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:

कीनाशो गोवृषो यानमलङ्कारश्च वेश्म च ।
विप्रस्यौद्धारिकं देयमेकांशश्च प्रधानतः ॥ १५० ॥

kīnāśo govṛṣo yānamalaṅkāraśca veśma ca |
viprasyauddhārikaṃ deyamekāṃśaśca pradhānataḥ || 150 ||

The ploughman, the breeding bull, the conveyance, the ornament, and the house shall be given as the ‘preferential share’ to the Brāhmaṇa, as also one principal share.—(150)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Kīnāśa,’ ‘ploughman’,—the slave who tills the soil. Says the mantra text—‘Indra āsīt surapatiḥ, kīnāśā āsan-marutaḥ, yathāsutam kīnāśā abhiyantu vāhaiḥ

Conveyance’ — cart and the rest.

Ornament’— the ring or some such ornament worn by the father.

House’— the principal apartment.

One principal share’;—among the several shares into which the property may be divided, the most important of these shall go to the Brāhmaṇa son.

All this should be set aside as the ‘preferential share’ for the ‘eldest’ son, and the rest of the property should be divided according to the rule going to be laid down.—(150)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Ekāṃśaśca pradhānataḥ’, ‘one most excellent share’ (Medhātithi and Kullūka);—‘one share consisting of the best part of the- property’ (Nārāyaṇa and Nandana);—‘one share, because of his being the chief person’ (Rāghavananda).

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 527), which adds the following notes:—‘Kīnāśa’ is the ploughman—‘yānam’, the horse and the rest;—thus the meaning is that the son of the Brāhmaṇa mother should, receive the plough man the cow, the bull, the conveyance, the ornament and the house; and among the ‘three shares’ of the inheritance to which he is entitled, one should be made specially important by containing the most important and the most valuable things;—the cow and bull etc. are to be given only if it be possible to do so.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.149-157)

See Comparative notes for Verse 9.149.

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