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:

अरण्ये वा त्रिरभ्यस्य प्रयतो वेदसंहिताम् ।
मुच्यते पातकैः सर्वैः पराकैः शोधितस्त्रिभिः ॥ २५८ ॥

araṇye vā trirabhyasya prayato vedasaṃhitām |
mucyate pātakaiḥ sarvaiḥ parākaiḥ śodhitastribhiḥ || 258 ||

Or, if, purified by the performance of three ‘Parāka’ penances, and self-controlled, he repeats thrice the entire text of the Veda, in a forest, he becomes absolved from all sins.—(258)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

This is another expiation for the man ‘polluted by a heinous offence.’

Entire text of the Veda’—comprising of the ‘mantra’ as well as the ‘Brāhmaṇa’ portion.

Having fasted for thirty-six days, if he recites the Vedic text in a forest, he becomes absolved from sins.—(258)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in Mitākṣarā (3.302), which notes that it applies to cases of the unintentional slaying of the learned Brāhmaṇa, or to those of the intentional repetition of the slaying of others;—in Madanapārijāta (p. 972), as referring to the intentional once slaying of the learned Brāhmaṇa, or to the unintentional repeated slaying of the unlearned Brāhmaṇa;—in Parāśaramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 456);—and in Nṛsiṃhaprasāda (Prāyaścitta 32a).

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