Verse 4.205

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

नाश्रोत्रियतते यज्ञे ग्रामयाजिकृते तथा ।
स्त्रिया क्लीबेन च हुते भुञ्जीत ब्राह्मणः क्व चित् ॥ २०५ ॥

nāśrotriyatate yajñe grāmayājikṛte tathā |
striyā klībena ca hute bhuñjīta brāhmaṇaḥ kva cit || 205 ||

The Brāhmaṇa shall never eat at a sacrifice performed by one who has not learnt the Veda; or at one performed by a village-priest, or at one offered by a woman or a eunuch.—(205).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The preceding verse has closed the section on Positive Duties; now begins the section on prohibitions (Negative Duties).

Among the various acts it is that of eating which is likely to be done at random,—food being what is sought after most; hence the text proceeds with prohibitions regarding the act of eating.

‘Aśrotriya,’ ‘Non-śrotriya,’ is one who has not learnt the Veda; at the sacrifice ‘performed’—undertaken—by him,—or at sacrifice at which the officiating priests are ignorant of the Veda—‘the Brāhmaṇa shall not eat.’

‘Village-priest,’—one who officiates as the priest of the entire village; where such a person, or a woman, offers the sacrifice.

In the Chāndogya, the authors of the Gṛhya -rules have described the performance of sacrifices by women, and it is in view of this that the text forbids eating at such sacrifices. Or, the prohibition may refer to that sacrifice at which the woman is the principal performer; her husband being beset with poverty and other disqualifications, and the woman being proud of the wealth acquired by her as dowry, or of the wealth possessed by her relations.

‘Eunuch’— wanting in masculinity.—(205)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 3.290);—in Madanapārijāta (p. 944);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 494), which explains ‘aśrotriyatate’ as ‘that which is performed by such priests or sacrifices as are devoid of Vedic learning’; this prohibition must mean that one should not eat at such a sacrifice, even after Agniṣomīya-Vapāyāga; as regards the time before this, eating at a sacrifice is already forbidden by the general rule that ‘one should not eat the food belonging to one who has been initiated for a sacrificial performance’;—‘grāmayājin’ is one who performs sacrifices for groups of men; and one should not eat at a sacrifice where such a priest makes the offerings;—nor should one eat at a house where Vaiśvadeva and other offerings have been made by a woman; this must be taken as applying to cases where such priests are available, for where they are not available, even women fire permitted to make the offerings;—‘klība’ is ‘impotent’.

It is quoted in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 770);—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 259), which adds the following notes—‘aśrotrīya’, one who has not learnt the Veda,—‘grāmayājī’, one who officiates as priest at the Śrāddha and other performances by several persons, or performs propitiatory rites for others; one should not go to a sacrifice where such a man happens to be the Hotṛ, priest.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (17.11).—‘He shall keep away from honour at the hands of unequals.’

Āpastamba (1.19.27).—‘The eunuch also.’

Vaśiṣṭha (14.14).—‘He shall not take part in ceremonies performed by one who serves as the priest of many persons, or by one who initiates many persons.’