Verse 5.78

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

अन्तर्दशाहे स्यातां चेत् पुनर्मरणजन्मनी ।
तावत् स्यादशुचिर्विप्रो यावत् तत् स्यादनिर्दशम् ॥ ७८ ॥

antardaśāhe syātāṃ cet punarmaraṇajanmanī |
tāvat syādaśucirvipro yāvat tat syādanirdaśam || 78 ||

If, within ten days, another birth or death happen to befall, the Brāhmaṇa shall remain impure until that period of ten days shall have elapsed.—(78).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Here also the mention of ‘ten days’ is meant to stand for the period of impurity ordained in each individual case. The meaning thus is that—‘before the expiry of the period of impurity ordained for a particular ease, if another cause of impurity should come about, then purification comes with the lapse of the remainder of that period; and the second period of impurity is not to be counted from the day on which the cause shall have arisen.’ Says Gautama (14.5)—‘If an impurity should occur again during the interval, the purification comes with the remainder of the former.’

‘Birth and Death’ being mentioned in a compound,—and it being not easy to find out in which order of sequence these are to be taken,—and intervention being possible by unlike causes of impurity also,—it is to be understood, on the authority of usage, that what is meant is intervention by a like cause of impurity (i.e. of impurity due to death by another due to death and so forth). It is in this sense that the use of the term ‘another’ becomes more justifiably significant.

The term ‘Brāhmaṇa’ also is meant to stand for persons observing the impurity.

In another Smṛti-text it has been laid down that—‘if it happens at the close of the night, then it is in two days; and if it happens at dawn, then three days’; and having begun with the statement—‘when the Brāhmaṇa dies, the impurity lasts for ten days’,—it goes on to say—‘if no one dies or is born in the interval, he becomes pure after the remaining days.’ And this takes no account of any distinction between like and unlike sources of impurity.—(78).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 79 of others.)

This verse is quoted in Nirṇayasindhu (p. 386), which notes that the period of ‘ten days’ here mentioned stands for all periods of impurity as laid down in the several cases,—and not for that of ‘ten days’ only;—and again on p. 388.

It is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 622);—in Smṛtitattva (II, p. 237), in the sense that when there is a commingling of two causes of impurity, the later one lapses with the earlier;—again on p. 244 to the same effect—i. e., the period of impurity due to a later cause becomes contracted within the limits of that due to a previous cause;—and again on p. 247 to the same effect;—and in Hāralatā (p. 61), which says that the qualification ‘punaḥ’, ‘again’ applies to death only, and draws the following conclusion:—‘If during the ten days of impurity duetto a death, another death or a birth should occur, then the impurity ceases after the end of the said ten days due to the former death;’ it goes on to say. that such is not. the case if death occur during the period of impurity due to a birth, as the impurity due to death is more serious than that due to birth, and hence cannot merge into the latter.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (14.6).—‘If during a period of impurity, another death occurs, the relatives shall he pure after the lapse of the remainder of the former period.’

Baudhāyana (1.11.17-18).—‘If a birth and a death occur together, one and the same period of ten days shall serve for both. If other births or deaths happen before the completion of the ten days of the first impurity, that first period will suffice; provided the new course of impurity occurs before the end of the ninth day.’

Vaśiṣṭha (4.23-25).—‘If during a period of impurity, another death or birth occurs, the relatives shall be pure after the expiry of the remainder of that first period. But if one night only of the first period of impurity remain, they shall be pure after two days and nights. If the second death or birth occurs on the morning of the day on which the first period expires, they shall he pure after three days and nights.’

Viṣṇu (22.35-38).—‘If during the period of impurity due to birth, another birth occurs, then purification comes after the expiry of the first period of impurity. If the second occurs when only one night remains of the first period, then purification comes after two days. If it occurs on the morning of the last day of the first period, then after three days. Similarly on the death of a relative during the period of impurity due to death.

Yājñavalkya (3.20).—‘If another birth or death happen during a period of impurity, one becomes purified on the lapse of the remaining daws.’

Aṅgiras (Aparārka, p. 898).—If during a period of impurity due to birth, a death occurs,—or during a period of impurity due to death, a birth occurs,—then, the impurity is to he observed in accordance with the death, not with the birth.’

Ṣaṭtṛṃśan-mata (Do.).—‘If during an impurity due to death, a birth occurs, then purification from the impurity duo to the birth comes after the lapse of the period of impurity due to death; the birth is not purificatory of the impurity due to death.’

Śaṅkha (Aparārka, p. 899).—‘When two equal causes of impurity coalesce, the impurity should cease with the former; if they are not equal, then with the second; such is the declaration of Dharmarāja.’

Śaṅkha (Do., p. 900).—‘If after the mother’s death the father dies, then purification comes after the lapse of the impurity due to the father’s death.’

Yama (Do.).—‘If a cause happens lengthening the period of an impurity, the impurity should cease with what happens later. If during a three-day period of impurity, a ten-day impurity should occur, then purification comes with the end of this latter.’

Hārīta (Aparārka, p. 900).—‘If an impurity due to death occurs during an impurity due to death, purification comes with the lapse of the previous impurity. A shorter impurity can remove another only when the latter is a short one.’

Prajāpati (Do.).—‘If a son happen to be born during an impurity due to another birth, then the father’s purification is immediate; he being purified by the lapse of the previous impurity. When several impurities coalesce, purification comes on the lapse of that which is the more serious; when there is coalescence of impurity due to birth and another due to death, that due to death is the more serious.’

Brahmapurāṇa (Do.).—‘There are two parts to every period of impurity; if a fresh cause of impurity happen within the first part of a previous impurity, then the purification comes on the lapse of the previous impurity; if however it happen after that, then it comes on the lapse of the second impurity. Similarly when during the impurity duo to one death, another death happens. If during the impurity due to death, a birth occurs,—or during the impurity due to birth, a death occurs,—then purification comes on the lapse of the impurity duo to death.’

Uśanas (Parāśaramādhava, p. 622).—‘If during a shorter impurity, a longer one happens, the purification cannot come with the lapse of the former; it must take its own time.’

Devala (Do.).—‘When circumstances prolonging the impurity occur, purification comes on the lapse of the succeeding one; but if the second impurity occurs before the fifth day of the first one, then purification comes on the lapse of the first one.’

Parāśara (3.28-29).—‘If during the ten days of impurity, another birth or death should occur, the Brāhmaṇa shall remain impure till the expiry of those ten days.’