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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:

सीददà¥à¤­à¤¿à¤ƒ कà¥à¤ªà¥à¤¯à¤®à¤¿à¤šà¥à¤›à¤¦à¥à¤­à¤¿à¤°à¥à¤§à¤¨à¥� वा पृथिवीपतिः à¥�
याचà¥à¤¯à¤ƒ सà¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤¤à¥ सà¥à¤¨à¤¾à¤¤à¤•ैरà¥à¤µà¤¿à¤ªà¥à¤°à¥ˆà¤°à¤¦à¤¿à¤¤à¥à¤¸à¤‚सà¥à¤¤à¥à¤¯à¤¾à¤—मरà¥à¤¹à¤¤à¤� à¥� ११à¥� à¥�

sÄ«dadbhiá¸� kupyamicchadbhirdhane vÄ pá¹›thivÄ«patiá¸� |
yÄcyaá¸� syÄt snÄtakairviprairaditsaṃstyÄgamarhati || 113 ||

If µþ°ùÄå³ó³¾²¹á¹‡a²õ, who have completed their study, suffer privation, or seek to obtain wealth and riches, they may beg of the king; and if he be unwilling to give, he should be given up.â€�(113)

 

MedhÄtithi’s commentary (manubhÄá¹£ya):

This verse lays down three occasions on which one may accept gifts from the king.

(1) â€�Suffering privation’â¶Ä�i.e., in times of distress, being threatened with the possibility of the whole family perishing.

(2) â€�Seeking to obtain wealth’â¶Ä”in the shape of ear-rings, bracelets, turbans, seats, gold, etc.

(3) â€�Seeking to obtain riches’â¶Ä”cattle, gold and other tilings necessary for sacrificial performances.

Under these conditions µþ°ùÄå³ó³¾²¹á¹‡a²õ may beg of the â€�king’â¶Ä”the sovereign of their country.

The prohibition contained above in 4.84—‘He shall not receive gifts from the king’â¶Ä”must be taken as referring to a wicked king,—it being added, ‘of one who is avaricious and behaves against the law.’â¶Ä�(â€�87).

â€�Unwilling to give,’â¶Ä”if on being begged, he be not willing to give what is wanted,—â€�he should be given up’â¶Ä� the µþ°ùÄå³ó³¾²¹á¹‡a²õ should cease to live in his kingdom.

Or �giving up� may mean loss; and as nothing else is mentioned, it must mean the ‘loss� of merit on the part of the king.�(113)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

Cf. 4.84, which is rescinded by this verse, according to GovindarÄja and KullÅ«ka.

â€�Kupyamâ€�.—‘Pots, kettles, wooden stools, and the likeâ€� (MedhÄtithi);—‘Beds and seats and such articles of small valueâ€� (GovindarÄja);—‘also grain and clothesâ€� (KullÅ«ka, RÄghavÄnanda and Nandana);—‘Brass, copper and other common metalsâ€� (NÄrÄyaṇa).

â€�°Õ²âÄå²µ²¹³¾²¹°ù³ó²¹³Ù¾±â€�.—‘The realm of such a king should be abandoned by the µþ°ùÄå³ó³¾²¹á¹‡a²õâ€� (MedhÄtithi, GovindarÄja, NÄrÄyaṇa and RÄghavÄnanda);—‘such a king is to be excluded from teaching and sacrificesâ€� (Nandana);—‘must be left to himself, i.e., not asked againâ€� (KullÅ«ka).

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 10.113-114)

[See 4.84 et seq.]

³Õ²¹Å›¾±á¹£á¹­³ó²¹ (12.2-3).—‘The Accomplished Student shall not beg from any body except from the King and a pupil. But he may ask from any body, if pressed by hunger, for some small gift, such as cultivated or uncultivated field, a cow, a goat or a sheep or, at the last extremity, for gold, grain or food.â€�

³ÛÄåÂáñ²¹±¹²¹±ô°ì²â²¹ (3.42),—‘When he has remained hungry for three days, he may take grains from a non-BrÄhmaṇa, and if accused of it, he should rightly state the truth.â€�

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