Verse 10.109

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

प्रतिग्रहाद् याजनाद् वा तथैवाध्यापनादपि ।
प्रतिग्रहः प्रत्यवरः प्रेत्य विप्रस्य गर्हितः ॥ १०९ ॥

pratigrahād yājanād vā tathaivādhyāpanādapi |
pratigrahaḥ pratyavaraḥ pretya viprasya garhitaḥ || 109 ||

Among Receiving of Gifts, Sacrificing and Teaching, the Receiving of Gifts is the meanest, and the most reprehensible for the Brāhmaṇa, in respect of his life after death.—(109)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The sense of the verse is that so long as the less reprehensible means of subsistence, in the shape of sacrificing and teaching, are available, the Brāhmaṇa should not have recourse to the receiving of Improper Gifts.—(109)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 935).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 10.109-111)

Vaśiṣṭha (20.45-47).—‘Property received from outcasts, after forming alliances with them, either by teaching the Veda or by marriage, must he relinquished. Let him not associate with such men. It is declared in the Veda that he who has associated with an outcast becomes pure by reciting the Saṃhitā of his Veda, proceeding in the northerly direction, and fasting. They quote also a verse to the effect that a sinner is liberated from guilt by tormenting his body, by austerities, and by reciting the Veda; be becomes free also by bestowing gifts.’

Viṣṇu (54.28).—‘Those Brāhmaṇas who have acquired property by base acts become free from sin by relinquishing it and by reciting Veda-texts and practising austerities.’

Āpastamba (1.28, 11-12).—‘Enjoyments taken unrighteously one shall give up; be shall say—“I and sin do not dwell together.” Clothing himself with a garment reaching from the navel down to the knee, bathing daily, morn, noon and evening, eating food which contains neither milk nor pungent condiments, nor salt, he shall not enter a house for twelve years. After that, he may be taken as purified.’

[See 11.194.]