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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:

विदà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤—à¥à¤°à¥à¤·à¥à¤µà¥‡à¤µà¤®à¥‡à¤µ नितà¥à¤¯à¤¾ वृतà¥à¤¤à¤¿à¤� सà¥à¤µà¤¯à¥‹à¤¨à¤¿à¤·à¥� à¥�
पà¥à¤°à¤¤à¤¿à¤·à¥‡à¤§à¤¤à¥à¤¸à¥ चाधरà¥à¤®à¤¾à¤¦à¥� हितं चोपदिशतà¥à¤¸à¥à¤µà¤ªà¤� à¥� २०à¥� à¥�

±¹¾±»å²âÄå²µ³Ü°ù³Üá¹£vevameva ²Ô¾±³Ù²âÄå vá¹›ttiá¸� svayoniá¹£u |
pratiá¹£edhatsu cÄdharmÄd hitaá¹� copadiÅ›atsvapi || 206 ||

This same shall be his constant behaviour towards his intellectual teachers, towards his blood-relations, towards persons restraining him from sin and towards those who give him salutary advice.�(206)

 

MedhÄtithi’s commentary (³¾²¹²Ô³Ü²ú³óÄåá¹£y²¹):

This also is an instance of ‘Transference.�

Teachers other than the Preceptor are called here ‘intellectual teacher’â¶Ä”such as the Sub-Teacher and the rest. One should behave towards these just as it has been detailed above (under 192 et seq.).

â€�Towards blood-relations’â¶Ä”i.e., towards the elder brother, the paternal uncle, etc

â€�Constant behaviour’â¶Ä�i.e., behaviour as towards the Preceptor.

As distinguished from the ‘Preceptor,� the other ‘Intellectual Teachers� are to be so honoured only during the period of one’s learning under them.

â€�Towards persons’â¶Ä”friends and others—â€�restraining him from sin’â¶Ä�i.e., from evils, such as connection with other women and so forth. It has been said that when one is found to be thinking within himself of doing some evil deed, then his friends and others ‘should restrain him from sin, even to the extent of dragging him by his hairsâ€�; and towards one who restrains him in this way, he should behave as towards his Teacher,—even if he happens to be of equal or inferior age.

Also towards those who give salutary advice, independently of books. Or, ‘giver of salutary advice� may be taken as standing for noble-minded persons in general.�(206)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in ³ÕÄ«°ù²¹³¾¾±³Ù°ù´Ç»å²¹²â²¹ (SaṃskÄra, p. 462), where â€�±¹¾±»å²âÄå²µ³Ü°ù³Üâ€� is explained as ‘teachers other than the Ä€³¦Äå°ù²â²¹â€�,—â¶Ä�²Ô¾±³Ù²âÄåâ€�, as ‘holding for all timeâ€�,—â¶Ä�svayoniâ€�, as ‘uncle and the restâ€�,—â¶Ä�hitaâ€� as dharmatattva, ‘the essence of Moralityâ€�;—and in ³Û²¹³Ù¾±»å³ó²¹°ù³¾²¹²õ²¹á¹…g°ù²¹³ó²¹ (p. 34).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 206-207)

Gautama (2.30).—‘Similarly towards respected superiors.�

µþ²¹³Ü»å³óÄå²â²¹²Ô²¹ (1.1.37).—‘The eating of the leavings should be avoided in the case of the Ä€³¦Äå°ù²â²¹â€™s son or in that of the expounder of the Veda.â€�

Ä€pastamba DharmasÅ«tra (1. 7. 29, 30).—‘Towards the older fellow-student,—the behaviour towards the Ä€³¦Äå°ù²â²¹â€™s son should be like that towards the teacher, with the exception of eating the leavings.â€�

³Õ²¹Å›¾±á¹£á¹­³ó²¹ (13.22).—‘Towards the teacher’s son, one should behave like that towards the teacher himself,—so says the Åšruti.â€�

³Õ¾±á¹£á¹‡³Ü (32.1).—‘The King, the priest, the Vedic scholar, one who prevents him from doing wrong, the sub-teacher, the paternal uncle, the maternal grandfather, the maternal uncle, the father-in-law, the elder brother, one’s relations,—the behaviour towards these should be like that towards the teacher.â€�

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