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 3.195
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
विराज्सुता� सोमसदः साध्याना� पितर� स्मृता� ? �
अग्निष्वात्ताश्च देवाना� मारीचा लोकविश्रुताः � १९� �virājsutā� somasada� sādhyānā� pitara� smṛtā� ? |
agniṣvāttāśca devānā� mārīcā lokaviśrutā� || 195 ||The Somasads, the sons of Virāj, have been declared to be the Pitṛs of the ⲹ; and the Agnisvāttas, the sons of Marīci, are famed in the world as the Pitṛs of the Gods.�(195)
Medhātithi’s commentary (Գܲṣy):
All these verses are laudatory descriptions relating to Ś; as they are all construable together. The ‘Pitṛs of the ⲹ� have not been laid down as the recipients of Ś; specially because they are gods, and also because the ⲹ also, who are themselves gods, are not entitled to the performance of Ś; for the simple reason that they are not such as. can be directed to do an act. Gods cannot be directed to do an act; for, if they were, this would deprive them of their god-like character. If gods were entitled to the performance of an act, they would be regarded as the � doer;� and the ‘doer� or ‘agent� could never be the ‘recipient;� while, in reality, the very nature of the gods consists in their being ‘recipients� (of sacrifices).
The sous of Virāj are the Somasads; and these are the ‘Pitṛs of the ⲹ.�
[The sense of all this laudatory description is as follows]—This rite in honour of the Pitṛs must always be performed; since, even the ⲹ, who are gods, and as such, have accomplished all that they had to do, worship their Pitṛs.
The Ծṣvٳٲ, who are the Pitṛs of Agni and other Gods, relish the cake and milk and rice cooked on fire.
�ī�’—sons of Marīci.
�ǰ첹śܳ�’—famed in the world.�(195)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in (Śrāddha, p. 55).