Verse 4.200

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

अलिङ्गी लिङ्गिवेषेण यो वृत्तिमुपजीवति ।
स लिङ्गिनां हरत्येनस्तिर्यग्योनौ च जायते ॥ २०० ॥

aliṅgī liṅgiveṣeṇa yo vṛttimupajīvati |
sa liṅgināṃ haratyenastiryagyonau ca jāyate || 200 ||

One who, though not entitled to the wearing of a certain badge, gains one’s living by wearing that badge, takes off the sins of persons entitled to that badge, and is born in the womb of a lower animal.—(200)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

There is a distinctive badge connected with each of the life-stages. For the Student there is the wearing of the girdle-zone, etc.; for the Householder, there is the wearing of the bamboo-stick, the ear-ring, the water-pot, and so forth; and for the Wandering Recluse, the wearing of the reddish-brown garment, the rod, and so forth.

How, if a Householder makes a living—by wearing one of of these badges, with a view to obtaining alms,—‘he takes of the sins of persons entitled to that badge;’—helps them to become free from their debts; and ‘is born in the womb of a lower animal,’ such as the jackal and the like.

In this connection, the difficulty should not be raised that it is not possible for the sins committed by the persons entitled to the badge to move away from them to go over to the pretender.

Because all that is meant by the text is that one should not wear the badge of other persons. Even though no direct prohibition is laid down, yet we deduce the said impropriety from the deprecatory statement contained in the verse.—(200)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Viṣṇu (93.13).—[Same as Manu, but reading ‘prajāyate’ for ‘ca jāyate.’]