Verse 3.271

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

संवत्सरं तु गव्येन पयसा पायसेन च ।
वार्ध्रीणसस्य मांसेन तृप्तिर्द्वादशवार्षिकी ॥ २७१ ॥

saṃvatsaraṃ tu gavyena payasā pāyasena ca |
vārdhrīṇasasya māṃsena tṛptirdvādaśavārṣikī || 271 ||

For one year by cow’s milk and milk-preparations; and by the meat of old goat there is satisfaction lasting for twelve years.—(271)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

As between direct and indirect connection, the former being more authoritative, we construe ‘gavyena’—‘cow’s’—with ‘payasā,’ ‘milk and not with ‘māṃsa,’ ‘meat,’ which forms the subject-matter of the context.

Others, however, explain the particle ‘ca’ as having a cumulative force, and then explain the passage to mean, ‘meat of the cow, and milk or milk-rice.’

‘Pāyasa,’ ‘milk-preparations,’ stands for curds and such things, as also rice cooked in milk.

‘Vārdhrīṇasa’—is old goat. The scriptures describe it as follows s—‘Drinking with three, devoid of sense-virility and white,—such a goat has been called Vārdhriṇasa by persons learned in sacrifices, in connection with sacrificial rituals.’ That goat is called ‘drinking with three’ who wets his tongue and two ears, while drinking water.

The Expiatory Rite that Śaṅkha has prescribed in connection with the eating of beef, should be understood to apply to eating apart from the ‘Madhuparka’ offering and from the ‘Aṣṭakā’ Śrāddhas.—(271)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Vārdhrīṇasa’—‘An old goat, white and with long ears reaching the water at the time of drinking’ (Medhātithi, Govindarāja, Kullūka and Rāghavānanda);—‘a black-necked, red-headed, white-winged crane’ (Nārāyaṇa).

Both these explanations are noted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 706), where, however, the colour of the goat is mentioned as red, not white. The definition of the goat quoted by Medhātithi is here attributed to Viṣṇudharmottara, and that of the crane to the ‘Nigama’.

This verse is quoted in Nirṇayasindhu (p. 295), which adds the definition of Vārdhrīṇasa as white;—and the first half in Aparārka (p. 551), which explains ‘pāyasa’ as ‘rice cooked in milk’, and adds that this milk should be such as is not forbidden.

It is quoted in Gadādharapaddhati (Kāla, p. 536), which supplies the description of the Vārdhrīṇasa as given in the Nigama—‘(a) The old goat whose ears and mouth touch the water, who has lost his virility; (b) the bird which has black neck, red head and white wings’.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 3.269-271)

See Comparative notes for Verse 3.269.