Verse 2.247

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

आचार्ये तु खलु प्रेते गुरुपुत्रे गुणान्विते ।
गुरुदारे सपिण्डे वा गुरुवद् वृत्तिमाचरेत् ॥ २४७ ॥

ācārye tu khalu prete guruputre guṇānvite |
gurudāre sapiṇḍe vā guruvad vṛttimācaret || 247 ||

The Preceptor having died, he should serve, in the same manner as the Preceptor, the qualified son of the Preceptor, or the Preceptor’s wife, or his Sapiṇḍa.—(247)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

This injunction is meant for the Life-long Student.

In the absence of the Preceptor, he should continue to live in residence, either with the Preceptor’s son, who is endowed with Vedic learning and other qualities, or with the Preceptor’s widow, or with the Preceptor’s ‘Sapiṇḍa’; and towards each of these he should behave as towards his Preceptor; i.e., he should present to him the food he obtains as alms, and so forth.

The term ‘dārā,’ denoting, has been regarded by grammarians as always used with the plural ending; but writers on Smṛti use the singular form also; e.g., ‘Dharmaprajā- sampanne dāre nānyām kurvīta’ (Āpaṣṭamba, 2.11.13).—(247)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Sapiṇḍe’.—The ‘Sapiṇḍa’ is defined below in 5.60.

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 458) as laying down the duties of the life-long Student;—in Madanapārijāta (p. 109) in support of the view that in the absence of the Teacher’s wife, the Student should take up ‘residence’ with the Teacher’s Sapiṇḍa, and in the absence of this latter also, he should betake himself to the ‘tending of Fire’;—in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 549) to the effect that ‘residence with Fire’ is to be taken up only in the absence of the Teacher’s Sapiṇḍa;—in Vidhānapārijāta (p. 504), along with the following verse;—in Hāralatā (p. 76) as referring to the ‘Life-long Student’;—and in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 167), which says that this refers to cases where no Sapiṇḍa is available.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (3. 7).—‘In the absence of the teacher, service should be rendered to bis offspring.’

Viṣṇu (28. 44, 45).—‘On the death of the teacher, one should reside with his son, as with the teacher himself:—or with the teacher’s wife, or with others of the same caste.’

Yājñavalkya (1. 49).—‘In the absence of the teacher, he shall reside either with his son, or with his wife or with his fire.’