Verse 4.203

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

नदीषु देवखातेषु तडागेषु सरःसु च ।
स्नानं समाचरेन्नित्यं गर्तप्रस्रवणेषु च ॥ २०३ ॥

nadīṣu devakhāteṣu taḍāgeṣu saraḥsu ca |
snānaṃ samācarennityaṃ gartaprasravaṇeṣu ca || 203 ||

He shall always bathe in rivers and in tanks and lakes dug by the gods; as also in water-holes and springs.—(203)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

As a matter of fact, all rivers are ‘dug by the gods;’ hence they cannot be both, which would necessitate the differentiation connoted by the epithet; hence the gender of the epithet should be that of the things qualified by it. As for tanks, etc., these are ‘dug by gods’ as well as ‘dug by men. (Hence, in their case, the differentiation is necessary). As a matter of fact, these are never actually dug by the gods; all. that is meant to be indicated by the epithet, therefore, is their largeness and importance, due to the fact that people do not remember who dug them.—(203)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Garta’—‘Pits’ (Govindarāja and Nārāyaṇa);—‘a small brook whose course does not extend beyond a thousand Dhanuṣ, i.e., 2,000 yards’ (Kullūka).

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 234), which, in explaining the word ‘garta’, quotes from Kātyāyana to the effect that water-streams that do not run beyond 2004 yards are called ‘garta’. This same text is quoted by Kullūka as from Chandoga-pariśiṣṭa. [Buhler wrongly puts down this name as ‘Chandogya-priśiṣṭa’]. —‘Prasravaṇa’—is a small water-spring running down from hills.

It is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 1.159), which adds that this rule refers to the daily compulsory bath;—in Kālaviveka (p. 330);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 181), which adds the following notes:—‘Nadī’ should be taken as standing for such streams as never dry up; bathing in small streams which dry up being forbidden;—‘devakhāta’ is that which is known as ‘dug by the gods’;—‘taḍāga’ is an artificial water-reservoir, which is larger than 1,000 square yards;—while ‘Saras’ is smaller than the ‘Taḍāga’ but larger than 500 square yards; such is the explanation given by Hemādri. According to Kalpataru on the other hand, the ‘devakhāta taḍāga’ is such tank as is known to be connected with gods, at the Puṣkara lake (near Ajmer), and the ‘Saras’ is a small stream;—the ‘Garta’ is that which has been defined as running upto 2,004 yards;—and ‘Prasravaṇa’ is the water-fall.

It is quoted in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 867), which has the following notes:—‘Nadī’ means a flowing current of water which never dries up completely, bathing in streams that dry up during summer being forbidden—‘devakhāta’, such ditches and pools as are known to have been ‘dug by the gods’,—‘taḍāga’, an artificial, water-reservoir which is over 1,000 and less than 2,000 cubits in size; and ‘Saraḥ’ is a tank which is over 1,000 cubits in size but smaller than a Taḍāga; ‘Garta’ is the name given to that reservoir of water whence water does not flow out, and which covers ground 8,000 ‘bow-lengths’ in size; and ‘Prasravaṇa’ is the water-fall, water flowing down a mountain-side.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu (64.16).—‘He shall bathe in springs, in ponds dug by the gods and in lakes.’

Yājñavalkya (1.159).—‘He shall bathe in rivers, in ponds dug by the gods and in springs.’

Mārkaṇḍeya (Aparārka, p. 235).—‘Than water pulled out of the well, the water on the ground is more sacred; and more so is the water of a waterfall; better than that is lake-water; purer than that is river-water; purer than that is the water of a Tīrtha; and the water of the Gaṅgā is the most sacred of all.’

Yājñavalkya (Do.).—‘When a larger water is available one shall not bathe in the smaller one; nor in an artificial one, where there is a river.’