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...

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

सह सर्वाः समुत्पन्नाः प्रसमीक्ष्यापदो भृशम् ।
संयुक्तांश्च वियुक्तांश्च सर्वोपायान् सृजेद् बुधः ॥ २१४ ॥

saha sarvāḥ samutpannāḥ prasamīkṣyāpado bhṛśam |
saṃyuktāṃśca viyuktāṃśca sarvopāyān sṛjed budhaḥ || 214 ||

Seeing all kinds of troubles frequently cropping up simutaneously, the wise person shall employ all the expedients, collectively as well as severally.—(214)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Troubles’—misfortunes due to human as well as divine agencies; when these appear simultaneously, in connection with what forms the subject-matter of the present context, then, the wise man shall employ all the expedients’, ‘collectively’—i.e., gifts preceded by conciliation, dissension preceded by conciliation, fighting accompanied by conciliation, gifts and dissension,—or gifts along with the others, and so on. That is, he śull make use of that particular expedient which he finds most suited to the occasion; and he shall not sit cast down with the troubles.—(214)

How this shall be done is explained in the next verse.

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 413), which explains ‘Saṃyuktān’ as ‘arisen together’,—‘viyuktān’, as ‘arisen separately,’ and ‘nayet’ as ‘should employ.’

Like what you read? Consider supporting this website: