[157] See 2.40 for Vedic and sexual bonds.
[159] The seller of spices may also sell liquors or poisons.
[160] The term translated as ‘a man who marries his older brother’s widow’ (didhiṣūpati or agredidhiṣūpati) may also designate the husband of a younger sister who married before her elder sister, though this fits badly with the definition in 3.173. The man who shoots dice may also run a gambling house.
[164] The groups of goblins are gaṇas, troops of often malevolent minor spirits, sometimes in the service of the gods Śiva or Gaṇeśa.
[171] These are the parivettṛ and parivitti.
[173] The man who marries his older brother’s widow (the didhiṣūpati) is mentioned in 3.160. The laws regarding an appointed woman (niyuktā) are discussed at 9.57–68.
[174] These are the kuṇḍa and golaka of 3.156.
[175] The sower of the seed is the biological father, who may or may not be the legal husband; the woman is the field, and the owner of the field is the legal husband. The son born in the field (kṣetraja) is defined at 9.167 and discussed at length at 9.32–55.
[185] The story of Naciketas is told in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad; the ‘three-bird’ passage is the trisuparṇa section of the ṛg Veda (10.114.3–5); the ‘most excellent’ chants (the jyeṣṭha-sāmans) are said to be in the Vedic books called Āraṇyakas, or, more specifically, to be Tāṇḍya Brāhmaṇa 21.2.3.
[194] The God of the Golden Womb (Hiraṇyagarbha) is also said to be a golden egg or the source of golden seed. See 1.8–13.
[195] The ‘Soma-seated’ are the somasads; the Amenables are the sādhyas; the ‘Tasted-by-Fire’ the agniṣvattas; for Virāj, a primeval creator, see 1.32–3.
[196] The ‘Seated-on-Sacrificial-Grass’ are the barhiṣads. The titans are dānavas (literally, sons of Danu).
[197] The ‘Soma-drinkers’ are somapas; the ‘Oblation-eaters’, havirbhujes; ‘Drinkers-of-Melted-Butter’, ājyapas; and ‘Those-who-have-a-Good Time’, sukālins.
[198] The ‘Oblation-eaters’ in this verse are called haviṣmants rather than havirbhujes.
[199] The ‘Fire-burnt’ are agnidagdhas, the ‘Non-fire-burnt’ anagnidagdhas, and those ‘Connected-with-Soma’ saumyas.
[204] There may be a pun here on ‘protection’ (ārakṣa) and ‘ogre’ (rakṣas).
[212] Here ‘twice-born’ almost certainly means nothing but a priest (Brahmin).
[214] The rituals are performed apasavya, literally, ‘from the left’, which means finishing to the right, or the south. The term may also imply that the celebrant is also prācīnāvītin, ‘wearing the initiatory thread to the east or front’, i.e. on the right shoulder, the reverse of the normal position; the two terms occur together at 3.279.
[216] The sacrificial grass (darbha) is probably the grass on which the balls were put down. The ancestors who live on the wipings are the great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, and great-great-great-grandfather.
[217] The six seasons are spring (vasanta, March—May), summer (grīṣma, May–July), the rains or monsoon (varṣa, July–September), autumn (śarad, September–November), winter (hemānta, November–January), and the cool season (śiśira, January–March).
[220] The ancestors who precede the father are the grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great grandfather. If he feeds his own father, he presumably feeds him with the portion of his own rice-ball.
[223] The refreshment for the dead is the svadhā. ‘Svadhā!’, the ritual ejaculation accompanying offerings to ancestors, is the complementary opposite to ‘Svāhā!’ or ‘Vaṣaṭ!’, the ritual ejaculation accompanying offerings to gods.
[234] The cashmere blanket is made of the special wool from Nepal called kutapa.
[239] The ‘Fierce’ Untouchable here is a caṇḍāla, the paradigmatic Untouchable, and hence often used as the generic term for any Untouchable.
[245] The omitted transformative ritual may be the original initiation into the study of the Veda or the final ceremony of cremation. The two final classes (renouncers and spinsters) may perhaps be better rendered in combination: those who abandon family women.
[247] The ‘Joining with those who share the same balls’ (sapiṇḍīkaraṇa) is a ritual, performed for a man thirteen days or a year after his death, that allows him to forge a bond with his male ancestors who receive the same balls of rice at the ceremony for the dead, the ‘co-feeders’ (sapiṇḍas).
[249] ‘The Thread of Time’ is kālasūtra.
[254] The ritual dedicated to the cowpen may be for the welfare of cattle or for the sake of a more general purification; the joyous occasions may include marriage or more general prosperity.
[256] ‘Above’ here probably refers to the previous verse, though other relevant purifiers have also been mentioned elsewhere in the text.
[271] The ‘leather-nose’ is said by some commentators to be a white he-goat with long ears or a bird with a black neck, white wings, and a red head. Monier-Williams’s dictionary (citing only this verse in Manu) suggests that it may be a rhinoceros, but this is unlikely in light of the fact that the rhinoceros (khaḍga) occurs in the very next verse.
[272] The sacred basil (kālaśāka) is the herb Ocimum Sanctum; the ‘large-scaled’ fish (mahāśalka) may be a sea-crab or prawn.
[273] Mid-July to mid-September is the rainy season or the monsoon (varṣa). Mid-August to mid-September is the month when the moon is in Magha, not the month of Magha but the month of Prauṣṭhapada.
[274] Shadows fall to the east in the afternoon. This day is, according to various texts, a particular day when the sun is in the constellation of ‘the Elephant’s Trunk’ (hasta), in the month of January–February (Magha); others say it is an expression for a solar eclipse.
[275] It is interesting to note in this paragraph the progression of options so typical of Manu, from the most demanding to ‘Whatever … he gives’, which also becomes ‘incorruptible and everlasting’.
[279] The last two phrases translate prācīnāvītin and apasavyam.
[282] There is an implicit contrast here between the ordinary fire and the sacrificial fire of the man who keeps three or five sacrificial fires (the āhitāgni).
[283] Here, as in 3.275, the simplest ritual is equated with the hardest and most complicated.
CHAPTER 4
[1] When a twice-born man has spent the first quarter of his life with his guru, he should take a wife and live out the second quarter of life at home. [2] A priest should make his living by taking up a profession which causes no harm, or very little harm, to living beings – except in extremity. [3] He may accumulate some wealth through pursuit of the innate activities that are proper for him and not contemptible, but without any undue bodily stress and only for the purpose of attaining a minimal subsistence. [4] He may make a living by (pursuing the occupations called) ‘lawful’, ‘immortal’, ‘mortal’, ‘deadly’, or also the one called ‘simultaneously good and unlawful’, but not by the one called ‘the dog’s way of life’. [5] (Subsisting by merely) gleaning (corn) and gathering (single grains) should be known as the ‘lawful’ (way of life); (living off) unsolicited gifts would be the ‘immortal’ (way of life); begging for alms is the ‘mortal’ (way of life); farming the land is traditionally known as the ‘deadly’ mode of life. [6] Trade is the ‘simultaneously good and unlawful’ (way of life), but one may make a living even in this way. Servility is called ‘the dog’s way of life’, and therefore one should avoid it.
[7] (The householder) may have enough grain to fill a granary, or just enough to fill a jar. Or he may have enough to last for three days, or he may not even have anything for tomorrow. [8] And of these four twice-born domestic sacrificers, each one should be regarded as superior to the one mentioned before him and as the better conqueror of the world through religion. [9] The first of them engages in all six innate activities (listed above); the second in (the first) three; the third in (the first) two; and the fourth lives solely by m
eans of the extended sacrifice consisting of his daily recitation of the Veda. [10] Even the man who subsists by gleaning (corn) and gathering (single grains) should regularly perform the daily fire sacrifice, and he should always make the propitiatory offerings of the sacrifices at the (lunar) junctures and at the solstices. [11] He should never take up a worldly calling just to make a living. Rather, he should live the clean life of a proper priest, neither crooked nor hypocritical. [12] In order to be happy, a man must maintain perfect contentment and become self-controlled. For contentment is the very root of happiness, and the opposite of contentment is the root of all unhappiness.
[13] A twice-born Vedic graduate, making a living by means of one or another of the occupations (mentioned above), should adopt the following ways of behaving, which win for him fame, long life, and a place in heaven. [14] Tirelessly he should carry out the obligatory activities that have been prescribed for him in the Veda, for by doing this to the best of his ability he attains the ultimate level of existence. [15] He should not pursue wealth addictively, nor by engaging in forbidden activities; nor, even when engaged in activities that are sanctioned by the rules, (should he take money) from this source or that, not even in great distress.
[16] He should not, out of desire, become addicted to any of the sensory objects; let him rather turn over in his mind what is entailed in becoming excessively addicted to them. [17] He should renounce completely all pursuits that obstruct his private recitation (of the Veda), for no matter how he makes his living, he must always fulfil this obligation. [18] He should behave here on earth in such a way as to bring his clothing, speech, and thoughts into conformity with his age, innate activity, wealth, learning, and ancestry. [19] He should regularly take into consideration the teachings that rapidly promote increased intelligence, wealth, and welfare, and also the treatises on the meaning of the Veda. [20] For the more a man concentrates upon a teaching, the more he comes to understand it, and his understanding is radiant.
[21] He should never be remiss about performing the sacrifices for the sages, gods, disembodied spirits, men, and ancestors, to the best of his ability. [22] Some people, those who know the teachings about the sacrifices, effortlessly and perpetually offer these great sacrifices just within their sensory powers. [23] Seeing that ceasing the actual performance of sacrifice and (sacrificing) in speech and breath is the incorruptible (sacrifice), some perpetually offer breath in speech, speech in breath. [24] Other priests, who have seen with the eye of their own knowledge that these rites are rooted in knowledge, always perform these sacrifices using knowledge as the only offering.
[25] A twice-born man should always offer the daily fire sacrifice at the beginning and end of each day and night, and the new- and full-moon sacrifices at the end of each half-month; [26] a sacrificial offering of first-fruits at the harvest of the (old) crop, sacrifices at the end of the season, an animal sacrifice at the end of each half-year, and a Soma sacrifice every year. [27] A twice-born man who keeps the fires and wants to live a long life should not eat meat or food made of new grain if he has not offered the sacrifice of first-fruits and the animal sacrifice. [28] For if his fires are left unhonoured by first-fruits and animal offerings, they seek to consume the vital breath (of the sacrificer) out of greediness for food made from first-fruits and for flesh.
[29] No guest should reside in his house without being honoured, to the best of his ability, with a seat, food, a bed, water, and roots and fruits. [30] He should not give honour, even with mere words, to heretics, people who persist in wrong action, people who act like cats, hypocrites, rationalists, and people who live like herons. [31] He should revere, with rituals for the gods and ancestors, domestic sacrificers who know the Veda by heart, who have learned the Veda, completed their vows, and graduated; and he should shun those who are their opposites. [32] A domestic sacrificer should give what he can to those who do not cook for themselves, and distribute food to all living beings in such a way that it does him no damage.
[33] A Vedic graduate who is fainting with hunger may seek funds from a king, from a patron for whom he offers sacrifices, or from a pupil who lives in his house – but not from anyone else. This is the fixed rule. [34] If it is at all in his power, a priest who is a Vedic graduate should not be fainting with hunger, nor should he be seen in dirty old clothes if he owns anything. [35] Keeping his hair, nails, and beard trimmed, self-restrained, clothed in white, unpolluted, he should be constantly engaged in the private recitation (of the Veda) and in (other) things for his own benefit. [36] He should carry a bamboo staff, a gourd filled with water, the initiatory thread, a broom made of sacrificial grass, and two bright gold earrings. [37] He should never look at the sun when it is rising or setting, nor when it is eclipsed, nor when it is reflected in water, nor at noon. [38] He should not jump over a rope tethering a calf, nor run around in the rain, nor stare at his own image in water. This is a rule that should be kept. [39] When he encounters a mound of earth, a cow, an image of a god, a priest, clarified butter, honey, a crossroads, or famous trees he should circumambulate them to the right, clockwise.
[40] Even if he is out of his mind (with desire) he should not have sex with a woman who is menstruating; he should not even lie down in the same bed with her. [41] A man who has sex with a woman awash in menstrual blood loses his wisdom, brilliant energy, strength, eyesight, and long life. [42] By shunning her when she is awash in menstrual blood, he increases his wisdom, brilliant energy, strength, eyesight, and long life. [43] He should not eat with his wife, nor watch her when she eats, sneezes, yawns, or sits down to relax. [44] A priest who desires brilliant energy should not look at a woman putting on her eye make-up, rubbing oil on herself, undressed, or giving birth.
[45] He should not eat wearing only one garment, nor take a bath naked. He should not urinate on the road, on ashes, in a cowpen, [46] on ploughed land, in water, on a mound piled up for the dead, on a hill, on the ruins of a temple, nor on an ant hill, ever, [47] nor in a cave inhabited by living creatures, while moving or standing up, from the bank of a river, or on the summit of a mountain. [48] He should never emit excrement or urine while facing the wind or looking at fire, a priest, the sun, water, or cows. [49] He should relieve himself only when he has covered the ground with things like sticks, clods of earth, leaves and grass, when he is purified and silent, keeping the parts of his body covered, and concealed from sight. [50] During the day, he should discharge his urine and excrement while facing north, at night facing south, and at the two twilights as during the day. [51] In the shade or under cover of darkness, and also whenever he fears for his life, a twice-born man may do it facing any way he likes, no matter whether it is day or night. [52] Urinating on fire, or at the sun or moon, or in water, or at a twice-born man, or on a cow, or into the wind, destroys a man’s wits.
[53] He should not blow on fire with his mouth, nor look at a naked woman. He should not toss anything unfit for sacrifice into the fire, nor warm his feet by it. [54] He should not put (fire) under anything, nor jump over it, nor put it too near to his feet. He should not go around annoying creatures that have the breath of life. [55] He should not eat, travel, or lie down during the twilight periods, nor should he draw in the dust or rip off his garland. [56] He should not throw urine, excrement, or saliva into water, nor anything else that is smeared with impurity, nor blood or poisons.
[57] He should not sleep alone in an empty house, nor awaken a superior. He should not carry on a conversation with a menstruating woman, and he should not go to a sacrifice if he has not been invited. [58] His right arm should remain uncovered when he is in a place where fire is kept or in a cowpen, in the presence of priests, while privately reciting (the Veda), or while eating. [59] He should not hinder a cow suckling (her calf), nor should he tell anyone about it. An intelligent man who spots a rainbow in the sky should not show it to anyone else. [60] He should not stay in a village where there is irreligion, nor for very long in a place where disease is rife; he should not take to
the open road alone, or live for a long time on a mountain.
[61] He should not live in a kingdom ruled by a servant, or in a place run by people who oppose law or overrun by gangs of heretics or swarming with men of the lowest castes. [62] He should not eat food that has had its oil extracted from it, nor go on eating after he is full. He should not eat too early in the morning or too late in the evening, nor eat in the evening if he has eaten that morning. [63] He should not uselessly run around doing things. He should not drink water with his hands cupped, or eat food that is on his lap, nor should he ever indulge in idle curiosity. [64] He should not dance or sing or play musical instruments or clap his hands, or growl inarticulately, or argue passionately. [65] He should never wash his feet in a brass basin, nor eat off a plate that is broken or that looks dirty. [66] He should not wear second-hand shoes or clothes, or use a second-hand initiatory thread, ornament, garland, or water pot.
[67] He should not travel with harness animals that are untrained, suffering from hunger or disease, or that have broken horns, bad eyes, faulty hooves, or deformed tails. [68] He should, on the other hand, always travel with animals that are well trained and swift, that have good markings, colour, and general appearance, and that move along without much use of the whip.
[69] The young sun, the smoke from (the cremation of) dead bodies, and a broken chair should be avoided. He should not cut his nails or hair, nor bite his fingernails. [70] He should not trample clumps of earth or tear up grass with his fingernails. He should not engage in activities that are fruitless or that will bring unhappy future consequences. [71] A man who goes around trampling clumps of earth, tearing up grass, and biting his nails is soon ruined, and so is an informer and a man who has become polluted.
[72] He should not engage in quarrelsome conversation, or wear a garland on the outside of his clothes, and riding on the back of a cow is altogether despicable. [73] He should not enter a closed village or house except by the door; and at night he should keep his distance from the roots of trees. [74] He should never shoot dice or take off his shoes by himself. He should not eat lying in bed, nor should he eat what has been placed in his hand or on a seat. [75] He should not eat anything that contains sesame seeds after the sun has gone down. He should not lie down naked or go anywhere with food still on his mouth and hands. [76] A man may eat when his feet are still wet (from washing), but he should not lie down when his feet are still wet. A man who eats while his feet are still wet lives a long life. [77] He should never enter a place that his gaze cannot penetrate or that is inaccessible, nor should he look at urine or excrement or swim across a river using his two arms. [78] A person who wants to live a long life will avoid stepping on hair, ashes, bones, skulls, cotton seeds, and chaff.
The Laws of Manu Page 16
