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:

श्रद्धयेष्टं च पूर्तं च नित्यं कुर्यादतन्द्रितः ।
श्रद्धाकृते ह्यक्षये ते भवतः स्वागतैर्धनैः ॥ २२६ ॥

śraddhayeṣṭaṃ ca pūrtaṃ ca nityaṃ kuryādatandritaḥ |
śraddhākṛte hyakṣaye te bhavataḥ svāgatairdhanaiḥ || 226 ||

He shall always diliqenty perform, with faith, sacrifices and other religious acts; done with faith, and with well-begotten wealth, they become imperishable.—(226)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Iṣṭa,’ ‘sacrifice,’ stands for those acts of Sacrifice and the like that are done on a regular altar; while ‘pūrta’ stands for other acts done with a view to spiritual results, such as honouring those who deserve to be honoured, and so forth.

Both these sets of acts shall be done ‘with faith;’ and with well-gotten wealth;’—i.e., with wealth got by such fair means as learning, bravery, bride, and so forth.

Thus performed, these acts lead to ini perishable results. Those that are performed with wealth not well-gotten, are not fruitless; they only lead to perishable (transitory) results. Because, even unfair means produce ownership; so that sacrifices may be performed with wealth over which one’s ownership has been produced. Further, usury (as a means of acquiring wealth) is not found to have been prohibited anywhere in connection with sacrifices and charities. Hence it follows that, even with the help of such wealth, sacrifices, etc., shall be performed till Heaven has been attained. There will certainly be some difference in the degr.ee of excellence in the results obtained.

Now, the question arises—What are the fair sources of acquiring wealth?

In answer to this, we have the following verses:—

I. What is derived from (a) learning, (b) bravery, (c) austerities, (d) bride, (e) person sacrificed for, (f) pupil, and (g) inheritance,—are the seven kinds of ‘purewealth; and the result of these is also pure.

Of these, learning and austerities are the sources that bring presents. Though ‘present’ constitutes only one kind of wealth, yet it has been mentioned as two, on account of its twofold source. The qualifications of the persons making the gifts have also to be borne in mind. If the giver does not happen to be absolutely objectionable, the wealth derived from him is also pure.—The terms ‘person sacrificed for’ and ‘pupil’ indicate the work of officiating at sacrifices and teaching.—‘inherited,’ from one’s forefathers.—‘Bride,’ what is obtained from the Father-in-law, at the time of marriage.—‘Bravery’— for the Kṣatriya; while the ‘bride’ and ‘inheritance,’ are common to all men.

II. What is derived by— (a) usury—(b) agriculture, (c) trade, (d) art (e) service, (f) attendance, and (g) from a person who has been helped ;—these seven kinds of wealth are calledmixed.’

Service’ consists of running on errands and obeying orders; while ‘attendance’ is agreeable behaviour. Of these, ‘usury,’ ‘agriculture’ and ‘trade’ are mixed only for the non - Vaiśya; for the Vaiśya, these are commendable. Similarly, ‘service,’ consisting of attending upon twice-born men, is commendable for the Śūdra; the others are not commended for him. What is meant by these being ‘mixed’ is, that the results obtained from acts, performed with wealth derived from those sources, are transitory; these results lasting only during the present life.

III. What is obtained by—(a) bribery, (b) gambling, (c) stealing, (d) causing pain to others, (e) hypocrisy, (f) robbery and (g) fraud;—all this has been declared to be ‘black.’

Pārśvika,’—the man at one’s side, obtains wealth by means of bribery, etc. For instance, having come to know that a person is going to obtain some wealth, one goes over to him and says, ‘I shall get yon so much wealth, you should give me something out of it,’ and then receives it from him; the man not having done anything himself, nor having anything done by others, but simply looking on, and yet receiving money; or when one receives some consideration for standing surety for a borrower.—‘Pratirūpaka’ is pretence, hypocrisy .—‘Fraud’—when one sells the kusumbha flower, in place of saffron.—‘Ārti’ is causing pain to others.—‘Stealing’ is taking away things by stealth; and ‘robbery’ is taking away by force.

“As a matter of fact, stealing and robbery do not produce ownership at all, these not having been mentioned, among the means of acquiring it, in Gautama 10.39—‘One becomes an owner by inheritance, purchase, partition, presents and trade;’ or, in Manu (10.116)—‘Learning, Art, Service,’ etc; or, again, Manu (10.115)—‘Seven sources of wealth are legal, etc.’ If it be argued that these same assertions indicate Theft and Robbery also as sources of wealth—then, what would be the meaning of the assertion—‘What is eaten by force, cannot be digested.’”

Some people offer the following explanation:—‘Dyūta-cauryārti’ (Gambling, Theft, Causing pain to others) is not the right reading; the right reading being ‘vairyārti’ (enmity, causing pain). At the time of making peace with an enemy, one says, ‘I shall make peace with yon only if you give me so much;’ and the other party, being helpless, gives what is asked for,—The term, sāhasa, does not stand for robbery, but for rashness; when, for instance, one earns wealth even at the risk of one’s life; e.g., by going on boats, or by selling things prohibited by the king.

Others, however, opine as follows:—‘Ownership’ by robbery is not incompatible with the assertion regarding ‘not digesting;’ because force is employed only at the first act of snatching, and, after that, even when there is no force used, and the wealth is obtained and enjoyed merely by the indifference of the other party, there does come about actual ownership And, as for the assertion that it is not digested, this refers to the case where voilence (violence?) is used from beginning to end. Thus there is no incompatability between the two.

The right view on this point is as follows:—Real ownership is not brought about by Theft and Robbery, because of the different reading suggested; and also because other Smṛti-writers have not mentioned these among the.means of acquiring weath.—(226)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 290);—and in Hemādri (Dāna, p. 86).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Baudhāyana (1.5.62, 64).—‘The gods, ever bent upon purity, loath the offerings of the faithless, and never accept them. In connection with this they quote the following—Faithlessness is the worst sin, Faith is the highest penance; therefore the gods do not eat what is offered without faith.’

Mahābhārata (Śānti., 270. 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21).—‘An action involving injury to living beings destroys faith here as also elsewhere; and O Brahman, Faith, being destroyed, destroys the man.—A sacrifice is a sacrifice only when it is performed by men who are calm, imbued with faith, self-controlled and high-minded, not otherwise.—One should eat food offered by the generous man, never that offered by the miser or the woman.—The faithless man does not deserve to make offerings to gods; his food should never be eaten; so have declared persons versed in law.—Faithlessness is the worst sin; Faith is destructive of sin; the man imbued with faith casts off sin, just as the serpent casts off its skin, etc.’

Mahābhārata (Aparārka, p. 290).—‘The one-fìre Rite, the offerings into the three fires, the gifts given within the altar—these are called Iṣṭa. Wells, tanks, ponds, temples, food-stalls, public gardens—the building of these is called Pūrta.’

Nārada (Do.).—‘Receiving guests and Vaiśvadeva-offerings are called Iṣṭa. Tanks, ponds, temples, food-stalls, gardens, gifts made during eclipses, and on the day of the sun passing from one sign into another, and on the twelfth day of the fortnight,—these constitute Pūrta.’

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