Verse 5.32

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

क्रीत्वा स्वयं वाऽप्युत्पाद्य परोपकृतमेव वा ।
देवान् पितॄंश्चार्चयित्वा खादन् मांसं न दुष्यति ॥ ३२ ॥

krītvā svayaṃ vā'pyutpādya paropakṛtameva vā |
devān pitṝṃścārcayitvā khādan māṃsaṃ na duṣyati || 32 ||

Having bought it, or having obtained it himself, or having it presented by others,—if one eats meat after having worshipped the Gods and the Pitṛs, he does not incur sin—(32)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The law here laid down refers to the meat of deer and birds. The meaning is that there is no sin incurred in eating the meat of the Ruru, the Pṛṣat and other kinds of deer, or the partridge and other birds, if it is done after having worshipped the Gods and the Pitṛs.

In the case of the offering to the Viśvedevas, when there is no preparation for it in the house, one may eat rice and other things, even without making the offering; but not so meat; it is with a view to emphasise this that the text repeats—‘having worshipped the Gods and the Pitṛs etc.’ If mere sanction to eat after worship were meant, this has already been accorded before.

What is meant by the ‘worshipping of the Gods’ here is the offering of the meat on a clean spot with the words ‘this is for the Gods’; or that ‘the worship of the Gods’ should be done in such terms as—‘this to Agni, to Vāyu, to Surya, to Jātavedas.’ That this must be the meaning of the ‘worship’ is proved by the fact that ‘offering of oblations into the fire’ (which could he the other meaning ‘worshipping the Gods’) is not possible for persons other than Agnihotrins; nor can there be any offering made to the Gods without oblations having been poured into the fire; specially as it has been already shown that the two are distinct actions and involve distinct methods of procedure. This mutter may rest here for the present.

Others have explained the ‘worship of the Pitṛs’ to mean Śrāddha; and in Śrāddhas we do find worshipping being done. It is the Pitṛs again that are spoken of as the ‘deities’ of the Śrāddha. Hence it is that in connection with the Pitṛs, all writers on Smṛti have prescribed the Śrāddha only, and no other act.

“How can the buying of meat be permissible? The meat obtained from the market becomes ‘Sa?na’, ‘butcher’s meat’ (which has been forbidden); and as for the meat of animals dying of themselves, and not killed by the butcher, this is ‘unfit for eating’, on the ground of its causing disease.”

Our answer to the above is that one can always ‘buy’ the meat brought by fowlers and bird-catchers; and these are known us ‘butchers’; and they wander about from house to house, carrying meat for sale, when it is possible to buy it; and it does not become ‘butcher’s meat.’

‘Having obtained it himself,’—the Brāhmaṇa by begging it’ and the Kṣatriya by hunting.—(32)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Āhnika, p. 527), which adds that ‘svayamutpādya’ refers to the Kṣatriya alone;—in Smṛtitattva (p. 449);—in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 582);—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 276).