Chapter 199

Vaisampayana said, “King Yudhishthira, hearing from the illustriousMarkandeya the story of the royal sage Indradyumna’s regaining of Heaven,again asked the Muni, saying, ‘O great Muni, tell me in what conditionshould a man practise charity in order to gain admission into the regionsof Indra? Is it by practising charity while leading a domestic mode oflife, or in boyhood, or in youth, or in old age? O, tell me about therespective merits reaped from the practice of charity in these differentstages of life?’

Markandeya said, ‘Life that is futile is of four kinds. Charity also thatis futile is of sixteen kinds. His life is vain who hath no son; and hisalso who is out of pale of virtue: and his too who liveth on the food ofother; and, lastly, his who cooketh for himself without giving therefromunto the Pitris, the gods, and the guests, and who eateth of it beforethese all. The gift to one that has fallen away from the practice ofvirtuous vows, as also the gift of wealth that has been earned wrongly,are both in vain. The gift to a fallen Brahmana, that to a thief, thatalso to a preceptor that is false, is in vain. The gift to an untruthfulman, to a person that is sinful, to one that is ungrateful, to one thatofficiates at sacrifices performed by all classes of people residing in avillage, to one that sells the Vedas,[52] to a Brahmana that cooks forSudra, to one that too by birth is a Brahmana but who is destitute of theoccupations of his order, is in vain. The gift to one that has married agirl after the accession of puberty, to females, to one that sports withsnakes, and to one that is employed in menial offices, is also in vain.These sixteen kinds of gifts are productive of no merits. That man whowith mind clouded with darkness giveth away from fear or anger, enjoyeththe merit of such gift while he is in the womb of his mother. The man who(under other circumstances) maketh gifts unto the Brahmanas, enjoyeth thefruit thereof while he is in old age. Therefore, O king, the man whowishes to win the way of heaven, should under all conditions, make giftsunto Brahmanas of everything that he wishes to give away.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘By what means do Brahmanas, who accept gifts fromall the four orders, save others as well as themselves?”

“Markandeya said, ‘By Japa,[53] and Mantras,[54] and Homa[55] and thestudy of the Vedas, the Brahmanas construct a Vedic boat[56] wherewiththey save both others and themselves. The gods themselves are pleasedwith that man who gratifieth the Brahmanas. Indeed, a man may attainheaven at the command of a Brahmana. Thou wilt, O king, without doubtascend to regions of everlasting bliss, in consequence of thy worship ofthe Pitris and the gods, and thy reverence for the Brahmanas, even thoughthy body is filled with phlegmatic humours and withal so dull and inert!He that desires virtue and heaven should adore the Brahmanas. One shouldfeed Brahmanas with care on occasions of Sraddhas, although those amongthem that are cursed or fallen should be excluded. They also should becarefully excluded that are either excessively fair or excessively black,that have diseased nails, that are lepers, that are deceitful, that areborn in bastardy of widows or of women having husbands alive; and theyalso that support themselves by the profession of arms. That Sraddhawhich is censurable, consumeth the performer thereof like fire consumingfuel. If they that are to be employed in Sraddhas happen to be dumb,blind, or deaf, care should be taken to employ them along with Brahmanasconversant with the Vedas. O Yudhishthira, listen now unto whom thoushouldst give. He that knoweth all the Vedas should give only to thatable Brahmana who is competent to rescue both the giver and himself, forhe, indeed, is to be regarded as able who can rescue both the giver andhimself. O son of Pritha, the sacred fires do not receive suchgratification from libations of clarified butter, from offerings offlowers and sandal and other perfumed pastes as from the entertainment ofguests. Therefore, do thou strive to entertain guests, O son of Pandu! Oking, they that give unto guests water to wash their feet, butter to rubover their (tired) legs, light during the hours of darkness, food, andshelter, have not to go before Yama. The removal (after worship) of theflowery offerings unto the gods, the removal of the remnants of aBrahmana’s feast, waiting (upon a Brahmana) with perfumed pastes, and themassaging of a Brahmana’s limbs, are, each of them, O foremost of kings,productive of greater merit than the gift of kine. A person, withoutdoubt, rescueth himself by the gift of a Kapila cow. Therefore, shouldone give away a Kapila cow decked with ornaments unto Brahmanas. O thouof the Bharata race, one should give unto a person of good lineage andconversant with the Vedas; unto a person that is poor; unto one leading adomestic mode of life but burdened with wife and children; unto one thatdaily adoreth the sacred fire; and unto one that hath done thee noservice. Thou shouldst always give unto such persons but not to them thatare in affluence. What merit is there, O thou foremost of the Bharatarace, by giving unto one that is affluent? One cow must be given unto oneBrahmana. A single cow must not be given unto many. For if the cow sogiven away (unto many) be sold, the giver’s family is lost for threegenerations. Such a gift would not assuredly rescue the giver nor theBrahmana that takes it. He who giveth eighty Ratis of pure gold, earneththe merit of giving away a hundred pieces of gold for ever. He thatgiveth away a strong bull capable also of drawing the plough, iscertainly rescued from all difficulties and finally goeth to heaven. Hethat giveth away land unto a learned Brahmana, hath all his desiresfulfilled. The tired traveller, with weakened limbs and feet besmearedwith dust, asks for the name of him that may give him food. There are menwho answer him by telling him the name. That wise man who informs thesetoil-worn ones of the name of the person who may give them food, is,without doubt, regarded as equal in merit unto the giver himself of food.Therefore, abstaining from other kinds of gift, give thou food. There isno merit (arising out of gifts) that is so great as that of giving food.The man that according to the measure of his might gives well-cooked andpure food unto the Brahmanas, acquires, by that act of his, thecompanionship of Prajapati (Brahma). There is nothing superior to food.Therefore, food is regarded as the first and foremost of all things (tobe given away). It hath been said that food itself is Prajapati. AndPrajapati is regarded as the Year. And the Year is sacrifice. Andeverything is established in sacrifice, for it is from sacrifice that allcreatures, mobile and immobile, take their origin. For this reason, ithath been heard by us, food is the foremost of all things. They that giveaway lakes and large pieces of water, and tanks and wells, and shelterand food and they that have sweet words for all, have not to hear theadmonitions of Yama. With him who gives rice, and wealth earned by hislabour, unto Brahmana of good behaviour, the earth is satisfied. And shepoureth upon him showers of wealth. The giver of food walketh first,after him the speaker of truth and he that giveth unto persons that donot solicit. But the three go to the same place.'”

Vaisampayana continued, ‘Hearing all this, Yudhishthira, along with hisyounger brothers, impelled by curiosity, again addressed the high-souledMarkandeya, saying, ‘O great Muni, what is the distance of Yama’s regionfrom that of men? What is its measurement? How also do men pass it over?And by what means? O, tell me all this!’

“Markandeya said, ‘O king, O them foremost of virtuous men, this questionof thine appertains to a great mystery. It is sacred and much applaudedby the Rishis. Appertaining as it also does to virtue, I will speak of itto thee. The distance of Yama’s region from the abode of men is, O king,eighty-six thousand Yojanas! The way is over space, without water, andvery terrible to behold; Nowhere on that road is the shade of a tree,nowhere any water, and nowhere any resting place in which the traveller,when fatigued, may rest for some moments. And men and women and all onearth that have life, are forcibly led along this way by the messengersof Yama. Those creatures that obey the mandates of the grim king, andthey, O king, that have given horses and other good conveyances untoBrahmanas, proceed along this way on those animals and vehicles. And theythat have given umbrellas proceed along this way with umbrellas wardingoff the sun’s rays. And they that have given food, proceed withouthunger, while they that have not given food proceed afflicted withhunger. And they that have given robes, proceed along this way attired inrobes while they that have given none, proceed naked. And they that havegiven gold, proceed in happiness, themselves decked in ornaments. Andthey that have given land, proceed with every desire completelygratified. And they that have given grain, proceed without beingafflicted with any want. And they that have given houses, proceed happilyon cars. And those men that have given something to drink, proceed withcheerful hearts unafflicted with thirst. And they that have given lights,proceed happily lighting the way before them. And they that have givenkine, proceed along the way happily, freed from all their sins. And theythat have fasted for a month, proceed on cars drawn by swans. And theywho have fasted for six nights, proceed on cars drawn by peacocks. And, Oson of Pandu, he that fasteth three nights upon only one meal without asecond during this period goeth into a region free from disease andanxiety. And water hath this excellent property that it producethhappiness in the region of Yama. And they that give water find forthemselves a river there of the name of Pushpodaka. And the givers ofwater on the earth drink cool and ambrosial draughts from that stream.And they that are of evil deeds have pus ordained for them. Thus, O greatking, that river serveth all purposes. Therefore, O king, adore thou dulythese Brahmanas (that are with thee). Weak in limbs owing to the way hehas walked, and besmeared with the dust of the high-road, the travellerenquireth for the name of him who giveth food, and cometh in hope to hishouse. Adore thou him with reverent attention, for he indeed is a guest,and he is a Brahmana. The gods with Indra at their head follow him as heproceedeth. And if he is adored, the gods with Indra become gratified,and if he is not adored, the celestials with their chief becomecheerless. Therefore, O thou foremost of kings, worship thou theseBrahmanas duly. I have thus spoken to thee upon a hundred subjects. Whatdost thou desire to hear from me again?’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O master, conversant thou art with virtue andmorality, and so I desire to repeatedly listen to thee as thou speakeston sacred subjects appertaining to virtue and morals.’

“Markandeya said, ‘O king, I will now speak on another sacred subjectappertaining to eternal interests and capable of washing off all sins.Listen thou with rapt attention. O thou foremost of the Bharatas, themerit equal to that of giving away a Kapila cow in (the tirtha called)Jyeshtha-Pushkara arises from washing the feet of Brahmanas. As long asthe earth remains wet with water which a Brahmana hath touched with hisfeet, so long do Pitris drink water of cups made of lotus-leaves. If theguest is welcomed (with enquiries about his welfare), the deities of firebecome glad; and if he is offered a seat, it is the god of a hundredsacrifices, who is gratified. If his feet are washed, it is the Pitriswho are delighted; and if he is fed it is Prajapati that is pleased. Oneshould with collected soul, give a cow when (during her throes) the feetand head of her calf are visible, before her delivery is complete. A cowwith her calf in the air in course of falling from the uterus to theearth, is to be regarded as equal to the earth herself. He, therefore,that giveth away such a cow, reapeth the merit of giving away the earth.And he that giveth away such a cow, is adored in heaven for as manythousands of Yugas as there are bristles on the bodies of the animal andher young one together. And, O Bharata, he that having accepted a thingin gift giveth it away immediately unto a person that is virtuous andhonest, reapeth very great merit. Without doubt, he reapeth the fruit ofgiving away the whole earth to her utmost limits and with her oceans andseas and caves, her mountains and forests and woods. That Brahmana whoeateth in silence from a plate, keeping his hands between his knees,succeedeth in rescuing others. And those Brahmanas that abstain fromdrink and who are never spoken of by others as having any faults and whodaily read the Samhitas, are capable of rescuing others. Libations ofbutter and edible offerings should all be presented to a Brahmana who islearned in the Vedas. And as libations of clarified butter poured intofire never go in vain, so gift to virtuous Brahmanas learned in the Vedascan never go in vain. The Brahmanas have anger for their weapon; theynever fight with arms of iron and steel. Indeed the Brahmanas slay withanger like Indra slaying the Asuras with his thunder-bolt.

Thus prelection appertaining to virtue and morality is now over. Hearingthis, the Munis of the forest of Naimisha were filled with delight. Andthose ascetics were also freed from grief and anger by listening to it.And they were also purged of all their sins in consequence of this. And,O king, those human beings that listen to it become freed from theobligation of rebirth.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O thou of great wisdom, what purification is thereby which a Brahmana may always keep himself pure? I desire to hear of itfrom thee, O thou foremost of all virtuous men!”

“Markandeya answered, ‘There are three kinds of purity, viz., purity inspeech, purity in deed, and purity achieved by use of water. He that hasrecourse to these three different kinds of purity, attains, withoutdoubt, to heaven. That Brahmana who adoreth the goddess Sandhya in themorning and the evening, and who recites meditatively the sacred goddessGayatri who is the mother of the Vedas, sanctified by the latter, isfreed from all his sins. Even if he accepts in gift the entire earth withher oceans, he doth not, on that account, suffer the least unhappiness.And those heavenly bodies in the sky including the sun that may beinauspicious and hostile towards him soon become auspicious andfavourable towards him in consequence of these acts of his, while thosestars that are auspicious and favourable become more auspicious and morefavourable in consequence of such conduct of his. And terrible Rakshasassubsisting on animal food, or gigantic and fierce mien, all become unableto prevail over a Brahmana who practiseth these purifications. TheBrahmanas are even like blazing fires. They incur no fault in consequenceof teaching, of officiating at sacrifices, and of accepting gifts fromothers. Whether the Brahmana be cognisant of the Vedas or ignorant ofthem, whether they be pure or impure, they should never be insulted, forBrahmanas are like fires. As the fire that blazeth up in the place setapart for the cremation of the dead is never regarded impure on thataccount, so the Brahmana, be he learned or ignorant, is always pure. Heis great and a very god! Cities that are adorned with walls and gates andpalaces one after another, lose their beauty if they are bereft ofBrahmanas. That, indeed, O king, is a city where Brahmanas accomplishedin the Vedas, duly observing the duties of their order and possessed oflearning and ascetic merit, reside. O son of Pritha, that spot, be it awood or pasture land, where learned Brahmanas reside, hath been called acity. And that place, O king, becometh a tirtha also. By approaching aking that offereth protection, as also a Brahmana possessed of asceticmerit, and by offering worship unto both, a man may purge off his sinsimmediately. The learned have said that ablutions in the sacred tirthas,recitation of the names of holy ones, and converse with the good andvirtuous, are all acts worthy of applause. They that are virtuous andhonest always regard themselves as sanctified by the holy companionshipof persons like themselves and by the water of pure and sacred converse.The carrying of three staffs, the vow of silence, matted hair on head,the shaving of the crown, covering one’s person with barks and deerskins,the practice of vows, ablutions, the worship of fire, abode in the woods,emaciating the body, all these are useless if the heart be not pure. Theindulgence of the six senses is easy, if purity be not sought in theobject of enjoyment. Abstinence, however, which of itself is difficult,is scarcely easy without purity of the objects of enjoyment. O king ofkings, among the six senses, the mind alone that is easily moved is themost dangerous! Those high-souled persons that do not commit sins inword, deed, heart and soul, are said to undergo ascetic austerities, andnot they that suffer their bodies to be wasted by fasts and penances. Hethat hath no feeling of kindness for relatives cannot be free from sineven if his body be pure. That hard-heartedness of his is the enemy ofhis asceticism. Asceticism, again, is not mere abstinence from thepleasures of the world. He that is always pure and decked with virtue, hethat practises kindness all his life, is a Muni even though he may lead adomestic life. Such a man is purged of all his sins. Fasts and otherpenances cannot destroy sins, however much they may weaken and dry up thebody that is made of flesh and blood. The man whose heart is withoutholiness, suffers torture only by undergoing penances in ignorance oftheir meaning. He is never freed from sins of such acts. The fire heworshippeth doth not consume his sins. It is in consequence of holinessand virtue alone that men attain to regions of blessedness, and fasts andvows become efficacious. Subsistence on fruits and roots, the vow ofsilence, living upon air, the shaving of the crown, abandonment of afixed home, the wearing of matted locks on the head, lying under thecanopy of heaven, daily fasts, the worship of fire, immersion in water,and lying on the bare ground,–these alone cannot produce such a result.They only that are possessed of holiness succeed, by knowledge and deeds,to conquer disease, decrepitude and death, and acquire a high status. Asseeds that have been scorched by fire do not sprout forth, so the painsthat have been burnt by knowledge cannot effect the soul. This inert bodythat is only like a block of wood when destitute of souls, is, withoutdoubt, short lived like froth in the ocean. He that obtaineth a view ofhis soul, the soul that resideth in every body, by help of one or half ofa rhythmic line (of the Vedas), hath no more need for anything. Someobtaining a knowledge of identity with the Supreme Soul from but twoletters (of the Vedas) and some from hundreds and thousands of rhythmiclines, acquire salvation, for the knowledge of one’s identity with theSupreme Soul is the sure indication of salvation. The men of old,distinguished for their knowledge, have said, neither this world nor thathereafter nor bliss can be his who is disturbed by doubts. And belief ofone’s identity with the Supreme Soul is the indication of salvation. Hethat knoweth the true meaning of the Vedas, understandeth their true use.Such a man is affrighted at the Vedic ritual like a man at sight of aforest conflagration. Giving up dry disputation, have recourse to Srutiand Smriti, and seek thou, with the aid of thy reason, the knowledge ofthe Undecaying One that is without a second. One’s search (after thisknowledge) becometh futile from defect of means. Therefore, should onecarefully strive to obtain that knowledge by aid of the Vedas. The Vedasare the Supreme Soul; they are His body; they are the Truth. The soulthat is bounded by the animal organism is incompetent to know Him in whomall the Vedas merge. That Supreme Soul, however, is capable of beingknown by the pure intellect. The existence of the gods as stated in theVedas, the efficacy of acts, and the capacity for action of beingfurnished with bodies, are noticeable in every Yuga. Independence ofthese and annihilation are to be sought from purity of the senses.Therefore, the suspension of the function of the senses is the truefasting. One may attain to heaven by asceticism, one may obtain objectsof enjoyment by the practice of charity and may have his sins purged offby ablutions in tirthas. But complete emancipation cannot be had exceptby knowledge.'”

Vaisampayana continued, “Thus addressed, O great king, by the Rishi,Yudhishthira of great fame then said, ‘O holy one, I desire to listen tothe rules about that charity which is meritorious.”

“Markandeya said, ‘O great king, O Yudhishthira, the rules about charitywhich thou wishest to hear from me are always highly regarded by me.Listen now to the mysteries of charity as expounded in the sruti and thesmritis! A man that performs a sraddha in the conjunction calledGajacchaya at a place that is fanned by the leaves of the Aswattha treeenjoys the fruits thereof, O Yudhishthira, for a hundred thousand kalpas.O king, he that foundeth a dharmasala and established there a person tolook after all comers, is crowned with the merits of all the sacrifices.He that giveth away a horse at a tirtha where the current of the riverrunneth in a direction opposite to its general course, reapeth merit thatis inexhaustible. The guest that comes to one’s house for food is noneother than Indra himself. If he is entertained with food, Indra himselfconferreth on the best merit that is inexhaustible. As men cross seas byvessels, so are the givers mentioned above are saved from all their sins.So what is given unto Brahmanas produceth, like gift of curds,inexhaustible merits. A gift on particular lunations produceth merit thatis twice as much as a gift on other days. That in a particular seasonproduceth merit ten times greater that in other seasons. That in aparticular year produceth merit a hundred times greater than in otheryears. And lastly, a gift on the last day of the last month of the yearproduceth merit that is inexhaustible. A gift also that is made while theSun is on the solstitial points, one again that is made on the last dayof the Sun’s path through Libra, Aries, Gemini, Virgo, and Pisces, a giftagain during eclipses of the Moon and the Sun, produce merit that isinexhaustible. The learned have also said that gifts made during theseasons produce merit that is ten times, those made during the change ofseasons, a hundred times–and those made during the days when Rahu isvisible, a thousand times–greater than what is produced by gifts atother time; while a gift made on the last day of the Sun’s course throughLibra and Aries produces merit that knows no diminution. O king, no onecan enjoy landed possessions unless he giveth away land, and no one cango on cars and vehicles unless he giveth away these. Indeed a person onrebirth obtaineth the fruition of whatever objects he hath in view at thetime of making a gift to a Brahmana. Gold hath sprung from Fire; theEarth from Vishnu; and the cows from the Sun. He, therefore, that givethaway gold, land, and kine attaineth all the regions of Agni, Vishnu, andthe Sun. There is nothing so eternal as a gift. Where, therefore, in thethree worlds is anything that is more auspicious? It is for this, O king,that they who have great intelligence say that there is nothing higherand greater in the three worlds than gift!'”