Verse 9.328

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

न च वैश्यस्य कामः स्यान्न रक्षेयं पशूनिति ।
वैश्ये चेच्छति नान्येन रक्षितव्याः कथं चन ॥ ३२८ ॥

na ca vaiśyasya kāmaḥ syānna rakṣeyaṃ paśūniti |
vaiśye cecchati nānyena rakṣitavyāḥ kathaṃ cana || 328 ||

The Vaiśya shall never conceive the wish—‘I will not tend cattle;’ and so long as the Vaiśya is willing, they should not be tended by any one else.—(328)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

“Why should there be any question of willing regarding what forms a means of livelihood? It has been already pointed out that, even though there is a transcendental factor in the matter, yet stress is laid upon only the visible aspect; just as in the case of the rule regarding facing the East during meals. It is in view of this that the text says—‘The Vaiśya shall never conceive the wish.’ So that if the Vaiśya is not in want of a livelihood, he shall not incur any sin (in being unwilling to tend cattle.)”

True; but the author has used the particular words with a view to show that the duty of tending of cattle does not stand on the same footing—and is to be regarded as leading to the same results—as that of ‘cultivating the land,’ along with which ‘cattle-tending’ has been mentioned before; and hence men may be led to regard all of them as leading to the same results. And according to the view that they are all conducive to the same results, ‘wish’ also would come in as a determining factor; specially when the man is one who may be hankering after other actions. In a ease where ‘cattle-tending’ is the most profitable means of livelihood, the man would naturally have recourse to it, and not engage in other kinds of work; he would naturally live by the said means of livelihood. (?)—(328)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 417).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.326-333)

[See texts under 8.410-418.]

See Comparative notes for Verse 9.326.