Verse 4.185

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

छाया स्वो दासवर्गश्च दुहिता कृपणं परम् ।
तस्मादेतैरधिक्षिप्तः सहेतासञ्ज्वरः सदा ॥ १८५ ॥

cāyā svo dāsavargaśca duhitā kṛpaṇaṃ param |
tasmādetairadhikṣiptaḥ sahetāsañjvaraḥ sadā || 185 ||

Slaves are one’s own shadow; the daughter is the highest object of tenderness. For these reasons, when offended by these, he shall always bear it without heat.—(185)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

One’s slaves are one’s own shadow; just as one’s shadow always follows one, and is never an object of resentment, so also are one’s slaves.

‘The daughter is the object of tenderness ’—i.e., sympathy.

‘By these’—aforesaid persons—‘when offended’—attacked, made angry, by harsh words—‘he shall bear it,’—‘asajavaraḥ,’ ‘without heat;’—this ‘absence of heat’ stands for the total absence of any disturbance of the mind or resentment; a man in feverish heat has his mind disturbed, so is also the man under resentment. Or, we may read ‘asañjvaraḥ,’—‘sañjvaraḥ’ being synonymous with ‘santāpa,’ ‘heat’ (according to Amarakośa); and this is prohibited by means of the negative prefix.—(185).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Cf. Aitareya Brāhmaṇa 7.13.

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 574);—and in Vyāvahāra Bālambhaṭṭī (p. 572).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 4.182-185)

See Comparative notes for Verse 4.182.