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 2.190
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶啶班ぞ啶灌啶ぃ啶膏啶啶� 啶曕ぐ啷嵿ぎ啷堗い啶︵啶う啶苦し啷嵿啶� 啶え啷�啶粪た啶た啶� 啷�
啶班ぞ啶溹え啷嵿く啶掂啶多啶く啷嬥じ啷嵿い啷嵿さ啷囙さ啶� 啶ㄠ啶むい啷� 啶曕ぐ啷嵿ぎ 啶掂た啶о啶い啷� 啷� 啷оク啷� 啷�br膩hma峁嘺syaiva karmaitadupadi峁ａ弓a峁� man墨峁bhi岣� |
r膩janyavai艣yayostveva峁� naitat karma vidh墨yate || 190 ||This duty has been prescribed by the sages for the Br膩hma峁嘺 only; this duty has not been so ordained for the K峁triya and the Vai艣ya.鈥�(190)
惭别诲丑腻迟颈迟丑颈鈥檚 commentary (尘补苍耻产丑腻峁补):
The duty鈥攖bat one should eat the food given by one person only under certain circumstances鈥攖hat has just been prescribed, is meant for the Br膩hma峁嘺 only;鈥攊t has been so ordained 鈥�by the sages鈥欌�攂y the learned, after having learnt it from the Veda. They do not intend this to apply to the K峁triya and the Vai艣ya; which means that students belonging to these two castes should not eat any food except what they get as alms.
Objection.鈥斺�淎s a matter of fact, it is only the Br膩hma峁嘺 that is entitled to eat at 艢谤腻诲诲丑补蝉; as is clear from such declarations as鈥斺�榃hich 叠谤补丑尘补峁嘺蝉 are to be fed at 艢谤腻诲诲丑补补, and which to be avoided?鈥欌�斺�楾o the most deserving 叠谤腻丑补尘补峁嘺 etc.鈥� and so forth; from which it is clear that the Br膩hma峁嘺 alone is entitled to receive gifts. Further, what we have here is a counter-exception, not an original Injunction; and all denials are dependent upon possibility [and in the present case there is, as just pointed out, no possibility of the feeding pertaining to any non-Br膩hma峁嘺].鈥�
To the above we make the following reply:鈥擨t has been ordained that after the Br膩hma峁嘺s have eaten, the remnant should be disposed of by being made over to 鈥榬elations鈥�; and in this there is no restriction as to caste; the man thus would feed any one who may happen to be his 鈥榬elation鈥�; and in this the recipients are indicated, not by the caste-names 鈥楰峁triya鈥� etc., but simply by the general name 鈥榬elation.鈥� It is in view of this possibility of non-Br膩hma峁嘺s partaking of the food at 艢谤腻诲诲丑补蝉 that we have the prohibition in the Text.鈥�(190)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
惭别诲丑腻迟颈迟丑颈 (P. 166, 1. 20)鈥斺��Na tatra j膩tyapek峁Ｄ�鈥欌�擜 better instance than the one cited by 惭别诲丑腻迟颈迟丑颈 is found in Manu 3. 234鈥斺��V峁沘tas峁環amapi dauhitram 艣r膩ddhe yatnena bhojayet,鈥� by which 鈥榝eeding at 艢r膩ddha鈥� is applicable to the K峁triya Brahmac膩r墨 also.