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 5.48
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
नाकृत्वा प्राणिनां हिंसां मांसमुत्पद्यते क्व चित् ।
न च प्राणिवधः स्वर्ग्यस्तस्मान् मांसं विवर्जयेत् ॥ ४८ ॥nākṛtvā prāṇināṃ hiṃsāṃ māṃsamutpadyate kva cit |
Meat is never obtained without having encompassed the killing of animals; and the killing of animals does not lead to heaven; hence one should avoid meat.—(48)
na ca prāṇivadhaḥ svargyastasmān māṃsaṃ vivarjayet || 48 ||
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
This verse show’s that all the verses forbidding the killing of animals are auxiliary to the prohibition of meat-eating.
As a matter of fact, until animals have been killed, meat cannot be obtained; and killing is very painful. Hence one should avoid meat.
“Meat can be obtained from animals that die of themselves; how is it then that it is said that it cannot be obtained without encompassing the death of animals?”
The verse is a purely commendatory exaggeration. Further, there can be no idea of any one eating the meat of animals dying of themselves, for the simple reason that such meat is the source of disease. Meat is never eaten without being offered, and what is a source of disease can never be offered as gift.
‘Utpadyate’;—the meat is brought about by killing; hence the nominative of hilling and of obtaining may be regarded as one and the same; so that there is nothing incongruous in the expression ‘nākṛtvā utpadyate’. Or, ‘utpadyate’ may be construed along with ‘does not lead to Heaven.’ What is meant is, not only that it does not lead to heaven, but also that it leads to hell and other evils.—(48)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
(verses 5.48-49)
These verses are quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 719), which adds that the prohibition contained here pertains to the eating of meat obtained by such killing of animals as is prohibited,—and not to that of meat obtained by purchase; and this on the ground that it is prefaced by the deprecating of the act of killing.
Verse 48 only is quoted in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 279).