text stringlengths 0 182 |
|---|
derives his sustenance by selling the virtue of his wife. These men of sinful conduct, when they repair to the region of the dead, |
rot in hell like worms that live upon pus and blood. These five are avoided by the Pitris, the deities, the Snataka Brahmanas, |
and other regenerate persons that are devoted to the practice of penances.'" |
SECTION CXXXI |
"Bhishma said, 'Then all the highly blessed deities and the Pitris, and the highly blessed Rishis also, addressing the Pramathas, |
said,[557] 'Ye are all highly blessed beings. Ye are invisible wanderers of the night. Why do you afflict those men that are vile |
and impure and that are unclean? What acts are regarded as impediments to your power? What, indeed, are those acts in |
consequence of which ye become incompetent to afflict men? What are those acts that are destructive of Rakshasas and that |
prevent you from asserting your power over the habitations of men? Ye wanderers of the night, we desire to hear all this from |
you.' |
"The Pramathas said, 'Men are rendered unclean by acts of sexual congress. They who do not purify themselves after such acts, |
they who insult their superiors, they who from stupefaction eat different kinds of meat, the man also who sleeps at the foot of a |
tree, he who keeps any animal matter under his pillow while lying down for sleep, and he who lies down or sleeps placing the |
head where his feet should be placed or his feet where the head should be placed,--these men are regarded by us as unclean. |
Verily, these men have many holes. Those also are numbered in the same class who throw their phlegm and other unclean |
secretions into the water. Without doubt these men deserve to be slain and eaten up by us. Verily, we afflict those human |
beings who are given to such conduct. Listen now to what those acts are which are regarded as antidotes and in consequence of |
which we fail to do any injury to men. Those men upon whose persons occur streaks of Gorochana, or who hold Vachas in |
their hands, or who make gifts of ghee with those ingredients that go by the name of Akshata, or who place ghee and Akshata |
on their heads, or those who abstain from meat are incapable of being afflicted by us. That man in whose house the sacred fire |
burns day and night without being ever put out, or who keeps the skin or teeth of a wolf in his abode or a hill-tortoise, or from |
whose habitation the sacrificial smoke is seen to curl upwards, or who keeps a cat or a goat that is either tawny or black in hue, |
is free from our power. Verily, those householders who keep these things in their houses always find them free from the |
inroads of even the fiercest spirits that live on carrion. Those beings also, that like us range through different worlds in pursuit |
of pleasure, are unable to do any injury to such houses. Hence, ye deities, should men keep such articles in their houses,-- |
articles that are destructive of Rakshasas (and other beings of the kind). We have thus told you everything about that respecting |
which ye had great doubts.'" |
SECTION CXXXII |
"Bhishma said, 'After this, the Grandsire Brahman, sprang from the primeval lotus and resembling the lotus (in agreeableness |
and fragrance), addressed the deities with Vasava, the lord of Sachi, at their head,--Yonder sits the mighty Naga who is a |
resident of the nether regions. Endued with great strength and energy, and with great prowess also, his name is Renuka. He is |
certainly a great being. Those mighty elephants endued with great energy and power, who hold the entire earth with her hills, |
waters, and lakes should be interviewed by this Renuka at your request. Let Renuka go to them and ask them about the |
mysteries of religion or duty.--Hearing these words of the Grandsire, the deities, with well-pleased minds commissioned (the |
elephant) Renuka to where those upholders of the world are.'" |
"Renuka, proceeding to where those elephants are, addressed them, saying, 'Ye mighty creatures, I have been commanded by |
the deities and the Pitris to question you about the mysteries of religion and duty. I desire to bear you discourse on that subject |
in detail. Ye highly blessed ones, do ye discourse on the subject as your wisdom may dictate.' |
"The (eight) elephants standing in the eight quarters said, 'On the auspicious eighth day of the dark fortnight in the month of |
Karttika when the constellation Aslesha is in the ascendant, one should make gifts of treacle and rice. Casting aside wrath, and |
living on regulated diet, one should make these offerings at a Sraddha, uttering these mantras the while--Let Valadeva and |
other Nagas possessed of great strength, let other mighty snakes of huge bodies that are indestructible and eternal, and let all |
the other great snakes that have taken their birth in their race, make Vali offerings to me for the enhancement of my strength |
and energy. Verily, let my strength be as great as that of the blessed Narayana when he raised the submerged Earth!--Uttering |
these mantras, one should make Vali offerings upon an ant-hill. When the maker of day retires to his chambers in the west, |
upon the ant-hill selected should offerings be made of raw sugar and rice. The ant-hill should previously be scattered with |
Gajendra flowers, Offerings should also be made of blue cloths and fragrant unguents. If offerings are made in this way, those |
beings that live in the nether regions, bearing the weight of the upper regions upon their heads or shoulders, become well- |
pleased and gratified. As regards ourselves, we also do not feel the labour of upholding the Earth, in consequence of such |
offerings being made to us. Afflicted with the burden we bear, even this is what we think (beneficial for men), without the |
slightest regard for selfish concerns. Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaisyas and Sudras, by observing this rule for a full year, |
fasting on each occasion, acquire great merits from such gifts. We think that the making of such Vali offerings on the ant-hill is |
really fraught with very superior merits. By making such offerings, one is regarded as doing the duties of hospitality for a |
hundred years to all the mighty elephants that exist in the three worlds.' Hearing these words of the mighty elephants, the |
deities and the Pitris and the highly blessed Rishis, all applauded Renuka." |
SECTION CXXXIII |
"Maheswara said, 'Searching your memories, excellent are the duties ye all have recited. Listen all of you now to me as I |
declare some mysteries relating to religion and duty. Only those persons whose understanding has been set on religion and who |
are possessed of faith, should be instructed in respect of those mysteries of duty and religion that are fraught with high merits. |
Hear what the merits are that become his who, with heart free from anxiety, gives food everyday, for a month, to kine and |
contents himself with one meal a day throughout such period. The kine are highly blessed. They are regarded as the most |
sacred of all sacred things. Verily, it is they that are upholding the three worlds with the deities, the Asuras, and human beings. |
Respectful services rendered to them are fraught with high merit and grave consequences. That man who every day gives food |
to kine advances every day in religious merit. Formerly, in the Krita age I had expressed my approval of these creatures. |
Afterwards Brahman, born of the primeval lotus, solicited me (to show kindness towards kine).[558] It is for this reason that a |
bull to this day stands as the device on my standard overhead. I always sport with kine. Hence should kine be worshipped by |
all. Kine are possessed of great power. They are givers of boons. If worshipped, they would grant boons. That person who |
gives food to kine even for a single day receives from those beneficent creatures for that act a fourth part of the merits he may |
win by all his good acts in life.'" |
SECTION CXXXIV |
"Skanda said, 'I shall now declare a duty that is approved of by me. Do ye listen to it with concentrated attention. That person |
who takes a little earth from the horns of a bull of blue complexion, smears his body therewith for three days, and then |
performs his ablutions, acquires great merits. Hear what those merits are. By such an act he would wash away every stain and |
evil, and attain to sovereign sway hereafter. As many times he takes his birth in this world, so many times does he become |
celebrated for his heroism. Listen now to another mystery unknown to all. Taking a vessel of copper and placing therein some |
cooked food after having mixed it with honey, one should offer it as Vali unto the rising moon on the evening of the day when |
that luminary is at full. Do ye learn, with faith, what the merits are of the person that acts in this way. The Sadhyas, the Rudras, |
the Adityas, the Viswedevas, the twin Aswins, the Maruts, and the Vasus, all accept that offering. By such an offering Soma |
increases as also the ocean, that vast receptacle of waters. This duty that is declared by me and that is unknown to all, if |
performed, is certainly fraught with great happiness.' |
"Vishnu said, 'That person who, endued with faith and freed from malice, listens every day with concentrated attention to the |
mysteries in respect of religion and duty that are preserved by the high-souled deities and those mysteries also of the same kind |
that are preserved by the Rishis, has never to succumb to any evil. Such a person becomes also freed from every fear. That man |
who, with his senses under thorough control, reads these sections which treat of these auspicious and meritorious duties, |
together with their mysteries,--duties that have been declared (by the previous speakers), acquires all the merits that attach to |
their actual performance. Sin can never overmaster him. Verily, such a man can never be stained with faults of any kind. |
Indeed, one wins abundant merits by reading these mysteries (as declared), or by reciting them to others, or by hearing them |
recited. The deities and the Pitris eat, for ever the Havya and the Kavya offered by such a creature. Both these, in consequence |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.