Verse 11.115-116

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

अनेन विधिना यस्तु गोघ्नो गामनुगच्छति ।
स गोहत्याकृतं पापं त्रिभिर्मासैर्व्यपोहति ॥ ११५ ॥
वृषभैकादशा गाश्च दद्यात् सुचरितव्रतः ।
अविद्यमाने सर्वस्वं वेदविद्भ्यो निवेदयेत् ॥ ११६ ॥

anena vidhinā yastu goghno gāmanugacchati |
sa gohatyākṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tribhirmāsairvyapohati || 115 ||
vṛṣabhaikādaśā gāśca dadyāt sucaritavrataḥ |
avidyamāne sarvasvaṃ vedavidbhyo nivedayet || 116 ||

The cow-killer, who attends upon cows in this manner, wipes off, in three months, the sin accruing from the killing of a cow—(115); and after having duly performed the penance, he shall give away cows with a bull as the eleventh; in the event of these being not available, he shall offer all he possesses to persons learned in the Veda.—(116)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

(verses 11.115-116)

He shall give ten cows and one bull.

He shall perform all the four penances, if he is capable of doing so.

If the said property is not available, he may give away all that he possesses, even if this be less than the prescribed gift

‘To persons learned in the Veda’;—i.e, to several persons, not to one or two only. In fact, this term itself has been added only with a view to lay down plurality; since it is only persons learned in the Veda who have been declared to be fit recipients for gifts.

In another Smṛti we read:—“If a cow happens to die through one’s burning fire, carrying, tying, applying the rope-noose, or the administration of some oil or medicine,—he shall shave his whole head, perform the ‘Prājāpatya’ penance, and then give away a piece of cloth.”

But this is an expiation for those cases where one does these acts rather recklessly and hence his offence is due to negligence. Since we find it laid down that—(a) ‘In tying or in medicating or in helping her in calving, if one has taken all possible care and the cow dies, there shall be no expiatory rite’; and (b) ‘If when one has administered a medicine or oil or food to the cow or the Brāhmaṇa, and death ensues, the man does not become tainted with guilt’ (Saṃvarta).

Another text lays down an expiation lasting for a month:—“He shall drink the mixture of five products of the cow, and milk at the sixth meal-time;—and at the end he shall satisfy the Brāhmaṇas with gifts and give away sesamum and a cow.”

There is yet another, lasting for a fortnight:—“He shall eat only once, fried flour, or barley-flour, or vegetables, or milk, or cards, or butter.” The various articles mentioned here are so many optional alternatives, as we shall explain later on; but the whole process is to be carried through with the same substance with which it has been begun; and one shall not eat fried flour on one day and barley-flour on the other. For instance, even though ‘Vrīhi’ and ‘Yava’ have been laid down as optional alternatives, yet, when once a performance has been begun with Vrīhi, if it happens to run short in the middle, Yava is used, only as a substitute; and it is with a substitute that the rite is regarded as having been completed; in view of this deficiency in the performance, the giving away of a cow has been prescribed. Thus then, in the case in question also, the penances are as described, and if any other optional alternative is adopted, a cow with calf should be given.

It has been asserted in Gautama’s work —‘Gām vaiśyavat’ (22.18) [which means that for killing a cow, one should perform the Three-year-Penance and give away ten cows and a bull]; and this rule of Gautama’s pertains to the case where a Vedic scholar, learned in sacrificial rituals and an Agṇihotrin kills a milch cow with a young calf, belonging to a poor man. This same penance is to be done in its ‘one year’ form if the cow dies by chance, when the man, finding her in a field or a garden eating corns, runs after her with a view to prevent it, taking due care not to harm her. It is to be the ‘Three-year-Penance’ in the case of the intentional killing of a dry and old cow belonging to one who is not a Vedic scholar. And the ‘Prājāpatya’ penance is to be performed in the case of the unintentional killing of a cow devoid of all good points and belonging to an owner devoid of all qualities; and in the case of the killing of a similar cow intentionally, it is to be the ‘Three-year-Penance.’—(115-116)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(verses 11.108-116)

See Explanatory notes for Verse 11.108.

 

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 11.108-116)

See Comparative notes for Verse 11.108.