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...
Verse 2.217
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
विप्रोष्य पादग्रहणमन्वहं चाभिवादनम् ।
गुरुदारेषु कुर्वीत सतां धर्ममनुस्मरन् ॥ २१७ ॥viproṣya pādagrahaṇamanvahaṃ cābhivādanam |
gurudāreṣu kurvīta satāṃ dharmamanusmaran || 217 ||Having returned from a journey, he should clasp the feet of his Teacher’s wife, and daily he should salute her, bearing in mind the duty of the righteous.—(217)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
Having returned from a journey, he should clasp her feet—‘the left foot by the left hand, etc.’ (Verse 72).
‘Daily’—every day.
‘Salute her’—on the ground.
‘Righteous’—Cultured. Bearing in mind that such is this duty of cultured men.—(217)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 301) as laying down how the young student is to behave to towards the Teacher’s wife.
The first half of the verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 451) as showing that ‘pādagrahaṇa’ (clasping of the feet) is distinct from abhivādana (saluting);—and again on p. 462 the entire verse is quoted along with the preceding verse.
It is quoted in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 104).
Comparative notes by various authors
Gautama (2. 40).—‘Returning from a journey, he should clasp the feet of the teacher’s wives.’
Āpastamba (1.14.7).—‘Also when meeting her on returning from a journey.’
Viṣṇu (32.15).—[Reproduces Manu.]