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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:

या तु कन्यां प्रकुर्यात� स्त्री सा सद्य� मौण्ड्यमर्हत� �
अङ्गुल्योरेव वा छेदं खरेणोद्वहन� तथ� � ३७� �

yā tu kanyā� ܰ ٰī sā sadyo mauṇḍyamarhati |
aṅgulyoreva vā cheda� khareṇodvahana� tathā || 370 ||

But if a woman pollutes a maiden, she deserves immediate shaving off, or the amputation of two fingers, and also being carried by a donkey.�(370)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

If a woman destroys the virginity of a maiden, she shall have her head shaven off; or undergo amputation of her fingers.

Being carried by a donkey’—in the case of shaving. Some people hold that the different penalties are laid down in view of the caste of the girl, and the caste of the polluter;—the three penalties applying to the three castes Brāhmaṇa and the rest:

But there being no authority for such a view, it should be ignored.�(370)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

According to ‘others� in Medhātithi and Nārāyaṇa, the verse describes three distinct penalties for women of the three distinct castes. Govindarāja and Kullūka hold that in any one case, whether one or the other of the three penalties shall be inflicted will depend upon the circumstances of that case.

This verse is quoted in ʲś󲹱 (Vyavahāra, p. 321;—in վ岹ٲ첹 (p. 403), which explains �ٰī� as a woman who is herself not a maiden;—in 貹첹 (p. 859), which says ٰī meant here is ‘other than a maiden�, the ‘maiden� having been already dealt with in the preceding verse;—in Ѿṣa (2.288), which, explains �ٰī’as ‘a grown up experienced woman�;—and in īٰǻ岹ⲹ (Vyavahāra, 157a), which explains �ܰ� as ‘causes penetration.�

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