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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:

विणà¥à¤®à¥‚तà¥à¤°à¥‹à¤¤à¥à¤¸à¤°à¥à¤—शà¥à¤¦à¥à¤§à¥à¤¯à¤°à¥à¤¥à¤� मृदà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤°à¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¦à¥‡à¤¯à¤®à¤°à¥à¤¥à¤µà¤¤à¥ à¥�
दैहिकानाà¤� मलानां à¤� शà¥à¤¦à¥à¤§à¤¿à¤·à¥ दà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤¦à¤¶à¤¸à¥à¤µà¤ªà¤� à¥� १३à¥� à¥�

viṇmÅ«trotsargaÅ›uddhyarthaá¹� má¹›dvÄryÄdeyamarthavat |
daihikÄnÄá¹� malÄnÄá¹� ca Å›uddhiá¹£u dvÄdaÅ›asvapi || 132 ||

For the cleansing of the ejectors or urine and faeces, earth and water should be used, as much as may be necessary; as also in the twelve cleansings of the bodily excretions.�(132).

 

MedhÄtithi’s commentary (manubhÄá¹£ya):

The impurity of the bodily excretions having been asserted in 131, the present verse proceeds to lay down directions for their cleansing.

â€�Ejectors of urine and faeces’â¶Ä�i.e., the. organs by which these are passed,â€�i. e. the Anus &c.;—for the cleansing of these—one should â€�use earth and water, as much as may be necessaryâ€�; i. e. not minding any restrictions as to the number (of washings and rubbings), one should go on taking up as much water and earth as may be necessary for the total removal of smells and stains.

â€�Bodily’â¶Ä”proceeding from the body,—â€�excretions’â¶Ä”which are sources of impurity. In connection with the purifications necessitated by these also, earth and water are to be used as much as may be necessary. In another ³§³¾á¹›t¾± we read—‘In the case of the former six excretions both earth and water should be used; in the case of the latter six one is purified even by the use of water onlyâ€�.

In connection with phlegm &c. it is thus declared in another ³§³¾á¹›t¾±â€”‘The viscid excretion from the nose is called Phlegmâ€�; and since this occurs among the latter group of six, for cleansing it earth need not be used at all.â€�(132).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 134 of others.)

This verse is quoted in ´¡±è²¹°ùÄå°ù°ì²¹ (p. 271), which explains â€�arthavatâ€� as ‘as much as may be needed for removing the smell and stains,â€� and adds that in the case of the latter six of the twelve ‘impuritiesâ€� (enumerated in the next verse) the use of clay is optional;—in ²Ñ²¹»å²¹²Ô²¹±èÄå°ù¾±ÂáÄå³Ù²¹ (p. 51), which adds that after the passing of urine and feces, washing with water is â€�arthavat,â€� ‘usefulâ€�;—in ³ÕÄ«°ù²¹³¾¾±³Ù°ù´Ç»å²¹²â²¹ (Ä€hnika, p. 45), which explains â€�arthavatâ€� as ‘fulfilling the purposes of removing the smell and stainsâ€�;—and again on p. 104, to say that Manu should be understood to mean that out of the case of the twelve ‘impurities,â€� in some both water and clay should be used, while in some either of the two only;—and in ±á±ð³¾Äå»å°ù¾± (ÅšrÄddha, p. 794).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (1.42, 43).—‘Purification from defilement by unclean substances is effected when the stains and the smell have been removed;—and this shall be done first by water and then by earth.�

µþ²¹³Ü»å³óÄå²â²¹²Ô²¹ (1.10.11-15).—‘After urinating, he shall cleanse it with earth and water; in like manner on evacuating bowels;—after an emission of semen, in the same manner as after urinating.â€�

Ä€±è²¹²õ³Ù²¹³¾²ú²¹ (1.16.14-15).—‘On touching the effluvia of the nose or the eyes,... he shall either bathe or sip or merely touch water;—or he may touch moist cowdung, wet herbs or moist earth.â€�

³Õ²¹Å›¾±á¹£á¹­³ó²¹ (6.14, 16).—‘He shall perform the purification with water and with earth... For purification, the BrÄhmaṇa shall take earth mixed with gravel from the river-bank.â€�

³Õ¾±á¹£á¹‡³Ü (60.24).—‘Having cleaned his hind parts with a clod of earth, or with brick...... he must rise and clean himself with water and earth—so as to remove the smell and the filth.â€�

³ÛÄåÂáñ²¹±¹²¹±ô°ì²â²¹ (1.17).—‘The man shall perform purification with earth and water fetched for the purpose—till the stain and the smell disappear.â€�

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