Verse 4.8

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

चतुर्णामपि चैतेषां द्विजानां गृहमेधिनाम् ।
ज्यायान् परः परो ज्ञेयो धर्मतो लोकजित्तमः ॥ ८ ॥

caturṇāmapi caiteṣāṃ dvijānāṃ gṛhamedhinām |
jyāyān paraḥ paro jñeyo dharmato lokajittamaḥ || 8 ||

Among these four Brāhmaṇa-householders, each later should be regarded as superior, and a superior winner of worlds by virtue of his merit.—(8)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The person who accumulates wealth enough for a shorter time is superior, better, in point of merit; and superiority of merit leads to superiority of reward—‘he is a superior winner of worlds’—he wins the wolrds; i.e., takes possession of them, as their master; i.e., obtains them for his enjoyment. The suffix ‘tama’ denotes excellence. In the absence of qualifications, the term ‘worlds’ here is taken as standing for the heavenly regions.

For these reasons, the rule on this point would be as follows:—

(a) He who has vast responsibilities, having many children, whose sons have not set up separate houses, who has not married away his daughters,—such a person should possess a granary full of corns;—(b) he, however, who has become advanced in age, has got children, has done all that he had to do,—such a person, as he goes on withdrawing from activities, should have recourse to the other alternatives.—(8)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka, (p. 169);—and in Madanapārijāta, (p. 216).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 4.7-8)

See Comparative notes for Verse 4.7.