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...

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

रूपसत्त्वगुणोपेता धनवन्तो यशस्विनः ।
पर्याप्तभोगा धर्मिष्ठा जीवन्ति च शतं समाः ॥ ४० ॥

rūpasattvaguṇopetā dhanavanto yaśasvinaḥ |
paryāptabhogā dharmiṣṭhā jīvanti ca śataṃ samāḥ || 40 ||

Endowed with beauty and the quality of goodness, possessing wealth, and fame, with full enjoyment and righteous, they live for a hundred years.—(40)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Beauty’—pleasing form.

Qualify of Goodness’—which is going to be described in Discourse XII.

Endowed with’ these—i.e., possessing these two.

Possessing wealth’—Wealthy.

Possessing fame’—Well-known as possessing the qualities of learning, bravery, and so forth.

With full enjoyment’—i.e., supplied with sufficient quantities of such means of enjoyment as garlands, sandal-paint, music, vocal and instrumental, and so forth.

Enjoyment’ stands for non-separation from the above-mentioned means of enjoyment; and those for whom this is ‘full’—not deficient, complete—are said to be ‘with full enjoyment.’

Righteous,’ ‘dharmiṣṭha’—i.e., engaged in the performance of righteous acts. The term ‘dharma,’ according to Some, is an adjective; and hence it has taken the superlative affix (‘iṣṭha’).

They live for a hundred years’—(40)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Rūpasattvaguṇopetāḥ’—‘Endowed with beauty and the quality of goodness’ (Medhātithi);—‘Endowed with beauty, goodness and other qualities’ (Govindarāja and Kullūka).

This is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 865);—in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 488);—in Aparārka (p. 115);—in Hemādri (Dāna, p. 683);—and in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 230).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.39-42)

See Comparative notes for Verse 3.39.

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: