Manava Dharmashastra 2.40

2.40

etairvrātyairapūtairakṛtaprāyaścittairvidhivattādṛśo vidhiḥ prāyaścittaśāstreṇopadiṣṭaḥ 'tāṃśrāvayitvā trīnkṛcchrāniti' - āpadyapi hi karhicitkasyāñcidapyāpadi na sambandhānācaretkuryāttaiḥ saha | kiṃ sarvasambandhaniṣedho netyāha | brāhmānyaunāṃśca | 'brahma' vedaḥ| tannimittāḥsambandhāḥ yājanādhyāpanapratigrahāḥ | na te yājyāḥ na yājakāḥ kartavyāḥ | evaṃ nādhyāpyā naitebhyo'dhyetavyam | vedārtha' viduṣaḥ pratigrahādhikārādeṣo'pi brāhmasambandho bhavati | 'yaunaḥ sambandhaḥ' kanyāyā dānādāne | brāhmaṇagrahaṇaṃ pradarśanārtham | asmācca doṣadarśanādvrātyatāparihārārthaṃ piturabhāve'pi vyutpannabuddhinā māṇavakenāpyātmanā''tmānamupanāyayitavya iti pratīyate | kāmyo hyayamācāryasya vidhiḥ | tatrācāryatvamakāmayamāno yadi kaścinna pravarteta tadā māṇavakena prārthayitavyo dakṣiṇādinā | tathā ca śrutiḥ-“satyakameā jābālaḥ hāridrumataṃ gautamamiyāya brahmacaryaṃ bhavati vatsyāmīti,” svayamācāryamabhyarthitavānupanayanārtham |

The Brāhmaṇa should not in ant case, even in times of distress, establish spiritual or uterine relationship with these persons, until they have been duly purified.—(40)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘With these’—Vrātyas;—‘until purified’—by expiatory rites;—‘duly,’ i.e., according to rules laid down in the scriptures laying down expiatory rites; e.g., ‘making them undergo three Kṛcchras, etc., etc.;’—‘even in times of distress’—i.e., under no circumstances however distressful;—‘should not establish,’ enter into, ‘relationship’ with them.

The question arising as to whether or not this prohibits all kinds of relationship, the text supplies the answer in the negative—‘spiritual or uterine .’

The term ‘brāhma,’ ‘spirit,’ here stands for the Veda; and it is relationships through the Veda that are prohibited; such relationships as officiating at sacrifices, teaching and accepting gifts; the meaning being that one should neither officiate at their sacrificial performances, nor appoint them to officiate at sacrifices, they should not be taught, nor should one read with them. Since it is only one who knows the meaning of the Veda that is entitled to accept gifts, the accepting of gifts also becomes a ‘Vedic’ or ‘spiritual’ relationship.

‘Uterine relationship,’—the giving and taking of daughters in marriage.

The specification of the ‘Brāhmaṇa’ is intended to be illustrative only.

The sense of all this is that, in view of the disqualification here described, the boy whose father is no more should, if he is intelligent, try to avoid the disqualification, by presenting himself (at the proper time) for Initiation. To this end we have the Śruti—“Satyakāma Jābāla went to Gautama Hāridrumata and said—‘I shall, sir, live with you as a religious student”; where the boy himself requested the teacher to inflate him. The initiating of boys is however entirely optional; so that if the teacher should be found unwilling to take up the initiation, be should be appealed to by the boy by means of presents, etc.—(40)