Verse 9.5

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

सूक्ष्मेभ्योऽपि प्रसङ्गेभ्यः स्त्रियो रक्ष्या विशेषतः ।
द्वयोर्हि कुलयोः शोकमावहेयुररक्षिताः ॥ ५ ॥

sūkṣmebhyo'pi prasaṅgebhyaḥ striyo rakṣyā viśeṣataḥ |
dvayorhi kulayoḥ śokamāvaheyurarakṣitāḥ || 5 ||

Women should be specially guarded against even small attachments; for, if not guarded, they would bring grief to both families.—(5).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Attachment’— association, with a woman of unknown character,—one who is in the habit of standing at the doorway, looking at gaily dressed young men passing by, and so forth.

The meaning is that they should be guarded against temptations. Even though the acts mentioned above,—i,e. gazing at young men and so forth are not wrong in themselves, nor is the association of women with women wrong in itself.

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Against these they should be ‘guarded’; they should be checked.

‘Specialty’ with particular care.

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Thus the meaning is that the woman should be guarded by all the men of the family, her brother, father, brother-in-law, and the rest.

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Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 412);—Parāśaramādhava (Vyavahāra, p. 323), which adds the following notes:—‘If they are not guarded, they bring grief to the families of their husbands and fathers; hence for the sake of both families, special care is to be taken of them’;—in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Saṃskāra, 66b);—in Saṃskāraratnamālā (p. 674);—in Kṛtyasārasamuccaya (p. 98);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Vyavahāra 158a).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.5-7)

Mahābhārata (3.12.68).—

Hārīta (Vivādaratnākara, p. 410).—‘One must guard one’s wife against sensual contact, as the ruin of the wife involves the ruin of the family; the ruin of the family involves the ruin of the line; the ruin of the line involves the ruin of all offerings to gods and Pitṛs; the ruin of offerings involves the ruin of Dharma; the ruin of Dharma leads to the ruin of the soul; and the ruin of the soul means the loss of all things.’

Paiṭhīnaśi (Do., p. 411).—‘For these reasons, one must guard one’s wife: lest there he a confusion of castes.’

Bṛhaspati (24-2).—(See under 2.)