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 8.15
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶оぐ啷嵿ぎ 啶忇さ 啶灌い啷� 啶灌え啷嵿い啶� 啶оぐ啷嵿ぎ啷� 啶班啷嵿し啶むた 啶班啷嵿し啶苦い啶� 啷�
啶むじ啷嵿ぎ啶距う啷� 啶оぐ啷嵿ぎ啷� 啶� 啶灌え啷嵿い啶掂啶 啶ぞ 啶ㄠ 啶оぐ啷嵿ぎ啷� 啶灌い啷嬥そ啶掂ぇ啷�啶む 啷� 啷оカ 啷�dharma eva hato hanti dharmo rak峁ti rak峁ta岣� |
tasm膩d dharmo na hantavyo m膩 no dharmo hato'vadh墨t || 15 ||Justice, blighted, blights; and justice, preserved, preserves; hence justice should not be blighted, lest blighted justice blight us.鈥�(15)
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (manubh膩峁a):
Judgment should not be perverted, through fear; because justice, when violated, 鈥�blights鈥欌赌� our prosperity, as also the prosperity of the sinful party and his helpers.
Similarly, when 鈥榩reserved,鈥� justice removes dangers from all sources; so that even though angered, the party (defeated) cannot do any harm.
鈥�Hence鈥欌赌�i.e., knowing this, that happiness and unhappiness are based upon morality, one should not violate morality (or justice). If we violate justice, justice shall, like an enraged serpent, strike back at us; so lest justice blight us鈥�i.e., with a view to saving ourselves,鈥攚e should preserve justice.鈥�(15)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in 狈峁泂颈峁僪补辫谤补蝉腻诲补 (Sa峁僺k膩ra, p. 17a);鈥攊n 贬别尘腻诲谤颈 (Vrata, p. 15);鈥攊n 厂尘峁泃颈肠补苍诲谤颈办腻 (Vyavah膩ra, p. 48);鈥攁nd in 碍峁泃测补办补濒辫补迟补谤耻 (11b).
Comparative notes by various authors
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 (3.313.38).
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 (Vana, 314.131).鈥斺�業f protected, justice protects; if slain, it slays; therefore I shall never renounce justice; lest justice, being slain, may slay ourselves.鈥�