Verse 1.59 [Advice to Learn from Bhṛgu]

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

एतद् वोऽयं भृगुः शास्त्रं श्रावयिष्यत्यशेषतः ।
एतद् हि मत्तोऽधिजगे सर्वमेषोऽखिलं मुनिः ॥ ५९ ॥

etad vo'yaṃ bhṛguḥ śāstraṃ śrāvayiṣyatyaśeṣataḥ |
etad hi matto'dhijage sarvameṣo'khilaṃ muniḥ || 59 ||

This Bhṛgu will fully describe to you this (Law); this sage has learnt the whole of this in its entirety, from me.—(59)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘This,’ Law;—‘to you’;—‘Bhṛgu will describe fully,’ will carry it to your cars, will teach and will explain: The pronoun ‘this’ (in the second line) refers to the Law; the whole of this Law this Sage has ‘learnt,’ read, ‘in its entirety,’ ‘from me’ at my hands. The teaching proceeds as it were, from the Teacher’s mouth, and the pupil takes hold of it, as it were; it is for this reason that we have the affix ‘tasi,’ in the word ‘mattaḥ,’ in the sense of the Ablative.

Bhṛgu is a person whose greatness is very well known to the sages; so that by directing him to explain the Law, Manu shows that the Law has come down through a tradition of teaching handed down by a long line of several persons possessing exceptional knowledge of all sciences. It is for this reason that some people are to undertake the study of the Law by the following considerations:—‘This Law has come down from several high-souled persons,—why then should we not study it.’ This consideration serves to prompt men to study and thus attracts them to the Law.—(59)

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This Verse is quoted by the Aparārka (p. 4) with a view to show that the writer of a work often quotes himself,—and wherever manurabravīt occurs, it is Manu’s own words that are quoted, not those of Bhṛgu, the compiler.