Verse 9.115

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

उद्धारो न दशस्वस्ति सम्पन्नानां स्वकर्मसु ।
यत् किं चिदेव देयं तु ज्यायसे मानवर्धनम् ॥ ११५ ॥

uddhāro na daśasvasti sampannānāṃ svakarmasu |
yat kiṃ cideva deyaṃ tu jyāyase mānavardhanam || 115 ||

But there is to be no additional share ‘out of ten,’ if all the brothers are efficient in their occupations; some little thing however shall be given to the eldest, as a mark of respect.—(115)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Out of ten’— animals.

‘The additional share,’ mentioned in the preceding verses,—there is to be none,—when the brothers are all ‘efficient’—particularly excellent—‘in their occupations’—of learning, study and so forth.

Some people take the term ‘daśasu,’ ‘out of ten,’ as purely illustrative;—the sense being that there is to be none of the additional shares that are mentioned in the text which speaks of ‘the best of ten;’ and the reason given for this explanation is that the text lays down ‘efficiency in occupations’ as the ground.

Even in such cases however, the other brothers should give to the eldest brother ‘some little thing’—some present—as a mark of respect.—(115)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara, (p. 476), which adds the following explanation:—The additional share prescribed in the last quarter of the last verse, ‘the best among them’, is not to be taken if all the brothers are equal in learning and other qualities. This is only by way of illustration; it means that none of the additional shares mentioned in verses 112-114 is to be taken; as is clear from the clause ‘yat kiñcideva deyam syāt’; which means that some little thing is to be given to the eldest brother, as a mark of respect due to his superior age. When there is no difference among them on account of qualities, then ‘Seniority’ among the brothers is to be determined by the portion of their mothers, the son born of the senior-most wife having been declared to be the ‘senior.’ That this is the finally adopted view (and not a mere tentative one) is proved by the fact that both Lakṣmīdhara and the Pārijāta have accepted the view that ‘the son of the senior wife, even though younger in age, is to be regarded as senior.’

This is quoted by a Jīmūtavāhana, (Dāyabhāga, p. 74).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Āpastamba (2.13, 13).—‘The eldest son shall be gladdened by some choice portion of the property.’

Bṛhaspati (25.7-10).—(See under 312-313.)