Manava Dharmashastra 4.1

4.1

saṃkṣepeṇātikrāntasyādhyāyadvayasyārthaṃ kathayatyanusmaraṇāya | gārhasthyadharmasyāyaṃ vṛttividhiriti dvitīyaṃ ślokaprayojanam | aniyataparimāṇatvādāyuṣaścaturthabhāgavyavasthāvidhānamāśramiṇāmanupapannamataḥ śloko'yaṃ vihitāśramakālānuvādārthaḥ | yadyapi ca "śatāyurvai puruṣa" ityetadapekṣayā kathaṃcidupapadyetāpi, tathāpi svaprakaraṇe 'grahyāntikamiti' avadhyantarasya brahmacaryavihitatvāt, "gṛhasthastu yadā paśyeta" iti gārhasthye'pi kālāntarapratipatteranuvādaitvānumīyate | caturthamādyamāyuṣo bhāgam | janmāpekṣamādyatvam | gurau uṣitvā brahmacaryaṃ kṛtvā tato dvitīyaṃ caturthamāyuṣo bhāgaṃ kṛtavivāho gṛhe vaset | gṛhasthāśramamanutiṣṭhet |
tatra vasan
55 ) yathā | dharmāntaranindā vedajapastutyarthā, na tanniṣedhārthā |
30 ) yogavibhāgātsamāsaḥ | cāpalaṃ ca hastenānupayujyamānasyāpi vastuno grahaṇāpasāraṇe | parastrīprekṣaṇacitrasaṃdarśanodi netracāpalam | paradrohārthaṃ karmabuddhiśca na kartavyā |
60 ) | sa natrā pratiṣidhyate |
136) iti kaḥ | tataḥ svārthe kaḥ | sarveṣāmabhisaṃdhaka iti ṣaṣṭhīsamāsaḥ | kecidatra ślokaṃ paṭhanti | “yasya dharmadhvajo nityaṃ suradhvaja ivocchritaḥ | pracchannāni ca pāpāni baḍālaṃ nāma tadvratamiti” || 185 a || eṣa evārthaḥ saṃkṣepeṇa kathyate | ekaikaguṇasambandhe baiḍālavratiko jñeyaḥ | asmādeva ślokādevamanumīyate | ‘pracchannāni ca pāpānīti’ viśeṣāśravaṇāt sarveṣāṃ caiṣāṃ pāpatvādyubhayathā''cāryeṇa śiṣyāḥ pratipāditāḥ | kecidimaṃ ślokamadhyāpitāḥ kecitpūrvam | ubhayaṃ ca pramāṇam | tena yadyapi‘aṅgadī kuṇḍalī pīnaskandhaḥ pṛthuvakṣā devadatta’ iti samuditānāṃ lakṣaṇatvaṃ pratīyatetathāpīha pratyekametāni lakṣaṇāni |

Having dwelt, during the first quarter of his life, with the Teacher, the Brāhmaṇa shall, during the second quarter of his life, live in his house, after having taken a wife.—(1)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
The first verse sums up in brief what has gone in the last two discourses, for the purpose of recalling it to the mind; and the second verse serves to indicate that among the Duties of the Householder this prescribes the means of livelihood.

Inasmuch as the extent of ‘life’ of man is uncertain, any rule regarding the ‘quarter’ of life becomes incompatible; hence the present verse is to be taken as stating only the period of life that has been allocated to the various stages of life. Though the rule might somehow be justified on the basis of the assertion that ‘man lives for a hundred years,’ yet our Author has himself laid down other kinds of limit; e.g., with regard to studentship he has said that ‘it may extend till the Veda has been got up’ (3. 1); and in connection with the limit of the stage of the Householder also, it has been said (6. 2)—‘when the Householder finds etc.;’ and from all this it follows that the present verse is to be taken simply as the reiteration of the said limits.

‘The first quarter of his life.’—This is regarded as ‘first,’ counting from the man’s birth.

‘Having dwelt with his Teacher,’—i.e., having accomplished his studentship;—‘during the second quarter of his life,’—he shall marry, and ‘live in his house’;—i.e., lead the life of the Householder.—(1)