Verse 5.80

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

श्रोत्रिये तूपसम्पन्ने त्रिरात्रमशुचिर्भवेत् ।
मातुले पक्षिणीं रात्रिं शिष्यर्त्विग्बान्धवेषु च ॥ ८० ॥

śrotriye tūpasampanne trirātramaśucirbhavet |
mātule pakṣiṇīṃ rātriṃ śiṣyartvigbāndhaveṣu ca || 80 ||

In the case of a learned companion, one shall remain impure for three days; in the case of a maternal uncle, a pupil, an officiating priest and relation, for a night along with the two days (preceding and following it).—(80).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Learned’—Who has studied the Vedic text.

‘Companion’—who, through friendship, has been living with one. Or ‘upasampanna’ may mean endowed with good character.

What has been said before (Verse 70) regarding the case of ‘fellow-students’ pertains to those who have not yet got up the entire Veda.

In lexicons the term ‘upasampanna’ appears as a synonym for ‘dead’; but in view of the long period of impurity laid down (which would not be compatible with the case of a stranger), the former explanation is the better of the two.

Others construe the text otherwise—explaining it to mean that ‘the impurity lasts for three clays in the case of the learned maternal uncle’ and ‘for a night along with the two days in the case of the pupil, etc.’

The term ‘relation’ stands for the wife’s brother, the son of the maternal aunt and so forth.

When we connect the ‘maternal uncle’ with^‘the night along with the two days’,—then, since this period would be already applicable to the case of the maternal uncle by reason of his being a ‘relation’, the separate mention of him should he taken as making the rule compulsory in his case; and this would mean that in the case of other relations, it would be discretionary.—(80)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 81 of others.)

‘Upasampanne’—(a) ‘who lives with one out of friendship or on business’ or (b) ‘endowed with good character’ (Medhātithi);—(c) ‘neighbour’ (Nārāyaṇa);—(d) ‘dead’ (suggested but rejected by Medhātithi).

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 3.24), which adds the following notes:—‘Upasampanna’ means either ‘related by friendship or neighbourliness’ or ‘possessed of good character’;—the ‘mātula’ includes the maternal cousin and other relations of that kind, and the ‘bāndhava’ stands for one’s own ‘bāndhava’ as also those of his father and mother;—in Nityācārapradīpa (p. 129), which explains ‘npasampanna’ as ‘living in one’s own house’, i.e., if a Vedic scholar living in one’s house happens to die etc.

It is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 610), which explains ‘Śrotriya’ as standing for one who has learnt the same rescensional text as the person himself,—‘Upasampanna’ as one who is endowed with friendliness or neighbourliness;—in Madanapārijāta (p. 431), as laying down the rule relating to the case of the highly qualified Śrotriya, or such near relations as the maternal uncle and the like; it explains ‘upasampanna’ as one endowed with friendliness or with good qualities;—and in Hāralatā (p. 76), which adds the explanation:—‘on the death of a Vedic Scholar belonging to another family in one’s own house,—or on that of a Vedic Scholar who is a near neighbour (‘upasampanna’) etc.’—and in the case of the mother’s uterine brother, if the death takes place in another place, the impurity lasts for two days and one night,—‘Śiṣya’, one who, though initiated by some one else, has learnt, from one a portion of the Veda, or the subsidiary sciences—in this case also the impurity lasts for two days and one night,—‘ṛtvik’ one who has officiated at one’s sacrifices,—‘bāndhava’, blood relation.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (14.20, 22).—‘The impurity lasts for a night along with the preceding and following days, on the death of a relative who is not a Sapiṇḍa, or a relative by marriage, or a fellow-student; for one day, on the death of a Śrotriya dwelling in the same house.’

Baudhāyana (1.11-29, 30).—‘For three days, on the death of an officiating priest; of a pupil, of one who has the same spiritual guide, of a fellow-student, three days, one day and night, one day and so forth.’

Viṣṇu (22.44).—‘he becomes pure in one day, on the death of the wife or son of his Teacher, or on that of his Subteacher, or his maternal uncle, or his father-in-law, or a brother-in-law, or a fellow-student, or a pupil.’

Yājñavalkya (3.24).—‘For one day, on the death of the guru, a pupil, an Exponent, a maternal uncle, or a Vedic scholar.’

Pracetas (Parāśaramādhava, p. 610).—‘On the death of the mother’s sister, the maternal uncle, the father-in-law, the mother-in-law, the guru, the officiating priest and the person for whom one officiates,—purification is obtained in three days.’