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:

तान् प्रजापतिराहैत्य मा कृध्वं विषमं समम् ।
श्रद्धापूतं वदान्यस्य हतमश्रद्धयेतरत् ॥ २२५ ॥

tān prajāpatirāhaitya mā kṛdhvaṃ viṣamaṃ samam |
śraddhāpūtaṃ vadānyasya hatamaśraddhayetarat || 225 ||

Thereupon Prajāpati came to them and said—“Do not make the unequal equal: what belongs to the liberal man is purified by faith, while the other is defiled by want of faith.—(225)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Prajāpati, having approached, said to the gods —‘Do not in this way, make the unequal eaual’—i.e., do not establish any such improper equalisation.

Then the gods asked—‘Who there is, then, the superior between the two persons?’

Then Prajāpati answered—‘The food that belongs to the liberal-minded usurer, who is endowed with faith, is purified by faith, while the other food, that belongs to the Vedic scholar, is censured, condemned, by his act (faithlessness).’

This dialogue between Prajāpati and the gods is purely imaginary; all that is meant is that ‘one shall not eat food offered by a person, who, though otherwise qualified, is devoid of faith, while that belonging to the Śūdra shall be eaten, if it is offered with due respect.’—(225)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(verses 4.224-225)

See Explanatory notes for Verse 4.224.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 4.224-225)

See Comparative notes for Verse 4.224.

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