Verse 11.64

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

इन्धनार्थमशुष्काणां द्रुमाणामवपातनम् ।
आत्मार्थं च क्रियारम्भो निन्दितान्नादनं तथा ॥ ६४ ॥

indhanārthamaśuṣkāṇāṃ drumāṇāmavapātanam |
ātmārthaṃ ca kriyārambho ninditānnādanaṃ tathā || 64 ||

Cutting down green trees for purposes of fuel, the undertaking of the act (of cooking) for one’s own benefit and the eating of forbidden food.—(64)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

There would be nothing wrong in the cutting down of trees for purposes of fuel for sacrificial performances; specially as one cannot, be sure of the purity of dead trees.

‘Undertaking of the act’—of cooking. There is the prohibition that, even when distressed by hunger, one shall not. do the cooking for himself alone; and it is for this reason that we explain the term ‘act’ to mean the act of cooking. If, on the other hand, we took the term to stand for action in general, then it would be necessary to assume the necessary prohibition of such action in general, merely on the strength of the fact that an expiation is laid down for it; as there could be no expiation for an act that, is not prohibited; as it has been declared that ‘by doing what is forbidden one becomes liable to expiatory rites’ (44). When, however, we take the word to mean as explained above, then the expiation laid down is quite in keeping with a well-known prohibition, and there is no need for assuming one.

‘Eating forbidden food.’—Objection.—“The Eating of Forbidden Food having been already mentioned above (57), why should there be a repetition of it here?”

Answer.—It has been mentioned again for the purpose of indicating an alternative Expiation;—the sense being that the expiation prescribed before is for repeated acts of eating forbidden food; while the one indicated by the present text is for doing it for the first time.—(64)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

See 3.118.

‘Ninditānna.’—‘Forbidden food’ (Medhātithi and Kullūka);—‘food given by persons from whom it should not be accepted, e.g. by a king, a gambler and so forth’ (Nārāyaṇa, Raghavānanda and Nandana).’

This verse is quoted in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 192), which has the following notes—The cutting of many trees for purposes of fuel,—cooking for one’s own benefit, not for the purpose of offerings to Viśvedevas,—‘ninditānna,’ the food given by tribes or thieves and such people.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 11.58-66)

See Comparative notes for Verse 11.58.