Anugita Parva — The ordinance about the sacrifice

Janamejaya said O powerful Rishi, kings are attached to sacrifices. The great Rishis are attached to penances. Learned Brahmanas observe tranquillity of mind, peacefulness of conduct and self-control.

Hence it appears that nothing can be seen in this world which can compare with the fruits of sacrifices. This is my conviction. That conviction, again scems to be surely correct.

Numberless kings, O best of twice-born persons, having adored the celestials in sacrifices, acquired high fame here and obtained the celestial region hercafter.

Gifted with great energy, the powerful king of the deities, viz., Indra of a thousand eyes, obtained the sovereignty over the deities through the many sacrifices he performed with gifts in profusion and attained to the fruition of all his desires.

When king Yudhishthira, with Bhima and Arjuna by him, resembled the king of the deities himself in prosperity and prowess, why then did that mungoose depreciate that great Horse-Sacrifice of the great monarch.

Vaishampayana said Do you listen to me, O king, as I describe to you duly, O Bharata, the excellent ordinances about sacrifice and the fruits also, O king, that sacrifice yields.

Formerly, occasion Shakra celebrated a particular sacrifice. While the limbs of the sacrifice were spread out, the Ritvijas became busy in performing the various rites ordained in the scriptures.

The pourer of libations, possessed of every qualification, becaine engaged in pouring libations of clarified butter. The great Rishis were seated around. The celestials were summoned by one by contented Brahmanas of great learning uttering scriptural Mantras in sweet voices. Those foremost of Adhvaryyus, not fatigued with what they did, recited the Mantras of the Yajurveda in soft account. on one one

The time came for killing the animals. When the animals selected for sacrifice were seized, the great Rishis, O king, felt mercy for them.

Seeing that the animals had all become dispirited, those Rishis, gifted with wealth of penances, approached Shakra and said to him, “This method of sacrifice is not auspicious.'

Desirous of winning great merit as you are, this is, indeed, a mark of your ignorance of the rites of sacrifice. O Purandara, animals have not been ordained to be killed in sacrifices,

O powerful one, these preparations of yours are destructive of merit! This sacrifice is not consistent with virtue. The destruction of creatures can never be said to be an act of virtue!

If you wish it, let your priests perform your sacrifice according to the Agama. By performing a sacrifice according to the scriptural ordinance, great will be the merit acquired by you.

you of a hundred eyes do you perform the sacrifice with seeds of grain which have been kept for three years. This, O Shakra, would be fraught with great virtue and productive of fruits of high efficacy.

were The deity of a hundred sacrifices, however, moved by pride and overwhelmed by stupefaction, did not accept these words uttered by the Rishis.

Then, O Bharata, a great dispute arose in that sacrifice of Shakra between the ascetics as to how sacrifices should be performed, that is, should they be performed, with mobile creatures or with immobile objects.

All of them exhausted with disputation. The Rishis, then, those beholders of truth, having made a compact with Shakra, asked king Vasu.

O highly blessed one, what is the Vedic declaration about sacrifices? Is it preferable to perform sacrifices with animals or with seeds and juices.

Hearing the question, king Vasu, without at all judging the merits of the arguments advanced on both sides, at once answered, saying, 'Sacrifices may be performed with any of the two kinds of objects ready.'

Having answered the question thus, he had to enter the nether regions. Indeed, the powerful king of the Chedis had to undergo that misery for having answered falsely.

Therefore, when a doubt arises, no person, however wise, should singly decide the matter, unless he be the powerful and self-born Lord himself of creatures,

Gifts made by a sinner with an impure heart, for this, when very large, become lost. Such gifts go for nothing.

By the gifts made by a person of unrighteous conduct, one, that is, who is of sinful soul and who is a destroyer, just fame never acquired either in this world or in the next.

That person of little intelligence, who, from desire of acquiring merit, celebrates sacrifices with wealth acquired by unfair means, never succeeds in acquiring merit.

That low wretch of sin who hypocritically assuming a garb of virtue makes gifts to Brahmanas, only created the conviction in men about his own virtue.

That Brahmana of uncontrolled conduct, who acquires wealth by sinful deeds, overwhelmed by passion and stupefaction, attains at last to the goal of the sinful.

Some one, overwhelmed by cupidity and stupefaction, becomes bent on storing riches. He is seen to persecute all creatures, urged by a sinful and impure understanding.

He who, having acquired riches by such means, makes gifts or performs sacrifices therewith, never enjoys the fruits of those gifts or sacrifices in the other world on account of the wealth having been acquired by unfair means.

Men having wealth of penances, by giving away, to the best of their power, grains of corn picked up from the fields or roots or fruits or potherbs or water or leaves, acquire great merit and proceed to the celestial region.

Such gifts are fraught with virtue and equal to high austerities. Such gifts, as also mercy to all creatures, and Brahmacharya, truthfulness of speech, and kindness, and fortitude, and forgiveness, form the eternal foundations of virtue which itself is eternal. We hear of Vishvamitra and other kings of ancient times.

Indeed, Vishmvamitra, and Asita, and king Janaka, and Kakshasena and Arshtisena and king Sindhudvipa, these and many other kings, gifted with wealth of penances, having made gifts of articles acquired by fairness, having attained to high success.

Those amongst Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, who perforin penances, O Bharata, and who purify themselves, by gifts and other deeds of righteousness, proceed to the celestial region.