Verse 2.220

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

तं चेदभ्युदियात् सूर्यः शयानं कामचारतः ।
निम्लोचेद् वाऽप्यविज्ञानाज् जपन्नुपवसेद् दिनम् ॥ २२० ॥

taṃ cedabhyudiyāt sūryaḥ śayānaṃ kāmacārataḥ |
nimloced vā'pyavijñānāj japannupavased dinam || 220 ||

If the sun should rise or set while he is still sleeping, either intentionally or unintentionally, he should fast during the day, reciting. (the Sāvitrī).—(220)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

In connection with what has gone before one should perform the following expiatory rite.

If while the student is still sleeping, the sun should rise and thereby make him incur sin.—‘Abhi’ is a preposition according to Pāṇini’s Sūtra ‘abhirabhāge’; and hence we have the accusative ending in ‘śayanam.’—The meaning is that if while the student is sleeping, the sun should rise, then he should fast during the day.

Some people oífer the following explanation:—“If the offence is committed in the morning, the reciting and fasting are to be done during the day, food being taken at night; while if the offence is committed in the evening, the reciting and fasting are to be done during the night, food being taken next morning. So that the term ‘day’ is purely illustrative.” And in support of their view they quote the words of Gautama (23.21)—‘He should go without food during the day, and if the sun sets before him he should fast during the night, reciting the Sāvitrī.’

This however is not right. In both cases the expiatory rite should be performed during the day; specially as there is no authority for regarding the term ‘day’ of the text as illustrative; as the term ‘day’ does not have its denotation dependent upon that of the term ‘night’; it is entirely independent. Hence the right meaning appears to he that there should be option; that is, if the person is one who will not fall ill by keeping up the whole night, he might do it during the night; while others would do it during the day.

That the ‘reciting’ is of the Sāvitrī, we gather from the words of Gautama (quoted above).

“How can Gautama be quoted as authority on this point?”

As a matter of fact, the verb ‘should recite’ is incomplete, since it is not mentioned what is to be recited. And when there is such incompleteness, it is only right that the missing detail should be filled in from other scriptural sources.

But what the term ‘day’ mentions is the time; and this does not stand in need of any other time, so that there is no need for calling in the help of Gautama.

Or, the right explanation may be that, since the present verse prescribes the expiatory rite to be performed on the omission of the twilight prayers, the reciting of the SācUrī eorties in naturally; it has been declared above (2.88) that ‘there is nothing higher than the Sāvitrī.’

‘Intentionally;’—i.e., who knowingly sleeps in the evening.

‘Unintentionally;’—when he has been sleeping for a long time and fails to perceive the advent of evening; this is what is meant by ‘absence of intention.’ The sense of all this is as follows:—When the omission is intentional and due to careless-ṇess, it is necessary to perform the expiatory rite here prescribed; he who omits the prayers at sun-set and sun-rise, for him the expiatory rite has been prescribed as ‘fasting,’ which has to be done at the neglect of all compulsory duties.

Or, he who intentionally transgresses the scriptural ordinance, this also is ‘ignorance’ on his part.—(220)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Dinam’—“The translation of the last words (Shall fast during the next day muttering the Sāvitrī) follows Govindarāja and Kullūka; while Medhātithi, Nārāyaṇa and Rāghavānanda state that the penance shall be performed during the (next) day (or night), and that he who neglects the evening prayer shall fast in the evening and repeat the Gāyatrī during the night.”—Buhler.

Medhātithi is not quite accurately represented here. For his view is clearly put in paras 2 and 3, on page 575 (Translation) where the view, that “if the offence is committed in the evening the reciting and fasting are to be done during the night”, has been rejected in unmistakable terms.

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 447), as laying down an expiation for sleeping at sunrise;—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 398), as laying down the expiation for repeated delinquency.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 220-220)

Viṣṇu (8-53).—[Reproduces Manu 220.]

Gautama (23.21).—‘The Religious Student before whom the Sun has risen shall remain without food during the day: and he who remains asleep at sunset should remain without food during the night, repeating the Sāvitrī.’

Āpastamba Dharmasūtra (2.12-13, 14).—‘If asleep, he is forestalled by sunset, he shall remain without food, and silent, during the night; and in the morning, shall bathe and then speak;—if he is asleep at sunrise, he shall remain without food and silent during the day.’

Āpastamba Dharmasūtra (2.12.22).—‘He who is forestalled by sunrise, he who is forestalled by sunset, he with bad nails... are impure.’

Vaśiṣṭha (20.4.6).—‘Forestalled by sunrise, he shall remain standing during the day and repeat the Sāvitrī;—similarly if he, while asleep, is forestalled by sunset, he shall sit up during the night.’

Vaśiṣṭha (1.17).—‘He who is forestalled by sunrise, he who is forestalled by sunset, who has bad nails, who has black teeth...... are sinners.’