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 9.301 [Personal Behaviour of the King]
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
कृतं त्रेतायुगं चैव द्वापरं कलिरेव च ।
राज्ञो वृत्तानि सर्वाणि राजा हि युगमुच्यते ॥ ३०१ ॥kṛtaṃ tretāyugaṃ caiva dvāparaṃ kalireva ca |
rājño vṛttāni sarvāṇi rājā hi yugamucyate || 301 ||The actions of the king constitute the ‘Kṛta’, the ‘Tretā’, the ‘Dvāpara’ and the ‘Kali’ cycles; as it is the king that is called the ‘cycle.’—(301)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
For this reason also the King should be always exerting himself:—Want of exertion represents ‘Kali;’ as it constitutes a great evil. The King should not argue that—‘Kali being a particular personage known in history, how can I be Kali?’—because the King’s own acts constitute the several ‘cycles.’—This is further explained in the following verse.—(301)
Comparative notes by various authors
(verses 9.301-312)