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 7.174
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
यदा परबलानां तु गमनीयतमो भवेत् ।
तदा तु संश्रयेत् क्षिप्रं धार्मिकं बलिनं नृपम् ॥ १७४ ॥yadā parabalānāṃ tu gamanīyatamo bhavet |
tadā tu saṃśrayet kṣipraṃ dhārmikaṃ balinaṃ nṛpam || 174 ||When he happens to be very much open to attack by the enemy’s forces, then he shall seek shelter with a r ighte ous and powerful King.—(174)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Very much open to attack’;—when he finds that while in the fortress, he is very liable to be assailed,—then quickly he shall give up the fortress and take refuge with another ‘righteous king’, at whose hands he does not fear ill-treatment, who is famed for his calm and dispassionate nature.
What is meant by the epithet ‘powerful’ is shown in the next verse.—(174)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 328).
Comparative notes by various authors
Viṣṇudharmottara (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 328).—‘When the king is attacked by a stronger enemy who refuses to make peace, he shall have recourse to seeking shelter, which is the lowest of the methods. When he finds himself devoid of all power, he should seek shelter.’