Sambodhi 1984 Vol 13 and 14

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, Ramesh S Betai, Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 82

Buddhism Vs. Manusmrti
very much against pessimism and a firm believer in the Puruşartha of life. To him, basically man is good and essentially powerful He expects man to stand firm as a rock against the tides and tensions of life, he wants him to be ever alert, alive and kicking so that he makes a full success of his life, constantly sublimates his personality and comes to a stage when he can resort to the path of renunciation and Atmotthana. To him the world is not "Sarvam Dukkham Dukkham" as Buddhism would lay down. Surely this vision of life would pose a great challenge to the pessimism of Buddhism.
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(8) This Puruşartha of man lies in making his life active, balanced, natural and sublimating. Manu expects, for example, man to be a Sadacari in all spheres of life; to behave in the realm of his desires in a rational and right approach. He wants the householder to lead a life of utter satisfaction, to lead a life of hard effort, to worry about social good first and his own good last. In this his approach, he a oids extremes of renunciation and this worldly life and strikes the middle path. This stands firm against the so called Madhyamamarga of Buddhism.
(9) Manu's great emphasis on the caste system in which he condemns the Sudras and even the Vaisyas lowered in their status, i highly significant. Buddhism did not accept the same barriers and opened its wide gates even to the Südras, who could, in its opinion, take to renunciation as much as others could. The Hindu social philosophers had the fear that this would upset the age-old caste-system. Jayaswal is right when he states that Manu hated the learned Sudra claiming equality and freedom. The attitude of Buddhism naturally attracted more of the suffering classes to it. Radhakrishnan rightly adds to this the fact that Manu's unfortunate references to the Sudras were perhaps motivated by his opposition to Buddhism, which allowed them the highest religious life or learning and monasticism. These were for Manu the Sudras who assumed the air of the twice-born.
(10) Again, why should Manu refer now and then to the double reward that Dharma assured to man? It seems that he wanted to emphasise the Karma doctrine and at the same time anwer Buddhism that did not accept happiness in this world as real and also did not accept the possibility of Nirvana by faithful performance of ones duty to this world. Unlike other Smṛtikäras Manu emphasies that happiness in this life is not to be overlooked and God can be realised by full performance of all actions and duties in his station of life. This too seems to be a reply to Buddhism.