Verse 8.217

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

यथोक्तमार्तः सुस्थो वा यस्तत् कर्म न कारयेत् ।
न तस्य वेतनं देयमल्पोनस्यापि कर्मणः ॥ २१७ ॥

yathoktamārtaḥ sustho vā yastat karma na kārayet |
na tasya vetanaṃ deyamalponasyāpi karmaṇaḥ || 217 ||

When a man, sick or well, does not get the stipulated work done, he shall not receive hi s wages,—even though the work be only slightly incomplete.—(217)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

If the employer does not dismiss the man, when he has fallen ill, after having paid off his wages for the part of the work done,—then he should, after recovery, be made to finish the work. But if the employer should say—‘I have no work for you,’ then he should receive his wages in accordance with the part of the work that he may have done.—(217)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 797), which explains ‘Yathoktam’ as ‘as agreed upon’;—in Mitākṣarā (2.198), to the effect that—‘if the man,—on recovery, if he has been ill, or even while he is in perfect health’,—does not complete the task of which only a little is left undone,—either himself or through some one else,—then he should not be given any wages at all—and in Kṛtyakalpataru (102a), which explains ‘kārayet’ as ‘gets it done by another person’, and ‘alponasyāpi’ as ‘even though only a very little be wanting in the completion of the work.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 8.215-217)

See Comparative notes for Verse 8.215.