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:

आहरेत् त्रीणि वा द्वे वा कामं शूद्रस्य वेश्मनः ।
न हि शूद्रस्य यज्ञेषु कश्चिदस्ति परिग्रहः ॥ १३ ॥

āharet trīṇi vā dve vā kāmaṃ śūdrasya veśmanaḥ |
na hi śūdrasya yajñeṣu kaścidasti parigrahaḥ || 13 ||

Or, he may freely take away two or three things from the house of a Śūdra; for the Śūdra has nothing to do with acrifices.—(13)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

If the thing required is not available in the house of a Vaiśya, it may be taken from that of a Śūdra.

Two or three.’—These must be taken as referring to sacrificial requisites, since it is these that the text is dealing with.

The text adds a declamatory statement—‘The Śūdra has nothing to do with sacrifices

Though the appropriation has been spoken of above as to be done by several methods, vet in the ease of the Śūdra, there should be no begging, since it is distinctly said that—‘the Brāhmaṇa shall not beg wealth, for the purpose of sacrifices, from a Śūdra.’—(24)

“In another Smṛti, the performance of sacrifices with wealth belonging to the Śūdra has been prohibited without any exceptions.”

On the strength of the present text itself, it follows that one may accept gifts from the Śūdra.

Others however explain that when the wealth has been appropriated by the Brāhmaṇa, it is no longer ‘wealth belonging to the Śūdra.’

As a matter of fact, however, what the prohibition refers to is the doing of ‘Śānti’ and ‘Pauṣṭika’ rites for the Śūdra. And a performance is actually called after that wealth which the Ṛtvik priest actually employs in the performance; and there is no doubt that in the case of the sacrifices in question, the performance would be styled as done with wealth belonging to the Śūdra,’ in view of the fact that the wealth originally belonged to him, even though it may not do so at the time of the performance itself.—(13)

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 11.11-14)

See Comparative notes for Verse 11.11-12.

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