Verse 8.230

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

दिवा वक्तव्यता पाले रात्रौ स्वामिनि तद्गृहे ।
योगक्षेमेऽन्यथा चेत् तु पालो वक्तव्यतामियात् ॥ २३० ॥

divā vaktavyatā pāle rātrau svāmini tadgṛhe |
yogakṣeme'nyathā cet tu pālo vaktavyatāmiyāt || 230 ||

Responsibility for the safe keeping during the day rests with the keeper, and during the night, with the owner, ip in his own house; if otherwise, the keeper should be responsible.—(230)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

If there arises any neglect regarding the safe keeping of the cattle, ‘during the day,’— such as those going to be described under 232,—‘the responsibility’—blame—‘rests with the keeper’; and he has to bear the blame

‘During the night,’ the blame lies with the owner,—if the animals die while tied up;—‘if in his house,’—if they have been safely penned in the house by the keeper.

‘If otherwise,’—i.e., if they have not been brought into the house during the night, and have been kept in the pastures,—the blame lies with the keeper.

The meaning is as follows:—During the time that the cattle are under the charge of the keeper, if they graze in the cultivated field of a man, or if they are killed,—the fault lies with the keeper; but if anything happens after they have been made over to the owner, then it lies with this latter.

As the blame is in connection with non-safety, the term ‘yoga-kṣema,’ ‘safety,’ should be taken as figuratively indicating its opposite; just as the epithet ‘beautiful-eyed’ is applied to a blind man.—(230)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara, (p. 171) which says:—If there is anything remiss in the safety of the cows during the day, the ‘vaktavyatā,’ responsibility, blame, lies on the keeper; if it is at night, then on the owner;—but if the ‘yogakṣemam’ (which is its reading for ‘yogakṣeme,’ i.e.,) the agreement between the keeper and the owner, is ‘otherwise,’ then during the night also, the keeper is responsible.’

It is quoted in Aparārka (p. 772), which explains ‘vaktavyatā’ as fault or blame;—and in Smṛtitattva (p. 530), which quotes Kullūka, who explains the second half as meaning that ‘if during the night also the cattle are in charge of the keeper, then if there is any thing wrong, the blame lies on the keeper’;—and in Vivādacintāmaṇi, (p. 81).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 8.229-230)

See Comparative notes for Verse 8.229.