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:

सङ्करे जातयस्त्वेताः पितृमातृप्रदर्शिताः ।
प्रच्छन्ना वा प्रकाशा वा वेदितव्याः स्वकर्मभिः ॥ ४० ॥

saṅkare jātayastvetāḥ pitṛmātṛpradarśitāḥ |
pracchannā vā prakāśā vā veditavyāḥ svakarmabhiḥ || 40 ||

These castes, proceeding from mixtures, have been described in relation to their fathers and mothers; and whether manifest or unmanifest, they may be known by their occupations.—(40)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The ‘occupations’ that have been just described,—such as dealing in bamboos and so forth,—by means of these even the little known castes of the ‘Sopāka’ and the rest can be known.

All these have been described through the character of their fathers and mothers.

Manifest or unmanifest,’—they shall be known as belonging to those castes.

In the case of the ‘Āyogavī,’ the description was through the caste of the mother, and it was through that of the father in the case of the description of the ‘Andhra’ and the ‘Meda’ as born from the ‘Niṣāda’ and the ‘Vaidehaka’ fathers respectively.—(40)

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 10.6-41)

See Comparative notes for Verse 10.6.

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