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...

Verse 1.64 [Measures of Time]

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

निमेषा दश चाष्टौ च काष्ठा त्रिंशत् तु ताः कला ।
त्रिंशत् कला मुहूर्तः स्यादहोरात्रं तु तावतः ॥ ६४ ॥

nimeṣā daśa cāṣṭau ca kāṣṭhā triṃśat tu tāḥ kalā |
triṃśat kalā muhūrtaḥ syādahorātraṃ tu tāvataḥ || 64 ||

Ten and eight ‘nimeṣas’ (should be known as) one ‘Kāṣṭhā’; thirty such (Kāṣṭhās) one ‘Kalā’; thirty ‘Kalās’ one ‘muhūrta’; and as many ‘muhūrtas’ one ‘Ahorātra’ (Day and Night).—(64)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The author now begins to describe the measures of time, which are taught in the Science of Astronomy, for the purpose of determining the exact duration of time of the continuance of the world and its dissolution.

Eighteen ‘nimeṣas’ go to make that measure of time which is known as ‘Kāṣṭhā’;—thirty ‘Kāṣṭhās’ make one ‘Kalā’;—thirty ‘Kalās’ make one ‘Muhūrta,’ and ‘as many’—i.e., thirty;—thirty ‘muhurtas’ make one ‘Ahorātra’ (Day and Night).

Should be known as’—this verb has got to be supplied.

Tāvataḥ,’ ‘a s many,’ is the Accusative Plural form.

“What is it that is called Nimeṣa?”

Nimeṣa is the natural winking of the Eye-lashes, which accompanies every opening of the eye. Other people have declared that ‘Nimeṣa’ is that time which is taken in the distinct utterance of one letter-sound.—(64)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Nimeṣa’—(1) The time taken by one wink of the eye, or (2) the time taken in the distinct pronouncing of one syllable.

Tāvaṭaḥ’—in the Accusative necessitates the supplying of the Transitive verb ‘vidyāṭ,’ ‘one should know’. Nārāyaṇa and Nandana however favour the nominative form ‘ṭāvanṭaḥ’ which obviates the necessity of adding any words.

Cf. in this connection Wilson’s Viṣṇu-Purāṇa—Ed. Hall, Vol. I, pp. 47-50.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(Verse 64-73)

Mahābhārata, 12.231.12-31.—

15 Nimeṣas make one Kāṣṭhā,
30 Kāṣṭhās make one Kalā,
30 Kalās make 1 Muhūrta,
30 Muhūrtas
 
make 1 Day or Night,
30 Days and Nights make 1 Month,
12 Months make 1 Year
2 Ayanas solstices
(Northern and Southern).
make 1 Year


‘In the world of human beings it is the Sun that divides the Day and Night, the night is for the sleep of creatures and the day for active operations;—the Month constitutes the Day-Night of the Pitṛs, the brighter half being the Day, for active operations and the darker half, the Night, for sleeping. The year constitutes the Day-Night of the gods, the northern solstice, the Night.... 4,000 years constitute the Kṛtayuga and each succeeding yuga [Tretāyuga, Dvāparayuga, Kaliyuga] is a quarter less, etc., etc.’

Arthaśāstra, p. 265.—‘The divisions of these are the following—Tuṭa, Lava, Nimeṣa, Kāṣṭhā, Kalā, Nāḍīkā, Muhūrta, Divasa, Rātri, Pakṣa, Māsa, Ṛtu, Ayana, Saṃvatsara and Yuga.

2 Tuṭas make one Lava
2 Lavas make one Nimeṣa
5 Nimeṣas make one Kāṣṭhā
30 Kāṣṭhās make one Kalā
40 Kalās make one Nāḍīkā
2 Nāḍīkās make one Muhūrta
15 Muhūrtas make one Divasa*
15 Muhūrtas make one Night*


*= During the months of Chaitra and Aśvina; during other months the extent of the day and night vary to the extent of three Muhūrtas.

15 Divasa-Rātris make one Pakṣa
2 Pakṣas make make one Māsas
2 Māsas make one Ṛtu
3 Ṛtus make one Ayana
2 Ayanas make one Saṃvatsara
5 Saṃvatsaras make one Yuga


 

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