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:

नैकः सुप्यात्शून्यगेहे न श्रेयांसं प्रबोधयेत् ।
नोदक्ययाऽभिभाषेत यज्ञं गच्छेन्न चावृतः ॥ ५७ ॥

naikaḥ supyātśūnyagehe na śreyāṃsaṃ prabodhayet |
nodakyayā'bhibhāṣeta yajñaṃ gacchenna cāvṛtaḥ || 57 ||

Alone he shall not sleep in a deserted house. He shall not offer advice to his superior. He shall not converse with a woman in her courses. He shall not go to a sacrifice uninvited.—(57).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Deserted house’—i.e., one in which no one lives.

His superior.’—One who is inferior, in occupation (learning, wealth, &c.), shall not address to his superior such words of advice as ‘this is proper for you,’ ‘that is improper,’ and so forth, accompanied by a statement of reasons and arguments.

Udakī’—a woman in her courses;—with her he shall carry on no conversation.

He shall not go uninvited to a sacrifice,’—i.e., to a place where a sacrifice is being performed. Gautama has said—‘For merely seeing it, he may go, if he desires’ (9-55); hence the present prohibition pertains to such things as eating and the like at sacrifices, without invitation.—(57).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Saṃskāramayūkha (p. 71), which explains ‘avṛtah’ as ‘without invitation from the sacrificer’, he should not go to a sacrifice, with the purpose of getting something; there is nothing wrong in merely going to see the performance, as distinctly stated by Gautama.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (9.54-55).—‘Uninvited, he shall not go to a sacrifice; but only for seeing it he may go, if he desires.’

Vaśiṣṭha (12.39.40).—‘Uninvited, he shall not go to a sacrifice; in case he does go, he shall turn back in such a manner as to leave it on his right.’

Viṣṇu (70.13).—‘He shall not sleep either in the cremation-ground, or in an empty temple or in an empty house.’

Do. (71.56.58).—‘He shall not arouse a sleeping man; he shall not converse with a woman in her courses.’

Yājñavalkya (1.137).—‘He shall not drink water with joined hands; he shall not arouse a sleeping man.’

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: