Verse 8.16

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

वृषो हि भगवान् धर्मस्तस्य यः कुरुते ह्यलम् ।
वृषलं तं विदुर्देवास्तस्माद् धर्मं न लोपयेत् ॥ १६ ॥

vṛṣo hi bhagavān dharmastasya yaḥ kurute hyalam |
vṛṣalaṃ taṃ vidurdevāstasmād dharmaṃ na lopayet || 16 ||

For Justice is the revered ‘Vṛṣa,’ Bull; and he who commits the violation, ‘alam,’ of it, him the gods regard as ‘vṛṣala,’ low-born; hence one shall not violate Justice.—(16)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

By means of the explanation of the term ‘vṛṣala,’ the judge who perverts justice is censured. The title of ‘vṛṣala’ (low-born) does not apply to one who is so by caste—i.e., the śūdra,—but he who ‘commits the violation’ (‘alam’) of the Bull, ‘vṛṣa,’—i.e., he who showers all blessings;—the particle ‘alam’ denoting violation, perversion.

The opinion that such a person is ‘vṛṣala’ is held by the gods; if it is taken as denoting a caste, it may be so taken; but the gods are more authoritative, and they accept the denotation of the term as here explained.

The mention of the ‘gods’ is only a commendatory exaggeration.

For the reason here explained, in all such texts as—(a) ‘no vṛṣala should come in during the performance of a śrāddha,’ or ‘the vṛṣala thief should be killed,’—the term ‘vṛṣala’ should be taken as standing for the Brāhmaṇa that perverts truth.

Consequently one should not violate Justice, lest he become tainted with the character of the ‘vṛṣala’; the application of this character to the Brāhmaṇa being a form of deprecation.—(16)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 447), in support of the interpretation of ‘vṛṣala’ as ‘one devoid of dharma’;—and in Kṛtyakalpataru (11a).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 8.16-17)

Mahābhārata (Śānti, 90.16).—‘Justice is the sacred Bull, Vṛṣa; he who brings about his destruction, laya, is called the Vṛṣala; therefore one should never renounce justice.’

Do. (Anuśāsana, 173.14.16).—‘When one abandons his body, Dharma alone goes with him. Dharma is the only helper for men in the other world.’