Verse 5.104 [Means of Purification for Corporeal Beings (dehin)]

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

ज्ञानं तपोऽग्निराहारो मृत्मनो वार्युपाञ्जनम् ।
वायुः कर्मार्ककालौ च शुद्धेः कर्तॄणि देहिनाम् ॥ १०४ ॥

jñānaṃ tapo'gnirāhāro mṛtmano vāryupāñjanam |
vāyuḥ karmārkakālau ca śuddheḥ kartṝṇi dehinām || 104 ||

Wisdom, austerity, fire, food, clay, mind, water, smearing, wind, action, the sun and time are means of purification for corporeal beings.—(104).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Wisdom’ and the rest are mentioned only by way of illustrating the purification by lapse of time; the sense being—‘just as these are the means of purification within their own spheres, so is Time also, and the efficacy of this latter should not be doubted.’

Of the several things mentioned here, what is efficatious under what circumstances shall be explained in the present context itself; and the efficacy of other things shall be described in particular places.

‘Wisdom’—spiritual knowledge; such as is taught by the Sāṅkhya-Yoga. This serves to set aside Ignorance, and removes attachment and other impediments, whereupon wisdom becomes free from all defects. This is what is going to be described under 108, where it is said—‘Intellect becomes purified by wisdom.’

‘Austerity;’—the Kṛcchra, the Cāndrāyaṇa and the rest. This serves to remove the taint of major and minor sins.

‘Fire’—is the means of purification of earthen-ware vessels and such other things as have been mentioned as being ‘purified by re-baking’(121).

‘Food;’—i.e., the eating of such pure things as milk and roots.

This also serves to purify in the same manner as Austerity.

The fact of ‘clay’ and ‘water’ being the means of purification is well-known, That of the ‘mind’ is going to be described under 108.

‘Smearing;’—i.e., cleaning and whitewashing with such things as cowdung, lime and the like.

‘Wind’— purifies pieces of grass and wood lying on the roads, which happen to be touched by the cāṇḍāla and such others.

‘Actions;’—e. g., the saying of Twilight Prayers and such other rites. It has been declared under 2.102 that ‘one should stand saying the morning prayers, thus he removes the sin committed, during the night’;—what this means we have explained under Discourse II.

Though ‘Austerity’ also is an ‘action’, it has been mentioned separately for the purpose of emphasising its importance. In fact, in the srciptures ‘Austerity’ is generally mentioned separately; e.g. in Yājñavalkya, Ācāra 221—‘Karmaniṣṭhāstaponiṣṭhāḥ’—(104)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 105 of others.)

This verse is quoted in Hemādri (Śrāddha, p. 792);—in Smṛtisāroddhāra (p. 249);—and in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Śrāddha, p. 16b).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Viṣṇu (22.88).—(Same as Manu.)

Baudhāyana (1.5.52).—‘Time, fire, purity of mind, water and the like, smearing with cow-dung, and ignorance (of defilement) are declared to be the sixfold means of purification for created beings.’

Yājñavalkya (l.194).—‘Roads are purified by the rays of the moon and the sun and by the wind.’

Do. (3.30-33).—‘Time, fire, acts, clay, wind, mind, knowledge, austerity, water, repentance, fasting—all these are causes of purification. For those who do what should not he done, charity is the means of purification; the river is purified by its current; of things requiring purification, it is brought about by clay and water; for the twice-born, renunciation is the purifier; for Vedic scholars, austerities; for the learned, tolerance; for the body, water; for those who have sinned secretly, the repeating of mantras; for the mind, truth; for all living beings, penance and learning; for the intellect, knowledge; for the Conscious Being, the best purification consists in the knowledge of God.’