Verse 12.11

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

त्रिदण्डमेतन्निक्षिप्य सर्वभूतेषु मानवः ।
कामक्रोधौ तु संयम्य ततः सिद्धिं नियच्छति ॥ ११ ॥

tridaṇḍametannikṣipya sarvabhūteṣu mānavaḥ |
kāmakrodhau tu saṃyamya tataḥ siddhiṃ niyacchati || 11 ||

The man who keeps this ‘triple control’ in regard to all creatures, and rightly subdues desire and anger, thereby attains success.—(11)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Tridaṇḍam’ is an aggregate of the three controls; the feminine form of which is precluded by reason of the term ‘daṇḍa’ occurring in the ‘pātrādi’ group [and hence falling under the exception to the Vartika on Pānini, 2.4.17].

He who ‘keeps’—fixes up—‘this triple control’—in his heart,—‘in regard to all creatures’— not harming any, by any of the three kinds of action’—and ‘rightly’—properly—‘subdues desire awl anger,’—‘thereby attains’—obtains—‘success’—in the form of Liberation.

This verse serves as introductory to the treatment of the philosophy of the Self; leading up, as it does, to such questions as—‘to whom does this success belong?’ ‘who is the real experiencer of the results of actions?—since the body is found to end in ashes, and we do not see anything else of the man.’ It is thus that the text proceeds to describe the person who is the actual performer of all acts, righteous and unrighteous.—(11)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 553).