Verse 4.9

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

षट्कर्मैको भवत्येषां त्रिभिरन्यः प्रवर्तते ।
द्वाभ्यामेकश्चतुर्थस्तु ब्रह्मसत्त्रेण जीवति ॥ ९ ॥

ṣaṭkarmaiko bhavatyeṣāṃ tribhiranyaḥ pravartate |
dvābhyāmekaścaturthastu brahmasattreṇa jīvati || 9 ||

From among these one follows the six occupations; another lives by three; one again with two; while the fourth lives by “Brahmasattra.’—(9)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘From among these’—from among the four kinds of householders, one having a granary full of grains, and so forth,—‘one follows the six occupations;’ i.e., the person with vast responsibilities described above, follows all the six occupations.—“Which are these?”—These arc—(1) gleanings, (2) pickings, (3) earning by begging, (4) earning without begging, (5) agriculture and trade; ‘teaching,’ officiating at sacrifices’ and ‘receiving gifts’ being included under ‘earning by begging, and without begging.’ The man with a large family should have recourse to all these occupations, for the due fulfilment of his daily work; in fact he may have recourse to even agriculture and trade.

Some people explain the ‘six occupations’ of the present context as standing for—‘Teaching, studying’ and the rest mentioned in Discourse I (88). But this explanation is in-compatible with the context [since Study, offering of sacrifices and making gifts can nut be ‘means of livelihood’]; and further, there would be no point in prescribing study and the rest here, they having been already enjoined elsewhere (in 1.88 and in 10.75).

‘Another’—the second, who possesses a jar full of corns—‘lives by three;’ the prefix ‘pra’ in ‘pravartate’ is superfluous; ‘pravartate’ standing for ‘vartate.’ Any three occupations of those mentioned are meant here,—with the exception of Agriculture and Trade.

The person possessing only a jar full of corns is more commendable than the former. Since it is going to be declared later on that—‘this means of living has been deprecated by the good;’ this with reference to the ‘tending of cattle, trade,’ and so forth (8.102). Gautama has mentioned (10.5-6)

‘Agriculture and Trade, not carried on by oneself, and money-lending’ as permissible in normal times. But even when one carries on trade and agriculture, not by oneself, but through others,—there is something improper in this also; though the impropriety may be a small one.

‘One lives with two.’—Here also, leaving off ‘earning by begging,’ any two of the six may be adopted. The acquiring of wealth without begging also is permissible only to the extent of what may suffice for three days.

‘The fourth lives by Brahmasattra.’—‘Brahmasattra’ stands for either one of the two, ‘picking’ and ‘gleaning.’ These means of living are called ‘sattra’ (Sacrificial Session), because they are carried on continuously and are not to be finished on any one day. For this reason they are called ‘sattra,’ specially as they have to be carried on every day. The term ‘brahma’ is synonymous with ‘Brāhmaṇas;’ the meaning being that this is a sacrifical session for Brāhmaṇas. From the use of this term ‘brahma’ here, it follows that all that has been said before this regarding the means of living, pertains to ‘Brāhmaṇas;’ those pertaining to the Kṣatriya and others will be described on various occasions.

Question—“How can any living be possible by pickings and gleanings alone? since it is only during the autumn and the summer that it is possible for ears of corns to fall either in fields or in harvest-yards, it might be said that ‘the man would earn summer-grains from the summer-harvests, and the autumnal grains from the autumnal harvests.’ But in this way the man would have to collect grains lasting for six months; and he could never be ‘one who does not possess enough for the morrow.’ It might be argued that—‘it would be possible for the man to pick and glean grains that may have fallen here and there (even apart from harvesting).’ This is true; but the grain collected in this fashion could never suffice for feeding.—‘When the man is picking and gleaning, just as he will have collected enough, he will eat; it being impossible for him to make a collection for five or more days. In the Mahābhārata, the person who eats at the end of a fortnight has been called ‘one who lives by pickings and gleanings which means that, under such circumstances, the Householder has become the Hermit.’—But even so, this would be incompatible with the character of ‘one who does not possess enough for the morrow;’ as, under the circumstances mentioned, the man would be ‘one who lives upon whatever he obtains,’ and not‘ one who does not possess enough for the morrow.’ That man is called ‘one who does not possess enough for the morrow,’ who earns everyday just enough for the day, and spends it all on the same day, and does not keep anything for the next day. If the daily ‘picking and gleaning’ does not suffice for his daily feeding, how could he be ‘one who does not possess enough for the morrow?’ How could such a person live and maintain his wife and children?”

It is in view of these difficulties that some people offer another explanation of the Text beginning with the words ‘another lives by three’:—‘By three’—i.e., by officiating at sacrifices, by teaching and by receiving gifts.—‘By two’—i.e., by officiating at sacrifices and by teaching; the ‘receiving of gifts’ being precluded in view of what is said (in 10.109) regarding ‘the receiving of gifts being demeaning.’—‘Brahma - sattra’ is teaching; and this would be enough for a living. The person described (in 4.10) as ‘one who lives by picking and gleaning, etc.,’ must be different from the four described in the present text.

On this point, we offer the following explanation:—‘The person living by picking’ is one who obtains from several persons—taking ten or twelve barley grains from each—just enough to serve for the day; while one who obtains from each person enough for the day is called ‘one living by gleanings.’ In another Smṛti text, this means of living has been called ‘Yāyāvara.’ in view of this, such livelihood may pertain to all time. Nor would there be any incompatibility between the performance of the Vaiśvadeva and other rites and the maintaining of wife and children; as for purposes of the former, a very small quantity would be taken out of the alms obtained.—(9)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Ṣaṭkarma’—Medhātithi is again misrepresented by Buhler. (See Translation); the ‘six’ described by him are (1) ‘uñcha,’ (2) ‘śila,’ (3) ‘ayācitalābha,’ (4) ‘yācitalābha,’ (5) ‘kṛṣi’ and (6) ‘vāṇijya’; and he adds that ‘Teaching, sacrificing for others and receiving gifts’ are included under ‘yācita-ayācitalābha’—they are those mentioned in verses 5 and 6, according to Govindarāja, which agrees with Medhātithi;—those mentioned in 5 and 6, excepting ‘service’ and substituting in its place ‘money-lending,’ according to Kullūka and Rāghavānanda;—according to Nārāyaṇa, those mentioned in verses 5 and 6, and also those enumerated in 1.88;—those mentioned in 1. 88, according to Nandana, which explanation Medhātithi notes and rejects.

‘Tribhiḥ’—Here also Buhler misrepresents Medhātithi; Medhātithi does not restrict ‘three’ to the ‘first three mentioned in verses 5-6’; what he clearly says is ‘any three out of those mentioned excepting agriculture and trade’;—‘teaching, sacrificing and accepting gifts’ (Govindarāja, Kullūka, Rāghavānanda and Nandana);—‘teaching, sacrificing and accepting gifts, as also the first three mentioned in verses 5-6’ (Nārāyaṇa).

‘Dvābhyām’—Here also what Medhātithi says is—any two out of the three just recommended, excepting gifts received for asking—and not ‘gleaning and accepting voluntary gifts’ as stated by Buhler;—‘sacrificing and teaching’ (Govindarāja Kullūka, Rāghavānanda and Nandana);—‘gleaning ears and single grains’ (Nārāyaṇa).

‘Brahmasattra’—‘Any one of the two, gleaning ears and gleaning single grains’ (Medhātithi and Nārāyaṇa);—‘teaching’ (Govindarāja, Kullūka, Rāghavānanda and Nandana).

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 169), which adds the following notes:—‘ṣaṭkarma’ stands for the six occupations of sacrificing for others, offering sacrifices and the rest, that have been recommended for the Brāhmaṇa; and these are referred to for the purpose of prescribing the three occupations of receiving gifts and the rest;—‘tribhiranyaḥ’—i. e., for the ‘kumbhīdhānya’ also the three occupations are enjoined;—‘dvābhyām ekaḥ’,—this permits sacrificing and teaching for the Tryahaihika,—the receiving of gifts being forbidden, as they may come from evil persons;—the fourth, ‘Aśvastana’ should live by ‘Brahmasattra’, i. e., teaching alone. Thus it follows that the ‘Kusūladhānya’ and the rest are meant for the Brāhmaṇa only; as the receiving of gifts and the rest are not possible for any other caste.

Mitākṣarā (on 1.128) quotes the verse in support of the view that the first refers to ‘sacrificing, teaching, receiving gifts, agriculture, trade and cattle-tending,’—the second to ‘sacrificing, teaching and receiving gifts,’—the third to ‘sacrificing and teaching’ and the fourth to ‘teaching’ only.

The verse is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 216), which provides an explanation more in keeping with Medhātithi’s:—The Kusūladhyāna has six occupations,—viz. uñcha, śila, ayācita, yācita, kṛṣi and vāṇijya;—the other, ‘Kumbhīdhānya’ lives by three—i.e., uñcha, śila and ayācita;—the ‘Tryahaihika’ by two—i.e., uñcha and śila;—and ‘Aśvastanika’ by the ‘Brahmasattra’ i.e., by the u ñ cha alone, which leads him to the ‘regions of Brahman, and as such is equal to the Sattra sacrifice.’

The verse is quoted also in Vidhānapārijāta (II. p. 247), which explains the ‘six occupations’ to be ‘sacrificing, teaching, receiving gifts, agriculture, trade and cattle-tending;—and in Saṃskāramayūkha (p. 131), which explains the meaning as follows:—Some people live by the six means—officiating at sacrifices, teaching, receiving gifts, agriculture, trade and cattle-tending;—others by three only viz., receiving gifts, teaching and officiating at sacrifices; others by two only i.e., by officiating at sacrifices and teaching; and others again by one only, teaching; among these each succeeding one is superior to the preceeding ones.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Mahābhārata (12.244.4).—[Practically the same as Manu—‘Ṣaṭkarmā vartayatyeko tribhiranyaḥ pravartate dvābhyamekaścaturthastu brahmasattre vyavasthitaḥ.’]