Manava Dharmashastra 5.62

5.62

sahetukaṃ tryahamupadiśannapasparśanaśuddhiṃ pūrvoktāmanumanyate | kimarthamucyata iti cet sarūpavidhitayā'rthavādārtham, na vidheyatayā, "jartilayavāgvā vā juhuyāditi" vat |
nirasya tu śukraṃ maithunadharmeṇa samprayujya śuklotsargānantaraṃ upaspṛśya snātvā śucirbhavati | ato baijikādabhisambandhāt | bīja nimitto 'baijikaḥ' | 'abhisambandhaḥ' apatyotpattiḥ | atastatra kathaṃ nānuṛndhyānnānuvarteta | aghamāśaucaṃ tryaham | yādṛśaṃ ca śukranirasanena akṛtasnānasyāśucitvaṃ, na tādṛśameva prasave, api tu tryaham | pūrvaślokārdhatryahaśeṣatayā'nūdyate | ata evopaspṛśyeti snānamucyate, "snānaṃ maithuninaḥ smṛtam" iti vacanānnācamanam |
putre tu jāte tadahaḥ spṛśyataiveti kecit | tathā ca śaṅkha āha "kumāraprasave nāḍyāṃmacchinnāyāṃ guḍatilahiraṇyavastraprāvaraṇagodhānyapratigraheṣvadoṣastadaharityeke" || "tasmātsa divasaḥ puṇyaḥ pitṝṇāṃ prītivardhanaḥ | smaraṇāccaiva pūrveṣāṃ tadaharna praduṣyati" iti || tathā śrāddhamapyeke kurvantīti ca | anena pituḥ sarvathā''śaucābhāva eva | tatraite smṛtī pūrvavadvṛttisadasadbhāvāpekṣayā vikalpyete |

The man, having emitted semen becomes pure by bathing; hence, on account of seminal filiation he should observe impurity for these days.—(62)

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
While laying down purification after three days, the author permits the purification by bathing, which has been spoken of above. If it be asked—“why should this be stated?”—the answer is that it is stated in the form an injunction; by way of a commendatory assertion, and not a regular injunction, just as in the case of the Vedic passage ‘jartilayavāgvā va juhuyāt

‘Having thrown out semen’,—after emission daring the act of sexual intercourse,—the man becomes pure by bathing.

‘Hence, on account of seminal filiation’;—‘Seminal’ means pertaining to the semen;—fitiliation means begetting of the child; and in the event of this, why should he not ‘observe’— keep up—‘the impurity for three days.’ The impurity due to child-birth is not of the same kind as that which attaches to the man who has emitted semen and has not taken a bath; in fact it lasts for three days. The period of ‘three days’ mentioned here is a reiteration of the same as occurring in the preceding verse. For this same reason the ‘upaspṛśya’ in the present verse is taken to mean bathing and not merely water-sipping; specially in view of the assertion that ‘s??na, ‘birthing,’ has been enjoined for the man who has had sexual intercourse.

Some people hold that when a son is born to a man, he becomes touchable on that same day. As says Śaṅkha—At the birth of a boy, before the placenta has been severed, there is nothing wrong in the man receiving, on that same day, the gift of sugar, sesamum, gold, cloth, clothes, cows and grain,—so say some: and again—‘for this reason that day is sacred, enhancing as it does the pleasure of the forefathers: and because it reminds one of his ancestors, there is no impurity attaching to that day.’ In fact some people-even go to the length of performing śrāddhas on that day. From this it follows that in such cases there is no impurity attaching to the father at all.

In fact the two Smṛti- texts just quoted are to be taken as providing optional alternatives, in consideration of the man having, or not having, means of living (other than the receiving of gifts).—(62).

(Verse 63 of other commentators.)

According to the interpretation of Govindarāja, Kullūka, Nārāyaṇa and Rāghavānanda, the two halves of this verse are distinct, the first half laying down that the man who emits semen is purified by bathing, and the second half that he who begets a child is purified after three days. According to Medhātithi however, the first half supplies the reason for what is asserted in the second half. (See Translation).

This verse is quoted in Parāśaramādhava (Ācāra, p. 606), which explains ‘baijika-sambandha’ as ‘janyajanakabhāva,’ ‘the parental relationship.’

The Hāralatā, which has both lines of (62) explains the meaning as—‘The untouchability due to death pertains to all sapiṇḍas, and that due to birth pertains to the parents of the child only, but the full period (ten days) of ‘impurity’ attaches to the mother only, that attaching to the father disappears immediately on bathing.