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 2.155
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶掂た啶啶班ぞ啶｀ぞ啶� 啶溹啶炧ぞ啶ㄠい啷� 啶溹啶啶粪啶犩啶 啶曕啶粪い啷嵿ぐ啶苦く啶距ぃ啶距 啶む 啶掂啶班啶い啶� 啷�
啶掂啶多啶ぞ啶ㄠぞ啶� 啶оぞ啶ㄠ啶ぇ啶ㄠい啶� 啶多啶︵啶班ぞ啶｀ぞ啶啶� 啶溹え啷嵿ぎ啶む 啷� 啷оカ啷� 啷�vipr膩峁嚹佱箖 j帽膩nato jyai峁ａ弓hya峁� k峁triy膩峁嚹佱箖 tu v墨ryata岣� |
vai艣y膩n膩峁� dh膩nyadhanata岣� 艣奴dr膩峁嚹乵eva janmata岣� || 155 ||Among Br膩hma峁嘺s seniority is by knowledge; among K峁triyas by valour; and among Vai艣yas by grains and riches; among Shudras alone it is by age.鈥�(155)
惭别诲丑腻迟颈迟丑颈鈥檚 commentary (尘补苍耻产丑腻峁补):
This also is a purely commendatory description.
It has been asserted above that knowledge singly is superior to wealth and other things taken together; and the same idea is re-iterated in greater detail, in this verse.
鈥�Among Br膩hma峁嘺s, seniority is by knowledge鈥欌�攏ot by wealth, etc.
鈥�Among K峁triyas by valour鈥�;鈥斺赌�va lour鈥� stands for the 鈥榚fficiency鈥� of a substance and also for 鈥榝irmness of strength.鈥�
鈥�Among Vai艣yas by grains and riches鈥�;鈥斺赌�grains鈥� being mentioned separately, the term 鈥�riches鈥� is to be taken as signifying gold, etc.; just as in the expression 鈥�产谤腻丑补尘补峁嘺-辫补谤颈惫 谤腻箩补办补.鈥� [Where the Br膩hma峁嘺 being mentioned separately, the term 鈥�pariv谤腻箩补办补鈥� is taken as standing for the renunciate of other castes.]
The Vai艣ya possessing a large quantity of wealth is regarded as senior.
The affiix 鈥�tasi鈥� (in the words 鈥�箩帽腻苍补迟补岣�,鈥� etc.) denotes cause, and is used in accordance with P膩峁噄ni 2.3.23.鈥�(155)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Vidh膩nap膩rij膩ta II (p. 233);鈥攊n 惭补诲补苍补辫腻谤颈箩腻迟补 (p. 32);鈥攁nd in 痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补 (Sa峁僺k膩ra, p. 480).
惭别诲丑腻迟颈迟丑颈 (P. 145,1.16)鈥斺��Br膩hma峁嘺pariv谤腻箩补办补vat鈥欌�擳his maxim is generally cited in cases where an object whose character has become modified is spoken of by a name connotative of its former condition. For instance, when a Br膩hma峁嘺 has become a 鈥榳andering mendicant鈥�, he is called 鈥楤r膩hma峁嘺-mendicant鈥�, in consideration of his past 叠谤补丑尘补峁嘺丑辞辞诲. In the present context however the maxim is used in the sense that where one uses the term 鈥�Br膩hma峁嘺pariv谤腻箩补办补鈥�, the Br膩hma峁嘺 being already spoken of by name, the term
Comparative notes by various authors
痴颈峁ａ箛耻, 32-18.鈥�(Reproduces Manu.)