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 2.30 [The 鈥楴aming Ceremony鈥� (苍腻尘补dheya)]
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶ㄠぞ啶ぇ啷囙く啶� 啶︵ざ啶啶ぞ啶� 啶む 啶︵啶掂ぞ啶︵ざ啷嵿く啶距 啶掂ぞ啶洁じ啷嵿く 啶曕ぞ啶班く啷囙い啷� 啷�
啶啶｀啶 啶むた啶ム 啶啶灌啶班啶む 啶掂ぞ 啶ㄠ啷嵿し啶む啶班 啶掂ぞ 啶椸啶｀ぞ啶ㄠ啶掂た啶む 啷� 啷┼ウ 啷�苍腻尘补dheya峁� da艣amy膩峁� tu dv膩da艣y膩峁� v膩'sya 办腻谤补测别迟 |
pu峁噛e tithau muh奴rte v膩 nak峁tre v膩 gu峁嚹乶vite || 30 ||One should have his 鈥榥aming鈥� (狈腻尘补诲丑别测补) done on the tenth or the twelfth (day), on an auspicious lunar date and at an auspicious moment. and under a propitious lunar asterism.鈥�(30)
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (尘补苍耻产丑腻峁补):
One should perform the 鈥榥aming,鈥� 鈥�狈腻尘补诲丑别测补,鈥� of the child on the tenth or the twelfth day.
No significance is meant to be attached to the sense of the causative affix in 鈥�碍腻谤补测别迟,鈥� should have it done.鈥� For the 骋峁沨测补蝉奴迟谤补 simply says鈥斺�極n the tenth day the father should take up the child and perform his naming鈥� (without the causal form).
The term 鈥�狈腻尘补诲丑别测补鈥� means simply 鈥�苍腻尘补,鈥� 鈥榥ame鈥�; and it is that word by which a person is called during life.
In as much as the section has started with the mentiou of the 鈥�闯腻迟补办补谤尘补,鈥� as to be done 鈥榖efore the cutting of the umbilical cord,鈥� it follows that the 鈥�tenth鈥� and 鈥�twelfth鈥� (of the Text) refer to the day as counted from the day of birth; and they do not refer to the lunar dates.
On this point some people have held that the mention of the 鈥榯enth day鈥� is only meant to indicate the 鈥榩assing of the days of impurity鈥�; the past-participle epithet 鈥�补迟墨迟腻测腻尘,鈥� 鈥榟aving passed,鈥� being understood. So that the meaning is that, 鈥榝or the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 the Naming should be done after the lapse of the tenth day, for the 碍峁迟谤颈测补 after the lapse of the twelfth day, and for the 痴补颈艣测补 after the lapse of the fifteenth day.鈥�
This explanation, however, is not right. For there being no ground for taking the words in the indirect figurative sense suggested, the ceremony could very well be performed during the period of impurity, just like the 鈥楤irth-rite.鈥� If the feeding of the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺s were enjoined (as a necessary accompaniment of the 峁歵e), then there might be some justification for the suggested figurative interpretation.
If the 鈥榯enth鈥� or the 鈥榯welfth鈥� day happen to fulfil the conditions mentioned in the second line of the verse, then the ceremony should be done on those days. Otherwise it should be performed on some other auspicious lunar date.
The 鈥榓uspicious lunar dates鈥� are the, the fifth (day of the lunar month), and so forth.
鈥�笔耻峁噛补,鈥� 鈥�auspicious,鈥� means commended. The ninth, fourteenth and such other days (of the lunar month),鈥攚hich are commonly called 鈥�搁颈办迟腻,鈥欌赌攁re 鈥榥ot commended,鈥� 鈥榠nauspicious.鈥�
鈥�惭耻丑奴谤迟补,鈥� 鈥�moment,鈥� stands for what is called 鈥�lagna鈥� (the point of time indicated by the 鈥榗ontact with the Horizon,鈥� i.e., the 鈥榬ising,鈥� of a particular Zodiacal Sign), Aquarius, and the rest. 鈥楢t a moment that is auspicious,鈥欌赌�i.e., which is not possessed by any evil planet, which is looked upon by Jupiter and Venus. Such 鈥榓uspiciousness鈥� of the moment can be ascertained with the help of the science of Astrology.
鈥�Under a propitious lunar asterism,鈥欌赌攖he 鈥榓re those beginning with 艢谤补惫颈峁ａ弓丑腻; and that day on which these happen to be 鈥榩ropitious.鈥� The 鈥榩ropitiousness鈥� of the Lunar Asterism consists in its being free from the contact of 鈥榤alignant鈥� and 鈥榚vil鈥� planets, as also from the condition of 鈥�痴测补迟墨辫腻迟补鈥� (a malignant aspect of the Sun and the Moon).
The particle 鈥�痴腻鈥� in the Text has a collective sense (meaning 鈥榓nd鈥�); hence the meaning is that 鈥榯he ceremony should he performed on an auspicious day, and at an auspicious moment, and under a faultless lunar asterism.鈥� The due combination of all these conditions can be ascertained with the help of the Science of Astrology.
The final upshot of the whole comes to this:鈥擳he ceremony should never be performed before the tenth or twelfth day,鈥攁nd after these days it may be performed only at the auspicious moment on that day which is found to be under a propitious lunar asterism.鈥欌��(30)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
鈥�Da艣amy膩m dv膩da艣y膩m鈥欌�斺�楾he tenth of twelfth day of the month鈥欌�擬edh膩tithi, who also notes and rejects the explanation鈥斺�榓fter the lapse of the tenth or twelfth day鈥攊.e., 鈥榦n the lapsing of the period of impurity鈥欌�攚hich is accepted by Kull奴ka.
This verse is quoted in 痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补 (Sa峁僺k膩ra, p. 233) where it notes the latter explanation and says that it has been rejected by Medh膩tithi and Apar膩rka. It is curious that having the work of Medh膩tithi before him, the author of 痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补 did not note his explanation that the ceremony is to be performed on the 10th or 12th day (tithi) of the month.
The verse is quoted in 惭补诲补苍补辫腻谤颈箩腻迟补 (p. 855) also, where however no explanation is given鈥攁nd in 狈颈谤峁嘺测补蝉颈苍诲丑耻 (p. 371), where it is added that what is meant is that the naming of the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 should be done on the expiry of the tenth day, of the 碍峁迟谤颈测补 on the expiry of the twelfth day, of the 痴补颈艣测补 on the expiry of the sixteenth day and of the Shudra on the expiry of the twenty-first day;鈥攁nd the second half of the verse lays down substitutes.
This verse is quoted in 厂补峁僺办腻谤补尘补测奴办丑补 (p. 24), which adds that 鈥�诲补艣补尘测腻尘鈥� has been taken as 鈥�诲补艣补尘测腻尘 a帽t膩yam鈥�, 鈥榓fter the lapse of the tenth day鈥�,鈥攖hat no significance attaches to the causal affix in 鈥�办腻谤补测别迟鈥�;鈥攊苍 厂补峁僺办腻峁沘谤补迟苍补尘腻濒腻 (p. 850), which adds that the causal affix in 鈥�办腻谤补测别迟鈥� has the reflexive sense;鈥攊n 狈峁泂颈峁僪补辫谤补蝉腻诲补 (Sa峁僺k膩ra, p. 34a);鈥攁nd in 厂峁沵迟颈肠补苍诲谤颈办腻 (Sa峁僺k膩ra, p. 52), which explains meaning as 鈥榦n the tenth day from the day of the birth, the father should do the naming鈥�, it being the father鈥檚 business to do this.
Comparative notes by various authors
痴颈峁ａ箛耻-厂尘峁泃颈, 27.5.鈥斺�楾he naming should be done after the lapse of the period of impurity.鈥�
驰腻箩帽补惫补濒办测补, 1.12.鈥斺�楾he naming on the eleventh day.鈥� 膧艣惫补濒腻测补苍补 (G峁沨yas奴tr膩, 1.4).鈥斺�楾hey should give him a name.鈥�
笔腻谤补蝉办补谤补 (G峁沨yas奴tr膩, 1.17.11).鈥斺�極n the tenth day, the father should take him up, and after having fed the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺s, should perform the naming ceremony.鈥�
Gobhila (G峁沨yas奴tr膩, 2.7.7).鈥斺�極n the expiry of ten days, or hundred days, or a year, after birth, the Naming.鈥�
闯测辞迟颈谤惫补艣颈峁ａ弓丑补 (痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补-Sa峁僺k膩ra, p. 231).鈥斺�楾he naming of the boy should be done either on the day of birth, or on the twelfth day, or in special cases, on the tenth day.鈥�
Mahe艣vara (Ibid).鈥斺�楾he 闯腻迟补办补谤尘补 and the naming of the boy should he done either by the father or brothers at the time of birth; or on the twelfth day from birth, or on the first day.鈥�
[The naming on the day of birth refers to the imparting of a secret name, which is done along with the 闯腻迟补办补谤尘补; see above.]
Vi峁ａ箛u-pur膩峁嘺 (Ibid).鈥斺�楾he father should do the naming on the tenth day.鈥�
Vy膩sa (Ibid).鈥斺�楽ome wise men hold that the naming is to be done on the tenth day; others mention the twelfth day; and yet others hold that it should be done after the lapse of one full month.鈥�
狈腻谤补诲补 (Do.)鈥斺�楩rom the birth, on the tenth day, or the twelfth day, is performed the naming of 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺s; of the other two castes, it is on the expiry of the period of impurity;鈥攕o also for 艢奴dras; hut some people hold that the naming of the 艢奴dra should be done on the thirty-first day.鈥�
艢补峁卥丑补 (Do.)鈥斺�楾he naming has been prescribed as to be done on the lapse of the period of impurity.鈥�
痴补艣颈峁ａ弓丑补 (Do.)鈥斺�楾he naming is prescribed as to be done on the tenth or the twelfth dav.鈥�
叠峁沨补蝉辫补迟颈 (Do.)鈥斺�楾he naming should he done, for the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺, on the tenth or tho twelfth day; for the 碍峁迟谤颈测补 on the thirteenth day; for the 痴补颈艣测补 on the sixteenth day; and for the 艢奴dra either on the nineteenth (v. l. twentieth) or the thirty-second (v. l. twenty-second) day.鈥�
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 (Do.)鈥斺�楾he naming of the twice-born castes should be done on the twelfth, the sixteenth, the twentieth and the twenty-second day respectively; for the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 it may be done on the tenth also.鈥�
叠丑补惫颈峁补辫耻谤腻峁嘺 (Do.)鈥斺�極n the expiry of the twelfth night, or, according to others, on the expiry of one month, or, according to others, on the eighteenth day.鈥�
[Thus we find that the choice lies among the following days鈥攖he day of birth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twenty-second, thirty-first, hundred and first and the end of a year.]
As regards the 鈥�pu峁噛a tithi, muh奴rta and 苍补办峁迟谤补鈥� the reader is referred to the 痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补-Sa峁僺k膩ra, pp. 234-237.