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...

Other people have explained verses 3 et seq. in a different manner.

 

Verse 3

This’ (in verse 3) refers by direct gesticulation to the world;—the ‘vidhāna,’ creation, ‘of this entire’ world i.e., belongs to—the ‘self-born.’—It is ‘inconceivable’ marvellous, wonderful, very extensive;—‘not directly cognisable,’ ‘aprame yam,’ incapable of being known by all persons. This is what is stated in the Veda also—‘Who knows it? Who has described it here? Whence have these been horn? Whence this creation?’ (Ṛgveda, 3.54.5). That is to say,—Does this entire world come into existence through some material cause? Or is it all a mere Idea, as held by the Bauddha? Is it dependent upon the will of a Supreme Being? Or is it dependent only upon the acts of the beings born? Or is it merely a natural process?—

All this cannot be rightly ascertained: similarly it cannot be ascertained whether the creation of the world proceeds from the ‘Mahat’ downwards (as held by the Sāṅkhyas) or from the Diad downwards (as held by the Vaiśeṣikas).—‘Of all this,’ ‘you know (A.) the ‘karya’ product, (B) thetattvareal character and (C) the arthatrue purpose,’—‘Kāryatattvārthavit.’

(A) ‘Product,’—i.e. (a) the ‘Principle of Egoism’ is the ‘product’ of Mahat,’ (b) the subtile ‘Rudimentary Elements’ are the product of the ‘Principle of Egoism,’ (c) the Five gross ‘Elementary Substances’ are the product of the ‘Rudimentary Elements,’ (d) the eleven Sense-organs are the product of the ‘Principle of Egoism’; (e) of the gross substances the product consists of the ordinary material objects, from Brahmā down to the tuft of grass,—a fact that is clearly recognised.—

(B) ‘Real character’—nature,—for instance, (a) the ‘Mahat’ consists of mere materiality, the entire Primordial Matter in the state of modification being called ‘Mahat,’ according to the declaration (in Sāṅkya-Kārikā 22) that ‘the Mahat proceeds from Prakṛti,’—this ‘prakṛti’ being synonymous with ‘Pradhāna,’ ‘Primordial Matter;’—(b) the real character of the ‘Principle of Egoism’ consists of the mere ‘notion of I;’—(c) the real character of the subtile elements consists in their forming the objects of unspecified or undifferentiated cognition.—

(C) ‘Purpose’—the fact that—‘this thing is for the purpose of man, it serves man’s purpose in such and such a manner, it accomplishes such and such a purpose.’—Though as a matter of fact, for one who is seeking for the knowledge of duties, the fact of the Teacher being cognisant with the process of the world’s creation is of no use at all,—nor does it form a proper subject for enquiry,—yet, in view of the fact that the process cannot be learnt from any other source, and that there is diversity of opinion among the Great Sages themselves, it does become a fit subject for them to ask and for Manu to explain. Thus what the verse means is this—The subject that does not come within the range of any of the six Means of Cognition, that also you know with your intuitive eye,—as for Duty it is described in the Veda, and as such it must be known to you’; and this is an eulogy of the Teacher, bearing directly upon the main subject-matter.

 

Verse 5-6

Being encouraged by the above eulogy, the Teacher proceeds to explain the subject of World-creation—‘Āsīt idam,’ ‘this was in existence,’ etc. (verse 5);—‘thereafter the self-born, etc., etc.’ (verse 6). It is Primordial Matter that is referred to by all these terms.—

(1) It is ‘self-born’ in the sense that it is by itself that it is ‘born,’ evolves, undergoes modifications, in the form of ‘Mahat’ and other principles; there is no such self-established being as ‘the Supreme Lord,’ whose will Primordial Matter obeys; on the other hand, it is in the very nature of things that Primordial Matter, in the form of the Hoot Evolvent, undergoes modifications; just in the same manner as milk (which is a non-intelligent entity), modifying into co-agulated milk, becomes solidified in the form of the Curd.—

(2) Primordial Matter is called ‘supreme being’ in the sense that it is master of its own activity.—

(3) It operates upon things like the elemental substances and other things [this is what is meant by the epithet ‘having its power operating upon elemental substances and other things’]; ‘power’ stands for capacity or energy for its own activity; the term ‘ādi’ (‘and other things’) signifies method and restriction, so that the unmanifested Primordial Matter becomes the cause of Mahat and other things [which it would not be if ‘mahābhūtādi’ were taken as ‘things beginning with the elemental substances’].—

(4) It is described as ‘dispelling darkness’ in the sense that when Primordial Matter changes from its pristine subtile (non-evolvent) condition into the evolvent condition, it becomes resplendent with light.—

The masculine gender of the epithets referring to Primordial Matter, Pradhāna (which is Neuter) may be explained as due to the word ‘puruṣa,’ (‘Being’) understood (which is Masculine); and the word ‘puruṣa’ is often found to be used in the sense of Primordial Matter and other things, as for instance in verse 1.19, where we have the expression ‘of the said seven puruṣas, etc.’

 

Verse 7

He who’ (verse 7) is explained as before.

 

Verse 8

So’bhidhyāya,’ ‘by mere willing’ (verse 8)—the willing is purely figurative; for Primordial Matter being non-intelligent, actual willing is not possible for it; what is meant by by ‘mere willing’ is that Primordial Matter, in evolving, acts by its own inherent force, independently of the will of a Supreme Lord, just in the same manner as a certain person accomplishes an act by himself, by his own will, independently of any extraneous thing.—‘He in the beginning produced water’—water is called ‘first’ in comparison with the other elemental substances; it does not mean that water was produced before Mahat and other principles; the real process is going to be described under verse 1.19, where it is stated that it is the Principles that are produced first, and then the elemental substances.—‘In that he threw the seed’—that Primordial Matter, which is the intended Nominative, threw the ‘seed’—i.e., its energy.

 

Verse 9

In the production of the earth and other Elemental Substances, Primordial Matter becomes solidified all over, and assumes the form of an egg; this is what is meant by the words ‘that became the egg’ (verse 9). Just as the Principles are, in the beginning, produced without any intercourse between the male and the female, in the same manner (without intercourse between male and female) was Brahmā also born, under the influence of his previous acts; his body is due to his own powers, and is not born out of any womb; just as the bodies of the mosquito and other insects are not born of wombs.

 

Verse 11

The Being produced by that’ (verse 11)—produced by Primordial Matter; the body of Brahmā is described as ‘produced by that’ in the sense that it consists of Primordial Matter. The rest is as before.

The real meaning of these verses we have already explained; that is to say, they are mere ‘arthavāda,’ ‘eulogistic descriptions’ and as such are with difficulty construed figuratively. (11).

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