Verse 10.102

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

सर्वतः प्रतिगृह्णीयाद् ब्राह्मणस्त्वनयं गतः ।
पवित्रं दुष्यतीत्येतद् धर्मतो नोपपद्यते ॥ १०२ ॥

sarvataḥ pratigṛhṇīyād brāhmaṇastvanayaṃ gataḥ |
pavitraṃ duṣyatītyetad dharmato nopapadyate || 102 ||

Fallen into distress, the Brāhmaṇa may receive gifts from all; that anything which is pure should become defiled is not possible under the law.—(102)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘From all’;—i.e., no consideration should be made regarding the castes whose gifts should or should not be accepted.

Here also what is meant is that among gifts from the low, the lower and the lowermost castes, those from the succeeding shall be accepted only when those from the preceding ones are not procurable. Just as the occupation of the Vaiśya is permitted only when that of the Kṣatriya is not available.

‘Pure’—e.g., the stream of the Gaṅgā. This does not become ‘defiled’ by coming in contact with impure substances, since it has been declared that ‘the river becomes purified by its own flow.’ The same is the case with the Brāhmaṇa also.—(102)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 935);—in Madanapārijāta (p. 233);—in Parāśaramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 326);—in Smṛtitattva II (p. 362);—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 409).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 10.101-108)

See Comparative notes for Verse 10.101.