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:

पुत्रा येऽनन्तरस्त्रीजाः क्रमेणोक्ता द्विजन्मनाम् ।
ताननन्तरनाम्नस्तु मातृदोषात् प्रचक्षते ॥ १४ ॥

putrā ye'nantarastrījāḥ krameṇoktā dvijanmanām |
tānanantaranāmnastu mātṛdoṣāt pracakṣate || 14 ||

The sons of twice-born men from women of the next lower caste, who have been enunciated in due order, are called by the name of the lower caste, on account of the taint attaching to their mothers.—(14)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The child born of the Brāhmaṇa on the Kṣatriya or the Vaiśya mother, as also one born of the Kṣatriya father from the Vaiśya or the Śūdra mother,—they call by the name of the lower caste; i.e., their caste is the next lower in the natural order; which means that they are of their mother’s caste.

Ṃuch significance is not meant to attach to the term ‘next lower,’ hence it is added—‘on account of the taint attaching to their mothers.’ That is they are not affected by the superior caste of their father. Hence, even though in reality they belong to ‘mixed castes,’ yet they have been declared to be of their mother’s caste. And this means that the proper sacramental rites should be performed. Apart from the present text, there is nothing to indicate that for the persons concerned the sacramental rites proper for the Kṣatriya and Vaiśya should be performed. And the reason is that like the mule, their caste is a totally different one. But since the present text declares that they are of their mother’s caste, there can be nothing wrong in the performance of their sacramental rites.—(14)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Smṛtikaumudī (p. 4), which adds the following notes:—‘Anantarastrījāḥ,’ born of wives of inferior castes;—‘mātṛdoṣāt,’ by reason of the inferiority of the mother’s caste,—‘anantaranāmnaḥ,’ named after the mother’s caste.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 10.6-41)

See Comparative notes for Verse 10.6.

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