Verse 5.2

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

एवं यथोक्तं विप्राणां स्वधर्ममनुतिष्ठताम् ।
कथं मृत्युः प्रभवति वेदशास्त्रविदां प्रभो ॥ २ ॥

evaṃ yathoktaṃ viprāṇāṃ svadharmamanutiṣṭhatām |
kathaṃ mṛtyuḥ prabhavati vedaśāstravidāṃ prabho || 2 ||

“How is it, O Lord, that Death overpowers the Brāhmaṇas who are learned in the Vedic lore, and who perform their duty exactly as it has been thus described?”—(2)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The Text now shows what the great Sages asked.

‘Thus’—refers to the manner in which the Treatise has propounded the subject; and ‘exactly as described’—refers to the subject-matter of the Treatise.

Those Twice-born men who perform the duty exactly in the form in which it has been described in the present Treatise:—that all twice born men are indicated by the terms ‘vipra’ ‘brahmana’, in the Text will be clear from what is going to be said in verse 26 below, where ‘twice-born’ is the term used;—‘how is it that Death orerpotrers them’—while still in the state of the ‘Student,’ or in that of the^; Accomplished Student’? How is this, when, in reality, they should live the full spun of humun life? The span of a man’s life is a hundred years; so that the death of Brāhmaṇas before that is not proper; specially as it has been declared that ‘from right conduct one attains longevity’ (4.156), and ‘no calamity befalls persons who recite the Veda and. offer oblations’ (4.146). (2).