Manusmriti with the Commentary of Medhatithi

by Ganganatha Jha | 1920 | 1,381,940 words | ISBN-10: 8120811550 | ISBN-13: 9788120811553

This is the English translation of the Manusmriti, which is a collection of Sanskrit verses dealing with ‘Dharma’, a collective name for human purpose, their duties and the law. Various topics will be dealt with, but this volume of the series includes 12 discourses (adhyaya). The commentary on this text by Medhatithi elaborately explains various t...

Verse 3.255 [Essentials of Śrāddha]

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

अपराह्णस्तथा दर्भा वास्तुसम्पादनं तिलाः ।
सृष्टिर्मृष्टिर्द्विजाश्चाग्र्याः श्राद्धकर्मसु सम्पदः ॥ २५५ ॥

aparāhṇastathā darbhā vāstusampādanaṃ tilāḥ |
sṛṣṭirmṛṣṭirdvijāścāgryāḥ śrāddhakarmasu sampadaḥ || 255 ||

The afternoon, Kuśa-Grass, setting up of the dwelling, sesamum grains, liberality, cleaning and superior Brāhmaṇas;—these are the essentials of Śrāddha-rites.—(255)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The Śrāddha should be performed in the afternoon.

These are the essentials of Śrāddha rites,’—i.e., attempt should be made to bring about all these things.

Though the present text mentions the ‘afternoon’ without reference to any particular Śrāddha, yet it is not to be observed in connection with all Śrāddhas: for we have another Smṛti-text to the effect that—‘rites in honour of the gods shall he performed in the forenoon; that in honour of the Pitṛs in the afternoon; the Śrāddha offered to a single person shall be performed at mid-day, while that in connection with auspicious rites shall be performed in the morning.’

Dwelling’—house; the ‘setting up’ ‘of this consists in the white-washing of the walls with lime etc., the smearing of the floor with cowdung; having its slope to wards the south.

Liberality’—charity; i.e., unstinted giving away of food and vegetables.

Cleaning’—washing; i.e., a particular maimer of preparing the food.

Others have explained this verse to mean that these things constitute the ‘excellence’—the superiority—of the rites,—and not that they shall not be performed without these.—(255)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 474), which explains ‘Sṛṣṭi’ as connoting ‘plenty’, and ‘Mṛṣṭi’ as connoting ‘deliciousness’;—and in Hemādri (Śrāddha, pp. 111 and 72), which adds the following notes:—‘V āstu’, the house built for the Śrāddha-performance,—its ‘Sampādana’ means ‘building or acquiring by purchase, making it slope towards the South, levelling, washing and besmearing with cow-dung’—‘Sṛṣṭi’ means ‘giving away’ i.e., freely giving away vegetables and other things,—‘Mṛṣṭi’, cleanliness or sweetness,—‘agryāḥ’, those equipped with Vedic learning,—these are ‘Śrāddhasampadaḥi.e., excellences of things used at the Śrāddha; this implies that all these should be got together.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Prajāpati (70.71).—‘The following Brāhmaṇas are conducive to the accomplishment of the Śrāddha:—Those that are devoted to the Vedic duties, those that are of calm disposition, sinless, devoted to the fires, firm in their duties, firm in their austerities, conversant with the meaning of the Veda, born of noble families, devoted to their parents, living by the methods prescribed for Brāhmaṇas, teachers, those conversant with Brahman.’

Yama-Hārīta-Śātātapa (quoted in Caturvargacintāmaṇi-Śrāddha, p. 1172).—[Reproduce Manu.]

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