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...
Verse 3.83
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
एकमप्याशयेद् विप्रं पित्र्यर्थ� पाञ्चयज्ञिके �
� चैवात्राशयेत� कि� चिद् वैश्वदेव� प्रत� द्विजम� � ८३ �ekamapyāśayed vipra� pitryarthe pāñcayajñike |
na caivātrāśayet ki� cid vaiśvadeva� prati dvijam || 83 ||At that (Ś) which forms part of the Five Sacrifices, one should feed even one Brāhmaṇa in honour of the pitṛs; and on this occasion he shall not feed any Brāhmaṇa in honour of the Viśve-devas.�(83)
Medhātithi’s commentary (Գܲṣy):
Since the offering to the վś𱹲 has been enjoined under the name �Ś,� it would follow that the entire procedure of the Ś has to be gone through at that offering also; hence the present verse proceeds to preclude a certain portion of that procedure. �On this occasion’Ĕof the daily Ś—one should not feed any Brāhmaṇas in honour of the վś𱹲,�i.e., with reference to these.
On this point, some people make the following observations:—“Since feeding is already understood as forming part of the Ś, the presence of the verb ‘should feed� in this verse indicates that this feeding is something new (different from the feeding that forms an integral part of all Śs.) Hence the Ś that is laid down in the present verse is to be regarded as consisting merely in the act of feeding one Brāhmaṇa, and there is nothing else to be done at it, in the shape of the offering of a vessel of water, oblations, and so forth; nor are the restraints relating to ‘avoidance of sexual intercourse,� ‘omitting of Vedic Study,� and so forth to be observed in this connection.�
�Should feed even one Brāhmaṇa’Ĕthe number of Brāhmaṇas to be fed having been fixed at three,—and what is said (under 3.125) regarding the feeding of ‘one at each of the two� not being of.the nature of an Injunction—the number ‘one,� which has not been indicated by any other authority, is what is distinctly enjoined here;—the sense being that ‘one should feed even one Brāhmaṇa,—but also many, if possible.�
�In honour of the pitṛs’�i.e., for the purpose of satisfying the pitṛs.
�That which forms part of the Five Sacrifices’�i.e., that which is included among the Five Sacrifices; this term being used here in the sense of �Ś;� what is spoken of as ‘what forms part of the Five Sacrifices� is not the ղ貹ṇa—offering (of water); but the combination of this ɲٱ—oڴڱԲ and the feeding of the Brāhmaṇa. The optional alternative to this shall be described below, under 3.283.�(83)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in īٰǻ岹ⲹ (Āhnika, p. 432), where the following notes are added:—�ñⲹñ� means ‘at that ʾṛyñ which forms part of the Five Great Sarifices;’Ĕthe particle �api� implies that, if possible, one should feed several Brāhmaṇas also;—the second half of the verse means that �Viśvedeva-Ś� does not form part of �ٲⲹś�, in support of which it quotes a text from Bhaviṣya Purāṇa;—also in (Ś, p. 1565).
Comparative notes by various authors
վṣṇ-ṛt (95.65.66).—‘May some such person be born in our family, as would make to us offerings of water out of deep rivers, specially those whose water is cool! May some excellent man be horn in our family who, with mind composed, would offer Ś to us at Gayā, under the banyan tree!�
ñⲹ (1.104).—‘Daily should food and water he offered to Pitṛs and Men; one should constantly carry on Vedic study; he shall not cook food for himself alone.�
Ѳٲ (13.97.8).�(Reproduces Manu 82.)
ղśṣṭ (11.2.4).—‘Or he may feed a single Brāhmaṇa fully learned in the Veda, endowed with learning and character, and free from all evil characteristics.�
ղśṣṭ (īٰǻ岹ⲹ-Āhnika, p. 430).—‘Having made the offering to the Vedic Scholar, and to the Religious Student, he shall make it to the Pitṛs, and then feed the guests.�
ԻDz貹śṣṭ (Do., p. 431)—‘For the fulfilment of the offering to the Pitṛs, he may feed at least one Brāhmaṇa;...... if there is no one present to he fed, or if there is not sufficient food left, he shall take up as much food as there may be and offer it daily to Pitṛs and Men.�
Ā徱-ܰṇa (Do.).—‘In honour of all the six Pitṛs, he may feed at least one Brāhmaṇa every day.�
첹ṇḍⲹ-ܰṇa (Do., p. 432).—‘Every day, one shall offer śrāddha, either with food or with water; and in honour of the Pitṛs, he shall feed several Brāhmaṇas, or a single one.�
Yogi-ñⲹ (Do.).—‘Every day one shall offer śrāddha to the Pitṛs, either with food or with water.�
ղ (Do., p. 433).—‘At the daily śrāddha, the վś𱹲 are to be omitted.�
ṣy-ܰṇa (Do.).—‘At the daily śrāddha, there is to he no offering to the gods.�
ʳܰṇa (Do.).—‘That which is called the daily śrāddha is observed as being devoid of the offering to the gods; it is offered to only six ancestors, and there is to be no offering of balls or the sacrificial fee.�
-īٲ (Aparārka, p. 145).—‘At the daily śrāddha, there is to he no offering to the gods, also no water-offering or hall-offering.�
Ѳٲⲹ-ܰṇa (Aparārka, p. 115).—‘The daily śrāddha I am going to describe as without the water-offering or the invocation, and also without the offering to gods.�
ٲⲹԲ (Aparāka, p. 145).—‘For the accomplishment of the ʾṛyñ, one shall feed at least one Brāhmaṇa, without making any offering to the gods. If there is no Brāhmaṇa available, a small quantity of food should be taken out and offered to Pitṛs and Men.�
Pracetas (Aparārka, p. 140).—‘The daily offering is not to be made into fire; there is to he no invocation, nor dismissal.�
ⲹṇa (Aparārka, p. 146).—‘Having invited one or several śrotriyas, making them sit facing the east......... he shall offer him water and seat; and also water for washing, after he has eaten the food offered to him to the best of one’s capacity.�