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:

अश्लीकमेतत् साधूनां यत्र जुह्वत्यमी हविः ।
प्रतीपमेतद् देवानां तस्मात् तत् परिवर्जयेत् ॥ २०६ ॥

aślīkametat sādhūnāṃ yatra juhvatyamī haviḥ |
pratīpametad devānāṃ tasmāt tat parivarjayet || 206 ||

Where such persons pour the oblations, it is considered indecent by all good men; it is disagreeable to the gods; hence, one should avoid it—(206)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

This verse is supplementary to the foregoing prohibitive Injunction.

Indecent’—blameworthy.

By good men’—by all cultured people.

Where such persons pour the oblations,’—i.e., offer sacrifices.

It is disagreeable’—displeasing—‘to the gods.’

Hence one should avoid’—going to—‘these sacrifices.’—(206).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 494), which explains ‘aślīka’ as ‘conducive to adversity’,—and ‘pratīpa’ as ‘disagreeable’;—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 250), which remarks that the entire verse is ‘Arthavāda’.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Vaśiṣṭha (14.5).—‘The gods do not partake of the offerings of one who is suffering from white leprosy, or of one who has married a girl after puberty, or of one who is under the subjection of his wife, or of one who permits his wife’s paramour to live in the house.’

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