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 2.22
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶� 啶膏ぎ啷佮う啷嵿ぐ啶距い啷� 啶む 啶掂 啶啶班啶掂ぞ啶︵ぞ 啶膏ぎ啷佮う啷嵿ぐ啶距啷嵿 啶ざ啷嵿啶苦ぎ啶距い啷� 啷�
啶むく啷嬥ぐ啷囙さ啶距え啷嵿い啶班 啶椸た啶班啶啶班ぞ啶班啶ぞ啶掂ぐ啷嵿い啶� 啶掂た啶︵啶班啶啶оぞ啶� 啷� 啷ㄠエ 啷�膩 samudr膩t tu vai p奴rv膩d膩 samudr膩cca pa艣cim膩t |
tayorev膩ntara峁� giryor膩ry膩varta峁� vidurbudh膩岣� || 22 ||The country extending as far as the Eastern Ocean and as far as the Western Ocean, and lying between the same two mountains,鈥攖he learned know as 鈥樐�谤测腻惫补谤迟补.鈥� (22).
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (尘补苍耻产丑腻峁补):
The country that lies between the two limits of the Eastern and Western Oceans,鈥攁nd between the two mountains spoken of in the preceding verse,鈥�i.e., the Him膩laya and the Vindhya,鈥攊s described as 鈥�膧谤测腻惫补谤迟补,鈥� 鈥�by the learned,鈥欌赌�i.e., by cultured people. It is called 鈥�膧谤测腻惫补谤迟补鈥� in the sense that the 膧ryas line there (鈥�膧ry膩岣� vartante tatra鈥�); i.e., it is they that are born there again and again, and the Barbarians, even though attacking it repeatedly, do not remain there.
The particle 鈥�腻峁�鈥� (in 鈥�腻蝉补尘耻诲谤腻迟鈥�) indicates the outer not the inner boundary, and it does not indicate inclusion. Hence the islands in the oceans do not come under 鈥�膧谤测腻惫补谤迟补.鈥�
What are mentioned here are the four boundaries of the country: the Eastern Ocean on the east, the Western Ocean on the west, the Hi峁伳乴aya on the north and the Vindhya on the south.
In as much as these two mountains have been mentioned as 鈥榖oundaries,鈥� they are not included under 鈥�膧谤测腻惫补谤迟补鈥�; from this people might be led to conclude that one should not inhabit these mountains. And with a view to (avoiding) this possibility, the Author adds the next verse.鈥�(22)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in the 厂尘峁泃颈肠补苍诲谤颈办腻 (Sa峁僺k膩ra p. 18);鈥攊n the 厂补峁僺办腻谤补尘补测奴办丑补 (p. 4), which explains 鈥�罢补测辞岣�鈥� as standing for the Him膩vat and the Vindhya;鈥攁nd in the 痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补 (Paribh膩峁Ｄ�, p. 56).
Comparative notes by various authors
(Verses 18-23)
See Comparative notes for Verse 2.18 (The Practice of Good Men).