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 9.89
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
啶曕ぞ啶ぎ啶距ぎ啶班ぃ啶距い啷� 啶むた啶粪啶犩啶︵ 啶椸啶灌 啶曕え啷嵿く啶距ぐ啷嵿い啷佮ぎ啶む啶お啶� 啷�
啶� 啶氞啶掂啶ㄠぞ啶� 啶啶班く啶氞啶涏啶む 啶む 啶椸啶｀す啷�啶ㄠぞ啶� 啶曕ぐ啷嵿す啶� 啶氞た啶む 啷� 啷ク 啷�办腻尘补尘膩mara峁嚹乼 ti峁ａ弓hed g峁沨e kany膩rtumatyapi |
na caivain膩峁� prayacchet tu gu峁嘺h墨n膩ya karhi cit || 89 ||Well might the maiden, even though she may have reached puberty, remain in the house till her death; but the father shall never give her to a man destitute of good qualities.鈥�(89)
Medh膩tithi鈥檚 commentary (manubh膩峁a):
As a rule, the girl should be given away before puberty; but even after puberty, the father should not give her away until a qualified bridegroom has been found.
鈥�Qualities鈥欌�� such as a high degree of learning, bravery, physical beauty, right age, being averse to doing acts forbidden by custom and scriptures, love for the bride; and so forth.鈥�(89)
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in 础辫补谤腻谤办补 (p. 93), which adds that what is meant is that 鈥榮o long as a man with good qualifications is not available she shall not be given to one devoid of qualifications,鈥� and not that there is nothing wrong, under the circumstances, to keep the girl unmarried even after puberty; as this latter view is contrary to other texts.
It is quoted in 厂尘峁泃颈迟补迟迟惫补 (II, p. 124), which adds that all that is meant is that the girl should not be given to a man devoid of qualifications;鈥攊n 厂尘峁泃颈办补耻尘耻诲墨 (p. 38);鈥攊n 贬别尘腻诲谤颈 (K膩la, p. 804), which says that what is meant is that 鈥榮he should not be given to a man without qualifications when a qualified man is available,鈥� and it is not meant that a girl should never be given to a man without qualifications;鈥攊n 厂尘峁泃颈肠补苍诲谤颈办腻 (Sa峁僺k膩ra, p. 216), which has the same note;鈥攊n 厂补峁僺办腻谤补谤补迟苍补尘腻濒补 (p. 456), which also has the same note;鈥攁nd in 厂补峁僺办腻谤补尘补测奴办丑补 (p. 102), which says that 鈥�api鈥� and 鈥�办腻尘补尘鈥� indicate that the verse is not to be taken in its literal sense; all that is meant is to eulogise the marrying of the girl to a qualified man.
Comparative notes by various authors
(verses 9.88-89)
See Comparative notes for Verse 9.88.