Verse 3.166

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

अउरभ्रिको माहिषिकः परपूर्वापतिस्तथा ।
प्रेतनिर्यापकश्चैव वर्जनीयाः प्रयत्नतः ॥ १६६ ॥

aurabhriko māhiṣikaḥ parapūrvāpatistathā |
pretaniryāpakaścaiva varjanīyāḥ prayatnataḥ || 166 ||

The sheep-dealer, the buffalo-keeper, the husband of a woman who had another previous husband, the carrier of the dead—all these should be avoided with care.—(166)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Urabhra’ is sheep; one who ‘deals’ in these,—i.e., carries on the business of buying and selling them; it may also mean ‘one whose chief wealth consists in sheep.’

Similarly, the ‘buffalo-keeper.’

‘He who has had another man for her former husband;’—the husband of such a one; i.e., one who marries again the woman who has been previously given to—or married by—another man; he who ‘again’ (punaḥ) ‘becomes’ (bhavati) the husband; such a husband is called ‘paunarbhava’ by the scriptures.

He who carries the dead—i.e., carries the dead bodies.

These ‘should be avoided with care’— (166).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 688), which (on p. 694) explains ‘Aurabhrikaḥ’ as ‘one who keeps sheep as a means of livelihood’,—and māhiṣikaḥ’ as meaning either (a) ‘one who keeps buffaloes’, or (b) ‘the son of an unchaste woman’,—this latter explanation being based upon a text quoted from Devala,—‘An unchaste wife is called Māhiṣī; the son born of her is called Māhiṣikaḥ,’—in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 484);—and in Śrāddhakriyākaumudī (p. 40), which explains ‘pretaniryātakaḥ’ as ‘one who carries dead bodies on payment of wages’.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.150-166)

See Comparative notes for Verse 3.150.