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:

नात्मानमवमन्येत पुर्वाभिरसमृद्धिभिः ।
आ मृत्योः श्रियमन्विच्छेन्नैनां मन्येत दुर्लभाम् ॥ १३७ ॥

nātmānamavamanyeta purvābhirasamṛddhibhiḥ |
ā mṛtyoḥ śriyamanvicchennaināṃ manyeta durlabhām || 137 ||

He shall not despise himself by reason of former failures. Until death, he should seek fortune, and he should never think her unattainable.—(137)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Failure’—non-acquisition of wealth, by agriculture and such other means.

He shall not despise himself,’—regarding himself as ‘unfortunate,’ as a ‘sinner, ‘I have not obtained wealth at this time, at what time shall I obtain it?’—He shall not ponder, in this fashion, over his failure.

Until death, he should seek fortune;’—i.e., to his very last breath, he should not renounce the desire for acquiring wealth.

He should not reyard her as unattainable.’—Having formed the determination, ‘My attempt shall surely succeed,’ he shall not mind the evil aspects of planets or other disheartening circumstances, and shall proceed to take steps to earn wealth. In this connection, there is a saying—‘It is only persons devoid of manly courage that seek to examine the aspect of planets; there is nothing unattainable for such persons as are endowed with courage and energy.’

What is meant by this is as follows:—He who broods in the following manner—‘I am in a sorry plight, I can obtain wealth, with difficulty, I am not entitled to the setting up of Fire and other rites, and therefore I am freed from the necessity of undergoing the trouble of performing the Agnihotra and other rites’—does not think rightly; consequently, one shall always try to acquire wealth.—(137)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Cf. 9. 300.

The first half of this verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 194).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu (71.26).—‘He shall not despise himself, if he desires to live a long life.’

Yājñavalkya (1.153).—‘Until death should he seek fortune, and he shall not touch any one in his vitals.’

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