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"Bhishma continued, 'Drawing his celestial bow, and taking up many arrows, Jamadagni stood, turning his face towards the sun |
and watching him as he moved (in his diurnal course). Then, O son of Kunti, beholding him addressed for fight, Surya |
approached him in the guise of a Brahmana, and said unto him. 'What has Surya done to displease thee? Coursing through the |
firmament, he draws up the moisture from the earth, and in the form of rains he pours it down once more on her. It is through |
this, O regenerate one, that the food of human beings springs up,--food that is so agreeable to them! The Vedas say that it is |
food that constitutes the life-breaths. O Brahmana, hidden in the clouds and encompassed by his rays, the sun drenches the |
seven islands with showers of rain. O puissant one, the moisture, thus poured, diffusing itself into the leaves and fruits of |
vegetables and herbs, is transformed into food. O son of Bhrigu, the rites of nativity, religious observances of every kind, |
investiture with the sacred thread, gifts of kine, weddings, all articles in view of sacrifices, the rules for the governance of men, |
gifts, all sorts of union (between man and man), and the acquisition of wealth, have their origin in food! Thou knowest this |
well! All the good and agreeable things in the universe, and all the efforts made by living creatures, flow from food. I duly |
recite what is well-known to thee! Indeed, thou fully knowest all that I have said! Do thou, therefore, O regenerate Rishi, |
appease thy anger! What wilt thou gain by annihilating the sun?'" |
SECTION XCVI |
"Yudhishthira said, 'What did that foremost of ascetics, viz., Jamadagni endued with great energy, do when thus besought by |
the maker of day?'" |
"Bhishma said, 'O descendant of Kuru, despite all the supplications of Surya, the sage Jamadagni, endued with the effulgence |
of fire, continued to cherish his anger. Then. O king, Surya, in the guise of a Brahmana, bowed his head unto him and |
addressed him, with folded hands, in these soft words. 'O regenerate Rishi, the sun is always in motion! How shalt thou pierce |
the Lord of day who is continually moving forward?'" |
"Jamadagni said, With the eye of knowledge I know thee to be both moving and motionless! I shall surely read thee a lesson |
this day. At midday thou seemest to stay in the heavens for a moment. It is then, O Surya, that I shall pierce thee with my |
arrows! There is no swerving from this my resolution!'" |
"Surya said 'O regenerate Rishi, without doubt, thou knowest me, O best of archers! But, O holy one, though I have offended, |
behold, I am a suppliant for thy protection!'" |
"Bhishma continued, 'At this, the adorable Jamadagni smilingly addressed the maker of day, saying, 'O Surya, when thou hast |
sought my protection, thou hast nothing to fear! He would transcend the simplicity that exists in Brahmanas, the stability that |
exists in the Earth, the mildness existing in the Moon, the gravity existing in Varuna, the effulgence existing in Agni, the |
brightness of Meru, and the heat of the sun, who would slay a suppliant for protection! The man that can slay a suppliant is |
capable of violating the bed of his preceptor, of slaying a Brahmana, and of drinking alcohol. Do thou, therefore, think of some |
remedy for this evil, by which people may be relieved when heated by the rays!'" |
"Bhishma continued, 'So saying, that excellent descendant of Bhrigu remained silent for a while, and Surya forthwith made |
over to him an umbrella and a pair of sandals.'" |
"Surya said, 'Do thou, O great Rishi, take this umbrella wherewith the head may be protected and my rays warded off. This pair |
of sandals is made of leather for the protection of the feet. From this day forth the gift of these articles in all religious rites shall |
be established as an inflexible usage!'" |
"Bhishma continued, 'This custom of giving umbrellas and shoes was introduced by Surya! O descendant of Bharata, these |
gifts are considered meritorious in the three worlds. Do thou, therefore, give away umbrellas and shoes to Brahmanas. I have |
no doubt that thou shalt then acquire great religious merit by the act. O foremost one of Bharata's race, he who gives away a |
white umbrella with a hundred ribs to a Brahmana, attains to eternal felicity after death and resides in the region of Indra, |
respected by Brahmanas, Apsaras, and Devas. O puissant one, he who gives shoes to Snataka Brahmanas as also to Brahmanas |
practising the rites of religion whose feet have become sore with the heat of the sun, attains to regions coveted by the very |
deities. Such a man, O Bharata, dwells in happiness in the highest Heaven after his death. O foremost one of Bharata's race, I |
have thus recited to thee in full, the merits of giving away shoes and umbrellas at religious ceremonies!'" |
SECTION XCVII |
"Yudhishthira said, 'O foremost one of Bharata's race, do thou relate to me all the duties of the household mode and tell me all |
that a man should do in order to attain to prosperity in this world.' |
"Bhishma said, 'O Bharata, I shall, in this connection, recite to thee the old story of Vasudeva and the goddess Earth, The |
puissant Vasudeva. O excellent prince of Bharata's race, after hymning the praises of the goddess Earth, questioned her about |
this very topic that thou hast enquired about.' |
"Vasudeva said, 'Having adopted the state of a householder, what acts should I, or one like me, perform and how are such acts |
to fructify in good?'" |
"The goddess Earth said, 'O Madhava, the Rishis, the deities, the Pitris, and men should be worshipped, and sacrifices should |
be performed, by a householder. Do thou also learn this from me that the deities are always pleased with sacrifices, and men |
are gratified with hospitality. Therefore, the householder should gratify them with such objects as they desire. By such acts, O |
slayer of Madhu, the Rishis also are gratified. The householder, abstaining from food, should daily attend to his sacred fire and |
to his sacrificial offerings. The deities, O slayer of Madhu, are gratified with such acts. The householder should daily offer |
oblations of food and water, or of fruits, roots and water, for the gratification of the Pitris, and the Vaiswadeva offering should |
be performed with rice boiled, and oblations of clarified butter unto Agni, Soma, and Dhanwantari. He should offer separate |
and distinct oblations unto Prajapati. He should make sacrificial offerings in due order; to Yama in the Southern region, to |
Varuna in Western region, to Soma in the Northern region, to Prajapati within the homestead, to Dhanwantari in the North- |
eastern region, and to Indra in the Eastern region. He should offer food to men at the entrance of his house. These, O Madhava, |
are known as the Vali offerings. The Vali should be offered to the Maruts and the deities in the interior of one's house. To the |
Viswedevas it should be offered in open air, and to the Rakshasas and spirits the offerings should be made at night. After |
making these offerings, the householder should make offerings unto Brahmanas, and if no Brahmana be present, the first |
portion of the food should be thrown into the fire. When a man desires to offer Sraddha to his ancestors, he should, when the |
Sraddha ceremony is concluded, gratify his ancestors and then make the Vali offerings in due order. He should then make |
offerings unto the Viswedevas. He should next invite Brahmanas and then properly regale guests arrived at his house, with |
food. By this act, O prince, are guests gratified. He who does not stay in the house long, or, having come, goes away after a |
short time, is called a guest. To his preceptor, to his father, to his friend and to a guest, a householder should say, 'I have got |
this in my house to offer thee today!' And he should offer it accordingly every day. The householder should do whatever they |
would ask him to do. This is the established usage. The householder, O Krishna, should take his food last of all after having |
offered food to all of them. The householder should worship, with offerings of Madhuparka his king, his priest, his preceptor, |
and his father-in-law as also Snataka Brahmanas even if they were to stay in his house for a whole year. In the morning as well |
as in the evening, food should be offered on the ground to dogs, Swapachas,[438] and birds. This is called the Vaiswadeva |
offering. The householder, who performs these ceremonies with a mind unclouded by passion, obtains the blessings of the |
Rishis in this world, and after death attains to the heavenly regions.'" |
"Bhishma continued, "The puissant Vasudeva, having listened to all this from the goddess Earth, acted accordingly. Do thou |
also act in the same way. By performing these duties of a householder, O king, thou shalt acquire fame in this world and attain |
to heaven after death!'" |
SECTION XCVIII |
"Yudhishthira said, 'Of what kind is the gift of light, O chief of Bharata's race? How did this gift originate? What are the merits |
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