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...

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

योऽरक्षन् बलिमादत्ते करं शुल्कं च पार्थिवः ।
प्रतिभागं च दण्डं च स सद्यो नरकं व्रजेत् ॥ ३०७ ॥

yo'rakṣan balimādatte karaṃ śulkaṃ ca pārthivaḥ |
pratibhāgaṃ ca daṇḍaṃ ca sa sadyo narakaṃ vrajet || 307 ||

The king, who, without affording protection, takes tributes, taxes, duties, presents and fines, would immediately sink into hell.—(307)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Tributes’ and the rest are the names of the various kinds of royal dues; known by several names in several countries, just like the words ‘sūpa’, ‘māṇavaka’ and the rest. Of these ‘tribute’ is the sixth part of the grain-produce;—‘tax’ is what is paid in cash;—‘duties’ are what the tradesmen pay;—‘presents’ are offering of fruits and the like.

If a king takes all this, and yet does not protect the people from thieves, he would ‘immediately’—having his life-span cut short—‘sink into hell.’

The meaning of the verso is that—‘for fear of having his life span cut short and sinking into hoH, the king should receive his dues and afford protection to the people.’—(307)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Balim’—‘The share in kind, i.e., the sixth part of the harvest’ (Medhātithi, Govindarāja, Kullūka, Nārāyaṇa and Rāghavānanda);—‘choice portions of grains and cattle &c.’ (Nandana).

Kararm’—Tax in cash’ (Medhātithi, whose expression ‘dravyādāna’ has been misread by Buhler as ‘jaṅghā dāna’);—‘taxes, paid monthly, or at fixed times by the villages’ (Govindarāja, Kullūka and Rāghavānanda).

Śulkam’—‘Tolls and duties payable by merchants’ (Medhātithi).

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 397);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 255),

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 8.307-309)

Yājñavalkya (1.338).—‘If the King iniquitously adds to his treasury out of the realm, he, before long loses his prosperity and becomes ruined, along with his relations.’

Do. (1.335).—(See under 304-305.)

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