Verse 9.316

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

यानुपाश्रित्य तिष्ठन्ति लोका देवाश्च सर्वदा ।
ब्रह्म चैव धनं येषां को हिंस्यात् ताञ्जिजीविषुः ॥ ३१६ ॥

yānupāśritya tiṣṭhanti lokā devāśca sarvadā |
brahma caiva dhanaṃ yeṣāṃ ko hiṃsyāt tāñjijīviṣuḥ || 316 ||

What man, desirous of living, would injure them, depending on whom the world and the gods exist, and whose wealth consists of the Veda?—(317)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Worlds’—the three regions, the earth and the rest.

‘Gods’—are dependent upon the Brāhmaṇas, through the libations offered by these latter. The Gods are ‘dependent’ upon the Brāhmaṇas also, in the sense that the greater part of Vedic teaching and Vedic rites are done by them;—the Kṣatriya and the Vaiśya not doing them to the same extent.—(316)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Rājanīti, p. 151), which explains ‘Brahma chaiva dhanam yeṣām’ as that for the Brāhmaṇa the Veda is the sole treasure, inasmuch as it is the Veda that accomplishes all prosperity for them, and becomes the means of acquiring wealth by teaching and sacrificing; and as such the Veda should be acquired and guarded;—what man, wishing to live, shall give trouble to such Brāhmaṇas?

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.313-322)

See Comparative notes for Verse 9.313.