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...
Verse 7.169
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
यदाऽवगच्छेदायत्यामाधिक्यं ध्रुवमात्मनः ।
तदात्वे चाल्पिकां पीडां तदा सन्धिं समाश्रयेत् ॥ १६९ ॥yadā'vagacchedāyatyāmādhikyaṃ dhruvamātmanaḥ |
tadātve cālpikāṃ pīḍāṃ tadā sandhiṃ samāśrayet || 169 ||When he knows that his superiority is certain in the future, and at the time there is but little harm done—then he should resort to peace.—(169)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Future’ is time to come.
When he knows that ‘this king is equal to me in strength—or I may be weaker now, but in time, by creating disunion among his people, or by entering into powerful alliances, I shall be able to defeat him’,—then he should make peace.
‘Superiority’ means possession of superior force.
‘Certain’— sure.
‘At the time’— this phrase denotes the present time.—(169)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 326), which adds the following notes:—‘āyatyam,’ ‘in the future,’—‘ādhikyam,’ ‘superiority of force,’—‘tadātve,’ ‘at the time.’