Verse 5.143

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

सुप्त्वा क्षुत्वा च भुक्त्वा च निष्ठीव्यौक्त्वाऽनृतानि च ।
पीत्वाऽपोऽध्येष्यमाणश्च आचामेत् प्रयतोऽपि सन् ॥ १४३ ॥

suptvā kṣutvā ca bhuktvā ca niṣṭhīvyauktvā'nṛtāni ca |
pītvā'po'dhyeṣyamāṇaśca ācāmet prayato'pi san || 14३ ||

One should sip water after having slept, after having sneezed, after having eaten, after having spat, after having told a lie, after having drunk water, and when going to read the Veda, even though he may be quite pure.—(143).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘After having sneezed,’—after having done sneezing, which is the name given to the sound that emanates involuntarily from the nostrils of a man moved by internal wind.

‘Even though he may be quite pure.’—This is to be construed only with the phrase^‘when going to read the Veda’; the meaning being that even though he be quite pure, he should, when going to read the Veda, read it after having sipped water; i.e., the water sipping-should be done as part of the procedure laid down in connection with Vedic study; while after sleep &c., the water-sipping shall be done once only.

As for the following declaration—^‘Having slept, having sneezed, having eaten, having drunk water, the wise man shall sip water and then again sip water; as also after having spat and told lies’,—this has to be construed to mean that ‘having sipped water, he should eat and then sip water again.’ In a case however where it is clearly stated that ‘one should sip water twice, the act has to be repeated consecutively.’ (143)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 145 of others.)

Cf 2.70.

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 1139), which adds that the ‘water-sipping’ here laid down for lying is to be combined with the repeating of the Gāyatrī—the water-sipping removing the uncleanliness and the Gāyatrī removing

the sin;—in Mitākṣarā (on 1.196);—in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 115), which notes that though this verse clearly implies that water-sipping is not done for the purpose of removing impurity, yet it is absolutely necessary, whenever one eats or drinks;—in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 224);—in Parāśaramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 423), which says that this refers to unintentional lying;—in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 523), which adds that ‘prayatopi’ means ‘though he may have already washed’;—and in Śuddhikaumudī (p. 349), which explains ‘Adhyeṣyamāṇaḥ’ as ‘going to read.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (1.374.—‘On sleeping, dining, and sneezing, he shall again sip water.’

Āpastamba (1.16.14).—‘On touching during sleep or sternutation, the effluvia of the nose or the eyes, or touching

blood, hair, fire, kine, a Brāhmaṇa or a woman, and after having walked on the high road, and after having touched an impure thing or man, and after having put on his lower garment, he shall either bathe or sip or merely touch water.’

Vaśiṣṭha (3.38).—‘If, after having sipped water, he sleeps, eats, sneezes, drinks, weeps or bathes, or puts on a dress, he must again sip water.’

Viṣṇu (22.75)—‘Having sneezed, slept, and eaten, or going to eat and to study, or having drunk water, bathed, spat, or having put on his garment, walked on the high road, discharged urine or faeces, touched dry hone of five-toed animals—he must sip water.’

Gobhila (1.2.33).—‘Having slept or eaten or sneezed or taken a bath or drunk something or changed his garments or walked on the high road or gone to a crematorium,—he should sip water again and again.’

Yājñavalkya (1.196).—‘Having bathed or drunk, or sneezing or sleeping or passing along the road, or after putting on a garment, he shall sip water again, even though he may have already sipped water.’

Baudhāyana (Aparārka, p. 278).—‘On the cloth-knot becoming loose, if he re-ties it, he shall sip water; or he may touch moist earth, cowdung or grass.’

Āpastamba (Do.).—‘When going to eat, he shall sip water.’

Pracetas (Do.).—‘On urinating, passing faeces, spitting or lying, he shall sip water again.’

Paiṭhīnasi (Do.).—‘On the approach of an asthmatic fit and on passing a road-crossing, he shall sip water again.’

Hārīta (Do., p. 279).—‘When going to sleep, he shall sip water.’

Parāśara (Aparārka, p. 780).—‘On sneezing, or spitting, or food-remnant adhering to the teeth, on lying, and on conversing with outcasts, one shall touch the right car.’

Vṛddha-Śātātapa (Aparārka, p. 780).—‘On passing wind, having spat, on throwing out a tooth, on sneezing, and on conversing with an outcast, one shall touch the right ear.’

Bṛhaspati (Parāśaramādhava-Ācāra, p. 224).—‘On passing wind, on weeping, on becoming angry, on touching a cat or a rat, on laughing, on lying, one should sip water.’

Kūrmapurāṇa (Do., p. 225).—‘After having taken his food, he shall sip water twice; on touching his hairless lips, on putting on clothes, on passing semen, faeces or urine, on improper speaking, on yawning, when going to study, on the approach of an asthmatic ñt, on passing through a road-crossing or a crematorium,—and also during the two twilights,—the Brāhmaṇa shall sip water, even though he may have sipped it already.’