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 4.78
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
अधितिष्ठेन्न केशांस्तु न भस्मास्थिकपालिकाः ।
न कार्पासास्थि न तुषान् दीर्घमायुर्जिजीविषुः ॥ ७८ ॥adhitiṣṭhenna keśāṃstu na bhasmāsthikapālikāḥ |
na kārpāsāsthi na tuṣān dīrghamāyurjijīviṣuḥ || 78 ||One who is desirous of living a long life, shall not step on hair, nor on ashes, bones and potsherds; or on cotton-seed or chaff.—(78)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Potsherds’—broken pieces of earthenware.
‘Long life’— This use of the Accusative has been already explained.—(78)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 183).
Comparative notes by various authors
Gautama (9.16).—‘He shall not stand upon ashes, hairs, chaff, potsherds and unclean things.’
Baudhāyana (1.3.37).—‘He shall not stand upon ashes, bones, hairs, chaff, potsherds, and bath-water.’
Āpastamba (2.20.11).—‘Standing upon ashes and chaff.’
Viṣṇu (63.24-25).—‘He shall not stand upon chaff, potsherds, bones, ashes and embers; nor on cotton-seeds.’
Viṣṇu (Aparārka, p. 183).—‘He shall not stand on the roadcrossing, nor under a tree at night, nor in an empty house, nor in a slaughter-house or a prison.’
Yājñavalkya (1.139),—‘He shall avoid all incompatible acts, as also the smoke issuing from a dead body, and swimming in the river; also standing upon hairs, ashes, chaff, embers, and potsherds.’
Śaṅkha-Likhita (Aparārka, p. 183).—‘He shall not stand upon a heap of grass or a heap of pebbles.’