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 9.6
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
इमं हि सर्ववर्णानां पश्यन्तो धर्ममुत्तमम् ।
यतन्ते रक्षितुं भार्यां भर्तारो दुर्बला अपि ॥ ६ ॥imaṃ hi sarvavarṇānāṃ paśyanto dharmamuttamam |
yatante rakṣituṃ bhāryāṃ bhartāro durbalā api || 6 ||Looking upon this as the highest duty of all castes, even weak husbands strive to guard their wives—(6).
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
This is the highest duty of all the four castes.
‘Looking upon this’—Knowing it as such.
‘Even weak husbands’—should ‘strive’, make due effort. The Present tense ending in ‘guards’, has the force of the Injunctive.
* * * * * * (6)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
The verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 411);—in Parāśaramādhava (Vyavahāra, p. 323) Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Vyavahāra, 32a);—in Kṛtyasārasamuccaya (p. 98);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Vyavahāra, 158a).
Comparative notes by various authors
(verses 9.5-7)
See Comparative notes for Verse 9.5.