Verse 2.194

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

हीनान्नवस्त्रवेषः स्यात् सर्वदा गुरुसन्निधौ ।
उत्तिष्ठेत् प्रथमं चास्य चरमं चैव संविशेत् ॥ १९४ ॥

hīnānnavastraveṣaḥ syāt sarvadā gurusannidhau |
uttiṣṭhet prathamaṃ cāsya caramaṃ caiva saṃviśet || 194 ||

In the peesenge of his Teacher, he should always have inferior food, dress and apparel; he should rise before him, and go to sleep later.—(194)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘In the presence of his Teacher’—he should eat—‘inferior’—i.e., less—‘food.’This ‘inferiority’ of the food may be sometimes in quantity, and sometimes in quality; that is to say, if he happen to obtain as alms such food as is richly cooked and mixed with butter, milk and vegetables, then he should not eat it,—if his Teacher has already eaten food of not the same quality, or when he is eating with his Teacher, or if equally rich food has not been prepared in the Teacher’s house. If similar food has been got ready for the Teacher, then he should reduce the food he himself eats.

As regards dress, if the Teacher’s happens to be woolen, the pupil should wear cotton.

‘Apparel’—ornaments, toilette, etc. This also should be inferior.

‘Always’—i.e., even after the period of studentship. It is in view of this that ‘apparel’ has been added; for the Religious Student there could be no adornment, etc.

‘He should rise before him’—i.e., from the bed, at the end of night; or from the seat, after he has understood that it is time for the Teacher to rise; he should rise before his Teacher.

‘He should go to sleep’—retire to bed, or take his seat—‘later’—i.e., after the Teacher has gone to sleep.—(194)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 101), where it is explained that the ‘inferiority’ of the food, dress and apparel, is meant to be in comparison to the Teacher’s in Aparārka (p. 56);—and in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Saṃskāra, p. 47b).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (2.28).—‘Sleeping and sitting on the ground, rising before and sleeping after the teacher.’

Baudhāyana (1.2.22).—‘Rising before and sleeping after.’

Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra (1.2.28).—‘Having got rid of all pride.’

Do. Do. (1.4.22).—‘Should avoid sleep.’

Do. Do. (1.4.28).—‘One who sleeps after and rises before the teacher is described as not sleeping.’ Viṣṇu (2.8.13).—‘Rising before the teacher, he should sleep after him.’