Verse 5.41-42

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

मधुपर्के च यज्ञे च पितृदैवतकर्मणि ।
अत्रैव पशवो हिंस्या नान्यत्रैत्यब्रवीन् मनुः ॥ ४१ ॥
एष्वर्थेषु पशून् हिंसन् वेदतत्त्वार्थविद् द्विजः ।
आत्मानं च पशुं चैव गमयत्युत्तमं गतिम् ॥ ४२ ॥

madhuparke ca yajñe ca pitṛdaivatakarmaṇi |
atraiva paśavo hiṃsyā nānyatraityabravīn manuḥ || 41 ||
eṣvartheṣu paśūn hiṃsan vedatattvārthavid dvijaḥ |
ātmānaṃ ca paśuṃ caiva gamayatyuttamaṃ gatim || 42 ||

At the Madhuparka offering, at sacrifices, and at the rites in honour of the Pitṛs,—at these alone should animals be killed, and nowhere else: thus has Manu declared—(41)

The twice-born person, knowing the real import of the Veda, killing animals on these occasions, carries himself and the animal to the most excellent state.—(42).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The present text sums up in brief those occasions on which the killing of animals is sanctioned by the scriptures.

‘Madhuparka’— has been already described. At this the killing of the calf has been enjoined.

‘Sacrifice’—such as the Jyotiṣṭoma and the like; the eleventh stage of which consists of the animal-sacrifice; as also the Paśubandha, at which the sacrificing of the animal forms a sacrifice by itself.

‘Rites in honour of the Pitṛs,’—i.e., those of which the Pitṛs are the ‘deities’; what are meant are the Aṣṭaka and other offerings of the kind, and not Śrāddhas; because these latter are laid down as to be performed with cooked meat, (for which the meat could be obtained otherwise than by actually killing the animal at the rite itself): and in connection with this the killing of animals has not been enjoined; nor will it be right to regard this (injunction regarding the offering of cooked meat) as implying the killing of animals: because the original injunction of the Śrāddha does not lay clown such killing. Further, the present verse also does not clearly enjoin it: specially as what is here mentioned is capable of being taken as pertaining to the Aṣṭaka offerings. If the present verse were an injunction, it would involve the necessity of seeking for its basis (in some Vedic text): while, as we shall explain later on, it is capable of being construed as supplementary to another Injunction.

Some people explain the term ‘pitṛdaivatakarma’ as standing for the rites performed in honour of the gods and the Pitṛs i.e., the Great Sacrifices (daily).

Animals are to be killed by Brāhmaṇas for the ‘support of their dependents,’ and the killing of animals is also permitted at times of distress, when life may be in danger—(41-42).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(verse 5.41)

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 154), as setting aside the view that ‘the offering of Madhuparka does not necessarily involve the killing of the animal’;—in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 538).

(verse 5.42)

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 531).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verse 5.41)

Viṣṇu (51.64).—(Same as Manu.)

Vaśiṣṭha (4.6).—(Same as Manu.)

Śāṅkhāyuna-Gṛhyusūtra (2.16.1).—(Same as Manu.)

(verse 5.42-46)

Viṣṇu (51.65-69).—(Same as Manu.)