Manava Dharmashastra 2.114

2.114

ayamapyarthavāda eva | vidyā mūrtimatī kañcidupādhyāyamāgatyāha proktavatī | śevadhirnidhistavāsi rakṣa mām | kā punaste rakṣā ? asūyakāya kutsākarāya nindakāya māṃ mādāḥ | nindakaṃ mā'dhyāpaya | tathā caivamahaṃ vīryavattamā'tiśayena tava kāryakāriṇī bhavāmi | vīryaṃ kāryanirvṛttau sāmarthyātiśayaḥ | 'śevadhiṣṭe'smīti' kutaṣatvaṃ paṭhitaṃ tacchāndasaprayogānukaraṇam |

Learning having approached the Brāhmaṇa said to him—“I am thy wealth, guard me; impart me not unto a scorner; thus may I become extremely powerful.”—(114)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Learning’—in an embodied form, having approached a certain teacher, said to him.

‘I am thy wealth’—treasure —‘guard me.’

The question arising as to what would the ‘guarding of Learning,—it is added—‘Impart me not unto the’—one who talks ill of, who despises. That is, never teach a scorner.

‘Thus may I become extremely powerful.’—I shall be extremely useful to you. ‘Vīrya’, ‘power,’ here stands for great efficiency in accomplishing what is useful.

The insertion of the cerebral ‘in the phrase ‘śevadhiṣṭe smi’ is an imitation of a Vedic form.—(l14)

This verse is an adaptation of a very much older text. Vīramitrodaya (Saṃskāra, p. 515) quotes this latter text as ‘śruti’—

Burnell and Hopkins remark as follows:—“This with verse 144, which appears to have originally followed these verses as a whole, constitutes a favourite saying of the Brāhmaṇas. These verses in an older form are quoted in the Nirukta (ii-4), and (more like this present text) they occur also in the Viṣṇu and Vaśiṣṭha Smṛtis s they also occur in Saṃhitopaniṣad-brāhmaṇa of the Sāmaveda (pp. 29-30). The older form of these two verses 114 and 115 (as well as 144) was in the Tṛṣṭup metre, as in the Smṛtis just referred to.”

This verse is quoted in Madanapārijāta (p. 103)—where the Amarakoṣa is quoted as explaining ‘Śevadhi’ as ‘nidhi,’ ‘treasure and ‘asūyā’ is defined as ‘tendency to fault-finding.’

It is quoted also in Vidhānapārijāta (p. 523).

Comparative notes by various authors
(Verse 114-115)
Viṣṇu-Smṛti (29.9-10),
Vaśiṣṭha-Smṛti (2.14-15).
These authorities, along with Manu, paraphrase the text which is found in Nirukta-Naigama Kāṇḍa, 2.4.

Kūrmapurāṇa (Vīramitrodaya-Saṃskāra, pp. 514-515).—‘One who teaches the Vedas, the Dharma, the Purāṇas and the subsidiary sciences to one who is endowed with character and is self-controlled and is ever attentive.’