Verse 9.19

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

तथा च श्रुतयो बह्व्यो निगीता निगमेष्वपि ।
स्वालक्षण्यपरीक्षार्थं तासां शृणुत निष्कृतीः ॥ १९ ॥

tathā ca śrutayo bahvyo nigītā nigameṣvapi |
svālakṣaṇyaparīkṣārthaṃ tāsāṃ śṛṇuta niṣkṛtīḥ || 19 ||

So also there are many texts sung in the vedas with a view to indicate the true character of women. from among these listen to those texts that are meant to be expiatory.—(19)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

The author now puts forward, in support of the assertion that ‘by their nature women are impure in their hearts’, Vedic texts and declamatory passages.

[The author says]—I have declared that ‘women are false’; and this same fact is assorted in the texts of the Vedas also.

The term ‘nigama’ is synonymous with ‘veda’, and is found to be used as such. The term ‘nigama’ is also found to be used as a name for that subsidiary science which explains the meaning of vedic texts,—i.e. in such statements as ‘Nigama Nirukta and Vyākaraṇa are the subsidiary sciences.’ In the Nirukta also in found the expression—‘These are nigamas’; and the term ‘nigama’ here cannot be taken as standing for anything else but ‘Vedic texts’, as is dear from the examples cited. Thus it is only right that in the present text the term ‘nigama’ should be taken as standing for the Veda.

The texts are spoken of as ‘in the Veda’, which presupposes the relation of constainer and contained, on the understanding that there is some sort of difference between the whole and its parts.

In the Nigama, Veda, there are ‘texts’, sentences, forming part of it, which are ‘sung’— recited, repeated, read there. In fact no limitation of time (part, present or future) is applicable to the case of the Veda, which is ever present.

‘Nigadāḥ’ is another reading for ‘nigītā’. In this case ‘nigada’ would mean the mantra-texts; and the term ‘śruti’ would mean the Brāhmaṇa texts’, and the meaning would be that ‘this fact that women are false is stated in both Mantra and Brāhmaṇa texts.’

In this latter leading the construction would be—‘bahvyaḥ santi’, ‘there are many such texts’,—the verb ‘santi’, ‘are’, being added.

From among these texts listen to those that are meant to be ‘expiatory’ of the sin of unchastity.

“Why are the said texts put forth?”

‘For the purpose of indicating the true character of women.’ True character means the permanent feature of their nature, and the texts are meant to expose this.

‘Character’ means disposition; and the disposition meant here is proneness to unchastity.—(19)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

This verse, is quoted in Vīramitrodaya (Vyavahāra, 158b), which has the following notes:—‘Śrutayaḥ,’ Vedic texts,—‘nigameṣu,’ in the Vedas,—‘listen to those rites that are referred to in the Vedas as expiatory of the misbehaviour of women,—and these will give you an idea of the character of women.’

It is quoted in Vivādaratnākara (p. 412), which adds the following notes:—‘Śrutayaḥ’, Vedic texts;—‘nigameṣu,’ in the Vedas;—‘svālakṣaṇyam,’ characterestic;—‘tāṣām etc,’ listen to that Vedic text, from among the said texts, which is in the form of an expiation for the sin of unchaste thoughts, this text being indicative of the character of women in general.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 9.19-20)

The same Vedic text is referred to and prescribed for reciting—in Śāṅkhāyana-Yama-Gṛhyasūtra (3.13.5), and also in Āpastamba-Śrauta-Sutra (1.9.9).