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 鈥楧harma鈥�, 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 6.48
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶曕啶班啶︵啶о啶え啷嵿い啶� 啶� 啶啶班い啶苦啷嵿ぐ啷佮ぇ啷嵿く啷囙う啶距啷嵿ぐ啷佮し啷嵿啶� 啶曕啶多げ啶� 啶掂う啷囙い啷� 啷�
啶膏お啷嵿い啶︵啶掂ぞ啶班ぞ啶掂啷�啶班啶｀ぞ啶� 啶� 啶� 啶掂ぞ啶氞ぎ啶ㄠ啶むぞ啶� 啶掂う啷囙い啷� 啷� 啷ギ 啷�kruddhyanta峁� na pratikrudhyed膩kru峁ａ弓a岣� ku艣ala峁� vadet |
saptadv膩r膩vak墨r峁嚹佱箖 ca na v膩caman峁泃膩峁� vadet || 48 ||Towards an angry man he shall not retort in anger; when he is cursed, he shall pronounce a blessing; and he shall not utter an untrue word, spreading over the seven openings.鈥�(48).
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (manubh膩峁a):
鈥�Seven openings鈥欌赌�(1) Duty and wealth, (2) duty and pleasure, (3) wealth and pleasure, (4) pleasure and wealth, (5) pleasure and duty, (6) wealth and duty, and (7) wealth鈥攑leasure鈥攄uty. He shall not utter an untrue word spreading over all these. All these are based upon notions of diversity; and all diversity is untrue; hence the word relating to these is called 鈥榰ntrue鈥�.
The sense is that the man shall speak only such words as pertain to Liberation.
Or, the 鈥�seven openings鈥� may stand for the seven breaths in the head; and these are the 鈥榦penings鈥� of speech. Or, it may stand for the six sense-organs and Intellect as the seventh. It is only when objects have been perceived by means of these that words speak of them. Others explain that the 鈥�seven openings鈥� stand for the seven declensional terminations.鈥�(48).
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
鈥�厂补辫迟补诲惫腻谤补鈥欌赌�(a) (1) Dharma-Artha, (2) Dharma-K膩ma, (3) Artha-Kama, (4) K膩ma-Artha, (5) K膩ma-Dharma, (6) Artha-Dharma, (7) Dharma-Artha-K膩ma;鈥攐r (b) The seven life-breath in the head;鈥攐r (d) 鈥榯he six sense-organs and Buddhi鈥� (Medh膩tithi);鈥擪ull奴ka has only (c);鈥斺�榯he five senses, mind and Aha峁卥膩ra鈥� (N膩r膩ya峁嘺);鈥擥ovindar膩ja has (a) only;鈥斺�榮even worlds鈥� (mentioned by Kull奴ka).
This verse is quoted in 础辫补谤腻谤办补 (p. 954), which, reading na v膩cam samud墨rayet (for na v膩caman峁泃am vadet) explains this much misunderstood second line as鈥攈e should not utter words vitiated by (1) desire, (2) anger, (3) greed, (4) delusion, (5) arrogance, (6) jealousy and (7) vanity.
This verse is quoted also in 笔补谤腻艣补谤补尘腻诲丑补惫补 (膧c膩ra, p. 569).
Comparative notes by various authors
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 (12.278.6).鈥�(See under 47.)
叠补耻诲丑腻测补苍补 (2.18, 3).鈥斺�楾here are five minor vows鈥攖o abstain from anger, to obey the teacher, to avoid rashness, to observe cleanliness and to observe purity in eating.鈥�