Manava Dharmashastra 2.4.4

2.4.4

svādhyāyādhyayane tu punaruccāraṇaṃ vivakṣitam| adhyayanakriyāyā evaṃrūpatvācchabdakriyāyāṃ hyayaṃ dhātuḥ, śrotragrāhyaśca śabdo na kevalena manasā gṛhyate | na cāyamoṅkāradharmo yenānyatrāpi tasminnuccāryamāṇe'pi prasajyeta | uktaṃ ca “svādhyāyārambhe kartavya” iti | oṅkāradharmatve hi laukikeṣu vākyeṣvomiti brūma ityādiṣu prasajyeta | gautamena tu paṭhitam (a.1 sū.46) -“prāṇāyāmāstrayaḥ pañcadaśamātrā” iti | mātrāśabdena cāvikṛtasya svarasyākārāderyāvānkālaḥ sa ucyate | tatra virodhātsmṛtyantaroktaḥ kālo nāsti, na ca mantrasmaraṇaṃ, tatrānoṅkārā api prāṇāyāmāḥ santīti netaretarāśrayadoṣāpattiḥ | tatoṃkāramarhati kartumiti śeṣaḥ, yadā'yaṃ samudāya eva rūḍhirūpeṇa praṇavavacanaḥ | yadā tu karaṇaṃ kāraḥ | oṃmityetasya 'kāra' uccāraṇe'moṅkāra'stadā nāsti padāntarāpekṣā | praṇavaśabdena kartavyatāmuktvā'troṅkāramityanuvadatyata etāvekārthau | tathā ca darśitam | 43) paṭhyate | tatra vīpsārthaḥ kathañcit dyotayitavyaḥ | anye tu śasastiṣṭhatyarthasya kvipi rūpaṃ varṇayanti | kriyāviśeṣaṇaṃ caitat napuṃsakam | nityasthitena jñānenetyarthaḥ | 26 ) iti | apāyasya vā gamyamānatvād brahma hyadhyeturniṣkrāmatīva | lyablope vā karmaṇi | adhīyānaṃ śrutvā''pnoti śikkate | 6) dvandvaikavadbhāvaḥ | tasmin śreyasā vidyādyadhikena gurvādinā ca na samāviśenna sahāsīta | kiṃ sarvasminneva netyāha adhyācarite kalpite śayyātvenāsanatvena ca | yattuśilāphalakādistatra na doṣaḥ | vakṣyati ca ( ślo. 204 ) "āsīta guruṇā sārdhamiti", tasyaivāyamanuvādaḥ |

No action is ever found in this world to be done by a man entirely without desires; whatever a man does is. the outcome of desire.—(4)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
The preceding verse has described the fact that such activity and cessation from activity as are laid down in the scriptures are dependent upon knowledge; and the present verse speaks of similar dependence in the case of ordinary acts of the world; this is the difference between the two verses.

‘Iha’ means ‘in this world’;—‘Karhichit’ means ‘ever,’ ‘at any time.’ During the waking state, action is ever found in this world to be done by any person who is without desire for performing that action.

Whatever act, scriptural or temporal,—the permitted or the prohibited—is done is the outcome of desire. Since desire is the cause of all activity, every act is called the ‘outcome of desire.’

Thus the position becomes extremely difficult: ‘It is not right to be absorbed in desires’ (as declared in Verse 2), and yet there is no activity without desire.—(4)

Comparative notes by various authors
Āpastaṃba, Dharmasūtra, 1.2.7.—‘Having fully understood the nature of actions, one should perform that which he wishes.’