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...

Verse 4.232

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

यानशय्याप्रदो भार्यामैश्वर्यमभयप्रदः ।
धान्यदः शाश्वतं सौख्यं ब्रह्मदो ब्रह्मसार्ष्टिताम् ॥ २३२ ॥

yānaśayyāprado bhāryāmaiśvaryamabhayapradaḥ |
dhānyadaḥ śāśvataṃ saukhyaṃ brahmado brahmasārṣṭitām || 232 ||

The giver or carriage and couch obtains a wife, the giver of fearlessness sovereignty, the giver of grains eternal happiness, and the giver of the Veda equality with Brahman.—(232)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Sovereignly,’— the position of the master, lordship,

Happiness’—being happy.

Grains’—such as Vrīhi, Māṣa, Mudga, and so forth. In connection with the giving of sesamum, another result has been described.

Brahman’ means Veda; ‘ṛṣṭi’ is condition;—‘sāṛṣṭi’ is one who has the same condition;—the change of ‘samāna’ into ‘sa’ being the Vedic form;—‘ṛṣṭi’ is derived from the root ‘ṛṣi,’ to ‘go;’—or ‘sāṛṣṭi’ may mean the character of acting. In another case, the meaning is that he obtains ‘equality’ with—the same condition of existence as—Brahman.—(232)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 177);—in Aparārka (p. 386);—in Smṛtitattva (II, p. 364);—in Hemādri (Dāna, p. 152), which explains ‘brahmasārṣṭitām’ as the ‘condition of a Brāhmaṇa’;—and in Dānakriyākaumudī (p. 66).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu (92.19.22, 27).—‘By the giving of grains, satisfaction and good luck; by the giving of a couch, a wife.’

Yājñavalkya (2.211).—‘By giving away a house, grains, fearlessness, shoes, umbrellas, garlands, unguents, conveyances, trees, highly desirable objects (like spiritual merit) and conches,—one becomes extremely happy.’

Vaśiṣṭha (29.12).—‘By the giving of couches and seats one obtains sovereignty over his inner apartments.’

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