Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi

by Ganganatha Jha | 1920 | 1,381,940 words | ISBN-10: 8120811550 | ISBN-13: 9788120811553

This is the English translation of the Manusmriti, which is a collection of Sanskrit verses dealing with ‘Dharma’, a collective name for human purpose, their duties and the law. Various topics will be dealt with, but this volume of the series includes 12 discourses (adhyaya). The commentary on this text by Medhatithi elaborately explains various t...

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

तस्य मध्ये सुपर्याप्तं कारयेद् गृहमात्मनः ।
गुप्तं सर्वऋतुकं शुभ्रं जलवृक्षसमन्वितम् ॥ ७६ ॥

tasya madhye suparyāptaṃ kārayed gṛhamātmanaḥ |
guptaṃ sarvaṛtukaṃ śubhraṃ jalavṛkṣasamanvitam || 76 ||

In the centre of the fort, he shall get built for himsrlf a spacious palace, well guarded, equipped with all seasons, resplendent, and supplied with water and trees.—(76)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Spacious’—as large as may be necessary for the king, his sons, his treasury, armoury, stables and other necessities.

Well guarded’—with several compartments.

Such a palace he shall get built for himself.

Equipped with all seasons’—adorned with flowers and garlands of all seasons: thus all the seasons would be present there. The term ‘seasons’ stands for the produetts of the seasons, in the shape of flowers, fruits etc.

If we read ‘Sarvartugam’—it means ‘the place where all the seasons are present’. The sense remains the same in both cases. When a thing is present in a place, the place is said to be equipped with it.

Resplendent’—whitewashed with lime.

Supplied with water and trees’—equipped with fountains, gardens and parks.—(76)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Sarvartukam’—‘Provided with the produce of all seasons’ (Medhātithi, Govindarāja, Kullūka and Rāghavānanda);—‘habitable in all seasons’ (Nandana and Nārāyaṇa).

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 407);—and in Nītimayūkha (p. 65), which explains ‘sarvartukam’ as ‘with gardens containing trees of fruits of all seasons, or stocked with fruits and flowers of all seasons’,—and ‘sarvavastusamanvitam’ as ‘stocked with things needed in several seasons’.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Āpastamba (2. 25.2-3).—‘He shall cause to be built a town and a palace, the gates of both being towards the South. The palace shall stand in the heart of the town.’

Śukranīti (1.435-437).—‘The palace is to be built in the midst of the council-buildings, equipped with stables for elephants, horses and cattle, well adorned with spacious tanks, wells and water-pumps, having sides of equal length in all directions, high, towards the South and North.’

Bṛhaspati (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 206).—‘At the centre of the fort, the king shall build a separate house supplied with trees and water, to the East of which facing the East, should be the Hall.’

Viṣṇudharmottara (Do.).—‘Therein shall the king build a house, after consulting the astrologer and the architect.’

Kāmandaka (4.58).—‘The king should build a castle, proof against the inclemencies of weather, well supplied with provisions and money and an abundant water-supply.’

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