Verse 5.163-164

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

पतिं या नाभिचरति मनोवाग्देहसंयुता ।
सा भर्तृलोकमाप्नोति सद्भिः साध्वीति चोच्यते ॥ १६३ ॥
अनेन नारी वृत्तेन मनोवाग्देहसंयता ।
इहाग्र्यां कीर्तिमाप्नोति पतिलोकं परत्र च ॥ १६४ ॥

patiṃ yā nābhicarati manovāgdehasaṃyutā |
sā bhartṛlokamāpnoti sadbhiḥ sādhvīti cocyate || 163 ||
anena nārī vṛttena manovāgdehasaṃyatā |
ihāgryāṃ kīrtimāpnoti patilokaṃ paratra ca || 164 ||

She, who does not fail in her duty to her husband, having her thought, speech and body well-controlled, reaches her husband’s regions; and is called ‘good’ by all gentle-men.—(163).

By such conduct, the woman, having her thought, word and body well controlled, obtains excellent fame in this world, and also her husband’s region in the other world.—(164).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

These verses sum up the duties of women; and these duties are easily intelligible; hence I have devoted no attention to the explanation of these.

The meaning of the teaching is as follows:—Though the man is permitted (in 167) to take to another wife, yet that does not permit of the woman taking another husband; because according to the injunction—‘she shall not disregard him when he is dead’, there can be no possibility of her marrying again; and by the assertion that ‘even childless persons go to heaven’ it is made clear that the bearing of children, even in times of distress, is forbidden. It is only in the Smṛti sanctioning ‘Niyoga’ that this latter is permitted. Hence in view of these (prohibition and sanction) the two courses are regarded as optional alternatives; and between these two Smṛtis we cannot determine which is superior and which inferior; since one of them enjoins the bearing of children, and the other clearly forbids it. Hence by taking them as optional alternatives we make room for both—(163-164).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(verse 5.163)

(Verse 165 of others.)

It is not right to say that this and the next verse have been ‘omitted’ by Medhātithi, who says that he has not explained them as they are easy. It is repeated in 9.29.

This is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 436);—and in Varṣakriyākaumudī (p. 579).

(verse 5.164)

(Verse 166 of others.)

This is repeated in 9.30.

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 436), which adds that what is meant by ‘patiloka’ is that heavenly region which she has won for herself by the religious rites she has performed in association with her husband;—and in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Saṃskāra, p. 67a).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 5.154-163)

See Comparative notes for Verse 5.154.

(verse 5.164)

Yājñavalkya (1.87).—‘She who is devoted to her husband’s welfare, well-behaved, with senses under control, attains fame in this world and the supreme state, after death.’