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...
Verse 5.31
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
यज्ञाय जग्धिर्मांसस्येत्येष दैवो विधिः स्मृतः ।
अतोऽन्यथा प्रवृत्तिस्तु राक्षसो विधिरुच्यते ॥ ३१ ॥yajñāya jagdhirmāṃsasyetyeṣa daivo vidhiḥ smṛtaḥ |
‘The eating of meat for sacrifices’—this is declared to be the divine law; but behaviour contrary to this is described as ‘demoniacal practice’—(31).
ato'nyathā pravṛttistu rākṣaso vidhirucyate || 31 ||
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘The eating of meat—in the form of offerings and oblations —‘for sacrifices.’
‘This is the div ine law’;—this is what has been ordained by the Gods.
‘Behaviour contrary to this,’—i.e. eating meat for the fattening of the body—is ‘the demonical pract ice’; it is only demons that eat meat in this fashion. This is said in deprecation of the practice.—(31)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
“Cf. this with the Mahābhārata, 13.114-116. In ib 116, 15, this is quoted as Śruti, but in 115, 53, its gist is ascribed to Manu”—Hopkins.
This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 527), which adds the following notes:—‘yajñāya’ means ‘for purposes of sacrifice’,—‘yagdhi’ means ‘eating’,—‘atonyathā’ means ‘elsewhere than at a sacrifice’;—and in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 582).