Verse 11.141

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

किं चिदेव तु विप्राय दद्यादस्थिमतां वधे ।
अनस्थ्नां चैव हिंसायां प्राणायामेन शुध्यति ॥ १४१ ॥

kiṃ chideva tu viprāya dadyādasthimatāṃ vadhe |
anasthnāṃ caiva hiṃsāyāṃ prāṇāyāmena śudhyati || 141 ||

For the killing of animals with bones, he should give some trifle to a Brāhmaṇa; and for the killing of boneless animals, one becomes purified by the ‘control of breath.’—(141)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

‘Some trifle’ stands for a small thing—small in amount, in utility and in price.

According to the older writers the expiation here laid down is for the killing of a single animal.

As a matter of fact, there is no expiation at all for the killing of boneless animals.

‘Control of Breath’ here stands for self-control.

The killing of ‘insects and worms,’ which has been mentioned among ‘defiling sins’ (under 11.70), is to be understood as referring to insects of large size,—the present verse referring to little insects as mosquitoes and the rest.—(141)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

‘Kiñcit.’—‘One paṇa’ (Nārāyaṇa);—‘eight handfuls of grain’ (Nandana).

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Prāyaścitta, p. 66);—and in Prāyaścittaviveka (p. 241), which says that this refers to the killing of only one insect.

 

Comparative notes by various authors

(verses 11.140-141)

See Comparative notes for Verse 11.140.