Verse 3.22

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

यो यस्य धर्म्यो वर्णस्य गुणदोषौ च यस्य यौ ।
तद् वः सर्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि प्रसवे च गुणागुणान् ॥ २२ ॥

yo yasya dharmyo varṇasya guṇadoṣau ca yasya yau |
tad vaḥ sarvaṃ pravakṣyāmi prasave ca guṇāguṇān || 22 ||

Which (of these) is lawful for which caste, what are the good and bad points of each, the good and bad effects of each upon the offspring,—all this I shall explain to you.—(22)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Lawful’—that which is not fallen from the law; i.e., prescribed by the scriptures.

‘What are the good and bad points of each form’—i.e., which points in each are conducive to desirable and which to undesirable results.

‘Offspring’—i.e., in the birth of children.

‘Good effects’—good qualities. ‘Bad effects’—defects. In reality, the ‘good and bad effects,’ in the form of Heaven and Hell, pertain to the bridegroom; but here they stand for that which brings about these effects.

Though this is already implied in what has gone before (in the first line), yet it is mentioned again for the purpose of making the idea clearer.—(22)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

 

This verse is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 155) as introducing the enumeration of the different forms of marriage.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Āpastamba (2. 12. 4).—‘As the marriage so the offspring.’

Baudhāyana (1. 11. 17).—‘It is well known that the offspring is in keeping with the form of marriage.’