Verse 7.82

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

आवृत्तानां गुरुकुलाद् विप्राणां पूजको भवेत् ।
नृपाणामक्षयो ह्येष निधिर्ब्राह्मोऽभिधीयते ॥ ८२ ॥

āvṛttānāṃ gurukulād viprāṇāṃ pūjako bhavet |
nṛpāṇāmakṣayo hyeṣa nidhirbrāhmo'bhidhīyate || 82 ||

He shall do honour to those Brāhmaṇas who have returned from their teacher’s house; for kings, this is interminable; and has been called ‘Brahmic treasure’.—(82)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

He shall honour with gifts those Brāhmaṇas who have learnt the Veda and studied what is contained in it in their teacher’s house and are desirous of proceeding to Householdership.

This act of giving also is abligatory on the King. Hence it is said that —‘for the king this is interminable—i.e., obligatory, hence interminable, life-long. If it were voluntary, its necessity would cease as soon as its fruits had been attained. This is exactly what is going to be described under 11.1.

Others however hold that what is enjoined under 11.1 is the giving of gifts to persons seeking for it, while the present context refers to persons not seeking for gifts; hence all that is meant is that they shall be duly honoured with such presents as those of a pair of cloth and the like, just in obedience to the injunction laying down such honouring, it is in view of this that the text has said ‘he shall do honour to the Brāhmaṇas.’

‘Brahmic’—entrusted to the Brāhmaṇas.—(82).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 7.82-83)

Yājñavalkya (1.314).—‘He shall present to Brāhmaṇas objects of enjoyment, and various kinds of riches; what is given to Brāhmaṇas constitutes an inexhaustible treasure for the king.’

Do. (1.321).—(See under 80.)