The primary objective of Foundational Research NRF-2011-322-A00043 [“An Analytical Compilation of the Manusmrti and Its Commentaries”] was to publish a complete Korean translation of the slokas of the Manusmriti, as well as a comparative study of the ...
The primary objective of Foundational Research NRF-2011-322-A00043 [“An Analytical Compilation of the Manusmrti and Its Commentaries”] was to publish a complete Korean translation of the slokas of the Manusmriti, as well as a comparative study of the various commentaries of the text.
The Manusmriti, one of the most prominent sacred texts of ancient India, consists of 2,684 slokas written in Sanskrit. According to Buhler, the Manusmriti can be divided into four sections, of which the first canto discusses the “Creation and The Origin of The Sacred Law”; the second canto, “Asrama Dharma; The Sacraments and The Four Orders of Life”; the third canto, “Varna Dharma; Legal Rules of The Occupational Duties”; and the final canto on liberation or “Seeing through the Eyes of Knowledge.” However, this study abides by the traditional division, in which the Manusmriti is divided into twelve chapters.
For each sloka, the research team provided the following contents. The slokas of the Manusmriti were first transcribed as samhita pathas, or without articulation of each separate word. The samhita pathas were then transcribed into Korean to provide correct pronunciation for the recitation of each sloka. For the translation of the slokas, the research team first divided the pathas into separate words, or into the form of pada pathas. Romanization of the pada pathas was also provided by the research team, to ensure correct translation and indexes. A Korean translation of the full sloka, as well as grammatical analysis of every word in each slokas was also given after each sloka. Finally, the research team prepared a detailed analysis of commentaries on the vocabulary and phrases of each sloka to support the translation given above.
While the original text of the Manusmriti is believed to have been completed in its current form by the second century BCE, several scholars composed detailed commentaries throughout the past millennium. The most recognized commentators include (in order of dates of commentaries) Bharuci, Medhatithi, Govindaraja, Narayana, Kulluka, Raghavananda, Nandana, Ramacandra, and Manirama. Among these commentaries, Medhatithi’s (9-10th centuries) and Kulluka’s (14-15th centuries) are most copious in contents and length. After conducting an analysis of the commentaries, the research team selected Kulluka’s text of the Manusmriti as the principal script, as well as translating the full text of Medhatithi’s commentary. While the research team also translated and analyzed the commentaries of other writers, most of the contents were repetitive and thus not included in the final study. However, when the commentaries of writers other than Medhatithi or Kulluka were deemed significantly distinctive, they were included in the analysis.
The Manusmriti has also been translated and published several times since the nineteenth century. This study also compared and analyzed the translations and commentaries of Arthur C. Burnell, Edward W. Hopkins, Georg Bühler, Ganganatha Jha, Wendy Doniger, and Patrick Olivelle. The results of such analysis of translations and commentaries were included in the final study, so that the reader could be provided with a nuanced understanding of each sloka. When errors were found in the texts of the commentators, this was also listed in the final study. At the end of each chapter, the research team added a brief summary of the chapter as well as its historical, literary, and religious significance.
In addition to the study of slokas, the research team also provided indexes of terms and concepts, pathas, and related texts. Currently a sample of the patha index, which is listed in Devanagari, has been provided and will be completed after a final proofreading of the Devanagari text. The index for related texts lists each sloka with associated religious texts, i.e., Apastamba Dharmasutra, Baudhayana Dharmasutra, Gautama Dharmasutra, Vasistha Dharmasutra, Visnu Dharmasutra, Yajnavalkya Dharmasastra, Mahabharata, Asvalayana Grhyasutra, Sankhayana Grhyasutra, Paraskara Grhyasutra, Gobhila Grhyasutra, Kautilya’s Arthasastra, Vishu Purana and Parasara Smrti or Narada Smrti. While this section of the study is complete, the final index will be only available after the publication of the hard copy.
As the Manusmriti contains 2,684 slokas, we anticipate that the final product will be a publication of massive dimensions. Currently, the final manuscript for Chapter 6, the shortest chapter, consists of 135 A4 pages (in 10pt font; single space), while Chapter 8, the longest chapter, consists of 652 pages. In order to enhance the readability of the text, we propose that each chapter be published as a separate volume, with one additional volume including references as well as indexes for terms and concepts, related texts, and padas. Thus we expect the final publication to consist of a minimum of 13 volumes.