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:

अस्वतन्त्राः स्त्रियः कार्याः पुरुषैः स्वैर्दिवानिशम् ।
विषयेषु च सज्जन्त्यः संस्थाप्या आत्मनो वशे ॥ २ ॥

asvatantrāḥ striyaḥ kāryāḥ puruṣaiḥ svairdivāniśam |
viṣayeṣu ca sajjantyaḥ saṃsthāpyā ātmano vaśe || 2 ||

During the day and the night women should not be left to themselves by their men. If they become addicted to sensual objects, they should be kept under one’s control.—(2).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

Women should not be left free to act as they like, in regard to morality, wealth and pleasure. Whenever they desire to employ their wealth in acts of righteousness and the like, they should obtain the permission of their ‘men’, the husband or other male relations, according to her age.

Their men’—Guardians, indicated in the following verse.

Sensual objects’—Singing and the like; they become ‘addicted to’ having recourse to—these,—‘they should be kept under one’s control,’—should be cheeked.

Though the phrase ‘not left to themselves’ indicates the propriety of depriving them of independence in regard to all actions, yet the text specifically mentions the ‘sensual objects’ with a view to point out that in regard to latter special care should be taken; so that people may not be led to think that all that is necessary is to prevent the women from associating with other men, and it does not matter if they become addicted to drink and other evils, while keeping confined to their homes.

The particle ‘ca’ indicates that, though what the words directly declare is the duty of the man, yet it also follows that the woman also should not be independent; it is in this manner that the duties of both ‘man and woman’ in relation to one another become expounded, as promised in verse (1),—and not those duties that consist of sacrificial performances and the like.—(2).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (2.195), which adds the following notes:—As a matter of fact, this appearing of husband and wife before the king as plaintiff and defendant is forbidden, and as such there is no room for this subject under the present head; but what is meant is that if, from other sources, the king should happen to hear of the misbehaviour of the one or the other of the party, he should interfere, and by means of judicious punishment bring them back to the path of righteousness; otherwise he becomes involved in sin.—Bālambhaṭṭī has the following explanatory notes:—‘Svaiḥ’, the women’s own brother and other relations,—‘divāniśam,’ always,—‘viṣayesu’, even such objects of enjoyment as are not actually forbidden, such as beautiful things, tasty food, and so forth,—‘sajjantyaḥ’ addicted,—they should be kept under control.

It is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Vyavahāra, p. 322); in Smṛtisāroddhāra (p. 330), which adds that ‘though a regular law-suit between husband and wife has been prohibited, yet if the king happens to learn from other sources, of quarrels between them, he should intervene and make them keep to the right path,’—in Kṛtyasārasamuccaya (p. 98) which explains ‘sajjantyaḥ’ as becoming ‘addicted’—and in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Vyavahāra, 31b).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

[See also Manu, 5.147-148 and the texts under them.]

Gautama (18.1).—‘A wife is not independent with respect to the sacred Law.’

Baudhāyana (2.3.44).—‘Women do not possess independence.’

Vaśiṣṭha( 5.1).—‘A woman is not independent; the males are her masters.’

Viṣṇu (25.12).—‘Not to act by herself in any matter.’

Yājñavalkya (1.85).—‘There is no independence for woman at any time.’

Bṛhaspati (24.2).—‘A woman must be restrained from even slight transgressions by her relations,—by night and by day she must be watched by her mother-in-law and other ladies of the family.

Śukranīti (4.4.11, 23).—‘Women have no separate right to the employment of the means of realising the three ends of spiritual merit, wealth and pleasure. The wife should be pure in mind, speech and action; she should abide by the instructions of her husband, and follow him like his shadow, and be a friend in all his activities and servant in all his commands.’

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