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 4.194
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
यथा प्लवेनोपलेन निमज्जत्युदके तरन् ।
तथा निमज्जतोऽधस्तादज्ञौ दातृप्रतीच्छकौ ॥ १९४ ॥yathā plavenopalena nimajjatyudake taran |
tathā nimajjato'dhastādajñau dātṛpratīcchakau || 194 ||Just as a man crossing water by means of a stone-raft sinks down, so also sink downwards the ignorant giver and receiver.—(194)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Aupala,’—made of stone.
‘Raft’— boat and such other contrivances used in crossing water.
He who ‘crosses’—proceeds to cross—water by such a raft, sinks down into the water. So also do ‘the ignorant giver and receiver.’
The term, ‘pratīcchaka’ is to be explained as ‘pratīcchām karoti’ (with the ṇich affix), and then the nominal ‘ṇvul’ added to it.
‘Pratīpsakaḥ’ is another reading; this would be derived from the root ‘āp,’ to obtain, with the derivative affix, and then the nominal ‘ṇvul’ added to it. The meaning of both would be the same.—(194)