Verse 2.200

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

गुरोर्यत्र परिवादो निन्दा वाऽपि प्रवर्तते ।
कर्णौ तत्र पिधातव्यौ गन्तव्यं वा ततोऽन्यतः ॥ २०0 ॥

guroryatra parivādo nindā vā'pi pravartate |
karṇau tatra pidhātavyau gantavyaṃ vā tato'nyataḥ || 200 ||

Where the censuring or defaming of his Teacher is going on, there he should either close his ears, or go away thence to another place.—(200)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Where’—in whatever place, in the assembly of wicked people,—his teacher’s censuring—setting forth of wrongs really committed by him,—or defaming—attributing to him of evils not present in him—‘is going on,’—‘there’ ‘he should close his ears’—cover them up with his finger, etc.

‘Thence’—from that place,—‘he should go away to another place.’—(200)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 491), where the distinction is made between ‘parīvāda’ which is the proclaiming of wrongs really committed, and ‘nindā’ the setting forth of wrongs not committed.

It is quoted also in Madanapārijāta (p. 107);—in Aparārka (p. 56);—in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 120), which says that the ‘parīvāda’ is the mentioning of such defects as are really present, and ‘nindā’ the mentioning of such as are not present;—in Saṃskāramayūkha (p. 41), which notes the same distinction;—in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Saṃskāra, p. 45b);—and in Yatidharmasaṅgraha (p. 33).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 200-201)

Viṣṇu (28. 23).—‘One should not stay at a place where the teacher is being defamed or censured.’

Viṣṇu (32. 8-11).—‘He should not address the teacher as thou;—in the event of his insulting the teacher, he should fast for the day, and take food in the evening, only after having propitiated the teacher;—one should not talk to the teacher disputatiously;—should not utter anything defamatory regarding the teacher;—nor anything not agreeable to him.’

Viṣṇu (45. 18).—‘One who is inimical to his teacher suffers from epilepsy.’

Vaśiṣṭha (2. 17).—‘Those persons who, on being taught, respect not their Teacher, by speech, mind and deed,—are as useless to them, as they are to the Teacher.’