Manava Dharmashastra 2.177

2.177

madhu sāragham | mādhvīkasya tu madyatvātprāgapyupanayanātpratiṣedho 'nityaṃ madyaṃ brāhmaṇo varjayet' iti ( gautama 2|20 ) | māṃsaṃ prokṣitādyapi | gandhaśabdena surabhitvātiśayayuktāni karpūrā'garuprabhṛtīni dravyāṇi sambandhilakṣaṇayā pratiṣidhyante | teṣāmanulepanādyupabhogapratiṣedhaḥ, gandhastu svadeśānnirgata āgacchatītyaśakyo niṣeddhum | tatrāpyākasmikasyāpyapratiṣedhāt, bhogecchayā tvagarudhūpādau doṣa eva | ata upādhyāyena candanavṛkṣādicchedana niyuktasya tadgandhasyāghrāṇe vastusvabhāvata utpadyamāne na doṣaḥ | mālyasāhacaryāccehaśo gandhaḥ pratīyate | yastu nedṛśo hṛdyonmādakaraḥ kuṣṭhaghṛtapūtidūrvādigandhastasyāpratiṣedhaḥ | mālyaṃ kusumaṃ grathitam | rasāḥ madhurāmlādayaḥ | "nanu ca nīrasasya bhojyatvāsambhavātprāṇavṛtcireva na syāt|" satyam | udriktarasāḥ kevalā guḍādayo niṣidhyante | saṃskārakaraṇe dravyāntargatānāmapi pratiṣedhaḥ | athavā'tyantarasinaḥ saṃskṛtasyānnasya saktipratiṣedho'yam | yathoktam"yo'heriva dhanāddhīto miṣṭānnācca viṣādiva-rākṣasībhya iva strībhyaḥ sa vidyāmadhigacchati" iti | anye tu śṛṅgārādīnmanyante | nāṭakādiprekṣaṇena kāvyaśravaṇena vā rasapuṣṭirna karttavyā | anyeṣāṃ tu darśanam - ikṣvāmalakādīnāṃ yo'ntardravarūpodakavat sa rasastasya niṣpīḍitasya pṛthak kṛtasya pratiṣedho na punastadantargatasya | taccaitadayuktam | na hi rasaśabdo dravaparyāyaḥ prasiddhaḥ | yacca ca yasyocitamupabhogāntatvaṃ tadeva tasya niṣidhyate | tena madhumāṃsayorbhojane pratiṣedhaḥ, na darśanasparśanayoḥ | gandhamālyasyāpi śarīramaṇḍanābhimānatayopādānaṃ niṣidhyate, na tu kathaṃciddhastādinā grahaṇam | evaṃ striyo maithunasambandhena | tadāśaṅkyaiva ca prekṣaṇālambhau niṣetsyati | tathā ca gautamaḥ ( a. 2 sū. 16 ) 'strīprekṣaṇālambhane maithunaśaṅkāyām' iti | śuktāni prāptāmlarasāni kevalātparivāsādddravyāntarasaṃsargādvā'mlatāmāpannāni | teṣāṃ ca dvijātidharmatvādeva siddhaḥ pratiṣedhaḥ | punargahaṇaṃ gauṇaśuktaparigrahaṇārtham | tena rukṣaparuṣā vāco niṣiddhā bhavanti | yaduktaṃ gautamena ( a. 2 sū 18 ) 'śuktāvāca' iti | tadidaṃ 'sarva' grahaṇaṃ cāsyaivārthasyāviṣkaraṇārtham | rasaśuktānyanūdya sarvāṇīti vidhīyate | tato gauṇaparigrahaḥ siddho bhavati | ye tvevaṃ vyācakṣate - "śuktaśabdena rasapratiṣedhaḥ sarvaśabdenāmānasāni vacāṃsi",ta idaṃ praṣṭavyāḥ | arthapratiṣiddhānāṃ pratiṣedhārtha sarvagrahaṇaṃ kasmānna bhavati ? tathā sati ca dadhyādeḥ śuktībhūtasya pratiṣedhaḥ prāpnoti | yadi tu prāptimāśritya punaḥ pratiṣedha uktārtho vyākhyāyate, tathā sati na kaściddoṣaḥ | prāṇināṃ maśakamakṣikādīnāṃ bālyāt hiṃsane prāpte yatnataḥ parihārārthaṃ punaḥ pratiṣedhaḥ | svādhyāyavidhyaṅgatvārtho vā | na kevalaṃ hiṃsāyāṃ puruṣārthapratiṣedhātikramo yāvatsvādhyāyavidhyarthātikramo'pi | "śuktādiṣvapyevaṃ kasmānna kalpyata" iti cedasti tatra viṣayāntare sāvakāśam, ekarūpasya viṣayasya vyarthatve sati gatyantare garīyaḥ |

He should abstain from honey, meat, scent, garland, flavours, women, all fermented acids and also the killing of living creatures.—(177)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Madhu’—stands for the honey produced by bees. As for wine (which also is called ‘madhu’), it is an intoxicant; and hence its use is prohibited even before the Upanayana: ‘The Brāhmaṇa should ever abstain from intoxicants’—says Gautama (2.20).

‘Meat,’—even such as has been offered (to deities And fathers).

The term ‘scent’ stands for camphor and such other things as are of extremely sweet scent,—the name of the quality (scent) being used figuratively for things possessed of it. All highly perfumed substances are prohibited, and what is prohibited is the applying of these perfumes to the body; as for the scent itself, when it proceeds from the fragrant substance, it cannot, be checked. Nor does the prohibition apply to the case where the perfume reaches the student by chance. What is reprehensible therefore is the intentional using of fragrant incense and such things as luxury. It is for this reason that there.is nothing reprehensible in the case where the pupil is told by his Teacher to cut a Sandal-tree and the sweet smell of the wood reaches him it its natural way. It Is by reason of its being mentioned along with ‘garland’ that we take it to mean strong scent. That which is not strong enough to exhilarate the mind,—e.g., the smell of such things as Kuṣṭha, Ghṛta, Pūtidāru, etc.—is not prohibited.

‘Garland’—flowers strung together.

‘Flavours’—Sweet, acid and the rest.

“Since things absolutely devoid of flavour could not be eaten, living itself would be impossible (if one were to avoid all flavours).”

True; but what are prohibited are highly tasty things, like sugar. This prohibition applies also to such substances as are mixed with other things, by way of condiments. Or, the prohibition may apply to too much indulgence in too richly cooked and tasty food. To the same end we have the following saying—‘He alone acquires learning who shuns wealth like serpent, sweets like poison and women like demonesses.’