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 7.173
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
मन्येतारिं यदा राजा सर्वथा बलवत्तरम् ।
तदा द्विधा बलं कृत्वा साधयेत् कार्यमात्मनः ॥ १७३ ॥manyetāriṃ yadā rājā sarvathā balavattaram |
tadā dvidhā balaṃ kṛtvā sādhayet kāryamātmanaḥ || 173 ||When the king thinks his enemy to be stronger in every respect, then he should bifurcate his force and thus accomplish his own purpose.—(173)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
When a man has been attacked by a strong enemy, recouping is impossible; what is beneficial is resorting to a fortress; and this means garrisoning, which involves ‘bifurcation’; this has been already explained above. As a matter of fact, it is found that, under ordinary circumstances, it is only the more powerful king who divides his forces, when under difficulties.—(173)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 327).
Comparative notes by various authors
Viṣṇudharmottara (Vīramitrodaya-Rājanīti, p. 327).—‘The powerful king shall have recourse to the division of his army, when he finds that his rear-guard is not reliable.’