text stringlengths 0 182 |
|---|
a gift under the constellation Mula, of fruits and roots, with a restrained soul, one gratifies the Pitris and attains to a desirable |
end. By making under the constellation Purvashadha, a gift, unto a Brahmana conversant with the Vedas and of good family |
and conduct, of cups filled with curds, while one is in the observance of a fast, one takes birth in one's next life in a family |
possessed of abundant kine. One obtains the fruition of every wish, by making gifts, under the constellation Uttarashadha, of |
jugs full of barley-water, with ghee and inspissated juice of sugarcane in abundance. By making a gift under the conjunction |
called Abhijit, of milk with honey and ghee unto men of wisdom, a righteous person attains to heaven and becomes an object |
of attention and honour there. By making under the conjunction Sravana, a gift of blankets or other cloth of thick texture, one |
roves freely through every region of felicity, riding on a white car of pure resplendence. By making with a restrained soul, |
under the constellation Dhanishtha, a gift of a vehicle with bulls yoked thereto, or heaps of cloths and wealth, one at once |
attains to heaven in one's next life. By making gifts, under the constellation Satabhisha, of perfumes with Aquilaria Agallocha |
and sandalwood, one attains in the next world to the companionship of Apsaras as also eternal perfumes of diverse kinds. By |
making gifts, under the constellation Purva-Bhadrapada, or Rajamasha, one attains to great happiness in the next life and |
becomes possessed of an abundant stock of every kind of edibles and fruits.[339] One who makes, under the constellation |
Uttara, a gift of mutton, gratifies the Paris by such an act attains to inexhaustible merit in the next world. Unto one who makes |
a gift, under the constellation Revati, of a cow with a vessel of white copper for milking her, the cow so given away approaches |
in the next world, ready to grant the fruition of every wish. By making a gift, under the constellation Aswini, of a car with |
steeds yoked thereto, one is born in one's next life in a family possessed of numerous elephants and steeds and cars, and |
becomes endued with great energy. By making, under the constellation Bharani, a gift unto the Brahmanas of kine and sesame, |
one acquires in one's next life great fame and an abundance of kine.' |
"Bhishma continued, 'Even thus did Narada discourse unto Devaki upon the subject of what gifts should be made under what |
constellations. Devaki herself, having listened to this discourse, recited it in her turn unto her daughters-in-law (viz., the |
spouses of Krishna).'" |
SECTION LXV |
"Bhishma said, 'The illustrious Atri, the son of the Grandsire Brahman, said, 'They who make gifts of gold are said to make |
gifts of everything in the world.' King Harischandra said that the gift of gold is sin-cleansing, leads to long life, and becomes |
productive of inexhaustible merit unto the Pitris. Manu has said that a gift of drink is the best of all gifts: therefore should a |
man cause wells and tanks and lakes to be excavated. A well full of water and from which diverse creatures draw water, is said |
to take off half the sinful acts of the person who has excavated it. The whole race of a person is rescued from hell and sin in |
whose well or tank or lake kine and Brahmanas and righteous people constantly quench their thirst. That man transcends every |
kind of calamity from whose well or tank every one draws water without restraint during the summer season. Ghee is said to |
gratify the illustrious Vrihaspati, Pushan, Bhaga, the twin Aswins, and the deity of fire. Ghee is possessed of high medicinal |
virtues. It is a high requisite for sacrifice. It is the best of all liquids. The merit a gift of ghee produces is very superior. That |
man who is desirous of the reward of happiness in the next world, who wishes for fame and prosperity, should with a cleansed |
soul and having purified himself make gifts of ghee unto the Brahmanas. Upon that man who makes gifts of ghee unto the |
Brahmanas in the month of Aswin, the twin Aswins, gratified, confer personal beauty. Rakshasas never invade the abode of |
that man who makes gifts unto the Brahmanas of Payasa mixed with ghee. That man never dies of thirst who makes gifts unto |
the Brahmanas of jars filled with water. Such a person obtains every necessary of life in abundance, and has never to undergo |
any calamity or distress. That man, who with great devotion and restrained senses makes gifts unto the foremost of Brahmanas, |
is said to take a sixth part of the merits won by the Brahmanas by their penances. That man who makes presents unto |
Brahmanas having the means of life, of firewood for purposes of cooking as also of enabling them to drive cold, finds all his |
purposes and all his acts crowned with success. Such a one is seen to shine with great splendour over all his enemies. The |
illustrious deity of fire becomes pleased with such a man. As another reward, he never becomes divested of cattle, and he is |
sure to achieve victory in battles. The man who makes a gift of an umbrella obtains children and great prosperity. Such a |
person is never affected by any eye-disease. The merits also that spring from the performance of a sacrifice become his. That |
man who makes a gift of an umbrella in the season of summer or rains, has never to meet with any heart-burning on any |
account. Such a man quickly succeeds in freeing himself from every difficulty and impediment. The highly blessed and |
illustrious Rishi Sandilya has said that, of all gifts, the gift of a car, O king, is the best.'" |
SECTION LXVI |
"Yudhishthira said, 'I desire to hear, O grandsire, what the merits are of that person who makes the gift of a pair of sandals unto |
a Brahmana whose feet are burning or being scorched by hot sand, while he is walking.' |
"Bhishma said, 'The man, that gives unto the Brahmanas sandals for the protection of their feet, succeeds in crushing all thorns |
and gets over every kind of difficulty. Such a man, O Yudhishthira, stays over the heads of all his foes. Vehicles of pure |
splendour, with mules harnessed thereto, and made of gold and silver, O monarch, approach him. He who makes a gift of |
sandals is said to earn the merit of making the gift of a vehicle with well-broken steeds yoked thereto.' |
"Yudhishthira said, 'Do thou tell me in detail once more, O grandsire, of the merits that attach to gifts of sesame and land and |
kine and food.' |
"Bhishma said, 'Do thou hear, O son of Kunti, what the merits are that attach to the gift of sesame. Hearing me, do thou, then, |
O best of the Kurus, make gifts of sesame according to the ordinance. Sesame seeds were created by the Self-born Brahman as |
the best food for the Pitris. Hence, gifts of sesame seeds always gladden the Pitris greatly. The man who makes gifts of sesame |
seeds, in the month of Magha, unto the Brahmanas, has never to visit hell which abounds with all frightful creatures. He who |
adores the Pitris with offerings of sesame seeds is regarded as worshipping the deities at all the sacrifices. One should never |
perform a Sraddha with offerings of sesame seeds without cherishing some purpose.[340] Sesame seeds sprang from the limbs |
of the great Rishi Kasyapa. Hence, in the matter of gifts, they have come to be regarded as possessed of high efficacy. Sesame |
seeds bestow both prosperity and personal beauty and cleans the giver of all his sins It is for this reason that the gift of sesame |
seeds is distinguished above the gift of every other article. Apastamva of great intelligence, and Kankha and Likhita, and the |
great Rishi Gautama have all ascended to heaven by having made gifts of sesame seeds. Those Brahmanas that make Homa |
with offerings of sesame, abstain from sexual intercourse, and are observant of the religion of Pravritti or acts, are regarded as |
equal (in purity and efficacy) to bovine Havi. The gift of sesame seeds is distinguished above all gifts. Amongst all gifts, the |
gifts of sesame is regarded as productive of inexhaustible merit. In ancient times when Havi (clarified butter) on one occasion |
had become unobtainable the Rishi Kusika, O scorcher of foes, made offerings of sesame seeds to his three sacrificial fires and |
succeeded in attaining to an excellent end. I have thus said unto thee, O chief of the Kurus, what the regulations are respecting |
the excellent gift of sesame seeds. It is in consequence of these regulations that the gift of sesame seeds has come to be |
regarded as endued with very superior merit. After this, listen to what I would say. Once on a time the deities, desirous of |
making a sacrifice, repaired, O monarch, to the presence of the Self-born Brahman. Having met Brahman, being desirous of |
performing a sacrifice on earth, they begged him for a piece of auspicious earth, saying, 'We want it for our sacrifice.' |
'The deities said, 'O illustrious one, thou art the lord of all the earth as also of all the deities. With thy permission, O highly |
blessed one, we desire to perform a sacrifice. The person who has not obtained by lawful means the earth whereon to make the |
sacrificial altar, earns not the merit of the sacrifice he performs. Thou art the Lord of all the universe consisting of its mobile |
and immobile objects. Hence, it behoveth thee to grant us a piece of earth for the sacrifice we wish to make.' |
"Brahman said, 'Ye foremost of deities, I shall give you a piece of earth whereon, ye sons of Kasyapa, you shall perform your |
intended sacrifice.' |
"The deities said, 'Our wishes, O holy one, have been crowned with fruition. We shall perform our sacrifice even here with |
large Dakshina. Let, however, the Munis always adore the piece of earth. Then there came to that place Agastya and Kanwa |
and Bhrigu and Atri and Vrishakapi, and Asita and Devala. The high-souled deities then, O thou of unfading glory, performed |
their sacrifice. Those foremost of gods concluded it in due time. Having completed that sacrifice of theirs on the breast of that |
foremost of mountains. Himavat, the deities attached to the gift of earth a sixth part of the merit arising from their sacrifice. |
The man who makes a gift of even a span of earth (unto a Brahmana) with reverence and faith, has never to languish under any |
difficulty and has never to meet with any calamity. By making a gift of a house that keeps out cold, wind, and sun, and that |
stand upon a piece of clean land, the giver attains to the region of the deities and does not fall down even when his merit |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.