Anushasanika Parva — The proper object of gift

Yudhishthira said Whom have the eternal Brahmanas selected a proper object of gifts? Is a Brahmana who bears the marks of the order of life he follows to be considered as such, or is one divested of such marks to be so regarded.

Bhishma said O king it has been said that gifts should be made a Brahmana who follows the duties of his own order, whether he bears the marks of Brahmacharya or not, for both are faultless, viz., he who bears such marks and he who is divested of them.

Yudhishthira said What sin does an impure person commit if he makes gifts of sacrificial butter or food or with great devotion to persons of the twice born order?

Bhishma said He who has no selfcontrol becomes, forsooth, cleansed by devotion. Such a man, becomes purified in respect of every act.

Yudhishthira said It has been said that a Brahmana who is sought for the performance of a religious rite should never be examined. The learned however, hold that while performing rites for the Pitris the Brahmana who is sought to be engaged, should be examined.

Bhishma said As regards the religious rite for the deities these do not yield fruits on account of the Brahmana who is engaged in doing them but through the grace of the deities themselves. Forsooth, those persons who perform sacrifices acquire the merit of those acts, through the favour of the deities.

The Brahmanas, O chief of the Bharatas, are always Utters of Brahma. The intelligent Rishi Markandeya gave vent to these words in days of yore.

Yudhishthira said Why, O grandfather, are these five viz., he who is a stranger, he who is gifted with learning, he who is connected by marriage, he that is endued with penances, and he who is devoted to the performance of sacrifices, considered as proper persons?

Bhishma said The first three viz., strangers, relatives and ascetics, when endued with these attributes, viz., purity of birth devotion to religious acts, learning mercy modesty, sincerity and truthfulness, are considered as proper persons. The other two, viz., men of learning and those given to sacrifices when gifted with five of these attributes, viz., purity of birth, mercy, modesty, sincerity, and truthfulness, are also considered as proper persons.

Listen now to me, O son of Pritha, as I recite to you the opinions of these four persons of great energy, viz., the goddess, Earth, the Rishi Kashyapa, the god of fire, and the ascetic Markandeya.

The Earth said As a clod of earth when thrown into the great ocean quickly dissolves away so every sort of sin disappears by the three high qualifications of officiation at sacrifices teaching, and receiving of gifts.

Kashyapa said The Vedas with their six auxiliaries the Sankhya philosophy, the Puranas, and high birth, these cannot rescue a twice born person if he falls away from good conduct.

Agni said The Brahmana who engaged in study and considering himself learned, seeks with the help of his learning to destroy the reputation of others falls away from virtue and comes to be regarded as divorced from truth. Such persons of refractory spirit never acquire regions of happiness hereafter.

Markandeya said If a thousand Horse sacrifices and Truth were weighed in the balance, I do not know whether the former would equal even half of the latter in weight.

Bhishma said Having spoken these words, those four persons, each of whom is gifted with immeasurable energy, viz., the goddess Earth, Kashyapa, Agni, and Bhrigu's son armed with weapons quickly went away.

Yudhishinira said If Brahmanas observing the vow of celibacy in this world eat, begging the same the offerings one makes during funeral rites, I ask can the shraddha be considered wellperformed if the performer actually makes over those offerings to such Brahmanas.

Bhishma said If, having practised the vow of Brahmacharya for the prescribed period (of twelve years) and acquired proficiency in the Vedas and their branches a Brahmana himself asks for the offerings made in Shraddhas and eats the same, he is considered to fall away from his vow. The Shraddha, however is not considered as sullied in any way.

Yudhishthira said The wise hold that duty or virtue has many ends and numerous doors. Tell me, O grandfather what however are the decisions in this matter.

Bhishma said Abstention from injury to others, truthfulness, the absence of anger, mercy, selfcontrol and sincerity or candour, o king, are the marks of virtue.

There are persons who wander over the Earth, lauding virtue but without practising what they preach and engaged all the while in sin, O king.

He who gives such persons gold or gems or king or horses has to sink in hell and there live for ten years, on the faces of such person as live upon the flesh of dead kine and buffaloes, of men called Pukkasas, of others who live in the outskirts of cities and villages, and of men who give out under the influence of anger and folly, the acts and omissions of others.

Those foolish men who do not give a Brahmana observant of the VOW of SBrahmacharya the offerings made in Shraddhas (unto one's deceased ancestors), have to proceed, O king, into regions of great misery.

Yudhishthira said Tell me, O grand father what is superior to Brahmacharya? What is the highest mark of virtue? what is the highest kind of purity?

Bhishma said I tell you, O son, that abstention from honey and meat is even superior to Brahmacharya. Virtue lies within boundaries. The best mark of virtue is Renunciation.

Yudhishthira said In what time should one practise virtue? In what time should wealth be sought? In what time should pleasure be enjoyed? O grandfather, do tell me this.

Bhishma said One should acquire riches the first part of his life. Then should one acquire virtue, and then enjoy pleasure. One should not, however, be addicted to any of these.

One should respect the Brahmanas, worship his preceptor and seniors, show mercy to all creatures, be of mild disposition and sweet speech.

To utter untruth in a court of justice to behave deceitfully towards the king, to act falsely towards preceptors and elders, are considered as equivalent to Brahmanicide.

One should never do an act of violence to the king's body. Nor should one ever strike a cow. Both these offences are equal to the sin of foeticide.

One should never quit his (homa) fire. One should also renounce the study of the Vedas. One should never attack a Brahmana by words or decds. All these offences are equal to Brahmanicide.

Yudhishthira said What kind of Brahinanas should be considered as good? Who are those Brahmanas by making presents to whom one may win great merit? What kind of Brahmanas are they whom one should feed? Tell me all this, O grandfather.

Bhishma said Those Brahmanas who are freed from anger, who are devoted to acts of virtue, who are firm in Truth, and who practise self-control, are considered as good. By making gifts to them one acquires great merit.

One acquires great merit by making presents to such Brahmanas as are free from pride capable of bearing everything, firm in the pursuit of their objects, gifted with mastery over their senses, devoted, to the behoof of all creatures, and disposed to be friendly towards all.

One acquires great merit by making gifts to such Brahmanas as are free from avarice, as are pure of heart and conduct, gifted with learning and modesty, truthful in speech and observant of their own duties as sanctioned in the scriptures.

The Rishis have declared that Brahmana to be a deserving object of gifts who studies the four Vedas with all their auxiliaries and is devoted to the six well known duties. One acquires great merit by making gifts to Brahmanas endued with such qualifications.

The man who makes gifts to a worthy Brahmana multiplies his merit a thousand fold. A single pious Brahmana gifted with wisdom and Vedic lore, observant of the duties laid down in the scriptures, and marked out by purity of conduct is capablu to rescue a whole family.

One should make gifts of kine and horses and riches and food and other kinds of articles to Brahmana who is gifted with such qualifications. By making such gifts to such persons one acquires great happiness in the next world.

As I have already told you, even one such Brahman can save the entire family to which the giver belongs. What need I say, therefore, O dear son of the merit of making gifts to many Brahmanas of such qualifications? In making gifts, thercfore, one should always select the object to whom the gift is to be made.

Hearing of a Brahmana gifted with proper qualifications and respected by all good people, one should invite him even if he lives at a distance and welcoming him when he arrives one should adore him by all means in his power. making gifts, thercfore, one should always select the object to whom the gift is to be made.

Hearing of a Brahmana gifted with proper qualifications and respected by all good people, one should invite him even if he lives at a distance and welcoming him when he arrives one should adore him by all means in his power.