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 8.55
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
असम्भाष्ये साक्षिभिश्च देशे सम्भाषते मिथः ।
निरुच्यमानं प्रश्नं च नेच्छेद् यश्चापि निष्पतेत् ॥ ५५ ॥asambhāṣye sākṣibhiśca deśe sambhāṣate mithaḥ |
nirucyamānaṃ praśnaṃ ca necched yaścāpi niṣpatet || 55 ||He who secretly converses with the witnesses in a place not fit for conversation, or who does not like the question being investigated, or who falls back;—(55)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘In a place not fit for conversation’—i.e., hidden from others,—‘who converses with the witnesses, secretly’—i.e., alone, for fear of being overheard.
‘Who does not like the question,’— the matter under enquiry—‘being investigated’; and on the pretext of some work for the King himself, or by the favour of the Prince or the Minister, etc., manages to gain time;—and ‘who falls back,’—‘such a person fails’ is the verbal phrase to be construed here.
The ‘falling back’ mentioned here is the same as the ‘refracting’ mentioned before (in verse 51). the purpose of such repetition of the same idea has already been explained. We have to adopt some such distinction in order to guard the text against the charge of containing absolutely needless repetitions.—(55)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Kṛtyakalpataru (22b), which has the following notes:—‘Asambhāṣye’ ‘in a place where no conversation should be held,’—‘niṣpatet,’ ‘should go away without mentioning his destination’;—and in Vīramitrodaya (Vyavahāra, 31b).
Comparative notes by various authors
(verses 8.53-57)
See Comparative notes for Verse 8.53.