Manava Dharmashastra 2.222
Manubhāṣya 2.222
- Language
- Sanskrit
2.222
evaṃ mahāndoṣo'bhyudayanasources nimlocanayoḥ | tasmāt ācamya | prayatastatparaḥ| samāhitaḥ parihṛtacittakarmavikṣepaḥ | śucau deśe japañjapyaṃ praṇavavyāhṛtisāvitrīgakhyam | upāsīta ubhe sandhye | sandhyorevātropāsyatvam | upāsanaṃ ca tatrabhāvaviśeṣaḥ | athavobhe sandhye pratyupāsīta bhagavantaṃ savitāram | mantro hi taddevatyo'tastamevopāsīta | saṃhṛtasakalavikalpastadgataikamanā bhavet | prāguktasya vidheḥ śeṣo'nuvādaḥ | upāsanaṃ kevalaṃ vidheyam | anye tu ‘śucau deśa ityetadviṣyartho'yaṃ śloka’ ityāhuḥ | teṣāṃ paunaruktyam | sarvasyaiva kartavyasya ‘‘śucinā karma kartavyamiti’ vihitam | aśucideśasambandhe ca kā śucitā |
Having sipped water, with calm and collected mind, he shall daily attend upon the two twilights, in a clean place, reciting the mantras to be recited, according to rule.—(222)
Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
In as much as there is great sin accruing from sleeping at sun-set and sun-rise,—therefore ‘having sipped water—‘with mind calm’—intent upon the purpose—‘and collected’—having set aside all distractions;—‘in a dean place, reciting the mantras to be recited,’—i.e., the Praṇava, the Vyāhṛtis and the Sāvitrī;—‘one should attend upon the two twilights.’ The two twilights are the objects to be attended upon; and ‘attendance’ in this case can only be in the form of a particular disposition of the mind.
Or, the construction may be—‘During the two twilights he shall attend upon—the Sun.’ Since the mantra (Sāvitrī) is one sacred to the Sun, it is the Sun that should be the object of attendance; i.e., having given up all distraction, he should fix his mind upon the Sun.
The rest of the verse is a descriptive commendation of the foregoing injunction; the attending alone being the object of the injunction.
Others explain that the verse is meant to be the injunction of the ‘clean place.’
But in this case there would be a needless repetition. In connection with all acts it has been laid down that ‘it should be done by one who is clean’; and if one were to sit in an unclean place, how could he be regarded as ‘clean’?—(222)
Translations (1)
- Manu-Smṛti: The Laws of Manu with the Bhāṣya of Medhātithi — Ganganatha Jha 1920, English
Linked texts (1)
- Mānava Dharmaśāstra — Manu & Bhṛgu, Sanskrit