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 4.147
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶掂啶︵ぎ啷囙さ啶距き啷嵿く啶膏啶ㄠ啶ㄠた啶む啶 啶ぅ啶距啶距げ啶い啶ㄠ啶︵啶班た啶む 啷�
啶む 啶灌啶じ啷嵿く啶距す啷佮 啶ぐ啶� 啶оぐ啷嵿ぎ啶啶ぇ啶班啶啶洁え啷嵿く 啶夃啷嵿く啶む 啷� 啷оオ啷� 啷�vedamev膩bhyasennitya峁� 测补迟丑腻办腻濒补尘atandrita岣� |
ta峁� hyasy膩hu岣� para峁� dharmamupadharmo'nya ucyate || 147 ||He shall diligently recite the Veda, whenever he finds time. They declare this to be his primary duty; everything else is declared to be his secondary duty.鈥�(147)
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (尘补苍耻产丑腻峁补):
It has been said above that he should recite and offer oblations; and now he states the means of doing the reciting.鈥斺赌�He shall recite the Veda鈥� The rest of the verse is purely commendatory.
鈥�Whenever he finds time鈥欌赌攖丑别 础惫测补测墨产丑腻惫补 compound 鈥�测补迟丑腻办腻濒补尘鈥� signifying repetition. The meaning is that 鈥榳henever the man happens to be free from, all. worldly activity, he should recite the Veda.鈥� The other duties鈥攕uch as the performance of the Agnihotra and the like鈥攈ave their fixed time; while for recitation, purity is the only condition.
This is the 鈥�primary duty;鈥� all else is 鈥�secondary duty;鈥欌赌斺赌�upadharma鈥� means 鈥榥early as good as duty.鈥� This compound, therefore, is 罢补迟辫耻谤耻峁, and not 础惫测补测墨产丑腻惫补,鈥攁ccording to P膩峁噄ni 2.1.55.
This deprecation of other duties is meant to be a praise of Vedic recitation, and it is not meant to be a prohibition of those.鈥�(147)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
Cf. 2.237.
This verse is quoted in 础辫补谤腻谤办补, on p. 69, and again on p. 229;鈥攁nd in 痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补 (膧hnika, p. 320), which explains 鈥�耻辫补诲丑补谤尘补岣�鈥� as 鈥榮mall dharma; i.e., such penances as the 碍峁沜肠丑谤补 and the like鈥�.
Comparative notes by various authors
驰腻箩帽腻惫补濒办测补 (1.40).鈥斺赌楩rom among all sacrifices, austerities and other meritorious acts, the Veda alone is what secures the highest good for twice-born men.鈥�
痴测腻蝉补 (痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补, Sa峁僺k膩ra, p. 508).鈥斺赌楧harma is not known by any other means, it grew out of the Veda alone; therefore for the purposes of sacrifice, one should have recourse to the Veda only.鈥�
痴补艣颈峁ａ弓丑补 (Do., p. 511).鈥斺赌榃ithout the Veda one cannot he a Br膩hma峁嘺.鈥�
Atri (151).鈥斺赌楾here is no scripture superior to the Veda; there is no elder superior to the mother; there is no friend superior to charity,鈥攅ither here or in the next world.鈥�
膧pastamba Dharmas奴tra (1.14.12).鈥斺赌楾here is no refuge beyond the Veda.鈥�