Verse 2.50

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

मातरं वा स्वसारं वा मातुर्वा भगिनीं निजाम् ।
भिक्षेत भिक्षां प्रथमं या चैनं नावमानयेत् ॥ ५० ॥

mātaraṃ vā svasāraṃ vā māturvā bhaginīṃ nijām |
bhikṣeta bhikṣāṃ prathamaṃ yā cainaṃ nāvamānayet || 50 ||

First of all he should beg food of his mother, or of his sister, or of his mother’s own sister, or of such another lady as may not insult him.—(50)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The words ‘mother,’ etc., have their meanings well known;—‘own’ uterine.

‘As may not insult him’—‘insulting’ here means disregard; i.e., refusal—‘I shall give nothing.’ Says the Gṛhya sūtra—‘He should beg from such man or woman as may not refuse him.’

What is meant here by ‘first’ is the begging that is done by the boy during Initiation. In the course of the subsequent daily bogging, he should not fear refusal.—(50)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Burnell remarks that ‘this begging of alms is now obsolete But so far as the formality is concerned, it is still gone through at the close of the Upanayaṇa ceremony.

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 59) as laying down the rule relating to that alms-begging which is done as part of the Upanayaṇa-ceremony.

It is quoted in Smṛtitittva (p. 936), which adds that these ladies are to be approached only if they happen to be on the spot, and the boy is not to go to their houses;—in Madanapārijāta (p. 34), which latter quotes it only with a view to explain that there is no inconsistency between this injunction and the later prohibition (2. 184) of begging from one’s relations; because the former refers to the begging as part of the Upanayana ceremony, whereas the prohibition applies to the usual begging of food during the entire period of studentship.

It is quoted in Saṃskāramayūkha (p. 61), which adds that this rule refers to the ‘alms-begging’ which forms part of the Upanayaṇa rite;—in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 109), which adds the same note;—and in Saṃskāraratnamālā (p. 288), which has the same remarks, and notes that the first ‘vā’ is meant to be emphatic—‘nija’ means uterine,—‘avamāna’ means disregard, refusal to give alms.

Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 483) also explains that this refers to the first ‘begging’ (at the Upanayaṇa),

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Āśvalāyana-Gṛhyasūtra, 1.22.7.—‘First of all, he should beg alms from a man or woman who would not refuse him.’

Pāraskara-Gṛhyasūtra, 2.5.5-7.—‘Three ladies who would not refuse should be begged from,—or six, or twelve, or numberless. Some people hold that the Mother should be the first.’

Gobhila-Gṛhyasūtra, 2.10.43.—‘The Mother first of all, then two other sympathising ladies, or as many as may be near at hand.’

Āslvalāyana-Smṛti (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 438).—‘He should beg from such a lady or gentleman as would not refuse him.’

Śaunaka (Do.).—‘For the purpose of cooking the Brahmaudana for the feeding of Brāhmaṇas, the Student should beg the materials from his relations,—such men and women as would not refuse him,—carrying a bowl in his hand and approaching each person severally; first of all, he should beg from his mother, then from such another lady as could not refuse him; then his father and such other relatives as may be present.’

Bhaviṣya-purāṇa (Aparārka, p. 60).—[Same as Manu, adding ‘She should throw into his begging vessel, gold, silver and gems.’]