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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:

प्राचीनावीतिना सम्यगपसव्यमतन्द्रिणा �
पित्र्यमानिधनात् कार्यं विधिवद� दर्भपाणिना � २७� �

prācīnāvītinā samyagapasavyamٲԻṇ� |
pitryamԾ󲹲 kārya� vidhivad 岹󲹱ṇi || 279 ||

Until death, one shall perform, with assiduity, the rite in honour of the ʾṛs, according to rule, with the sacred thread passing over the right shoulder, making offerings “from off the left� (to the right) with kuśa-grass in his hand.�(279)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (Գܲṣy):

This injunction applies to every act that may be done in honour of the ʾṛs.

The special terms used have all been explained before.

With assiduity’—Without sloth; i.e., with due faith.

Until death.’� This shows that the injunction is meant to be observed as long as one lives.

With Kuśa-grass in his hand.’—It has been said above (under 256) regarding ‘Kuśa-grass, the Pavitra, &c.;’—�pavitra� is the name given to a thing made of Kuśa-grass, with a knot at the top.�(279)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

ĀԾ󲹲’—‘Until death� (Medhātithi and Govindarāja);—‘up at to the end of the ceremony� (Kullūka, Nārāyaṇa, Nandana and Rāghavānanda).

This verse is quoted in ʲś󲹱 (Ācāra, p. 725) in support of the view that ‘all the detailed Ś rites beginning with the pouring of water round the dish to the end should be done while one has his thread hanging on his right, shoulder�;—in īٰǻ岹ⲹ (Āhnika, p. 345), which explains �ٲԻṇ�� as ‘without laziness,’—�Ծ󲹲� as �beginning with death,� adding that the Maithilas explain this to mean ‘till the end of the ceremony�;—in Ś 첹ܻܳ徱 (p. 44), which explains �apasavyam� as

峾屹ٲṇa,� and �Ծ󲹲� as ‘to the end of the Ś.�

ṛtٲٳٱ quotes this verse on p. 185, in support of the view that the -ṇa, ‘Brandishing of the Firebrand,� which is done on the fifteenth day of پ첹, being an act done in honour of the ʾṛs, should be done with the sacred thread passing over the right, shoulder;—again on p. 231, in support of the view that the reciting of certain hymns that is laid down as to be done during the Ś, should be done with the sacred thread passing over the right shoulder;—again on p. 236, where it is explained that �apasavya� means �pit�-tīrtha,� i.e., the part of the palm between the thumb and the index-finger;—and again in vol. II, p. 303, in support of the view that all the rites that are performed �after death� (Ծ󲹲) should be done with the sacred thread passing over the right shoulder.

It is quoted in Ҳ󲹰貹󲹳پ (Kāla, p. 527), which reads �ٲԳٰṇ�� and explains it as �anolasena,� and �apasavyam� as ‘on the left side,� �Ծ󲹲� as ‘till the end of the performance�;—in ṛsṃh岹 (Ś, p. 24b);—and in (Ś, p. 1107), which has the following notes:—�ʰ峦ī屹īپ,� with the sacred thread hanging over the right shoulder and under the left arm-pit,—�Ծ󲹲,� ‘till the end,’—�岹󲹱ṇi,� is added with a view to show that everything that is done for the sake of the ʾṛs should be done kuśa in hand.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

ñⲹ (1.232).—‘Having the sacred thread hanging over the right shoulder, he shall make the offering to the ʾṛs.�

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