Anushasanika Parva — The expiation of a Brahmana disregarding the law

Yudhishthira said You have told me fully of those from whom food may be taken and of those from whom it should not be taken?

But I have grave doubts on one points, Do you o Sire enlighten me; do you tell me what expiations a Brahmana should make upon accepting the different kinds of food, those especially offered in honour of the celestials and the oblations made to the departed Manes.

Bhishma said I shall tell you, O prince, how great Brahmanas may be freed from all sins incurred by acccpting food from others.

In accepting clarified butter, the expiation is made by pouring oblations on the fire, reciting the Savitri hymn. In accepting sesamum, o Yudhishthira the same expiation has to be made.

In accepting meat, or honey, or salt, a Brahmana becomes purged off of all sins by standing till the rising of the Sun.

If a Brahmana accepts gold from any one, he becomes cleansed of all sins by silently reciting the great Gayatri, and by holding a piece of iron in his hand, before the public. In accepting money or clothes or women or gold, the purification is the same as before.

In accepting food, or rice boiled in milk and sugar, or sugarcane juice, or sugarcane, or oil or any sacred thing, one becomes purified by bathing thrice during the day, viz., at morning noon and evening.

If one accepts paddy, flowers fruits, water half ripe barley, milk or curdled milk or anything made of meal or flour the expiation is done by reciting the Gayatri prayer a hundred times.

In accepting shoes or clothes at obsequial ceremonies, the sin is dissipated by reciting devoutly the same hymn a hundred times.

a The acceptance of the gift of land during an eclipse or during the period of impurity, is expiated by observing a fast during three successive nights.

The Brahmana who partakes of oblations offered to departed Manes, in course of the dark fortnight, is purified by fasting for a whole day and night.

Without performing his ablutions Brahmana should not recite his evening prayers nor engage in religious meditation, nor take his food a second time. By so doing he is purified.

Therefore the Shraddha of departed Manes has been ordained to be performed in the afternoon and then the Brahmana who has been invited beforehand should be treated with food.

The Brahmana who takes food at the house of a dead person on the third day after the death, is purified by bathing three times daily for twelve days.

After the expiration of twelve days, and performing the purification ceremonies duly, the sin is dissipated by giving clarified butter to Brahmanas.

If a man takes any food in the house of a dead person, within ten days after the death, he should perform all the expiations before mentioned and should recite the Savitri hymn and perform the sin-destroying Ishti and Kushmanda penances.

The Brahmana who takes his food in the house of a dead person for three nights becomes purified by performing his ablutions thrice daily for seven days, and thus gains all the objects of his desire, and is never troubled by misfortunes.

The Brahmana who take his food in the company of Shudras, is purged from all impurities by duly performing the ceremonies of purifications.

The Brahmana who takes his food in the company of Vaishyas, is purged off of all sins, by living on alms for three successive nights.

If a Brahmana takes his food with Kshatriyas, he should perform expiation by bathing with his clothes on.

By eating with a Shudra on the same plate the Shudra loses his family prestige; the Vaishya by eating on the same plate with a Vaishya, loses his cattle and friends. The Kshatriya loses his prosperity; and the Brahmana, his effulgence and power.

In such cases expiations should be performed and propitiatory rites should be observed, and oblations offered to the celestials. The Savitri hymn should be recited and the Revati rites and Kushmanda penances should be performed for destroying the sin.

If any of the above four castes partake of food partly eaten by a person of any other caste, the expiation is forsooth, made by smearing the body with sacred articles like Rochana, Durba grass, and turmeric,

If any of the above four castes partake of food partly eaten by a person of any other caste, the expiation is forsooth, made by smearing the body with sacred articles like Rochana, Durba grass, and turmeric,