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 7.40
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
बहवोऽविनयात्नष्टा राजानः सपरिच्छदाः ।
वनस्था अपि राज्यानि विनयात् प्रतिपेदिरे ॥ ४० ॥bahavo'vinayātnaṣṭā rājānaḥ saparicchadāḥ |
vanasthā api rājyāni vinayāt pratipedire || 40 ||Many Kings, along with their belongings, have perished through want of discipline; while, on account of discipline, many, even though living in forests, have obtained Kingdoms.—(40).
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
What has been stated above is further emphasised by means of the next three verses.
Undisciplined kings, have perished ‘along with their belongings’. ‘Belongings’ stand for the son, wife, elephants, horses and so forth.
On the other hand, those who are disciplined never lose their kingdom, after having got it; in fact even when living far off in the forest, and hence devoid of any treasure &c., they have obtained kingdoms.’—(40).
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 119).