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...

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

अनातुरः स्वानि खानि न स्पृशेदनिमित्ततः ।
रोमाणि च रहस्यानि सर्वाण्येव विवर्जयेत् ॥ १४४ ॥

anāturaḥ svāni khāni na spṛśedanimittataḥ |
romāṇi ca rahasyāni sarvāṇyeva vivarjayet || 144 ||

Unless he be in trouble, he shall not, without cause, touch his cavities. He shall also avoid all secret hairs.—(144)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Without cause’—i.e., except when called upon to scratch them.

His cavities’—the eye, &c.,—he shall not touch.

Secret’—situated in the arm-pits and over the generative organs.

He shall avoid’—i.e., the touching mentioned before. A new verb has been used for the purpose of filling up the metre. Others say that the new verb shows that what is prohibited is the looking at the hairs.—(144)

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu (71.79).—‘He should not touch his cavities, without cause.’

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