365bet

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:

अनुगम्येच्छय� प्रेतं ज्ञातिमज्ञातिमेव � �
स्नात्वा सचैल� स्पृष्ट्वाऽग्निं घृतं प्राश्� विशुध्यत� � १०� �

anugamyecchayā preta� ñپmañپmeva ca |
snātvā sacaila� spṛṣṭvā'gni� ghṛta� prāśya viśudhyati
|| 102 ||

Having voluntarily followed a dead person, whether he be a relation or not, he becomes pure by bathing with his clothes on, touching fire and eating clarified butter.�(102).

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (Գܲṣy):

Following’—going after, intentionally. If he happen to follow it by chance, then he need not bathe with clothes on.

Bathing, Touching of fire and Eating of clarified butter,—all these collectively are the means of purification.�(102).

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

(Verse 103 of others.)

This verse is quoted in Ѿṣa (on 3.26), which explains �ñپ� as ‘mother’s 辱ṇḍ�;—in 貹첹 (p. 918), which adds that this applies to one who follows the dead body intentionally, and not to one who happens to go with it by mere chance;—and in īٰǻ岹ⲹ (Āhnika, p. 212).

This verse is quoted in Śܻ󾱳ū (p. 22), which explains �ñپ� as ‘one belonging to the same caste,� not a 辱ṇḍ, and adds that ‘eating of butter� means fasting.

It is quoted in ṛtǻ (p. 225), which explains �ñپ� as ‘mother’s 辱ṇḍ�;—in ٲ峦ī貹 (p. 332);—in (p. 86) which has the, following notes:—�Pretam,� a Brāhmaṇa dead,—if one intentionally follows he becomes pure by touching fire and eating not butter, this is what is meant, and not that the impurity ceases on this alone, because even without following the dead body, the death of a relative involves an impurity for ten days; the following of a non-relative (‘añپ�) however involves only the touching of fire and eating of butter, and no further impurity.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

Gautama (14.31).—‘If he has followed a corpse, he shall purify himself by bathing in his clothes.�

վṣṇ (22.64).—‘If he has followed the corpse of a twice-born person, he must go to a river and having plunged into it, repeat the Aghamarṣaṇa mantra three times, and then coming out of the water, repeat the ⲹٰī, a hundred and eight times.�

ñⲹ (3.26).—‘If the Brāhmaṇa has followed the corpse of a twice-born person or a Śūdra, he shall become pure by bathing in water, touching fire and eating clarified butter.�

ʲś (3.42-46).—�(Same as Manu 102, then)—If the Brāhmaṇa, through folly, follows the corpse of a Kṣatriya, he remains impure for one day and becomes purified by eating ʲñⲹ,—If a Brāhmaṇa, through folly, follows a dead Vaiśya, he remains impure for two nights and after that he should perform six breath-suspensions. If a foolish Brāhmaṇa follow a dead Śūdra, he shall remain impure for three nights and after the lapse of the third night, he shall go to a river that falls into the ocean and having performed a hundred breath-suspensions, and eaten clarified butter, he shall become purified.�

ūܰṇa (ʲśmādhava, p. 636).—‘In the case of a Kṣatriya corpse being followed, purification comes after one day; in that of a Vaiśya one, after two days; and in that of a Śūdra one, after three days, followed by a hundred breath-suspensions.�

Let's grow together!

I humbly request your help to keep doing what I do best: provide the world with unbiased sources, definitions and images. Your donation direclty influences the quality and quantity of knowledge, wisdom and spiritual insight the world is exposed to.

Let's make the world a better place together!

Like what you read? Help to become even better: