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an untruth? It has been said that there are three tracks which constitute the best vows of a man One should never injure; one |
should always tell the truth; and one should make gifts. The Rishis of old announced this, following the declarations of the |
Vedas. These injunctions were heard in days of old,--they should certainly be followed by us even in our times. Even a small |
gift, made under the circumstances laid down, produces great fruits[533]. Unto a thirsty man thou hast given a little water with |
a sincere heart. Thyself thirsty and hungry, thou hast, by giving me such food, conquered many high regions of felicity, O |
puissant one, as, one does by many sacrifices. I am exceedingly delighted with thy very sacred gift, as also with thy penances. |
Thy puissance is that of Righteousness: Thy appearance is that of Righteousness. The fragrance of Righteousness is about thee. |
I think that all thy acts are performed agreeably to the ordinance, O son, superior to ablutions in sacred waters superior to the |
accomplishment of all Vedic vows, is gift. Indeed, O Brahmana, gift is more auspicious than all sacred acts. If it be not more |
meritorious than all sacred acts, there can be no question about its superiority. All those rites laid down in the Vedas which |
thou applaudest do not come up to gift, for gift without doubt, is as I hold, fraught with very superior merit. The track that has |
been made by those men who make gifts is the track that is trodden by the wise. They who make gifts are regarded as givers of |
even the life-breaths. The duties that constitute Righteousness are established in them. As the Vedas when well-studied, as the |
restraining of the senses, as a life of universal Renunciation, even so is gift which is fraught with very superior merit. Thou, O |
son, wilt rise from joy to greater joy in consequence of thy having betaken thyself to the duty of making gifts The man of |
intelligence (who practises this duty) certainly rises from joy to greater joy. We have without doubt, met with many direct |
instances of this. Men endued with prosperity succeed in acquiring wealth, making gifts, performing sacrifices, and earning |
happiness as the result thereof. It is always observed, O thou of great wisdom, to happen naturally that happiness is followed by |
misery and misery is followed by happiness.[534] Men of wisdom nave said that human beings in this world have three kinds |
of conduct. Some are righteous, some are sinful: and some are neither righteous nor sinful. The conduct of the person who is |
devoted to Brahma is not regarded either way. His sins are never regarded as sins. So also the man who is devoted to the duties |
laid down for him is regarded as neither righteous nor sinful (for the observance of those duties). Those men that are devoted to |
sacrifices, gifts, and penances, are regarded as righteous. These, however, that injure other creatures and are unfriendly to them, |
are regarded as sinful. There are some men who appropriate what belongs to others. These certainly fall into Hell and meet |
with misery. All other acts that men do are indifferent, being regarded as neither righteous nor sinful. Do thou sport and grow |
and rejoice and make gifts and perform sacrifices. Neither men of knowledge nor those endued with penances will then be able |
to get the better of thee!'" |
SECTION CXXI |
"Bhishma said, 'Thus addressed by Vyasa, Maitreya, who was a worshipper of acts, who had been born in a race endued with |
great prosperity, who was wise and possessed of great learning said unto him these words'. |
"Maitreya said, 'O thou of great wisdom, without doubt it is as thou hast said, O puissant one, with thy permission I desire to |
say something.' |
"Vyasa said, 'Whatever thou wishest to say, O Maitreya, do thou say, O man of great wisdom, for I wish to hear thee. |
"Maitreya said. 'Thy words on the subject of Gift are faultless and pure. Without doubt, thy soul has been cleansed by |
knowledge and penances. In consequence of thy soul being cleansed, even this is the great advantage I reap from it. With the |
aid of my understanding I see that thou art endued with high penances. As regards ourselves we succeed in acquiring prosperity |
through only a sight of personages like thee I think, that is due to thy grace and flows from the nature of my own acts.[535] |
Penances, knowledge of the Vedas, and birth in a pure race,--these are the causes of the status which one acquires of a |
Brahmana. When one has these three attributes, then does he come to be called a regenerate person. If the Brahmana be |
gratified, the Pitris and the deities are also gratified. There is nothing superior to a Brahmana possessed of Vedic lore. Without |
the Brahmana, all would be darkness. Nothing would be known. The four orders would not exist. The distinction between |
Righteousness and Unrighteousness. Truth and Falsehood, would cease. On a well-tilled field, an abundant harvest can be |
reaped. Even so, one may reap great merit by making gifts unto a Brahmana possessed of great learning. If there were no |
Brahmanas endued with Vedic lore and good conduct for accepting gifts, the wealth possessed by wealthy people would be |
useless. The ignorant Brahmana, by eating the food that is offered to him, destroys what he eats (for it produces no merit to him |
who gives it). The food that is eaten also destroys the eater (for the eater incurs sin by eating what is offered to him). That |
ought to be properly termed an eatable which is given away to a deserving man, in all other cases, he that takes it makes the |
donor's gift thrown away and the receiver is likewise ruined for his improperly accepting it. The Brahmana possessed of |
learning becomes the subjugator of the food that he eats. Having eaten it, he begets other food. The ignorant who eats the food |
offered to him loses his right to the children he begets, for the latter become his whose food has enabled the progenitor to beget |
them. Even this is the subtle fault that attaches to persons eating other people's food when they have not the puissance to win |
that food. The merit which the giver acquires by making the gift, is equal to what the taker acquires by accepting the food. Both |
the giver and the acceptor depend equally upon each other. Even this is what the Rishis have said. There where Brahmanas |
exist, possessed of Vedic lore and conduct, people are enabled to earn the sacred fruits of gifts and to enjoy them both here and |
hereafter. Those men who are of pure lineage, who are exceedingly devoted to penances, and who make gifts, and study the |
Vedas, are regarded as worthy of the most reverent worship. It is those good men that have chalked out the path by treading on |
which one does not become stupefied. It is those men that are the leaders of others to heaven. They are the men who bear on |
their shoulders the burden of sacrifices and live for eternity." |
SECTION CXXII |
"Bhishma said, 'Thus addressed, the holy one replied unto Maitreya, saying 'by good luck, thou art endued with knowledge. By |
good luck, thy understanding is of this kind! They that are good highly applaud all righteous attributes. That personal beauty |
and youth and prosperity do not succeed in overwhelming thee is due to good luck. This favour done to thee is due to the |
kindness of the deities. Listen to me as I discourse to thee upon what is even superior (in efficacy) to gift. Whatever scriptures |
and religious treatises there are, whatever (righteous) inclinations are observable in the world, they have flowed in their due |
order, agreeably with the lead of the Vedas, according to their due order. Following them I applaud gift. Thou praisest |
penances and Vedic lore. Penances are sacred. Penances are the means by which one may acquire the Vedas and heaven also. |
With the aid of penances and of knowledge, one attains to the highest fruits, we have heard. It is by penances that one destroys |
one's sins and all else that is evil. It has been heard by us that with whatever purpose in view one undergoes penances, one |
attains the fruition thereof in consequence of those penances. The same may be said of knowledge. Whatever is difficult to |
accomplish, whatever is difficult to conquer, what is difficult to attain, and whatever is difficult to cross, can all be achieved |
with the aid of penances. Of all things, penances are possessed of very superior might. The man who drinks alcohol, or he that |
takes by force what belongs to others, or he that is guilty of foeticide, or he that violates the bed of his preceptor, succeeds in |
crossing with the aid of penances. Indeed, one becomes cleansed of all these sins through penances. One possessed of all |
knowledge and, therefore, having true vision, and an ascetic of whatever kind, are equal. One should always bow unto these |
two[536]. All men who have the Vedas for their wealth should be worshipped. Similarly, all men endued with penances |
deserve to be worshipped. Those who make gifts obtain happiness hereafter and much prosperity here. Righteous men of this |
world, by making gifts of food obtain both this world and that of Brahman himself with many other regions of superior felicity. |
Those men who are adored by all, themselves adore him who makes gifts. Those men that are honoured everywhere |
themselves honour him who make gifts. Wherever the giver goes, he bears himself praised, He who does acts and he who omits |
to do them gets each what is proportionate to his acts and omissions. Whether one dwells in the upper regions or in the nether, |
one always attains to those places to which one becomes entitled by one's acts. As regards thyself, thou wilt certainly obtain |
whatever food and drink thou mayst covet, Tot thou art endued with intelligence, good birth, Vedic lore, and compassion! |
Thou art possessed of youth, O Maitreya! Thou art observant of vows. Be thou devoted to Righteousness. Do thou take |
instructions from me regarding those duties which thou shouldst first follow,--the duties, viz., of householders. In that house in |
which the husband is gratified with his wedded wife, and the wife gratified with her husband, all auspicious results ensue. As |
filth is washed away from the body with water, as darkness is dispelled by the splendour of fire even so is sin washed off by |
gifts and penances. Bless thee, O Maitreya, let mansions be thine! I depart hence in peace. Do thou keep in mind what I have |
said. Thou shalt then be able to reap many advantages! Maitreya then walked round his illustrious guest and bowed his head |
unto him, and joining his hands in reverence said, 'Let blessing be to thee also, O holy one!" |
SECTION CXXIII |
"Yudhishthira said, 'O thou that art conversant with all duties, I desire to hear, in detail, what the excellent behaviour is of good |
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