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 7.166
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶曕啶粪啶｀じ啷嵿く 啶氞啶� 啶曕啶班ぎ啶多 啶︵啶掂ぞ啶む 啶啶班啶掂啷冟い啷囙え 啶掂ぞ 啷�
啶た啶む啶班じ啷嵿く 啶氞ぞ啶ㄠ啶班啶о啶� 啶︵啶掂た啶掂た啶о 啶膏啶啶むぎ啶距じ啶ㄠぎ啷� 啷� 啷оガ啷� 啷�k峁Ｄ箛asya caiva krama艣o 诲补颈惫腻迟 辫奴谤惫补办峁泃别苍补 v膩 |
mitrasya c膩nurodhena dvividha峁� sm峁泃am膩sanam || 166 ||Halting has been declared to be of two kinds:鈥�(1) that which is necessary for one who has become gradually weakened, either by chance or through previous acts, and (2) that which is necessitated by considerations for his ally.鈥�(166)
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (manubh膩峁a):
鈥楬alting鈥� means the withdrawing of oneself. This also is of two kinds鈥�(1) When the king is 鈥�weakened鈥欌�攊n force and in money,鈥攅ven though he be prosperous, he has to ignore bis enemy; and another kind of Halting is that which is done in consideration of the ally. If the relations of his ally, who is weak, with the enemy is not such as to make it safe for his ally to rise against that enemy,鈥攖hen, in consideration of the delicate position of his ally, the king should 鈥�halt鈥�.
The said 鈥�weakness鈥� arises from two causes:鈥攊t may be due to 鈥�chance鈥� or to 鈥�former acts鈥�. This only describes the actual state of things. The strength and weakness of all kings are due to these two causes. 鈥�Chance鈥� here stands for the man9s want of care, e.g., extravagance, inalertness regarding the army and so forth; and 鈥�former acts鈥� means the demerit caused by evil deeds in the past. Or the explanation of the two terms may be reversed (鈥榝ormer acts鈥� standing for carelessness, and 鈥榗hance鈥� for past misdeeds).
鈥�惭辞丑腻迟鈥� (鈥榯hrough folly鈥�) is another reading (for 鈥�诲补颈惫腻迟鈥�, 鈥�by chance鈥�); but what is meant is expressed by the term 鈥�daiva鈥�,鈥�(166)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
鈥�顿补颈惫腻迟 辫奴谤惫补办峁泃别苍补鈥欌�斺�業n consequence of imprudence during present life,鈥攁nd in consequence of acts committed during previous existences鈥� (Medh膩tithi, Govindar膩ja and Kull奴ka);鈥斺�榖y an enemy made formerly鈥� (N膩r膩ya峁嘺).
This verse is quoted in 痴墨谤补尘颈迟谤辞诲补测补 (R膩jan墨ti, p. 326).