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...
Verse 8.374
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
शूद्रो गुप्तमगुप्तं वा द्वैजातं वर्णमावसन् �
अगुप्तमङ्गसर्वस्वैर्गुप्तं सर्वेण हीयत� � ३७� �śūdro guptamagupta� vā dvaijāta� varṇam屹 |
aguptamaṅgasarvasvairgupta� sarveṇa hīyate || 374 ||A śūdra having intercourse with a twice-born woman, protected or unprotected, shall be deprived of his limb and his whole property, in the case of the unprotected woman, and of everything in that of the protected.�(374).
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
�Śū’�i.e., down to the 䲹ṇḍ;—�having intercourse’Ĕsexual—�with a twice-born woman�;—�protected or unprotected’Ĕby her husband,—shall be punished according to law.
What shall be the punishment?
If he has intercourse with an unprotected woman, he shall be deprived of his �limb,� and also of �his whole property.�
As to the question regarding what he is to be deprived of, the answer is provided by the epithet �ṅg,� which mentions the �limb� and the �whole properly�; especially as nothing else is mentioned, and no other thing is specified.
The limb of which he is to be deprived is that with which he has offended.
If he has intercourse with a �protected� woman, �he is to be deprived of everything,’� not of only one limb, but of the whole body.
The present verse lays down the amputation of the limb, the confiscation of his entire property, and the inflicting of death, as forms of punishment,—the sense being that punishment should be inflicted on the man. Says Gautama (12.2):—In the case of intercourse with women, there should be amputation of the generative organ and also the confiscation of his entire property,—if she happens to be protected’�(374)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in ʲś (Vyavahāra p. 378), to the effect that when a Śū has intercourse with an unguarded woman of a higher caste, his organ is to be cut off and all his property confiscated, and if he has recourse to a guarded woman of the higher caste, he shall suffer death and his entire property shall be confiscated.
It is quoted in վ岹ٲ첹 (p. 395), which adds the following notes:—�Dvaijātam varṇam�, a woman of the twice-born caste,—�屹�, having recourse to,—�ܱٲṅgī� (which is its reading for �ܱٲṅgī�), if the woman is one who is not guarded, the man shall be deprived of one limb and also of his entire property; and of his entire property as also of his entire body (if the woman is one who is guarded).
It is quoted in Ѿṣa (2.280), which has the same explanation as the one in para 1 above;—in ղⲹū (p. 100), which also has the same explanation—and in īٰǻ岹ⲹ (Vyavahāra, 156a).
Comparative notes by various authors
(verses 8.374-378)
Gautama (12.2).—‘If a Śū has intercourse with an Āⲹ woman, his organ shall he cut off, and all his property shall be confiscated.�
ܻⲹԲ (2.3.52).—‘Let him burn in straw-fire a Śū who has intercourse with an Āⲹ ɴdz.�
Ā貹ٲ (2.27.9).—‘A Śū committing adultery with a woman of any of the three higher castes shall suffer capital punishment.�
Do. (2-26.20).—‘If a man has actually committed adultery, his organ shall be cut off, together with the testicles.�
ղśṣṭ (21.1-5).�(See under 372.)
ñⲹ (2.286, 294).—‘If one has intercourse with a woman of the same caste as himself, he shall be punished with the highest fine; if with a woman of a lower caste, with the middle fine; if with a woman of a higher caste, he shall be put to death and the woman’s ears and nose shall be cut off. If a 䲹ṇḍ has intercourse with an Āⲹ woman, he shall be put to death.�
վṣṇ (5.40-43).—‘An adulterer shall be made to pay the highest amercement, if he has had connection with a woman of his own caste;—for adultery with a woman of a lower caste, the middle amercement. He who has had connection with a woman of one of the lowest castes shall be put to death;—as also for having connection with a woman of the highest caste.�
岹 (12.78).—‘Intercourse is permitted with a wanton woman who belongs to another than a Brāhmaṇa-caste, or a prostitute, or a female slave, or a female not restrained by her master; if these women belong to a lower caste than oneself; but with a woman of a superior caste intercourse is forbidden.�
ṛh貹پ (23.12).—‘The highest fine shall he inflicted for connection with a woman of equal caste; half of that, for connection with a woman of inferior caste; but a man who has connection with a woman of superior caste shall be put to death.�
Yama (վ岹ٲ첹, p. 395).—‘If a Śū has connection with a Brāhmaṇa woman, the King shall put him to death on a heated iron-bed, burning the sinful man there with wood, leaves and grass.�