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 3.250
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶多啶班ぞ啶︵啶оき啷佮啷� 啶掂啶粪げ啷�啶むげ啷嵿お啶� 啶むう啶灌ぐ啷嵿く啷嬥そ啶оた啶椸啷嵿啶むた 啷�
啶むじ啷嵿く啶距 啶啶班啶粪 啶む 啶ぞ啶膏 啶た啶むぐ啶膏啶むじ啷嵿く 啶多啶班い啷� 啷� 啷ㄠカ啷� 啷�艣谤腻诲诲丑补bhug 惫峁涐梗补濒墨talpa峁� tadaharyo'dhigacchati |
tasy膩岣� pur墨峁 ta峁� m膩sa峁� pitarastasya 艣erate || 250 ||Having eaten at a 艢r膩ddha, if one enters the bed of a woman on that day, his ancestors lie in her ordure for the whole of that month.鈥�(250)
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (尘补苍耻产丑腻峁补):
They say that the term 鈥�惫峁涐梗补濒墨鈥� in this verse stands for woman generally; and in this sense they explain the etymology of the term to mean鈥斺��惫峁涐梗补蝉测补迟颈鈥欌赌攃丑腻濒补测补迟颈, 鈥榤oves鈥欌赌斺��产丑补谤迟腻谤补尘.鈥� 鈥榟er husband,鈥� Be this woman a 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嚹� or any other caste鈥攁ll are prohibited. Says another 厂尘峁泃颈 (Gautama, 15.23)鈥斺�極n that day he shall remain firmly continent.鈥�
鈥�Bed鈥� denotes sexual intercourse; the prohibition does not apply to merely entering the bed.
鈥�Day鈥� stands for day and night; hence the prohibition applies to the night also.
鈥�Ordure鈥欌赌攖his is a deprecatory exaggeration, intended to dissuade men.
鈥�His ancestors鈥欌赌�i.e., the ancestors of the man eating at the 艣谤腻诲诲丑补.
This also has to be explained as before; that is, the rule applies to both (the feeder and the eater). As regards the eater, what is here laid down is only 鈥榗ircumstantial;鈥� that is, it is enjoined as to be observed by him only when the circumstance of eating at 艣谤腻诲诲丑补s is present. From the context, however, it is clear that it pertains to the Rite (and hence to the Performer) also.鈥�(250)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
鈥�痴峁涐梗补濒墨鈥欌赌擭either Medh膩tithi nor Kull奴ka takes this in the sense of a 鈥樑毰玠ra female.鈥� Buhler is not right in attributing this explanation to them. Both of them explain it as 鈥榓ny woman鈥�; and they derive this meaning etymologically, by using the term 鈥�惫峁涐梗补蝉测补迟颈,鈥� 鈥榦ne who attracts to herself the male.鈥� Nor is Buhler right in attributing to N膩r膩ya峁嘺 the explanation that the word 鈥�惫峁涐梗补濒墨鈥� means 鈥榓 seducing woman鈥�; as N膩r膩ya峁嘺 also uses the term 鈥�惫峁涐梗补蝉测补苍迟颈鈥� only by way of pointing out the etymological signification of the term 鈥�惫峁涐梗补濒墨鈥�.
Comparative notes by various authors
惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 (13.90,12).鈥斺�楬aving eaten at a 艢r膩ddha, if one reads the Veda, or enters the bed of a woman (the rest as in Manu).鈥�