Verse 9.81

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

वन्ध्याष्टमेऽधिवेद्याब्दे दशमे तु मृतप्रजा ।
एकादशे स्त्रीजननी सद्यस्त्वप्रियवादिनी ॥ ८१ ॥

vandhyāṣṭame'dhivedyābde daśame tu mṛtaprajā |
ekādaśe strījananī sadyastvapriyavādinī || 81 ||

The barren wife shall be superseded in the eighth year; in the tenth she whose children die off; in the eleventh she who bears only daughters; but immediately she who talks harshly.—(81)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The text proceeds to lay down the supersession of other kinds of wives.

Among these, the barren one should be superseded in the eighth year; in the tenth, she whose children die off.

By marrying a second wife the man shall save himself from the contingency of disobeying the injunction regarding the Laying of Fire (to which a childless person is not entitled), and that regarding the begetting of children,—to which he would be liable by reason of his wife being childless. Because, the Laying of Fire is not found to be prescribed for a sonless person.

The same holds good regarding the wife that bears only daughters; as also she whose children die off.

As regards the wife who is harsh of speech, as there is no such serious defect, there need be no supersession; and she may be forgiven.—(81)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 188), which adds that ‘adhivettavyā’ has to be supplied at the end;—in Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 873);—in Aparārka (p. 100);—in Nirṇayasindhu (p. 230);—in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 508);—and in Vidhānapārijāta (II, p. 363).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.77-84)

See Comparative notes for Verse 9.77.