Verse 3.152

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

चिकित्सकान् देवलकान् मांसविक्रयिणस्तथा ।
विपणेन च जीवन्तो वर्ज्याः स्युर्हव्यकव्ययोः ॥ १५२ ॥

cikitsakān devalakān māṃsavikrayiṇastathā |
vipaṇena ca jīvanto varjyāḥ syurhavyakavyayoḥ || 152 ||

Healers, temple-attendants, meat-sellers and those living by trade,—these should be avoided at rites performed in honour of gods and Pitṛs.—(152)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Healers physicians.

^‘Temple-attendants’—those who attend upon idols.

These two are prohibited only as means of living. Healing and serving idols, when done entirely with a righteous motive (and not as a means of living), are not reprehensible.

‘Meat-sellers’—Butchers.

If we read these words with the Accusative ending, then they have to be construed with the verb of the preceding verse.

‘Those living by trade’—i.e., by improper trade; improper merchandise shall be described under Discourse 10,—those who live by such trade.

‘Should be avoided’—at both kinds of rites.

Meat-selling is reprehensible, even when done with a righteous motive. For instance, when one man has got meat and another man has need for it;—the former man who has got the meat stands in need of butter for oblations; and he exchanges his meat with the other man’s butter; this exchange is done ‘with a righteous motive,’ and exchange also is called ‘selling;’ hence those also become excluded who do such meat-selling, even with a righteous motive.—(152)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 687), which omits the second half of this and the whole of the next verse, though continuing with verse 154;—the whole verse is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 560);—in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Śrāddha, p. 9a);—and in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 480).

Parāśaramādhava (on p. 689) adds the notes that the ‘chikitsaka’ is ‘one who administers medicine either gratuitously or by way of living,’—this work being specially forbidden for the Brāhmaṇa,—the ‘Devalaka’ is ‘one who, for three years, worships the gods as a means of making money,’ such being the definition provided by a text quoted from Devala,—the ‘Māṃsavikrayī’ intended to be excluded is one who sells meat, even in abnormal times of distress,—because as regards normal times, living by any kind of trade is forbidden by the next phrase, which prohibition does not apply to abnormal times, during which the ‘livelihood of the Vaiśya’ has been permitted for the Brāhmaṇa.

It is quoted in Aparārka (p. 450), which explains that the ‘Chikitsaka’ means one who makes a living by administering medicines, not one who does it by way of charity;—and in Śrāddhakriyākaumudī (p. 40).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.150-166)

See Comparative notes for Verse 3.150.