Verse 3.188

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

निमन्त्रितो द्विजः पित्र्ये नियतात्मा भवेत् सदा ।
न च छन्दांस्यधीयीत यस्य श्राद्धं च तद् भवेत् ॥ १८८ ॥

nimantrito dvijaḥ pitrye niyatātmā bhavet sadā |
na ca chandāṃsyadhīyīta yasya śrāddhaṃ ca tad bhavet || 188 ||

The brāhmaṇa invited at a rite in honor of Pitṛs shall remain self-controlled and shall not recite the Veda; so also the man who performs the śrāddha.—(188)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

One invited ‘at a rite in honour of Pitṛs’—i.e., a t a śrāddha—‘shall remain self controlled;’ i.e., with his mind under control, he shall maintain continence and keep up also the other restraints and observances—such as the observances of the ‘Snātaka,’ and so forth. The avoidance of dancing, music, etc., which are the observances to be kept up by men, has been prescribed as part and parcel of religions rites; hence the performer of the śrāddha shall so arrange things that the invited Brāhamaṇa, from the moment he has been invited, shall keep control over his sense-organs; otherwise the śrāddha would become defective.

‘He shall not recite the Veda;’—what is prohibited is the reciting of the texts of the Veda; the mere repeating of mantras during the evening and morning prayers is not prohibited.

‘Also the man who performs the Śrāddha’—i.e., at the rite that one performs in honour of the Pitṛs, one should, like the invitee, remain self-controlled; the construction is—‘So the man also...... shall remain self-controlled.’ The meaning is, that the rule regarding self-control and avoiding of Veda-reciting applies alike to the inviter and the invitee, from the moment of invitation onwards.—(188)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 456);—and in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 1014), which adds the following notes:—The Brāhmaṇa invited at Śrāddha should keep himself self-controlled, i.e., should keep himself free from sexual intercourse and also keep the other restrictions; Medhātithi

says that the obeservances laid down for the Accomplished Student, the avoidance of dancing and music, &c. are all meant to be kept; the meaning is that the inviter should see to it that the invited keeps these restrictions:—‘Chandāṃsi’ Vedas;—‘adhīyīta’, ‘utter the words of the Veda’; the Japa of texts is not prohibited:—the performer of the Śrāddha himself also is to observe these restrictions; the role is meant for both the inviter and the invited.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (15.23).—‘Therefore on that day, he shall live like a religious student,’

Yājñavalkya (1.225).—‘They shall remain under self-restraint, with mind, speech and acts duly controlled.’

Prajāpati (93).—‘The Brāhmaṇa invited at the Śrāddha should avoid association with women on the previous day and on the next day; as also the second meal.’

Likhita (60).—‘One who has eaten at the Śrāddha shall avoid eight things: the second meal, journeying, carrying loads, study, sexual intercourse, making and receiving gifts, and offering of oblations into fire.’

Devala (Aparārka, p. 457).—‘Having been previously invited, if the Brāhmaṇa accept a gift, or if he eat at the Śrāddha after having taken his food, then all his merit becomes destroyed.’