Verse 10.129

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

शक्तेनापि हि शूद्रेण न कार्यो धनसञ्चयः ।
शूद्रो हि धनमासाद्य ब्राह्मणानेव बाधते ॥ १२९ ॥

śaktenāpi hi śūdreṇa na kāryo dhanasañcayaḥ |
śūdro hi dhanamāsādya brāhmaṇāneva bādhate || 129 ||

Even though he be able, the Śūdra shall not amass wealth; for having acquired wealth, the Śūdra harasses the Brāhmaṇas.—(129)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Even though he is able’—by means of agriculture and such acts,—wealth shall not be amassed by the Śūdra. In support of this the Author adds an argument in the form of a declamatory statement—‘Having acquired wealth the Śūdra harasses the Brāhmaṇas.’

“What is the harassment caused to Brāhmaṇas?” Becoming very rich, they would make the Brāhmaṇas accept gifts from themselves, and the accepting of gifts from the Śūdra has been forbidden for them; hence becoming a party to their doing what is forbidden, he would incur sin.

The danger of incurring such sin however could not apply to the case of one who goes on fulfilling all that is prescribed for him. Hence the ‘harassment’ of the Brāhmaṇa that is meant is only this that he would no longer serve them.—(129)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Smṛtitattva (p. 353);—and in Varṣakriyākaumudī (p. 571), which adds that there would be nothing wrong in the Śūdra amassing wealth, for the benefit of ‘Brāhmaṇas and others.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (10.63).—‘The Śūdra’s hoard shall serve only the purpose of supporting men of the higher castes in times of distress.’