Verse 11.42

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

ये शूद्रादधिगम्यार्थमग्निहोत्रमुपासते ।
ऋत्विजस्ते हि शूद्राणां ब्रह्मवादिषु गर्हिताः ॥ ४२ ॥

ye śūdrādadhigamyārthamagnihotramupāsate |
ṛtvijaste hi śūdrāṇāṃ brahmavādiṣu garhitāḥ || 42 ||

Those who perform the Agnihotra, after having obtained wealth from a Śūdra, are ‘Śūdra’s Priests,’ censured among Vedic scholars.—(42)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

People explain this verse to mean that the Agnihotra should not be performed with the wealth obtained from Śūdras, as a friendly present. The prohibition does not apply to the carrying on of such compulsory rites as have been already undertaken. It has been declared that ‘one should not perform sacrifices after having begged wealth from Śūdras, there is no harm, however, if the wealth is given unasked, and is used for the carrying on of a rite already commenced.’ Further it is only making a living by receiving gifts from improper persons that has been forbidden; while the performance of the compulsory rites by such means has been permitted. From all this the present verse is understood to be the prohibition of only the single rite of ‘Fire-laying’; specially because the text mentions simply ‘the wealth of the Śūdra,’ and does not make any such distinction as between what is obtained by begging and what is obtained unasked. If the prohibition pertained to all rites, then, since the prohibition would have been secured by the present verse, there would be no point in the prohibition of ‘begging’ contained in Verse 24.—(42)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Aparārka (p. 168);—and in Hemādri (Dāna, p. 60).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 11.42-43)

[See above.—11.24.]