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...
Verse 9.109
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
ज्येष्ठः कुलं वर्धयति विनाशयति वा पुनः ।
ज्येष्ठः पूज्यतमो लोके ज्येष्ठः सद्भिरगर्हितः ॥ १०९ ॥jyeṣṭhaḥ kulaṃ vardhayati vināśayati vā punaḥ |
jyeṣṭhaḥ pūjyatamo loke jyeṣṭhaḥ sadbhiragarhitaḥ || 109 ||It is the eldest brother who advances the family, or ruins it; the eldest brother is worthy of the highest honour; the eldest brother is never ill-treated by good men.—(109)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
This is another eulogy on the eldest brother.
The right sort of eldest brother ‘advances the family’; and when the same is devoid of qualities, he ‘ruins it.’ When the eldest brother has a good character, his younger brothers also behave in the same manner. And when not possessed of good qualities, all these quarrel among themselves.—(109)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 457), which adds the following notes:—‘Kulam vardhayati’, the prosperity of the family being brought about by the adopting of proper business-methods and the taking care of the younger brothers;—‘vināśayati’, all that this means is that he is in a position to ruin the family;—in Vyavahāra-Bālambhaṭṭī (p. 656);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Vyavahāra 172a).
Comparative notes by various authors
(verses 9.105-110)
See Comparative notes for Verse 9.105.