Verse 5.107

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

मृत्तोयैः शुध्यते शोध्यं नदी वेगेन शुध्यति ।
रजसा स्त्री मनोदुष्टा संन्यासेन द्विजोत्तमाः ॥ १०७ ॥

mṛttoyaiḥ śudhyate śodhyaṃ nadī vegena śudhyati |
rajasā strī manoduṣṭā saṃnyāsena dvijottamāḥ || 107 ||

What needs purification is purified by clay and water; the river is purified by its current; the woman of uhclean mind by menstruation; and Brāhmaṇas by renunciation.—(107).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

When the banks of a river with water shallowed down becomes defiled by unclean things, its water becomes purified by the current of the same river, when it has regained its current strong enough to demolish its sides. The brinks of rivers are not purified in the manner in which other ground is purified “by means of five things” (Verse 123).

Or, it may be that the text has declared that ‘the river is purified by its current’ in view of the idea that people may have in regard to the river having become defiled on account of un clean things flowing along its current; and the meaning is that it should not be thought that, inasmuch as the river has become contaminated by the flowing along of unclean things coming from all sides, it can never, become pure.

The woman who has not been found to have had carnal intercourse with any man, but continues to think of the beauty and good qualities of other men, is regarded as ‘of undean mind’, and such a woman becomes purified by ‘menstruation’; i.e.,; by the flow of blood during her courses.

‘Renunciation’ shall be described in Discourse VI, and by this are Brāhmaṇas purified. And no mere mental process removes the sin that they, in their ignorance, may have committed in the shape of having entertained thoughts for the killing of small insects and so forth.—(107).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 108 of others.)

This verse is quoted in ‘Parāśaramādhava’ (Ācāra, p. 536), which adds the following notes:—Some people have understood the last quarter of the verse to mean that it is the Brāhmaṇa only, not the Kṣatriya or the Vaiśya, that is entitled to ‘Renunciation’; and in support of this there are several Śruti and Smṛti texts.—Others however have held that all the four stages are meant for all the twice-born persons; and the texts that prohibit Renunciation for the non- Brāhmaṇa should be understood as prohibiting only the wearing of the dull red garment and the taking of the staff (which have been laid down in connection with the life of the Renunciate).

The verse is also quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 116), in support of the view that the woman’s sin of evil intentions is removed by her menstruation—in Smṛtisāroddhāra (p. 249);—in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 792);—and in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Śrāddha, p. 13b).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Vaśiṣṭha (3.58).—(Same as Manu.)

Viṣṇu (22.91).—(Same as Manu.)

Parāśara (7.4).—(Same as Manu.)

Yājñavalkya (3.32).—(See above, under 104.)

Smṛtyantara (Parāśaramādhava, p. 536).—‘The defects of birth and the evils of one’s deeds,—all these Renunciation burns up.’