Verse 3.97

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

नश्यन्ति हव्यकव्यानि नराणामविजानताम् ।
भस्मीभूतेषु विप्रेषु मोहाद् दत्तानि दातृभिः ॥ ९७ ॥

naśyanti havyakavyāni narāṇāmavijānatām |
bhasmībhūteṣu vipreṣu mohād dattāni dātṛbhiḥ || 97 ||

Rites in honour of the gods and those in honour of the Pitṛs performed by ignorant men become lost, when they are presented by the givers, through folly, to ash-like Brāhmaṇas.—(97)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The preceding verse has described the person to whom presents are to be made; the present verse proceeds to prohibit the giving of presents to unqualified persons.

‘Become lost’—become fruitless.

‘Rites in honour of the gods’—Such acts as the feeding of Brāhmaṇas and the like, which are done in honour of the gods.

‘Rites in honour of the Pitṛs’—those that form part of the acts done in honour of one’s ancestors; i.e., Śrāddhas.

‘Ash-like—those who hav become ashes are called ‘bhasmabhūta. Or, the term ‘bhūta’ may mean similarity; hence the word ‘bhasmabhūta’ means ‘ash-like;’ just as in the compound ‘kāṣṭhabhūta.’

“What is the point of similarity between ash and the Brāhmaṇas?”

The meaning is that, just as the ash is of no use, and is mere refuse and deserves only to be thrown away, so the Brāhmaṇa in question is to be removed from all religious functions.

‘Made by ignorant men’— this is to be construed with ‘become lost.’

‘Presented by givers through folly’—‘ignorant’ and ‘folly’ are only re-iterations. Anything that is prohibited in the scriptures is done only through folly.

The next verse describes what sort of Brāhmaṇas are not ‘ash-like.’—(97)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 434), where ‘bhasmabhūteṣu’ is explained as ‘those devoid of learning and austerity’.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.97-98)

Vaśiṣṭha (3.9-11).—‘The Havya and offerings are to be offered to the Vedic scholar only; what is offered to the non-learned reaches neither the Pitṛs nor the gods; gifts should be offered to one who is extremely learned; there is nothing Wrong in ignoring the uneducated. In the presence of flaming fire, one should not pour libations on ashes.’

Yājñavalkya (1.201, 202).—‘Cows, sesamum and gold should be given, with due respects, to a qualified person; never should the wise man desiring his own welfare make a gift to the unqualified. In fact, a man devoid of learning and austerities should not accept any gift; if he does accept them, he drags downwards both himself and the giver.’

Vyāsa (4.39,42,50,52,54,57).—‘If a man ignores the Brāhmaṇa student near him, when offering food and gifts, he damages his merit extending over three generations. Gift made to a non-Brāhmaṇa remains the same; that made to the Brāhmaṇa becomes two-fold; that made to the Preceptor becomes thousand-fold, and that made to the person learned in the Veda becomes endless. The Brāhmaṇa’s mouth is the soil, fertile and free from thorns; therein should one sow the seeds; such cultivation fulfils all desires. When there comes to one’s house a Brāhmaṇa endowed with learning and humility, all the herbs become delighted at the prospect of (being eaten by him and thereby) reaching the highest state. One should feed a mouth equipped with Veda, even though that person may have already taken his food, rather than the illiterate person that may have been fasting for six days. When the person learned in the Veda and attentive to his duties takes his food, he brings to the giver rewards endless and extending over many lives.’

Āśvalāyana (1.150).—‘If the good man offers food into the mouth of the man learned in the Veda, he becomes freed from heinous sins, and attains union with Brahman.’