Verse 3.225

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

उभयोर्हस्तयोर्मुक्तं यदन्नमुपनीयते ।
तद् विप्रलुम्पन्त्यसुराः सहसा दुष्टचेतसः ॥ २२५ ॥

ubhayorhastayormuktaṃ yadannamupanīyate |
tad vipralumpantyasurāḥ sahasā duṣṭacetasaḥ || 225 ||

The wicked-minded demons forcibly destroy that food which is abandoned by both hands.—(225)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The food should be fetched and served with both hands, not with one hand, serving also being a kind of fetching; hence, the rule laid down in connection with the latter is applicable to the former also. In support of this, the present verse supplies a commendatory supplement.

That which is ‘abandoned’—not held—‘by both hands,’ such food, when brought up for serving,—the ‘demons destroy’ ‘forcibly,’—‘wicked-minded’—of malevolent nature;—‘demons’ i.e., the enemies of gods.

In ‘ubhayoḥ,’ ‘both,’ the Locative ending denotes location; and ‘abandoned’ means not held. As a matter of fact, case-endings are used even when what is spoken of is the negation of what is denoted by the ending; e.g., we have such expressions as ‘he does not come from the village,’ ‘he does not sit on the seat,’ ‘he does not fast for three dags.’ [Similarly, in the text though negation of holding is mentioned, yet we have the Locative ending denoting location].—(225)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 439);—in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 1368), which explains the meaning as ‘the food that is not brought by both hands is taken away by force’ (‘sahasā’) by the wicked (duṣṭacetasaḥ) ‘Asuras’;—in ‘Śrāddhakriyākaumudī’ (p. 158), which explains ‘ubhayorhastayormuktam’ as ‘(brought) with only one hand’;—and in ‘Gadādharapaddhati’ (Kāla, p. 545).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Vaśiṣṭha (11.22).—‘One shall offer food to the Pitṛs, with both hands; wicked-minded Asuras keep in waiting for the interval between the two hands.’

Maṭysapurāṇa (quoted in Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi-Śrāddha, p. 2370).—‘He shall bring up the food, with both hands, then serve it, with a calm mind, keeping in his hand water and kuśa.’

Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa (quoted in Caturvarga-cintāmaṇi-Śrāddha, p. 2370).—‘Serving shall not be done at the Śrāddha with any article made of iron, nor by one who is without the Pavitra and the kuśa, nor with one hand.’