Verse 5.98 [Means of Purification]

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

विप्रः शुध्यत्यपः स्पृष्ट्वा क्षत्रियो वाहनायुधम् ।
वैश्यः प्रतोदं रश्मीन् वा यष्टिं शूद्रः कृतक्रियः ॥ ९८ ॥

vipraḥ śudhyatyapaḥ spṛṣṭvā kṣatriyo vāhanāyudham |
vaiśyaḥ pratodaṃ raśmīn vā yaṣṭiṃ śūdraḥ kṛtakriyaḥ || 98 ||

The Brāhmaṇa becomes purified by touching water; the Kṣatriya by touching his conveyance and weapons; the vaiśya by touching either the goad or the leading-strings; and the Śūdra by touching the stick,—after he has performed the rite—(98).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

After the completion of the prescribed period of impurity—of ten days, &c.—there is something more that has got to be done.

‘Touching Water’ stands for bathing, as we have already explained before.

‘After he has performed the rite.’—This goes with the Kṣatriya and the other two that follow; and the ‘rite’ meant is only bathing, none other being found to have been prescribed. The meaning thus is that, ‘having bathed, they should touch the conveyance and other things.’

Others however explain the term ‘rite’ as standing for the Śrāddha ceremonies; the meaning being that all become pure after having performed the Śrāddha-ceremonies, but the Brāhmaṇa after he has ‘touched water’, and the Kṣatriya and the rest after touching the conveyance and other things.—(98).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 99 of others.)

‘Apaḥ spṛṣṭvā’.—‘Having touched water; i.e., having bathed’ (Medhātithi, Kullūka and Nārāyaṇa);—‘washed hands’ (Govindarāja).

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 3.29), which adds the following explanation:—‘Kṛtakriyaḥ’ should be construed with each of the four terms, ‘vipraḥ’, ‘kṣattriyaḥ’, ‘vaiśyaḥ’ and ‘śūdraḥ’; the meaning being—‘the Brāhmaṇa, having passed through the period of impurity, having performed the rites, and having bathed, becomes pure by touching water with his hands;’ the term ‘spṛṣṭvā’ is to be taken in its literal sense of touching, and not in that of either bathing or sipping water; as it is only the former that would be compatible with the ‘conveyance and weapons’;—it suggests also another explanation:—‘kṛtakriyaḥ’, ‘after having duly made the offerings of water and other things during the period of impurity, the Brāhmaṇa becomes pure by touching water, this being a substitute for the bathing which is ordained for ending all forms of impurity; and the kṣatriya becomes pure by touching the conveyance and weapons and so forth.’

This verse is quoted in Nirṇayasindhu (p. 427);—in Smṛtitattva (p. 278), which says that “according to Mitākṣarā, ‘kṛtakriyaḥ’ means ‘having bathed at the end of the period of impurity’”—also in II, p. 337 where it refers to the same opinion of Mitākṣarā and quotes Hāralatā as explaining the term to mean ‘having performed the rites of the tenth day;’—in Śuddhikaumudī (p. 154), which explains ‘kṛtakriyaḥ’ as ‘who has finished the rites of the tenth day’;—in Hāralatā (p. 194) which explains ‘kṛtakriyaḥ’ as ‘who has completed the rites of the tenth day’, and ‘apaḥ spṛṣṭvā’ as standing for the mere touching of water, and not for bathing, ‘pratoda’ as ‘what is known as pāñcnī, ‘raśmi’ as the yoking-rope and ‘yaṣṭi’ as the ‘bamboo stick and so forth’;—and in Smṛtisāroddhāra (p. 226), which explains ‘kṛtakriyaḥ’ as one ‘who has performed’ the bath and other ceremonies at the end of the period of impurity.