Verse 5.21

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

संवत्सरस्यैकमपि चरेत् कृच्छ्रं द्विजोत्तमः ।
अज्ञातभुक्तशुद्ध्यर्थं ज्ञातस्य तु विशेषतः ॥ २१ ॥

saṃvatsarasyaikamapi caret kṛcchraṃ dvijottamaḥ |
ajñātabhuktaśuddhyarthaṃ jñātasya tu viśeṣataḥ || 21 ||

Once a year the Brāhmaṇa shall perform the ‘Kṛcchra’ penance, in order to atone for unintentional eating; but for intentional eating, special ones.—(21).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

This refers to the Brāhmaṇa who is in the habit of eating at the house of those Śūdra whose food he is permitted to eat.

It is possible that at the house of a Śūdra, there may he some articles of food that are not fit to be eaten by the Brāhmaṇa, which can not always be avoided; if the Brāhmaṇa eats at the house of such a Śūdra, there is always a fear of his having partaken of some forbidden food; hence for him it is laid down that he should perforin the ‘Prājāpatya Kṛcchra’. In all bases where the precise form of the ‘kṛcchra’ is not laid down, it should be understood to be the^‘Prājāpatya’ kṛcchra as we shall explain later on.

^‘In order to atone for unintentional eating’:—i.e., in the event of there being suspicion of his having unwillingly partaken of forbidden food; that is, for the expiating of the sin incurred, in the event of his having eaten forbidden food.

“But the expiation for this is going to be prescribed later on, under 5.I27.”

What that means and refers to we shall explain in connection with that verse.

For the art committed intentionally, special rites should be performed; i.e. that expiatory rite which has been prescribed in many words in connection with a particular case—(21).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Cf. 11. 212.

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (on 3.290) as laying down the expiation for cases of suspected eating of forbidden things;—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 340).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 5.20-21)

See Comparative notes for Verse 5.20.