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man who, having ignited a fire at sunrise, makes gifts of gold in view of the observance of a particular vow, succeeds in |
attaining to the fruition of all his wishes. It has been said that gold is identical with Agni. The gift of gold, therefore, is |
productive of great felicity. The gift of gold leads to the possession of those merits and accomplishments that are desired, and |
cleanses the heart.[395] I have thus told thee, O sinless one, the origin of gold. O thou of puissance, hear how Kartikeya grew |
up, O delighter of Bhrigu's race. After a long time Kartikeya grew up. He was then, O perpetuator of Bhrigu's race, chosen by |
all the deities with Indra at their head, as the generalissimo of the celestial forces. He slew the Daitya Taraka as also many |
other Asuras, at the command of the chief of the celestials, O Brahmana, and actuated also by the desire of benefiting all the |
worlds. I have also, O thou of great might, discoursed to thee on the merits of making gifts of gold. Do thou, therefore, O |
foremost of all speakers make gifts of gold.' |
"Bhishma continued, 'Thus addressed by Vasishtha, Jamadagni's son of great prowess then made gifts of gold unto the |
Brahmanas and became cleansed of his sins. I have thus told thee, O king, everything about the merits of the gifts of gold and |
about its origin also, O Yudhishthira. Do thou also, therefore, make abundant gifts of gold unto the Brahmanas. Verily, O king, |
by making such gifts of gold, thou wilt surely be cleansed of all thy sins!'" |
SECTION LXXXVI |
"Yudhishthira said, 'Thou hast, O grandsire, discoursed to me, in detail on the merits that attach to the gift of gold agreeably |
with the ordinances laid down in the scriptures as indicated in the auditions of the Veda. Thou hast also narrated what the |
origin is of gold. Do thou tell me now how Taraka met with destruction. Thou hast said, O king, that Asura had become |
unslayable by the gods. Do thou tell me in detail how his destruction was brought about. O perpetuator of Kuru's race, I desire |
to hear this from thee. I mean the details of Taraka's slaughter. Great is my curiosity to hear the narrative.' |
"Bhishma said, 'The gods and the Rishis, O monarch, reduced to great distress (by Taraka's prowess and the conduct of Ganga |
in casting off Agni's seed), urged the six Krittikas to rear that child. Amongst the celestial ladies there were none, save these, |
that could, by their energy, bear the seed of Agni in their wombs. The god of fire became exceedingly gratified with those |
goddesses for their readiness to sustain the conception caused by the cast off seed of Agni which was endued with his own high |
energy. When the energy of Agni, O king, was divided into six portions and placed within the channels (leading to the womb), |
the six Krittikas began to nourish the portion that each held in her womb. As the high-souled Kumara, however, began to grow |
within their wombs, their bodies being afflicted by his energy, they failed to obtain peace anywhere (in heaven or on earth). |
Filled with energy as their bodies were, the time at last came for delivery. All of them, it so happened, O prince of men, |
delivered at the same time. Though held in six different wombs, yet all the portions, as they came out, united into one. The |
goddess Earth held the child, taking it up from a heap of gold. Verily, the child, endued with excellent form, blazed with |
splendour even like the god of Fire. Of beautiful features, he began to grow in a delightful forest of reeds. The six Krittikas |
beheld that child of theirs looking like the morning sun in splendour. Filled with affection for him,--indeed, loving him very |
much,--they began to rear him with the sustenance of their breasts. In consequence of his having been born of the Krittikas and |
reared by them, he came to be known throughout the three worlds as Kartikeya. Having sprung from the seed which had fallen |
off from Rudra he was named Skanda, and because of his birth in the solitude of a forest of reeds he came to be called by the |
name of Guha (the secret-born). The gods numbering three and thirty, the points of the compass (in their embodied forms) |
together with the deities presiding over them, and Rudra and Dhatri and Vishnu and Yama and Pushan and Aryaman and |
Bhaga, and Angas and Mitra and the Sadhyas and Vasava and the Vasus and the Aswins and the Waters and the Wind and the |
Firmament and Chandramas and all the Constellations and the Planets and Surya, and all the Ricks and Samans and Yajuses in |
their embodied forms, came there to behold that wonderful child who was the son of the deity of blazing flames. The Rishis |
uttered hymns of praise and the Gandharvas sang in honour of that child called Kumara of six heads, twice six eyes, and |
exceedingly devoted to the Brahmanas. His shoulders were broad, and he had a dozen arms, and the splendour of his person |
resembled that of fire and Aditya. As he lay stretched on a clump of heath, the gods with the Rishis, beholding him, became |
filled with great delight and regarded the great Asura as already slain. The deities then began to bring him diverse kinds of toys |
and articles that could amuse him. As he played like a child, diverse kinds of toys and birds were given unto him. Garuda of |
excellent feathers gave unto him a child of his, viz., a peacock endued with plumes of variegated hue. The Rakshasas gave unto |
him a boar and a buffalo. Aruna himself gave him a cock of fiery splendour. Chandramas gave him a sheep, and Aditya gave |
him some dazzling rays of his. The mother of all kine, viz., Surabhi, gave him kine by hundreds and thousands. Agni gave him |
a goat possessed of many good qualities. Ila gave him an abundant quantity of flowers and fruit. Sudhanwan gave him a riding |
chariot and a car of Kuvara. Varuna gave him many auspicious and excellent, products of the Ocean, with some elephants. The |
chief of the celestials gave him lions and tigers and pards and diverse kinds of feathery denizens of the air, and many terrible |
beasts of prey and many umbrellas also of diverse kinds. Rakshasas and Asuras, in large bands, began to walk in the train of |
that puissant child. Beholding the son of Agni grow up, Taraka sought, by various means, to effect his destruction, but he failed |
to do anything unto that puissant deity. The god in time invested Agni's son born in the solitude (of a forest of reeds) with the |
command of their forces. And they also informed him of the oppressions committed upon them by the Asura Taraka. The |
generalissimo of the celestial forces grew up and became possessed of great energy and puissance. In time Guha slew Taraka, |
with his irresistible dart. Verily, Kumara slew the Asura as easily as if in sport. Having accomplished the destruction of Taraka |
he re-established the chief of the deities in his sovereignty of the three worlds. Endued with mighty prowess, the celestial |
generalissimo blazed with beauty and splendour. The puissant Skanda became the protector of the deities and did what was |
agreeable to Sankara. The illustrious son of Pavaka was endued with a golden form. Verily, Kumara is always the leader of the |
celestial forces. Gold is the puissant energy of the god of fire and was born with Kartikeya (from the same seed). Hence is Gold |
highly auspicious and, as a valuable, is excellent and endued with inexhaustible merit. Even thus, O son of Kuru's race, did |
Vasishtha recite this discourse unto Rama of Bhrigu's race in days of old. Do thou, therefore, O king of men, try to make gifts |
of Gold. By making gifts of Gold, Rama became cleansed of all his sins, and finally attained to a high place in heaven that is |
unattainable by other men.'" |
SECTION LXXXVII |
"Yudhishthira said, 'Thou hast discoursed to me, O thou of righteous soul, on the duties of the four orders. Do thou, after the |
same manner, Q king, discourse to me now on all the ordinances respecting the Sraddha (of deceased ancestors).' |
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Thus addressed by Yudhishthira, the son of Santanu set himself to declare unto him the following |
ritual, consistent with the ordinance of the Sraddha.' |
"Bhishma said, 'Listen, O king, with close attention, to me as I discourse to you on the ritual of the Sraddha. That ritual is |
auspicious, worthy of praise, productive of fame and progeny, and is regarded as a sacrifice, O scorcher of foes, in honour of |
the Pitris. Gods or Asuras or human beings, Gandharvas or Uragas or Rakshasas, Pisachas or Kinnaras,--every one should |
always worship the Pitris. It is seen that people worship the Pitris first, and gratify the deities next by offering them their |
adorations. Hence, one should always worship the Pitris with every care.[396] It is said, O king, that the Sraddha performed in |
honour of the Pitris is performable afterwards. But this general rule is restrained by a special one (which directs that the |
Sraddha in honour of the Pitris should be performed on the afternoon of the day of the New moon).[397] The (deceased) |
grandsires become gratified with the Sraddha that may be performed on any day. I shall, however, tell thee now what the merits |
and demerits are of the respective lunar days (in view of their adaptability to the performance of the Sraddha). I shall discourse |
to thee, O sinless one, what fruits are attained on what days by performing the Sraddha. Do thou listen to me with close |
attention. By adoring the Pitris on the first day of the lighted fortnight, one obtains in one's abode beautiful spouses capable of |
producing many children all possessed of desirable accomplishments. By performing the Sraddha on the second day of the |
lighted fortnight one gets many daughters. By performing it on the third day, one acquires many steeds. By performing it on the |
fourth day, one gets a large herd of smaller animals (such as goats and sheep) in one's house. They, O king, who perform the |
Sraddha on the fifth day, get many sons. Those men who perform the Sraddha on the sixth day acquire great splendour. By |
performing it on the seventh day, O monarch, one acquires great fame. By performing it on the eighth day one makes great |
profits in trade. By performing it on the ninth day one acquires many animals of uncloven hoofs. By performing it on the tenth |
day one acquires much wealth in kine. By performing it on the eleventh day one becomes the possessor of much wealth in |
clothes and utensils (of brass and other metals). Such a man also obtains many sons all of whom become endued with Brahma |
splendour. By performing the Sraddha on the twelfth day one always beholds, if one desires, diverse kinds of beautiful articles |
made of silver and gold. By performing the Sraddha on the thirteenth day one attains to eminence over one's kinsmen. Without |
doubt, all the young men in the family of him who performs the Sraddha on the fourteenth day meet with death. Such a man |
becomes entangled in war, By performing the Sraddha on the day of the new moon, one obtains the fruition of every wish. In |
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