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:

नास्ति स्त्रीणां क्रिया मन्त्रैरिति धर्मे व्यवस्थितिः ।
निरिन्द्रिया ह्यमन्त्राश्च स्त्रीभ्यो अनृतमिति स्थितिः ॥ १८ ॥

nāsti strīṇāṃ kriyā mantrairiti dharme vyavasthitiḥ |
nirindriyā hyamantrāśca strībhyo anṛtamiti sthitiḥ || 18 ||

For women there is no dealing with the sacred texts; such is the rule of law; the fact is that, being destitute of organs and devoid of sacred texts, women are ‘false’—(18)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Some people entertain the following notion;—“Even though woman may misbehave, she may, with the help of Vedic texts, perform some rites in the shape of secret Expiatory Rites and thus become pure; so that there cannot be much harm in her misbehaving”

But this is not true; because ‘for women there is no dealing with sacred texts’; so that there can be no repeating of the texts; which, with the help of her own learning, she might do whenever she transgressed and thereby regain her purity. For this reason also they should be carefully guarded;—this is the injunction to which the statement in the present verse is a declamatory supplement.

Some people have held that the present verse contains the absolute prohibition of the use of sacred texts in connection with all kinds of rites for women; and holding this opinion, they declare that whatever rites may be performed, by whomsoever, for the sake of women,—that is, (a) in rites where women figure as the performers, as in the making of offerings, or (b) in those where they figure as the object to be sanctified, as in the tonsure-ceremony, or (c) in those where they figure as recipients, us in śrāddhas offered to them,—at all these the use of sacred texts being forbidden by the present text, no such texts should be used at the śrāddhas offered to women.

But these people say what is not reasonable; because the present text refers to a totally different matter, and is a purely hortatory supplement. And it still remains to be explained what there is in the text to indicate either injunction or prohibition regarding such rites as the Tonsure and the like. As for the inability of women to recite the expiatory texts, this follows from the fact of their not learning the Vedas.

Destitute of Organs’—‘Organ’ here stands for strength;—courage, patience, intelligence, energy and so forth are absent in women; that is why they are prone to become over-powered by sinful propensities. Hence it is that they have to be carefully guarded.

Women are false’;—on account of the inconstancy of their character and affections, they are deprecated as being ‘false’—(18)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

The second half of this verse has been taken as a corruption of the line “nirindriyā adāyādāḥ sthiyo (?) nityamiti sthitiḥ”. Hopkins remarks:—“This is supported by the sūtras; cf. the text and quotations given by Mandlik, Mayūkha, 2.366-367; also Baudhāyana, 2.3.46.”

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 412), which adds the following notes ‘Nirindriyāḥ,’ devoid of the faculties conducive to steadiness, truthfulness and so forth;—“strīyonṛtam,” women are called ‘untruth’ in the sense of bang addicted to lying,— and in Vīramitrodaya (Vyavahāra, 158b).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

[See Manu ?.66.]

Mahābhārata (13.40.11-12).—(Same as Manu, but reading ‘Kāścit’ for ‘mantraiḥ,’ and ‘aśāstrāḥ’ for ‘amantrāḥ.’)

Baudhāyana (1.11.7).—‘Women are considered to have no business with the sacred texts.’

Do. (2.3.56).—‘The Veda declares that women are considered to be destitute of strength and portion.’

Śukranīti (4.4.9-10).—‘The woman and the Śūdra shall never recite mantras.’

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