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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:

गर्धभाजाविकाना� तु दण्ड� स्यात् पञ्चमाषिकः �
माषिकस्त� भवेद� दण्ड� श्वसूकरनिपातने � २९� �

gardhabhājāvikānā� tu daṇḍa� syāt pañcaṣi첹� |
māṣikastu bhaved daṇḍa� śvasūkaranipātane || 298 ||

In the case of donkeys, goat and sheep the fine shall consist of five ‘māṣas�; and the fine shall be one ‘māṣa� for the killing of a dog ok a pig.�(298)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The term �ñṣi첹� means ‘that of which five māṣas is the measure�; since the substance is not mentioned of which there shall be ‘five māṣas,� the most reasonable conclusion is to take the mean, i.e., a substance of medium quality; hence it is �five māṣas� of silver that is meant; so say some people.

But the right view is to take it as referring to gold; and in this sense the present assertion does not militate against anything that has been said before with regard to its being ‘equal to it� (?)

The final conclusion is that the exact substance is to be determined in accordance with the circumstances of each individual case.�(298)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse is quoted in վ岹ٲ첹 (p; 283), which notes that the �ṣa첹� is equal to two ṛṣṇa, as declared by ٲ;—i ʲś󲹱 (Vyavahāra, p. 291);—and in Ѿṣa (2.300), where ṭṭī adds the following notes:—For the killing of a donkey, or goat, or sheep, the fine consists in silver, 5 in weight, and not gold, and for the killing of a dog or a pig, one ṣa of silver. It notes both the readings, �ñṣi첹�... ṣi첹�� and �pañcaṣa첹�...... ṣa첹��.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 8.295-298)

See Comparative notes for Verse 8.295.

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