Verse 11.80

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

त्रिवारं प्रतिरोद्धा वा सर्वस्वमवजित्य वा ।
विप्रस्य तन्निमित्ते वा प्राणालाभे विमुच्यते ॥ ८० ॥

trivāraṃ pratiroddhā vā sarvasvamavajitya vā |
viprasya tannimitte vā prāṇālābhe vimucyate || 80 ||

If he fights at least thrice on behalf of a Brāhmaṇa, or reconquers his entire property, or gives up his life for his sake,—he becomes absolved.—(80)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Fights’—Takes up arms, or becomes wounded in the fight;—‘at least thrice’—He should repeat the act at least three times. If he does the fighting, he becomes absolved, even though he might have been killed without having saved the Brāhmaṇa.

‘Reconquers his entire property.’—If the Brāhmaṇa’s property has been taken away by thieves, if he wins it back for him, he becomes absolved;—as also if he ‘gives up his life’ for the sake of the Brāhmaṇa.

“Giving up one’s life in defence of the Brāhmaṇa has been already mentioned (in the preceding verse).”

True; but what has been said in the preceding verse is that ‘the man becomes purified if he rescues, by fighting or by some other physical means, (1) a cow stuck in the mire, or (2) a cow being taken away by robbers, or (3) a Brāhmaṇa, being carried away either by his enemies, or by robbers, or by a stream’; while in the present verse what is mentioned is doing all this ‘for his sake’; and what is meant is that the man becomes absolved, if when, on his property being taken away by robbers, the Brāhmaṇa becomes stupefied and proceeds to commit suicide,—or when he is fighting unaided against the robbers,—if the man comes forward and pays to him the equivalent of what he has lost, and consoles him with such words as—‘do not commit suicide, I am giving you this much wealth.’—(80)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (3.246).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 11.72-86)

See Comparative notes for Verse 11.72.