Verse 2.243

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

यदि त्वात्यन्तिकं वासं रोचयेत गुरोः कुले ।
युक्तः परिचरेदेनमा शरीरविमोक्षणात् ॥ २४३ ॥

yadi tvātyantikaṃ vāsaṃ rocayeta guroḥ kule |
yuktaḥ paricaredenamā śarīravimokṣaṇāt || 243 ||

If one likes to live in life-long residence in the teacher’s house, he should, intently serve him till he becomes freed from his body.—(243)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

If he likes to live in absolute—i.e., life long, permanent,—residence in the Teacher’s house,—then, in that owe,—‘he should intently’—diligently—‘serve him,’—the Teacher; ‘till he becomes freed from his body,—i.e., as long as his body lasts.—(243)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 458), as laying down the duties of the life-long Student under an efficient Brāhmaṇa-teacher;—to the same effect in Vidhānapārijāta (p. 504);—also in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 551), where the term ‘asmai’ is explained as standing for such a student as is not lame or dwarf, or blind, or otherwise incapacitated; and it is added that the provision of tins ‘life-long studentship’ need not be incompatible with the texts laying down a life-long performance of the Agnihotra for the Brāhmaṇa (which involves the necessity of taking a wife); because the latter is meant for only those students who intend to enter the ‘Household,’ and are on that account called ‘Upakurvāṇa,’ as distinguished from the ‘Naiṣṭhika’ who remains a ‘student’ all his life and never enters the household.

This is also quoted in Aparārka (p. 72) as indicating the optional character of life-long studentship;—in Smṛticandrikā (Saṃskāra, p. 171) as discounting the view that “life-long studentship is meant only for the maimed and other incapable persons;”—and in Saṃskāramayūkha (p. 62), to the same effect.

 

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 243-244)

Gautama (3.5).—‘Dependence upon the Teacher, till the end.’

Gautama (3.9).—‘Behaving thus, he attains the Brahmic Region.’

Baudhāyana (2.6.).—‘The Religious Student should attend on the teacher till death.’

Āpastamba Dharmasūtra (2.21.6).—‘The Religious Student shall surrender his body to the Teacher’s House, observing the same restrictions as those during the course of his study.’

Vaśiṣṭha (7.3, 1).—‘The Religious Student shall serve the Teacher,—till the falling off of the body.’

Viṣṇu (28.43).—‘Or he may pass the whole of his life in the Teacher’s house.’

Yājñavalkya (1.49, 50).—‘The Life-long Student shall remain with the Teacher;—and after the Teacher, with the teacher’s son, or his wife or his fire.’

Bṛhaspati (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 549).—‘The observances of the Life-long Student are as follows:—the Twilight Prayers, Fire-tending, Vedic Study, Alms-begging, Sleeping on the ground, Self-control,—observing these till death, the Life-long Student attains the Brahmic region.’

Vaśiṣṭha (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, p. 549, and Parāśaramādhava, p. 458).—‘He shall maintain his studentship till his body dies; on his teacher’s death, serving the fire. With speech controlled, eating of alms during the fourth, sixth and eighth parts of the day, dependent on the teacher, with hair-braided or with top-hair braided, walking behind the teacher when he works, standing when he is seated, reading when called upon to do so, offering to the teacher all that he obtains as alms,—he shall eat with his permission;—and avoiding sleeping on the cot, washing of the teeth, and annotating of the body, he shall remain standing or seated, and bathing three times during the day.’

Devala (Do., p. 550).—‘Wearing of the sacred thread, the string of beads, the staff, the loin-cloth, the water-pot and the girdle; eating once only; bathing more than once; performing Agnihotra both times, as also the twilight prayers;—with hair and nails uncut; he shall avoid garland, perfumes, unguents, ornaments, dresses, shoes, conveyances, jumping, bathing, running, teaching, medication, astrology, science of house-building, auspicious rites, fattening rites, allaying of portents, music, assemblies, entrance into contracts, caligraphy, carpentry, measurements of houses, fields, substances, and grains, use of weapons, gambling...’

Hārīta, (Do.).—‘Having fetched sacrificial fuel, he shall attend upon the Fire by sweeping, scratching, rekindling, collecting, putting on fuel, worshipping, hymning and saluting; he shall not touch it with his feet; nor shall he blow it with the mouth; shall not carry fire and water at the same time: shall not eat when there is indigestion, etc.. Those Brāhmaṇas who keep up this studentship become immortal.’

Yama (Do.).—‘Till the falling off of the body, those who serve the teacher, ever strict in celibacy, reach the region of Brahman and are not born again.’

Chāndogya Upaniṣad (Do., p. 551).—‘He who is firm in Brahman attains immortality.’

Dakṣa (Do., p. 552).—‘The second kind of Religious Student is the life-long one.’

Viṣṇu (Parāśaramādhava, p. 459).—‘The life-long studentship is for the dwarf, the humpbacked, one born blind, the sexless, the lame, the diseased and the invalid.’