Verse 8.22

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

यद् राष्ट्रं शूद्रभूयिष्ठं नास्तिकाक्रान्तमद्विजम् ।
विनश्यत्याशु तत् कृत्स्नं दुर्भिक्षव्याधिपीडितम् ॥ २२ ॥

yad rāṣṭraṃ śūdrabhūyiṣṭhaṃ nāstikākrāntamadvijam |
vinaśyatyāśu tat kṛtsnaṃ durbhikṣavyādhipīḍitam || 22 ||

That kingdom where there is a majority of Śūdras, which is infested with non-believers and destitute of twice-born people, quickly perishes entirely, becoming afflicted by famine and disease.—(22)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Like the preceding verse this also is a supplementary declaration.

From the context it is clear that ‘the majority of Śūdras’ is meant with reference to the persons pronouncing judgments upon disputed cases; and the meaning is that—‘where among persons deciding cases there is a majority of Śūdras, such a kingdom perishes quickly, through sufferings caused by famine and disease’; and it follows that from the destruction of the kingdom follows that of the king also.

‘Infested with non-believers,’—i.e., inhabited by such persons as are materialists, denying the existence of other worlds.

‘Destitute of twice-born people’;—‘non-believers’ cannot be regarded as a class distinct from that of Brāhmaṇa and the rest; as that would lead to a cross-division; as has been declared thus—‘Brāhmaṇas and the rest come to hear the titles of physicians, traders and so forth.’ Or, the expression ‘destitute of twice-born people’ may be taken to mean ‘where twice-born persons are not consulted and trusted in connection with difficulties relating to the Law.’—(22)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Śūdrabhūyiṣṭham’—‘Where Śūdras form a majority among judges’ (Medhātithi);—‘where Śūdras, i. e., disbelievers, form the majority of inhabitants’ (Kullūka);—‘where Śūdras form the majority among holders of high office’ (Nandana).

Medhātithi does not explain ‘Śūdra’ here as ‘unbelievers’; he has been misrepresented by Hopkins.