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 鈥楧harma鈥�, 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...
Verse 11.198 [Expiation for the abandoning of Refugees]
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶多ぐ啶｀ぞ啶椸い啶� 啶ぐ啶苦い啷嵿く啶溹啶� 啶掂啶︵ 啶掂た啶啶侧ぞ啶掂啶� 啶� 啶︵啶掂た啶溹 啷�
啶膏啶掂い啷嵿じ啶班 啶さ啶距す啶距ぐ啶膏啶むい啷� 啶ぞ啶ぎ啶じ啷囙ぇ啶むた 啷� 啷оク啷� 啷�艣ara峁嚹乬ata峁� parityajya veda峁� vipl膩vya ca dvija岣� |
sa峁僾atsara峁� yav膩h膩rastat p膩pamapasedhati || 198 ||If a twice-born man has abandoned a refugee, or has tampered with the Veda, he atones for that offence by living upon barley for one year.鈥�(198)
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (manubh膩峁a):
The 鈥�refugee鈥� is of two kinds, as described above (under 190),鈥斺��abandoning鈥欌�攄iscarding of him, if one is able to afford him protection (is sinful). This has been discussed before.
鈥�Tampered with the Veda鈥欌赌�(a) Has studied it on a day on which it should not be studied;鈥攐r (b) has interfered with a man who is reading it in the correct form, by telling him some such tiling as鈥斺�榃hat are you reading?鈥擸ou have mangled the text,鈥欌�攐r (c) through greed for wealth recites it, without being invited to do so. The Sm峁泃i has declared that鈥斺�榖y reciting the Veda for gain one becomes degraded, says Manu.鈥欌赌�(198)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
鈥�Vedam vipl膩vya.鈥欌�斺�楬aving taught the Veda to people who should not be taught鈥� (Medh膩tithi, Govindar膩ja, Kull奴ka and Nandana);鈥斺�榟aving wrongly interpreted the Veda or perverted its sense by omitting 补苍耻蝉惫腻谤补蝉 etc.鈥� (N膩r膩ya峁嘺);鈥斺�榟aving intentionally forgotten the Veda鈥� (R膩ghav膩nanda).
This verse is quoted in 惭补诲补苍补辫腻谤颈箩腻迟补 (p. 918), which adds the following notes:鈥擨f the man abandons one who comes to him seeking safety from some danger, or for the prescription of an expiation,鈥斺��Vedam vipl膩vya,鈥� i.e., reading it within hearing of the C膩峁囜笉膩la or other snob persons, or on days unfit for study.
It is quoted in 础辫补谤腻谤办补 (p. 1152), to the effect that when a man comes to one in the hope of obtaining shelter for his life, and the latter, though capable of saving him, refuses to do so,鈥攕imilarly one who reads the Veda from an improper person, or in an improper place, or at an improper time,鈥攐r learns it from or teaches it to an unqualified person,鈥攂oth these should live on barley for one year.
Comparative notes by various authors
(verses 11.197-198)
See Comparative notes for Verse 11.197.