Verse 2.234

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

सर्वे तस्यादृता धर्मा यस्यैते त्रय आदृताः ।
अनादृतास्तु यस्यैते सर्वास्तस्याफलाः क्रियाः ॥ २३४ ॥

sarve tasyādṛtā dharmā yasyaite traya ādṛtāḥ |
anādṛtāstu yasyaite sarvāstasyāphalāḥ kriyāḥ || 234 ||

All the duties have been honoured by him who has honoured these three; and all acts remain fruitless for him who does not honour them.—(234).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Honoured’—respected. The mention of ‘honouring’ indicates that the person honoured is intent upon repaying the benefits he has received. As a matter of fact, the person who is honoured becomes pleased and tries to repay it. Or, ‘honoured’ may be taken as standing for ‘pleased.’ And as Duties are endless, the entire satisfaction of these would not be possible; so that what is indicated is ‘anxiety to bring about the desired result’; hence what is meant is that ‘all acts done by him bear fruit quickly.’

‘By him who has honoured these three’—who has satisfied them by his service.

If these persons are not honoured, then whatever meritorious act the man does with a view to reward remains fruitless.

‘All acts’,—i.e., rites performed according to Śrauta and Smārta rules.

This verse is purely commendatory. The fact of the matter is that the injunction of honouring the three persons aims at the accomplishment of something desirable for man; so that by transgressing it the man would incur a great sin, which would obstruct the fulfilment of any reward that he might have won by his acts. It is with a view to this that it is said that ‘all his acts remain fruitless.’—(234)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 336) along with verse 233;—and in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 95).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu (31.9).—[Reproduces Manu.]

Mahābhārata (12.103.12).—(Same as Manu, but reading ‘lokāḥ’ for ‘dharmaḥ.’)