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 10.55
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
दिवा चरेयुः कार्यार्थं चिह्निता राजशासनैः ।
अबान्धवं शवं चैव निर्हरेयुरिति स्थितिः ॥ ५५ ॥divā careyuḥ kāryārthaṃ cihnitā rājaśāsanaiḥ |
abāndhavaṃ śavaṃ caiva nirhareyuriti sthitiḥ || 55 ||During the day they may go about on business distinguished by royal signs; they shall carry out corpses of people without relations; such is the law.—(55)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘During the day’—they ‘go about on business,’—‘i.e., for the purpose of effecting purchases and sales; or on the King’s business, for looking after rejoicings in the city and such other purposes. All this time too they shall be ‘distinguished by royal signs’—i.e., marked by such signs as those of the thunderbolt and the like, which may be determined by the King;—or by carrying on their shoulder the axe or the chopper or some such weapon as is used in the execution of criminals.—(55)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
‘Chihnitāḥ’—‘Distinguished—by a thunder-bolt or some such weapon carried on the shoulder’ (Medhātithi),—“by sticks and so forth (Govindarāja),—‘by iron ornaments and peacock’s feathers’ (Nārāyaṇa),—‘branded on the forehead and other parts of the body’ (Rāghavananda).