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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:

शूद्रै� भार्या शूद्रस्य सा � स्वा � विशः स्मृते �
ते � स्वा चै� राज्ञश्च ताश्� स्वा चाग्रजन्मन� � १३ �

śū bhāryā śūdrasya sā ca svā ca viśa� smṛte |
te ca svā caiva rājñaśca tāśca svā cāgrajanmana� || 13 ||

For the Śū, the Śū girl. alone has been ordained to be the wife; for the Vaiśya, she as also the girl of his own caste; for the Kṣatriya, those two as also the girl of his own caste; and for the 󳾲ṇa those three as also the girl of his own caste�(13).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (Գܲṣy):

There being a distinction of castes, ‘one’s own caste� constitutes the (upward) limit. Just as for the 󳾲ṇa, there are Kṣatriya and other wives, so it would seem as if for the Śū also there would be wives belonging to the lower orders of ‘washer-woman and carpenter.� In order to preclude this possibility, the text lays down the restriction that the Śū can have a wife from his own caste only. A wife of the higher caste is precluded by the qualifying phrase, ‘in due order,� in the preceding verse.

She’�i.e., the Śū woman—�and girl of his own caste’�i.e., the Vaiśya woman—‘for the Vaiśya.�

Those two’Ĕthe Vaiśya woman and the Śū woman,—�and the girl of his own caste’� �for the Kṣatriya.�

Similarly, �for the 󳾲ṇa.�

The right order would appear to be that the verse should begin with the �󳾲ṇa,� but it begins with the �Śū� which only goes to lend strength to the aforesaid notion (that a wife of the higher class is not permitted).

In this connection, it has been declared that ‘what is meant by the text is that there should be option in order, and not a combination of all (the several kinds of wives).’�(13)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Hopkins compares this with the Ѳٲ 13, 47. 8.

This verse is quoted in ʲś󲹱 (Ācāra, p. 404) as an amplification of what has been declared in the latter half of the preceding verse;—in īٰǻ岹ⲹ (Saṃskāra, p. 740) along with the preceding verse; and in 貹첹, (p. 88), which adds that what is stated hero is permissible only in the case of people moved by lust, and not of those who are subject to righteousness; so that these are to be regarded as ‘inferior—�ś�� (verse 12) in due order, not in any topsy-turvy ‘order—in ṛt첹ܻܳī (p. 3), which observes that the eva in �śū� is meant to preclude marriage of the ‘inverse� order;�i.e., where the bridegroom’s caste is lower than that of the bride;—and in ṛtԻ (Saṃskāra, p. 206), which adds that this pertains to marriage for pleasure’s sake.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.12-13)

See Comparative notes for Verse 3.12.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.13-19)

ղśṣṭ (1. 27).—‘By doing this, degradation of family is certain, and after death, fall from heaven.�

ղśṣṭ (14. 5).—‘The Devas eat not in the house of the 󳾲ṇa-husband of a Śū wife.�

ñⲹ (1. 56).—‘The view that has been held, that the Twice-born may take a Śū wife,—this I do not accept; because the man himself is born in his wife.�

Śṅk (4. 9).—‘By the twice-born, the Śū girl shall not be made a wife, even in times of distress; there is no salvation for him as born of her. Those twice-born persons among whose Sapiṇḍa descendants, a Śū-born person comes in,—all become Śūs themselves, even though they may have attained heaven. For these reasons, he shall always avoid the taking of a Śū wife.�

վṣṇ (26. 26).�(Reproduces Manu 15.)

վṣṇ (26. 25).—‘For the twice-born person, a Śū wife can never serve any religious purpose; she may be taken sometimes only for the purpose of pleasure.�

վṣṇ (46. 7).�(Reproduces Manu 18)

ܻⲹԲ (2. 1. 41).—‘Begetting children on a Śū wife, etc., etc....... lead to degradation.�

Vṛddha Yama (3. 13).—‘If the 󳾲ṇa, infatuated with pride, marries a low-caste wife, he commits the sin of 󳾲ṇa-killing day after day� [then it reproduces Manu 19].

Yama (īٰǻ岹ⲹ-Saṃskāra, p. 750).—‘If the 󳾲ṇa has intercourse with a Śū woman, he remains impure for three days; if he begets a child on her, he falls off from 󳾲ṇa-hood.�

īٲ (Do.).—‘The 󳾲ṇa having recourse to ṭhe Śū woman immediately goes downward; if he has a child by her, he becomes fallen.�

īٲ (Do., p. 751).—‘There is a doubt as to whether or not the 󳾲ṇa becomes degraded by begetting children on wives of lower castes. There can be no such in regard to Kṣatriya or Vaiśya wives. But he who begets a child on the Śū certainly becomes degraded.�

śԲ (Do., p. 751).—‘There may be expiation for the wine-drinker, or even for the 󳾲ṇa-murderer; there is none for one who has begotten a child on a Śū wife......... Some people say that the 󳾲ṇa-husband of a Śū girl becomes degraded; according to others, he does not become degraded, because of the assertion that the 󳾲ṇa may have four wives in due order of the four castes.�

󲹱ṣy-ܰṇa (Do.).—‘Atri became degraded by leading a Śū girl to the altar; Utathya became degraded by begetting a son on the Śū; Śaunaka became a Śū by having a grandson born from a Śū; similarly Bhṛgu and others also became degraded.�

󳾲-ܰṇa (Do., p. 752).—‘The 󳾲ṇa shall never marry the Kṣatriya, the Vaiśya or the Śū girl; but after having married a 󳾲ṇa-girl, he may afterwards marry the others, but only under certain circumstances.�

Ѳٲ (Āśvamedhika-ʲś󲹱, p. 495).—‘When the semen falls into the womb of the Śū woman, it gives out a loud wail of grief saying �I am, fallen into an ordure-pit; this man, blinded by sinful lust, is casting me downwards, may he himself quickly fall down into the lowest state;”—having thus cursed the man, it falls down.�

Ѳٲ (Anuśāsana-ʲś󲹱, p. 496).—‘The good do not commend the begetting of children on a Śū wife; some people have declared that even for purposes of enjoyment, one shall not have recourse to a Śū girl.�

ṛtⲹԳٲ (Do., p. 496).—‘The marrying of a girl of a different caste......... should be avoided during the Kali age.�

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