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:

व्रात्यता बान्धवत्यागो भृत्याध्यापनमेव च ।
भृत्या चाध्ययनादानमपण्यानां च विक्रयः ॥ ६२ ॥

vrātyatā bāndhavatyāgo bhṛtyādhyāpanameva ca |
bhṛtyā cādhyayanādānamapaṇyānāṃ ca vikrayaḥ || 62 ||

Apostacy, abandoning a relative, teaching for wages, learning from a paid teacher and the selling of what should not be sold.—(62)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Relations.’—The maternal uncle, cousins and others, even apart from one’s uterine brothers. If one has the means, it behoves him to support all these, if they be starving. This is what has been spoken of above in Verse 9.

“In face of the present text, the mention of the abandoning of one’s son (in 60) becomes superfluous.”

It is not superfluous. The mention of both is like the case where all web-footed birds having been forbidden in general, the Swan is specially prohibited separately.

Hence the abandoning of the mother and those mentioned in the former verse is also a minor offence, like what is mentioned in the present verse; with this difference only that this latter is less serious.

Teaching for wages and learning from a paid teacher’—i.e., if one learns from a paid teacher, when unpaid teachers are available.

What should not he sold’—as described in Discourse X (Verses 86, et seq).—(62)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

See 10.20.

This verse is quoted in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 192), which has the following notes—‘Vrātyatā’, whose Upanayana has not been performed at the prescribed age, and one who has not performed the Soma-sacrifice,—‘bāndhavatyāga’, abandoning, without reason, of Sapiṇḍa and other relatives,—‘bhṛtakādhyāpana’ (which is its reading for ‘bhṛtyādhyāpana’,) imparting knowledge in exchange for wages received—‘bhṛtādhyayana’, learning under a Teacher who teaches for wages received,—‘apaṇyānām vikrayaḥ’ selling of lac and other things even once, and repeated selling of milk and other things,—this is an ‘offence’ for the Brāhmaṇa.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 11.58-66)

See Comparative notes for Verse 11.58.

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