Verse 3.13

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

शूद्रैव भार्या शूद्रस्य सा च स्वा च विशः स्मृते ।
ते च स्वा चैव राज्ञश्च ताश्च स्वा चाग्रजन्मनः ॥ १३ ॥

śūdraiva bhāryā śūdrasya sā ca svā ca viśaḥ smṛte |
te ca svā caiva rājñaśca tāśca svā cāgrajanmanaḥ || 13 ||

For the Śūdra, the Śūdra girl. alone has been ordained to be the wife; for the Vaiśya, she as also the girl of his own caste; for the Kṣatriya, those two as also the girl of his own caste; and for the Brāhmaṇa those three as also the girl of his own caste—(13).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

There being a distinction of castes, ‘one’s own caste’ constitutes the (upward) limit. Just as for the Brāhmaṇa, there are Kṣatriya and other wives, so it would seem as if for the Śūdra also there would be wives belonging to the lower orders of ‘washer-woman and carpenter.’ In order to preclude this possibility, the text lays down the restriction that the Śūdra can have a wife from his own caste only. A wife of the higher caste is precluded by the qualifying phrase, ‘in due order,’ in the preceding verse.

‘She’—i.e., the Śūdra woman—‘and girl of his own caste’—i.e., the Vaiśya woman—‘for the Vaiśya.’

‘Those two’—the Vaiśya woman and the Śūdra woman,—‘and the girl of his own caste’— ‘for the Kṣatriya.’

Similarly, ‘for the Brāhmaṇa.’

The right order would appear to be that the verse should begin with the ‘Brāhmaṇa,’ but it begins with the ‘Śūdra’ which only goes to lend strength to the aforesaid notion (that a wife of the higher class is not permitted).

In this connection, it has been declared that ‘what is meant by the text is that there should be option in order, and not a combination of all (the several kinds of wives).’—(13)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Hopkins compares this with the Mahābhārata 13, 47. 8.

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 404) as an amplification of what has been declared in the latter half of the preceding verse;—in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 740) along with the preceding verse; and in Aparārka, (p. 88), which adds that what is stated hero is permissible only in the case of people moved by lust, and not of those who are subject to righteousness; so that these are to be regarded as ‘inferior—‘Kramaśaḥ’ (verse 12) in due order, not in any topsy-turvy ‘order—in Smṛtikaumudī (p. 3), which observes that the eva in ‘śūdraiva’ is meant to preclude marriage of the ‘inverse’ order;—i.e., where the bridegroom’s caste is lower than that of the bride;—and in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 206), which adds that this pertains to marriage for pleasure’s sake.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.12-13)

See Comparative notes for Verse 3.12.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.13-19)

Vaśiṣṭha (1. 27).—‘By doing this, degradation of family is certain, and after death, fall from heaven.’

Vaśiṣṭha (14. 5).—‘The Devas eat not in the house of the Brāhmaṇa-husband of a Śūdra wife.’

Yājñavalkya (1. 56).—‘The view that has been held, that the Twice-born may take a Śūdra wife,—this I do not accept; because the man himself is born in his wife.’

Śaṅkha (4. 9).—‘By the twice-born, the Śūdra girl shall not be made a wife, even in times of distress; there is no salvation for him as born of her. Those twice-born persons among whose Sapiṇḍa descendants, a Śūdra-born person comes in,—all become Śūdras themselves, even though they may have attained heaven. For these reasons, he shall always avoid the taking of a Śūdra wife.’

Viṣṇu (26. 26).—(Reproduces Manu 15.)

Viṣṇu (26. 25).—‘For the twice-born person, a Śūdra wife can never serve any religious purpose; she may be taken sometimes only for the purpose of pleasure.’

Viṣṇu (46. 7).—(Reproduces Manu 18)

Baudhāyana (2. 1. 41).—‘Begetting children on a Śūdra wife, etc., etc....... lead to degradation.’

Vṛddha Yama (3. 13).—‘If the Brāhmaṇa, infatuated with pride, marries a low-caste wife, he commits the sin of Brāhmaṇa-killing day after day’ [then it reproduces Manu 19].

Yama (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 750).—‘If the Brāhmaṇa has intercourse with a Śūdra woman, he remains impure for three days; if he begets a child on her, he falls off from Brāhmaṇa-hood.’

Hārīta (Do.).—‘The Brāhmaṇa having recourse to ṭhe Śūdra woman immediately goes downward; if he has a child by her, he becomes fallen.’

Hārīta (Do., p. 751).—‘There is a doubt as to whether or not the Brāhmaṇa becomes degraded by begetting children on wives of lower castes. There can be no such in regard to Kṣatriya or Vaiśya wives. But he who begets a child on the Śūdra certainly becomes degraded.’

Uśanas (Do., p. 751).—‘There may be expiation for the wine-drinker, or even for the Brāhmaṇa-murderer; there is none for one who has begotten a child on a Śūdra wife......... Some people say that the Brāhmaṇa-husband of a Śūdra girl becomes degraded; according to others, he does not become degraded, because of the assertion that the Brāhmaṇa may have four wives in due order of the four castes.’

Bhaviṣya-purāṇa (Do.).—‘Atri became degraded by leading a Śūdra girl to the altar; Utathya became degraded by begetting a son on the Śūdra; Śaunaka became a Śūdra by having a grandson born from a Śūdra; similarly Bhṛgu and others also became degraded.’

Brahma-purāṇa (Do., p. 752).—‘The Brāhmaṇa shall never marry the Kṣatriya, the Vaiśya or the Śūdra girl; but after having married a Brāhmaṇa-girl, he may afterwards marry the others, but only under certain circumstances.’

Mahābhārata (Āśvamedhika-Parāśaramādhava, p. 495).—‘When the semen falls into the womb of the Śūdra woman, it gives out a loud wail of grief saying “I am, fallen into an ordure-pit; this man, blinded by sinful lust, is casting me downwards, may he himself quickly fall down into the lowest state;”—having thus cursed the man, it falls down.’

Mahābhārata (Anuśāsana-Parāśaramādhava, p. 496).—‘The good do not commend the begetting of children on a Śūdra wife; some people have declared that even for purposes of enjoyment, one shall not have recourse to a Śūdra girl.’

Smṛtyantara (Do., p. 496).—‘The marrying of a girl of a different caste......... should be avoided during the Kali age.’