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:

ग्रामदोषान् समुत्पन्नान् ग्रामिकः शनकैः स्वयम् ।
शंसेद् ग्रामदशेशाय दशेशो विंशतीशिने ॥ ११६ ॥
विंशतीशस्तु तत् सर्वं शतेशाय निवेदयेत् ।
शंसेद् ग्रामशतेशस्तु सहस्रपतये स्वयम् ॥ ११७ ॥

grāmadoṣān samutpannān grāmikaḥ śanakaiḥ svayam |
śaṃsed grāmadaśeśāya daśeśo viṃśatīśine || 116 ||
viṃśatīśastu tat sarvaṃ śateśāya nivedayet |
śaṃsed grāmaśateśastu sahasrapataye svayam || 117 ||

Troubles arising in the village, the Village-lord shall himself gently report to the Lord of Ten villages; and the Lord of Ten villages to the Lord of Twenty;—(116)—the Lord of Twenty shall communicate it all to the Lord of Hundred; and the Lord of Hundred himself shall report it to the Lord of Thousand.—(117)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

(verses 7.116-117)

Those village-troubles that the Village-lord cannot settle himself,—he shall report to the Lord of Ten villages; and when this latter is unable to cope with them, they shall, in due course, be reported to the Lord of Thousand villages.—(116-117)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(verse 7.116)

“This rule refers to offences with which the persons who report them are unable to deal (according to Medhātithi, Govindarāja, Kullūka and Rāghavānanda); Nārāyaṇa thinks that chiefly refusals to pay the revenue or disputes on such matters are meant”—Buhler.

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 250).

(verse 7.117)

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 250).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 7.116-117)

Mahābhārata (12.87.4, 5).—(Same as Manu.)

Viṣṇu (3.11-15).—‘If any offence has been committed in a village, the lord of the village shall suppress the evil; if he is unable to do so, he shall report it to the lord of ten villages; if he too is unable, he shall report it to the lord of hundred villages; if he too is unable, he shall report it to the lord of the whole district; the lord of the district must eradicate the evil to the best of his power.’

Viṣṇudharmottara (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 250).—[The same as Viṣṇu, down to the ‘lord of the district,’ then]—The lord of the district shall report it to the king, if he is himself unable to deal with it; the king shall himself take the necessary measures, and protect the people of the province in every way.’

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