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:

प्रजनार्थं स्त्रियः सृष्टाः सन्तानार्थं च मानवः ।
तस्मात् साधारणो धर्मः श्रुतौ पत्न्या सहोदितः ॥ ९६ ॥

prajanārthaṃ striyaḥ sṛṣṭāḥ santānārthaṃ ca mānavaḥ |
tasmāt sādhāraṇo dharmaḥ śrutau patnyā sahoditaḥ || 96 ||

Women were created for the purpose of child-bearing, and men for the furfose of procreation. hence it is that Religious Rites have been ordained in the Veda as common between the man and his wife.—(96)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Child-bearing’—Conception.

Procreation’—Impregnating.

Hence’—i.e., because of the act of child-begetting being dependent upon both,—the man’s Religious Rites have been ordained in the Veda, as being in common with his wife.

Consequently, since alone by himself he could not be entitled to the performance of any rites, he shall not abandon his wife, even though she be hostile.—(96).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 418), which adds that the term ‘prajana’ here stands for the act of conceiving and ‘santāna’ for the act of depositing the seed, fecundating.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(See texts under 85.)

Nārada (12-19).—‘Women have been created for the sake of propagation.’

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