Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi

by Ganganatha Jha | 1920 | 1,381,940 words | ISBN-10: 8120811550 | ISBN-13: 9788120811553

This is the English translation of the Manusmriti, which is a collection of Sanskrit verses dealing with ‘Dharma’, a collective name for human purpose, their duties and the law. Various topics will be dealt with, but this volume of the series includes 12 discourses (adhyaya). The commentary on this text by Medhatithi elaborately explains various t...

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

शरीरं चैव वाचं च बुद्धीन्द्रियमनांसि च ।
नियम्य प्राञ्जलिस्तिष्ठेद् वीक्षमाणो गुरोर्मुखम् ॥ १९२ ॥

śarīraṃ caiva vācaṃ ca buddhīndriyamanāṃsi ca |
niyamya prāñjalistiṣṭhed vīkṣamāṇo gurormukham || 192 ||

Having under control his body and his speech, as also his organs of sensation and his hind, he should stand with joined palms, looking at the face of his Teacher.—(192)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

On coming from some other place, ‘he should stand looking at the face of his Teacher,’—he should not sit;—‘having under control, his body’;—i.e., he should not do such acts as the throwing about of hands and feet, laughing and so forth; nor should he speak anything needlessly.

He should control his ‘organs of sensation,’—i.e, if he finds anything wonderful near the Teacher, he should not think of it again and again. He should control the Auditory and other organs also; the control of the visual organ is secured by looking at the Teacher’s face.

He should control the mind also; i.e., he should avoid the thought of difficulties pertaining to soriptural matters, or of the building of houses, granaries and the like.

The prohibition contained under 288 with regard to ‘making an effort to control, etc.,’—is meant to prohibit attachment.

The meaning of all this is that when he is near his Teacher, he should not permit the slightest movement of his organs, even towards such things as are not prohibited.

With joined palm’—i.e., with the hands joined together in the shape of a pigeon, turned upwards.—(192)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 106) and in Aparārka (p. 55),

 

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (1-52, 53).—‘Catching hold of the left hand, leaving the thumb free, he should request the teacher with the words, Teach, Sir;—fixing his eyes and mind thereon.’

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