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 3.286 [Summing Up]
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
एतद् वोऽभिहितं सर्वं विधानं पाञ्चयज्ञिकम् ।
द्विजातिमुख्यवृत्तीनां विधानं श्रूयतामिति ॥ २८६ ॥etad vo'bhihitaṃ sarvaṃ vidhānaṃ pāñcayajñikam |
dvijātimukhyavṛttīnāṃ vidhānaṃ śrūyatāmiti || 286 ||Thus has been described to you the procedure of the “Five Sacrifices;” listen now to the means of livelihood for the best of twice-born persons.—(286)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
Though much has intervened between this and the description of the ‘Five Sacrifices,’ yet the present reference to the latter, in the final summing up, is with a view to auspiciousness.
The second half of the verse indicates a part of the subject-matter of the next Discourse.
The usefulness of both these—the Summing Up and the Indicating of what is coming next—has already been explained.
‘The best of twice-born persons’—i.e., Brāhmaṇas. the ‘means of livelihood’—professions by which they should live.—Or, the construction may be ‘the principal means of livelihood of twice-born persons.’ All this shall be explained in the next chapter.—(286)
End of Discourse III.