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 9.15
Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:
पौंश्चल्याच्चलचित्ताच्च नैस्नेह्याच्च स्वभावतः ।
रक्षिता यत्नतोऽपीह भर्तृष्वेता विकुर्वते ॥ १५ ॥pauṃścalyāccalacittācca naisnehyācca svabhāvataḥ |
rakṣitā yatnato'pīha bhartṛṣvetā vikurvate || 15 ||Even though carefully guarded, they injure their husbands, on account of their passion for males, of ficklemindedness and of innate want of tenderness.—(15).
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Passion for males’—At the sight of any and every man, women lose their firmness of mind and there arises in their minds an extreme desire for meeting him somehow or other, followed by a liquid exudation; this is what is called ‘passion for males.’
‘Fieklemindedness’—The mind not being steady, even when applied to religious and other acts. It is llnough this that the object of hatred becomes the object of love and persons who have been looked upon as brothers and sons come to be looked upon as lovers.
‘Tenderness’ is love, longing, towards the husband, the son and other relations. Women are without such feelings.
On account of these defects, they ‘injure their husbands’—become disloyal towards them.—(15)
‘For this reason—
Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha
This verse is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 412);—and in Vīramitrodaya (Vyavahāra, 158b).
Comparative notes by various authors
(verses 9.14-16)
See Comparative notes for Verse 9.14.