 482).—‘They should daily beg alms from Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas, only from the houses of people belonging to one’s own caste, or from those of all castes.’

Bhaviṣya Purāṇa (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 482).—‘In the absence of the above, he may go for alms to the entire village, with the exception of the Caṇḍāla.’

Aṅgiras (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 482).—‘In the absence of any other means of subsistence, he may accept uncooked food from the Śūdra, enough to keep him for a day and night.’

Parāśara (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 483).—‘The Renunciate and the Religious Student are entitled to cooked food only.’

Bhaviṣya Purāṇa (Parāśaramādhava, p. 453).—‘If he does not obtain it from the right sources, he may heg from all the four castes.’