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 5.144 [Duties of Women]
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
एषां शौचविधिः कृत्स्नो द्रव्यशुद्धिस्तथैव च ।
उक्तो वः सर्ववर्णानां स्त्रीणां धर्मान्निबोधत ॥ १४४ ॥eṣāṃ śaucavidhiḥ kṛtsno dravyaśuddhistathaiva ca |
ukto vaḥ sarvavarṇānāṃ strīṇāṃ dharmānnibodhata || 144 ||Thus has the whole rule regarding cleanliness and purification of substances for all castes been expounded to you; listen now to the duties of women. (144).
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
The first three quarters sum up the section dealing with Purifications; and the fourth states briefly what is going to be explained.
The term ‘rule regarding cleanliness’, though a general one, yet, by reason of the proximity of the term ‘purification of substances’, is to be taken as standing for purification other than this latter; just as in the case of the expression ‘go-balīvarda’ (the term ‘go’ stands for the cow as distinguished from the bull, balīvarda).
‘Duties of women,’—such duties as have to be performed exclusively by women; those that are common to men and women—such as the performance of sacrifices and the like—are not described here.—(144).