textfiles/etext/NONFICTION/laws_manu

                                    1500 BC
                                THE LAWS OF MANU
                            translated by G. Buhler
                         CHAPTER I.

   1. The great sages approached Manu, who was seated with a collected
mind, and, having duly worshipped him, spoke as follows:
   2. 'Deign, divine one, to declare to us precisely and in due
order the sacred laws of each of the (four chief) castes (varna) and
of the intermediate ones.
   3. 'For thou, O Lord, alone knowest the purport, (i.e.) the
rites, and the knowledge of the soul, (taught) in this whole ordinance
of the Self-existent (Svayambhu), which is unknowable and
unfathomable.'
   4. He, whose power is measureless, being thus asked by the
high-minded great sages, duly honoured them, and answered, 'Listen!'
   5. This (universe) existed in the shape of Darkness, unperceived,
destitute of distinctive marks, unattainable by reasoning, unknowable,
wholly immersed, as it were, in deep sleep.
   6. Then the divine Self-existent (Svayambhu, himself)
indiscernible, (but) making (all) this, the great elements and the
rest, discernible, appeared with irresistible (creative) power,
dispelling the darkness.
   7. He who can be perceived by the internal organ (alone), who is
subtile, indiscernible, and eternal, who contains all created beings
and is inconceivable, shone forth of his own (will).
   8. He, desiring to produce beings of many kinds from his own
body, first with a thought created the waters, and placed his seed
in them.
   9. That (seed) became a golden egg, in brilliancy equal to the sun;
in that (egg) he himself was born as Brahman, the progenitor of the
whole world.
   10. The waters are called narah, (for) the waters are, indeed,
the offspring of Nara; as they were his first residence (ayana), he
thence is named Narayana.
   11. From that (first) cause, which is indiscernible, eternal, and
both real and unreal, was produced that male (Purusha), who is famed
in this world (under the appellation of) Brahman.
   12. The divine one resided in that egg during a whole year, then he
himself by his thought (alone) divided it into two halves;
   13. And out of those two halves he formed heaven and earth, between
them the middle sphere, the eight points of the horizon, and the
eternal abode of the waters.
   14. From himself (atmanah) he also drew forth the mind, which is
both real and unreal, likewise from the mind egoism, which possesses
the function of self-consciousness (and is) lordly;
   15. Moreover, the great one, the soul, and all (products)
affected by the three qualities, and, in their order, the five
organs which perceive the objects of sensation.
   16. But, joining minute particles even of those six, which
possess measureless power, with particles of himself, he created all
beings.
   17. Because those six (kinds of) minute particles, which form the
(creator's) frame, enter (a-sri) these (creatures), therefore the wise
call his frame sarira, (the body.)
   18. That the great elements enter, together with their functions
and the mind, through its minute parts the framer of all beings, the
imperishable one.
   19. But from minute body (-framing) particles of these seven very
powerful Purushas springs this (world), the perishable from the
imperishable.
   20. Among them each succeeding (element) acquires the quality of
the preceding one, and whatever place (in the sequence) each of them
occupies, even so many qualities it is declared to possess.
   21. But in the beginning he assigned their several names,
actions, and conditions to all (created beings), even according to the
words of the Veda.
   22. He, the Lord, also created the class of the gods, who are
endowed with life, and whose nature is action; and the subtile class
of the Sadhyas, and the eternal sacrifice.
   23. But from fire, wind, and the sun he drew forth the threefold
eternal Veda, called Rik, Yagus, and Saman, for the due performance of
the sacrifice.
   24. Time and the divisions of time, the lunar mansions and the
planets, the rivers, the oceans, the mountains, plains, and uneven
ground.
   25. Austerity, speech, pleasure, desire, and anger, this whole
creation he likewise produced, as he desired to call these beings into
existence.
   26. Moreover, in order to distinguish actions, he separated merit
from demerit, and he caused the creatures to be affected by the
pairs (of opposites), such as pain and pleasure.
   27. But with the minute perishable particles of the five (elements)
which have been mentioned, this whole (world) is framed in due order.
   28. But to whatever course of action the Lord at first appointed
each (kind of beings), that alone it has spontaneously adopted in each
succeeding creation.
   29. Whatever he assigned to each at the (first) creation,
noxiousness or harmlessness, gentleness or ferocity, virtue or sin,
truth or falsehood, that clung (afterwards) spontaneously to it.
   30. As at the change of the seasons each season of its own accord
assumes its distinctive marks, even so corporeal beings (resume in new
births) their (appointed) course of action.
   31. But for the sake of the prosperity of the worlds he caused
the Brahmana, the Kshatriya, the Vaisya, and the Sudra to proceed from
his mouth, his arms, his thighs, and his feet.
   32. Dividing his own body, the Lord became half male and half
female; with that (female) he produced Virag.
   33. But know me, O most holy among the twice-born, to be the
creator of this whole (world), whom that male, Virag, himself
produced, having performed austerities.
   34. Then I, desiring to produce created beings, performed very
difficult austerities, and (thereby) called into existence ten great
sages, lords of created beings,
   35. Mariki, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Praketas,
Vasishtha, Bhrigu, and Narada.
   36. They created seven other Manus possessing great brilliancy,
gods and classes of gods and great sages of measureless power,
   37. Yakshas (the servants of Kubera, the demons called) Rakshasas
and Pisakas, Gandharvas (or musicians of the gods), Apsarases (the
dancers of the gods), Asuras, (the snake-deities called) Nagas and
Sarpas, (the bird-deities called) Suparnas and the several classes
of the manes,
   38. Lightnings, thunderbolts and clouds, imperfect (rohita) and
perfect rainbows, falling meteors, supernatural noises, comets, and
heavenly lights of many kinds,
   39 (Horse-faced) Kinnaras, monkeys, fishes, birds of many kinds,
cattle, deer, men, and carnivorous beasts with two rows of teeth,
   40. Small and large worms and beetles, moths, lice, flies, bugs,
all stinging and biting insects and the several kinds of immovable
things.
   41. Thus was this whole (creation), both the immovable and the
movable, produced by those high-minded ones by means of austerities
and at my command, (each being) according to (the results of) its
actions.
   42. But whatever act is stated (to belong) to (each of) those
creatures here below, that I will truly declare to you, as well as
their order in respect to birth.
   43. Cattle, deer, carnivorous beasts with two rows of teeth,
Rakshasas, Pisakas, and men are born from the womb.
   44. From eggs are born birds, snakes, crocodiles, fishes,
tortoises, as well as similar terrestrial and aquatic (animals).
   45. From hot moisture spring stinging and biting insects, lice,
flies, bugs, and all other (creatures) of that kind which are produced
by heat.
   46. All plants, propagated by seed or by slips, grow from shoots;
annual plants (are those) which, bearing many flowers and fruits,
perish after the ripening of their fruit;
   47. (Those trees) which bear fruit without flowers are called
vanaspati (lords of the forest); but those which bear both flowers and
fruit are called vriksha.
   48. But the various plants with many stalks, growing from one or
several roots, the different kinds of grasses, the climbing plants and
the creepers spring all from seed or from slips.
   49. These (plants) which are surrounded by multiform Darkness,
the result of their acts (in former existences), possess internal
consciousness and experience pleasure and pain.
   50. The (various) conditions in this always terrible and constantly
changing circle of births and deaths to which created beings are
subject, are stated to begin with (that of) Brahman, and to end with
(that of) these (just mentioned immovable creatures).
   51. When he whose power is incomprehensible, had thus produced
the universe and men, he disappeared in himself, repeatedly
suppressing one period by means of the other.
   52. When that divine one wakes, then this world stirs; when he
slumbers tranquilly, then the universe sinks to sleep.
   53. But when he reposes in calm sleep, the corporeal beings whose
nature is action, desist from their actions and mind becomes inert.
   54. When they are absorbed all at once in that great soul, then
he who is the soul of all beings sweetly slumbers, free from all
care and occupation.
   55. When this (soul) has entered darkness, it remains for a long
time united with the organs (of sensation), but performs not its
functions; it then leaves the corporeal frame.
   56. When, being clothed with minute particles (only), it enters
into vegetable or animal seed, it then assumes, united (with the
fine body), a (new) corporeal frame.
   57. Thus he, the imperishable one, by (alternately) waking and
slumbering, incessantly revivifies and destroys this whole movable and
immovable (creation).
   58. But he having composed these Institutes (of the sacred law),
himself taught them, according to the rule, to me alone in the
beginning; next I (taught them) to Mariki and the other sages.
   59. Bhrigu, here, will fully recite to you these Institutes; for
that sage learned the whole in its entirety from me.
   60. Then that great sage Bhrigu, being thus addressed by Manu,
spoke, pleased in his heart, to all the sages, 'Listen!'
   61. Six other high-minded, very powerful Manus, who belong to the
race of this Manu, the descendant of the Self-existent (Svayambhu),
and who have severally produced created beings,
   62. (Are) Svarokisha, Auttami, Tamasa, Raivata, Kakshusha,
possessing great lustre, and the son of Vivasvat.
   63. These seven very glorious Manus, the first among whom is
Svayambhuva, produced and protected this whole movable and immovable
(creation), each during the period (allotted to him).
   64. Eighteen nimeshas (twinklings of the eye, are one kashtha),
thirty kashthas one kala, thirty kalas one muhurta, and as many
(muhurtas) one day and night.
   65. The sun divides days and nights, both human and divine, the
night (being intended) for the repose of created beings and the day
for exertion.
   66. A month is a day and a night of the manes, but the division
is according to fortnights. The dark (fortnight) is their day for
active exertion, the bright (fortnight) their night for sleep.
   67. A year is a day and a night of the gods; their division is
(as follows): the half year during which the sun progresses to the
north will be the day, that during which it goes southwards the night.
   68. But hear now the brief (description of) the duration of a night
and a day of Brahman and of the several ages (of the world, yuga)
according to their order.
   69. They declare that the Krita age (consists of) four thousand
years (of the gods); the twilight preceding it consists of as many
hundreds, and the twilight following it of the same number.
   70. In the other three ages with their twilights preceding and
following, the thousands and hundreds are diminished by one (in each).
   71. These twelve thousand (years) which thus have been just
mentioned as the total of four (human) ages, are called one age of the
gods.
   72. But know that the sum of one thousand ages of the gods
(makes) one day of Brahman, and that his night has the same length.
   73. Those (only, who) know that the holy day of Brahman, indeed,
ends after (the completion of) one thousand ages (of the gods) and
that his night lasts as long, (are really) men acquainted with (the
length of) days and nights.
   74. At the end of that day and night he who was asleep, awakes and,
after awaking, creates mind, which is both real and unreal.
   75. Mind, impelled by (Brahman's) desire to create, performs the
work of creation by modifying itself, thence ether is produced; they
declare that sound is the quality of the latter.
   76. But from ether, modifying itself, springs the pure, powerful
wind, the vehicle of all perfumes; that is held to possess the quality
of touch.
   77. Next from wind modifying itself, proceeds the brilliant
light, which illuminates and dispels darkness; that is declared to
possess the quality of colour;
   78. And from light, modifying itself, (is produced) water,
possessing the quality of taste, from water earth which has the
quality of smell; such is the creation in the beginning.
   79. The before-mentioned age of the gods, (or) twelve thousand
(of their years), being multiplied by seventy-one, (constitutes
what) is here named the period of a Manu (Manvantara).
   80. The Manvantaras, the creations and destructions (of the
world, are) numberless; sporting, as it were, Brahman repeats this
again and again.
   81. In the Krita age Dharma is four-footed and entire, and (so
is) Truth; nor does any gain accrue to men by unrighteousness.
   82. In the other (three ages), by reason of (unjust) gains (agama),
Dharma is deprived successively of one foot, and through (the
prevalence of) theft, falsehood, and fraud the merit (gained by men)
is diminished by one fourth (in each).
   83. (Men are) free from disease, accomplish all their aims, and
live four hundred years in the Krita age, but in the Treta and (in
each of) the succeeding (ages) their life is lessened by one quarter.
   84. The life of mortals, mentioned in the Veda, the desired results
of sacrificial rites and the (supernatural) power of embodied
(spirits) are fruits proportioned among men according to (the
character of) the age.
   85. One set of duties (is prescribed) for men in the Krita age,
different ones in the Treta and in the Dvapara, and (again) another
(set) in the Kali, in a proportion as (those) ages decrease in length.
   86. In the Krita age the chief (virtue) is declared to be (the
performance of) austerities, in the Treta (divine) knowledge, in the
Dvapara (the performance of) sacrifices, in the Kali liberality alone.
   87. But in order to protect this universe He, the most
resplendent one, assigned separate (duties and) occupations to those
who sprang from his mouth, arms, thighs, and feet.
   88. To Brahmanas he assigned teaching and studying (the Veda),
sacrificing for their own benefit and for others, giving and accepting
(of alms).
   89. The Kshatriya he commanded to protect the people, to bestow
gifts, to offer sacrifices, to study (the Veda), and to abstain from
attaching himself to sensual pleasures;
   90. The Vaisya to tend cattle, to bestow gifts, to offer
sacrifices, to study (the Veda), to trade, to lend money, and to
cultivate land.
   91. One occupation only the lord prescribed to the Sudra, to
serve meekly even these (other) three castes.
   92. Man is stated to be purer above the navel (than below); hence
the Self-existent (Svayambhu) has declared the purest (part) of him
(to be) his mouth.
   93. As the Brahmana sprang from (Brahman's) mouth, as he was the
first-born, and as he possesses the Veda, he is by right the lord of
this whole creation.
   94. For the Self-existent (Svayambhu), having performed
austerities, produced him first from his own mouth, in order that
the offerings might be conveyed to the gods and manes and that this
universe might be preserved.
   95. What created being can surpass him, through whose mouth the
gods continually consume the sacrificial viands and the manes the
offerings to the dead?
   96. Of created beings the most excellent are said to be those which
are animated; of the animated, those which subsist by intelligence; of
the intelligent, mankind; and of men, the Brahmanas;
   97. Of Brahmanas, those learned (in the Veda); of the learned,
those who recognise (the necessity and the manner of performing the
prescribed duties); of those who possess this knowledge, those who
perform them; of the performers, those who know the Brahman.
   98. The very birth of a Brahmana is an eternal incarnation of the
sacred law; for he is born to (fulfil) the sacred law, and becomes one
with Brahman.
   99. A Brahmana, coming into existence, is born as the highest on
earth, the lord of all created beings, for the protection of the
treasury of the law.
   100. Whatever exists in the world is, the property of the Brahmana;
on account of the excellence of his origin The Brahmana is, indeed,
entitled to all.
   101. The Brahmana eats but his own food, wears but his own apparel,
bestows but his own in alms; other mortals subsist through the
benevolence of the Brahmana.
   102. In order to clearly settle his duties those of the other
(castes) according to their order, wise Manu sprung from the
Self-existent, composed these Institutes (of the sacred Law).
   103. A learned Brahmana must carefully study them, and he must duly
instruct his pupils in them, but nobody else (shall do it).
   104. A Brahmana who studies these Institutes (and) faithfully
fulfils the duties (prescribed therein), is never tainted by sins,
arising from thoughts, words, or deeds.
   105. He sanctifies any company (which he may enter), seven
ancestors and seven descendants, and he alone deserves (to possess)
this whole earth.
   106. (To study) this (work) is the best means of securing
welfare, it increases understanding, it procures fame and long life,
it (leads to) supreme bliss.
   107. In this (work) the sacred law has been fully stated as well as
the good and bad qualities of (human) actions and the immemorial
rule of conduct, (to be followed) by all the four castes (varna).
   108. The rule of conduct is transcendent law, whether it be
taught in the revealed texts or in the sacred tradition; hence a
twice-born man who possesses regard for himself, should be always
careful to (follow) it.
   109. A Brahmana who departs from the rule of conduct, does not reap
the fruit of the Veda, but he who duly follows it, will obtain the
full reward.
   110. The sages who saw that the sacred law is thus grounded on
the rule of conduct, have taken good conduct to be the most
excellent root of all austerity.
   111. The creation of the universe, the rule of the sacraments,
the ordinances of studentship, and the respectful behaviour (towards
Gurus), the most excellent rule of bathing (on return from the
teacher's house),
   112. (The law of) marriage and the description of the (various)
marriage-rites, the regulations for the great sacrifices and the
eternal rule of the funeral sacrifices,
   113. The description of the modes of (gaining) subsistence and
the duties of a Snataka, (the rules regarding) lawful and forbidden
food, the purification of men and of things,
   114. The laws concerning women, (the law) of hermits, (the manner
of gaining) final emancipation and (of) renouncing the world, the
whole duty of a king and the manner of deciding lawsuits,
   115. The rules for the examination of witnesses, the laws
concerning husband and wife, the law of (inheritance and) division,
(the law concerning) gambling and the removal of (men nocuous like)
thorns,
   116. (The law concerning) the behaviour of Vaisyas and Sudras,
the origin of the mixed castes, the law for all castes in times of
distress and the law of penances,
   117. The threefold course of transmigrations, the result of (good
or bad) actions, (the manner of attaining) supreme bliss and the
examination of the good and bad qualities of actions,
   118. The primeval laws of countries, of castes (gati), of families,
and the rules concerning heretics and companies (of traders and the
like)- (all that) Manu has declared in these Institutes.
   119. As Manu, in reply to my questions, formerly promulgated
these Institutes, even so learn ye also the (whole work) from me.
                         CHAPTER II.

   1. Learn that sacred law which is followed by men learned (in the
Veda) and assented to in their hearts by the virtuous, who are ever
exempt from hatred and inordinate affection.
   2. To act solely from a desire for rewards is not laudable, yet
an exemption from that desire is not (to be found) in this (world):
for on (that) desire is grounded the study of the Veda and the
performance of the actions, prescribed by the Veda.
   3. The desire (for rewards), indeed, has its root in the conception
that an act can yield them, and in consequence of (that) conception
sacrifices are performed; vows and the laws prescribing restraints are
all stated to be kept through the idea that they will bear fruit.
   4. Not a single act here (below) appears ever to be done by a man
free from desire; for whatever (man) does, it is (the result of) the
impulse of desire.
   5. He who persists in discharging these (prescribed duties) in
the right manner, reaches the deathless state and even in this
(life) obtains (the fulfilment of) all the desires that he may have
conceived.
   6. The whole Veda is the (first) source of the sacred law, next the
tradition and the virtuous conduct of those who know the (Veda
further), also the customs of holy men, and (finally)
self-satisfaction.
   7. Whatever law has been ordained for any (person) by Manu, that
has been fully declared in the Veda: for that (sage was) omniscient.
   8. But a learned man after fully scrutinising all this with the eye
of knowledge, should, in accordance with the authority of the revealed
texts, be intent on (the performance of) his duties.
   9. For that man who obeys the law prescribed in the revealed
texts and in the sacred tradition, gains fame in this (world) and
after death unsurpassable bliss.
   10. But by Sruti (revelation) is meant the Veda, and by Smriti
(tradition) the Institutes of the sacred law: those two must not be
called into question in any matter, since from those two the sacred
law shone forth.
   11. Every twice-born man, who, relying on the Institutes of
dialectics, treats with contempt those two sources (of the law),
must be cast out by the virtuous, as an atheist and a scorner of the
Veda.
   12. The Veda, the sacred tradition, the customs of virtuous men,
and one's own pleasure, they declare to be visibly the fourfold
means of defining the sacred law.
   13. The knowledge of the sacred law is prescribed for those who are
not given to the acquisition of wealth and to the gratification of
their desires; to those who seek the knowledge of the sacred law the
supreme authority is the revelation (Sruti).
   14. But when two sacred texts (Sruti) are conflicting, both are
held to be law; for both are pronounced by the wise (to be) valid law.
   15. (Thus) the (Agnihotra) sacrifice may be (optionally) performed,
at any time after the sun has risen, before he has risen, or when
neither sun nor stars are visible; that (is declared) by Vedic texts.
   16. Know that he for whom (the performance of) the ceremonies
beginning with the rite of impregnation (Garbhadhana) and ending
with the funeral rite (Antyeshti) is prescribed, while sacred formulas
are being recited, is entitled (to study) these Institutes, but no
other man whatsoever.
   17. That land, created by the gods, which lies between the two
divine rivers Sarasvati and Drishadvati, the (sages) call Brahmavarta.
   18. The custom handed down in regular succession (since time
immemorial) among the (four chief) castes (varna) and the mixed
(races) of that country, is called the conduct of virtuous men.
   19. The plain of the Kurus, the (country of the) Matsyas, Pankalas,
and Surasenakas, these (form), indeed, the country of the
Brahmarshis (Brahmanical sages, which ranks) immediately after
Brahmavarta.
   20. From a Brahmana, born in that country, let all men on earth
learn their several usages.
   21. That (country) which (lies) between the Himavat and the Vindhya
(mountains) to the east of Prayaga and to the west of Vinasana (the
place where the river Sarasvati disappears) is called Madhyadesa
(the central region).
   22. But (the tract) between those two mountains (just mentioned),
which (extends) as far as the eastern and the western oceans, the wise
call Aryavarta (the country of the Aryans).
   23. That land where the black antelope naturally roams, one must
know to be fit for the performance of sacrifices; (the tract)
different from that (is) the country of the Mlekkhas (barbarians).
   24. Let twice-born men seek to dwell in those (above-mentioned
countries); but a Sudra, distressed for subsistence, may reside
anywhere.
   25. Thus has the origin of the sacred law been succinctly described
to you and the origin of this universe; learn (now) the duties of
the castes (varna).
   26. With holy rites, prescribed by the Veda, must the ceremony on
conception and other sacraments be performed for twice-born men, which
sanctify the body and purify (from sin) in this (life) and after
death.
   27. By burnt oblations during (the mother's) pregnancy, by the
Gatakarman (the ceremony after birth), the Kauda (tonsure), and the
Maungibandhana (the tying of the sacred girdle of Munga grass) is
the taint, derived from both parents, removed from twice-born men.
   28. By the study of the Veda, by vows, by burnt oblations, by
(the recitation of) sacred texts, by the (acquisition of the)
threefold sacred science, by offering (to the gods, Rishis, and
manes), by (the procreation of) sons, by the great sacrifices, and
by (Srauta) rites this (human) body is made fit for (union with)
Brahman.
   29. Before the navel-string is cut, the Gatakarman (birth-rite)
must be performed for a male (child); and while sacred formulas are
being recited, he must be fed with gold, honey, and butter.
   30. But let (the father perform or) cause to be performed the
Namadheya (the rite of naming the child), on the tenth or twelfth (day
after birth), or on a lucky lunar day, in a lucky muhurta, under an
auspicious constellation.
   31. Let (the first part of) a Brahmana's name (denote something)
auspicious, a Kshatriya's be connected with power, and a Vaisya's with
wealth, but a Sudra's (express something) contemptible.
   32. (The second part of) a Brahmana's (name) shall be (a word)
implying happiness, of a Kshatriya's (a word) implying protection,
of a Vaisya's (a term) expressive of thriving, and of a Sudra's (an
expression) denoting service.
   33. The names of women should be easy to pronounce, not imply
anything dreadful, possess a plain meaning, be pleasing and
auspicious, end in long vowels, and contain a word of benediction.
   34. In the fourth month the Nishkramana (the first leaving of the
house) of the child should be performed, in the sixth month the
Annaprasana (first feeding with rice), and optionally (any other)
auspicious ceremony required by (the custom of) the family.
   35. According to the teaching of the revealed texts, the Kudakarman
(tonsure) must be performed, for the sake of spiritual merit, by all
twice-born men in the first or third year.
   36. In the eighth year after conception, one should perform the
initiation (upanayana) of a Brahmana, in the eleventh after conception
(that) of a Kshatriya, but in the twelfth that of a Vaisya.
   37. (The initiation) of a Brahmana who desires proficiency in
sacred learning should take place in the fifth (year after
conception), (that) of a Kshatriya who wishes to become powerful in
the sixth, (and that) of a Vaisya who longs for (success in his)
business in the eighth.
   38. The (time for the) Savitri (initiation) of a Brahmana does
not pass until the completion of the sixteenth year (after
conception), of a Kshatriya until the completion of the twenty-second,
and of a Vaisya until the completion of the twenty-fourth.
   39. After those (periods men of) these three (castes) who have
not received the sacrament at the proper time, become Vratyas
(outcasts), excluded from the Savitri (initiation) and despised by the
Aryans.
   40. With such men, if they have not been purified according to
the rule, let no Brahmana ever, even in times of distress, form a
connexion either through the Veda or by marriage.
   41. Let students, according to the order (of their castes), wear
(as upper dresses) the skins of black antelopes, spotted deer, and
he-goats, and (lower garments) made of hemp, flax or wool.
   42. The girdle of a Brahmana shall consist of a of a triple cord of
Munga grass, smooth and soft; (that) of a Kshatriya, of a bowstring,
made of Murva fibres; (that) of a Vaisya, of hempen threads.
   43. If Munga grass (and so forth) be not procurable, (the
girdles) may be made of Kusa, Asmantaka, and Balbaga (fibres), with
a single threefold knot, or with three or five (knots according to the
custom of the family).
   44. The sacrificial string of a Brahmana shall be made of cotton,
(shall be) twisted to the right, (and consist) of three threads,
that of a Kshatriya of hempen threads, (and) that of a Vaisya of
woollen threads.
   45. A Brahmana shall (carry), according to the sacred law, a
staff of Bilva or Palasa; a Kshatriya, of Vata or Khadira; (and) a
Vaisya, of Pilu or Udumbara.
   46. The staff of a Brahmana shall be made of such length as to
reach the end of his hair; that of a Kshatriya, to reach his forehead;
(and) that of a Vaisya, to reach (the tip of his) nose.
   47. Let all the staves be straight, without a blemish, handsome
to look at, not likely to terrify men, with their bark perfect, unhurt
by fire.
   48. Having taken a staff according to his choice, having worshipped
the sun and walked round the fire, turning his right hand towards
it, (the student) should beg alms according to the prescribed rule.
   49. An initiated Brahmana should beg, beginning (his request with
the word) lady (bhavati); a Kshatriya, placing (the word) lady in
the middle, but a Vaisya, placing it at the end (of the formula).
   50. Let him first beg food of his mother, or of his sister, or of
his own maternal aunt, or of (some other) female who will not disgrace
him (by a refusal).
   51. Having collected as much food as is required (from several
persons), and having announced it without guile to his teacher, let
him eat, turning his face towards the east, and having purified
himself by sipping water.
   52. (His meal will procure) long life, if he eats facing the
east; fame, if he turns to the south; prosperity, if he turns to the
west; truthfulness, if he faces the east.
   53. Let a twice-born man always eat his food with concentrated
mind, after performing an ablution; and after he has eaten, let him
duly cleanse himself with water and sprinkle the cavities (of his
head).
   54. Let him always worship his food, and eat it without contempt;
when he sees it, let him rejoice, show a pleased face, and pray that
he may always obtain it.
   55. Food, that is always worshipped, gives strength and manly
vigour; but eaten irreverently, it destroys them both.
   56. Let him not give to any man what he leaves, and beware of
eating between (the two meal-times); let him not over-eat himself, nor
go anywhere without having purified himself (after his meal).
   57. Excessive eating is prejudicial to health, to fame, and to
(bliss in) heaven; it prevents (the acquisition of) spiritual merit,
and is odious among men; one ought, for these reasons, to avoid it
carefully.
   58. Let a Brahmana always sip water out of the part of the hand
(tirtha) sacred to Brahman, or out of that sacred to Ka (Pragapati),
or out of (that) sacred to the gods, never out of that sacred to the
manes.
   59. They call (the part) at the root of the thumb the tirtha sacred
to Brahman, that at the root of the (little) finger (the tirtha)
sacred to Ka (Pragapati), (that) at the tips (of the fingers, the
tirtha) sacred to the gods, and that below (between the index and
the thumb, the tirtha) sacred to the manes.
   60. Let him first sip water thrice; next twice wipe his mouth; and,
lastly, touch with water the cavities (of the head), (the seat of) the
soul and the head.
   61. He who knows the sacred law and seeks purity shall always
perform the rite of sipping with water neither hot nor frothy, with
the (prescribed) tirtha, in a lonely place, and turning to the east or
to the north.
   62. A Brahmana is purified by water that reaches his heart, a
Kshatriya by water reaching his throat, a Vaisya by water taken into
his mouth, (and) a Sudra by water touched with the extremity (of his
lips).
   63. A twice-born man is called upavitin when his right arm is
raised (and the sacrificial string or the dress, passed under it,
rests on the left shoulder); (when his) left (arm) is raised (and
the string, or the dress, passed under it, rests on the right
shoulder, he is called) prakinavitin; and nivitin when it hangs down
(straight) from the neck.
   64. His girdle, the skin (which serves as his upper garment), his
staff, his sacrificial thread, (and) his water-pot he must throw
into water, when they have been damaged, and take others, reciting
sacred formulas.
   65. (The ceremony called) Kesanta (clipping the hair) is ordained
for a Brahmana in the sixteenth year (from conception); for a
Kshatriya, in the twenty-second; and for a Vaisya, two (years) later
than that.
   66. This whole series (of ceremonies) must be performed for females
(also), in order to sanctify the body, at the proper time and in the
proper order, but without (the recitation of) sacred texts.
   67. The nuptial ceremony is stated to be the Vedic sacrament for
women (and to be equal to the initiation), serving the husband
(equivalent to) the residence in (the house of the) teacher, and the
household duties (the same) as the (daily) worship of the sacred fire.
   68. Thus has been described the rule for the initiation of the
twice-born, which indicates a (new) birth, and sanctifies; learn (now)
to what duties they must afterwards apply themselves.
   69. Having performed the (rite of) initiation, the teacher must
first instruct the (pupil) in (the rules of) personal purification, of
conduct, of the fire-worship, and of the twilight devotions.
   70. But (a student) who is about to begin the Study (of the
Veda), shall receive instruction, after he has sipped water in
accordance with the Institutes (of the sacred law), has made the
Brahmangali, (has put on) a clean dress, and has brought his organs
under due control.
   71. At the beginning and at the end of (a lesson in the) Veda he
must always clasp both the feet of his teacher, (and) he must study,
joining his hands; that is called the Brahmangali (joining the palms
for the sake of the Veda).
   72. With crossed hands he must clasp (the feet) of the teacher, and
touch the left (foot) with his left (hand), the right (foot) with
his right (hand).
   73. But to him who is about to begin studying, the teacher always
unwearied, must say: Ho, recite! He shall leave off (when the
teacher says): Let a stoppage take place!
   74. Let him always pronounce the syllable Om at the beginning and
at the end of (a lesson in) the Veda; (for) unless the syllable Om
precede (the lesson) will slip away (from him), and unless it follow
it will fade away.
   75. Seated on (blades of Kusa grass) with their points to the east,
purified by Pavitras (blades of Kusa grass), and sanctified by three
suppressions of the breath (Pranayama), he is worthy (to pronounce)
the syllable Om.
   76. Pragapati (the lord of creatures) milked out (as it were)
from the three Vedas the sounds A, U, and M, and (the Vyahritis) Bhuh,
Bhuvah, Svah.
   77. Moreover from the three Vedas Pragapati, who dwells in the
highest heaven (Parameshthin), milked out (as it were) that Rik-verse,
sacred to Savitri (Savitri), which begins with the word tad, one
foot from each.
   78. A Brahmana, learned in the Veda, who recites during both
twilights that syllable and that (verse), preceded by the Vyahritis,
gains the (whole) merit which (the recitation of) the Vedas confers.
   79. A twice-born man who (daily) repeats those three one thousand
times outside (the village), will be freed after a month even from
great guilt, as a snake from its slough.
   80. The Brahmana, the Kshatriya, and the Vaisya who neglect (the
recitation of) that Rik-verse and the timely (performance of the)
rites (prescribed for) them, will be blamed among virtuous men.
   81. Know that the three imperishable Mahavyahritis, preceded by the
syllable Om, and (followed) by the three-footed Savitri are the portal
of the Veda and the gate leading (to union with) Brahman.
   82. He who daily recites that (verse), untired, during three years,
will enter (after death) the highest Brahman, move as free as air, and
assume an ethereal form.
   83. The monosyllable (Om) is the highest Brahman, (three)
suppressions of the breath are the best (form of) austerity, but
nothing surpasses the Savitri truthfulness is better than silence.
   84. All rites ordained in the Veda, burnt oblations and (other)
sacrifices, pass away; but know that the syllable (Om) is
imperishable, and (it is) Brahman, (and) the Lord of creatures
(Pragapati).
   85. An offering, consisting of muttered prayers, is ten times
more efficacious than a sacrifice performed according to the rules (of
the Veda); a (prayer) which is inaudible (to others) surpasses it a
hundred times, and the mental (recitation of sacred texts) a
thousand times.
   86. The four Pakayagnas and those sacrifices which are enjoined
by the rules (of the Veda) are all together not equal in value to a
sixteenth part of the sacrifice consisting of muttered prayers.
   87. But, undoubtedly, a Brahmana reaches the highest goal by
muttering prayers only; (whether) he perform other (rites) or
neglect them, he who befriends (all creatures) is declared (to be) a
(true) Brahmana.
   88. A wise man should strive to restrain his organs which run
wild among alluring sensual objects, like a charioteer his horses.
   89. Those eleven organs which former sages have named, I will
properly (and) precisely enumerate in due order,
   90. (Viz.) the ear, the skin, the eyes, the tongue, and the nose as
the fifth, the anus, the organ of generation, hands and feet, and
the (organ of) speech, named as the tenth.
   91. Five of them, the ear and the rest according to their order,
they call organs of sense, and five of them, the anus and the rest,
organs of action.
   92. Know that the internal organ (manas) is the eleventh, which
by its quality belongs to both (sets); when that has been subdued,
both those sets of five have been conquered.
   93. Through the attachment of his organs (to sensual pleasure) a
man doubtlessly will incur guilt; but if he keep them under complete
control, he will obtain success (in gaining all his aims).
   94. Desire is never extinguished by the enjoyment of desired
objects; it only grows stronger like a fire (fed) with clarified
butter.
   95. If one man should obtain all those (sensual enjoyments) and
another should renounce them all, the renunciation of all pleasure
is far better than the attainment of them.
   96. Those (organs) which are strongly attached to sensual
pleasures, cannot so effectually be restrained by abstinence (from
enjoyments) as by a constant (pursuit of true) knowledge.
   97. Neither (the study of) the Vedas, nor liberality, nor
sacrifices, nor any (self-imposed) restraint, nor austerities, ever
procure the attainment (of rewards) to a man whose heart is
contaminated (by sensuality).
   98. That man may be considered to have (really) subdued his organs,
who on hearing and touching and seeing, on tasting and smelling
(anything) neither rejoices nor repines.
   99. But when one among all the organs slips away (from control),
thereby (man's) wisdom slips away from him, even as the water
(flows) through the one (open) foot of a (water-carrier's) skin.
   100. If he keeps all the (ten) organs as well as the mind in
subjection, he may gain all his aims, without reducing his body by
(the practice) of Yoga.
   101. Let him stand during the morning twilight, muttering the
Savitri until the sun appears, but (let him recite it), seated, in the
evening until the constellations can be seen distinctly.
   102. He who stands during the morning twilight muttering (the
Savitri), removes the guilt contracted during the (previous) night;
but he who (recites it), seated, in the evening, destroys the sin he
committed during the day.
   103. But he who does not (worship) standing in the morning, nor
sitting in the evening, shall be excluded, just like a Sudra, from all
the duties and rights of an Aryan.
   104. He who (desires to) perform the ceremony (of the) daily
(recitation), may even recite the Savitri near water, retiring into
the forest, controlling his organs and concentrating his mind.
   105. Both when (one studies) the supplementary treatises of the
Veda, and when (one recites) the daily portion of the Veda, no
regard need be paid to forbidden days, likewise when (one repeats) the
sacred texts required for a burnt oblation.
   106. There are no forbidden days for the daily recitation, since
that is declared to be a Brahmasattra (an everlasting sacrifice
offered to Brahman); at that the Veda takes the place of the burnt
oblations, and it is meritorious (even), when (natural phenomena,
requiring) a cessation of the Veda-study, take the place of the
exclamation Vashat.
   107. For him who, being pure and controlling his organs, during a
year daily recites the Veda according to the rule, that (daily
recitation) will ever cause sweet and sour milk, clarified butter
and honey to flow.
   108. Let an Aryan who has been initiated, (daily) offer fuel in the
sacred fire, beg food, sleep on the ground and do what is beneficial
to this teacher, until (he performs the ceremony of) Samavartana (on
returning home).
   109. According to the sacred law the (following) ten (persons,
viz.) the teacher's son, one who desires to do service, one who
imparts knowledge, one who is intent on fulfilling the law, one who is
pure, a person connected by marriage or friendship, one who
possesses (mental) ability, one who makes presents of money, one who
is honest, and a relative, may be instructed (in the Veda).
   110. Unless one be asked, one must not explain (anything) to
anybody, nor (must one answer) a person who asks improperly; let a
wise man, though he knows (the answer), behave among men as (if he
were) an idiot.
   111. Of the two persons, him who illegally explains (anything), and
him who illegally asks (a question), one (or both) will die or incur
(the other's) enmity.
   112. Where merit and wealth are not (obtained by teaching) nor
(at least) due obedience, in such (soil) sacred knowledge must not
be sown, just as good seed (must) not (be thrown) on barren land.
   113. Even in times of dire distress a teacher of the Veda should
rather die with his knowledge than sow it in barren soil.
   114. Sacred Learning approached a Brahmana and said to him: 'I am
thy treasure, preserve me, deliver me not to a scorner; so (preserved)
I shall become supremely strong.'
   115. 'But deliver me, as to the keeper of thy treasure, to a
Brahmana whom thou shalt know to be pure, of subdued senses, chaste
and attentive.'
   116. But he who acquires without permission the Veda from one who
recites it, incurs the guilt of stealing the Veda, and shall sink into
hell.
   117. (A student) shall first reverentially salute that (teacher)
from whom he receives (knowledge), referring to worldly affairs, to
the Veda, or to the Brahman.
   118. A Brahmana who completely governs himself, though he know
the Savitri only, is better than he who knows the three Vedas, (but)
does not control himself, eats all (sorts of) food, and sells all
(sorts of goods).
   119. One must not sit down on a couch or seat which a superior
occupies; and he who occupies a couch or seat shall rise to meet a
(superior), and (afterwards) salute him.
   120. For the vital airs of a young man mount upwards to leave his
body when an elder approaches; but by rising to meet him and
saluting he recovers them.
   121. He who habitually salutes and constantly pays reverence to the
aged obtains an increase of four (things), (viz.) length of life,
knowledge, fame, (and) strength.
   122. After the (word of) salutation, a Brahmana who greets an elder
must pronounce his name, saying, 'I am N. N.'
   123. To those (persons) who, when a name is pronounced, do not
understand (the meaning of) the salutation, a wise man should say, 'It
is I;' and (he should address) in the same manner all women.
   124. In saluting he should pronounce after his name the word
bhoh; for the sages have declared that the nature of bhoh is the
same as that of (all proper) names.
   125. A Brahmana should thus be saluted in return, 'May'st thou be
long-lived, O gentle one!' and the vowel 'a' must be added at the
end of the name (of the person addressed), the syllable preceding it
being drawn out to the length of three moras.
   126. A Brahmana who does not know the form of returning a
salutation, must not be saluted by a learned man; as a Sudra, even
so is he.
   127. Let him ask a Brahmana, on meeting him, after (his health,
with the word) kusala, a Kshatriya (with the word) anamaya, a Vaisya
(with the word) kshema, and a Sudra (with the word) anarogya.
   128. He who has been initiated (to perform a Srauta sacrifice) must
not be addressed by his name, even though he be a younger man; he
who knows the sacred law must use in speaking to such (a man the
particle) bhoh and (the pronoun) bhavat (your worship).
   129. But to a female who is the wife of another man, and not a
blood-relation, he must say, 'Lady' (bhavati) or 'Beloved sister!'
   130. To his maternal and paternal uncles, fathers-in-law,
officiating priests, (and other) venerable persons, he must say, 'I am
N. N.,' and rise (to meet them), even though they be younger (than
himself).
   131. A maternal aunt, the wife of a maternal uncle, a
mother-in-law, and a paternal aunt must be honoured like the wife of
one's teacher; they are equal to the wife of one's teacher.
   132. (The feet of the) wife of one's brother, if she be of the same
caste (varna), must be clasped every day; but (the feet of) wives of
(other) paternal and maternal relatives need only be embraced on one's
return from a journey.
   133. Towards a sister of one's father and of one's mother, and
towards one's own elder sister, one must behave as towards one's
mother; (but) the mother is more venerable than they.
   134. Fellow-citizens are called friends (and equals though one
be) ten years (older than the other), men practising (the same) fine
art (though one be) five years (older than the other), Srotriyas
(though) three years (intervene between their ages), but
blood-relations only (if the) difference of age be very small.
   135. Know that a Brahmana of ten years and Kshatriya of a hundred
years stand to each other in the relation of father and son; but
between those two the Brahmana is the father.
   136. Wealth, kindred, age, (the due performance of) rites, and,
fifthly, sacred learning are titles to respect; but each later-named
(cause) is more weighty (than the preceding ones).
   137. Whatever man of the three (highest) castes possesses most of
those five, both in number and degree, that man is worthy of honour
among them; and (so is) also a Sudra who has entered the tenth (decade
of his life).
   138. Way must be made for a man in a carriage, for one who is above
ninety years old, for one diseased, for the carrier of a burden, for a
woman, for a Snataka, for the king, and for a bridegroom.
   139. Among all those, if they meet (at one time), a Snataka and the
king must be (most) honoured; and if the king and a Snataka (meet),
the latter receives respect from the king.
   140. They call that Brahmana who initiates a pupil and teaches
him the Veda together with the Kalpa and the Rahasyas, the teacher
(akarya, of the latter).
   141. But he who for his livelihood teaches a portion only of the
Veda, or also the Angas of the Veda, is called the sub-teacher
(upadhyaya).
   142. That Brahmana, who performs in accordance with the rules (of
the Veda) the rites, the Garbhadhana (conception-rite), and so
forth, and gives food (to the child), is called the Guru (the
venerable one).
   143. He who, being (duly) chosen (for the purpose), performs the
Agnyadheya, the Pakayagnas, (and) the (Srauta) sacrifices, such as the
Agnishtoma (for another man), is called (his) officiating priest.
   144. That (man) who truthfully fills both his ears with the Veda,
(the pupil) shall consider as his father and mother; he must never
offend him.
   145. The teacher (akarya) is ten times more venerable than a
sub-teacher (upadhyaya), the father a hundred times more than the
teacher, but the mother a thousand times more than the father.
   146. Of him who gives natural birth and him who gives (the
knowledge of) the Veda, the giver of the Veda is the more venerable
father; for the birth for the sake of the Veda (ensures) eternal
(rewards) both in this (life) and after death.
   147. Let him consider that (he received) a (mere animal) existence,
when his parents begat him through mutual affection, and when he was
born from the womb (of his mother).
   148. But that birth which a teacher acquainted with the whole Veda,
in accordance with the law, procures for him through the Savitri, is
real, exempt from age and death.
   149. (The pupil) must know that that man also who benefits him by
(instruction in) the Veda, be it little or much, is called in these
(Institutes) his Guru, in consequence of that benefit (conferred by
instruction in) the Veda.
   150. That Brahmana who is the giver of the birth for the sake of
the Veda and the teacher of the prescribed duties becomes by law the
father of an aged man, even though he himself be a child.
   151. Young Kavi, the son of Angiras, taught his (relatives who were
old enough to be) fathers, and, as he excelled them in (sacred)
knowledge, he called them 'Little sons.'
   152. They, moved with resentment, asked the gods concerning that
matter, and the gods, having assembled, answered, 'The child has
addressed you properly.'
   153. 'For (a man) destitute of (sacred) knowledge is indeed a
child, and he who teaches him the Veda is his father; for (the
sages) have always said "child" to an ignorant man, and "father" to
a teacher of the Veda.'
   154. Neither through years, nor through white (hairs), nor
through wealth, nor through (powerful) kinsmen (comes greatness).
The sages have made this law, 'He who has learnt the Veda together
with the Angas (Anukana) is (considered) great by us.'
   155. The seniority of Brahmanas is from (sacred) knowledge, that of
Kshatriyas from valour, that of Vaisyas from wealth in grain (and
other goods), but that of Sudras alone from age.
   156. A man is not therefore (considered) venerable because his head
is gray; him who, though young, has learned the Veda, the gods
consider to be venerable.
   157. As an elephant made of wood, as an antelope made of leather,
such is an unlearned Brahmana; those three have nothing but the
names (of their kind).
   158. As a eunuch is unproductive with women, as a cow with a cow is
unprolific, and as a gift made to an ignorant man yields no reward,
even so is a Brahmana useless, who (does) not (know) the Rikas.
   159. Created beings must be instructed in (what concerns) their
welfare without giving them pain, and sweet and gentle speech must
be used by (a teacher) who desires (to abide by) the sacred law.
   160. He, forsooth, whose speech and thoughts are pure and ever
perfectly guarded, gains the whole reward which is conferred by the
Vedanta.
   161. Let him not, even though in pain, (speak words) cutting
(others) to the quick; let him not injure others in thought or deed;
let him not utter speeches which make (others) afraid of him, since
that will prevent him from gaining heaven.
   162. A Brahmana should always fear homage as if it were poison; and
constantly desire (to suffer) scorn as (he would long for) nectar.
   163. For he who is scorned (nevertheless may) sleep with an easy
mind, awake with an easy mind, and with an easy mind walk here among
men; but the scorner utterly perishes.
   164. A twice-born man who has been sanctified by the (employment
of) the means, (described above) in due order, shall gradually and
cumulatively perform the various austerities prescribed for (those
who) study the Veda.
   165. An Aryan must study the whole Veda together with the Rahasyas,
performing at the same time various kinds of austerities and the
vows prescribed by the rules (of the Veda).
   166. Let a Brahmana who desires to perform austerities,
constantly repeat the Veda; for the study of the Veda is declared
(to be) in this world the highest austerity for a Brahmana.
   167. Verily, that twice-born man performs the highest austerity
up to the extremities of his nails, who, though wearing a garland,
daily recites the Veda in private to the utmost of his ability.
   168. A twice-born man who, not having studied the Veda, applies
himself to other (and worldly study), soon falls, even while living,
to the condition of a Sudra and his descendants (after him).
   169. According to the injunction of the revealed texts the first
birth of an Aryan is from (his natural) mother, the second (happens)
on the tying of the girdle of Munga grass, and the third on the
initiation to (the performance of) a (Srauta) sacrifice.
   170. Among those (three) the birth which is symbolised by the
investiture with the girdle of Munga grass, is his birth for the
sake of the Veda; they declare that in that (birth) the Sivitri
(verse) is his mother and the teacher his father.
   171. They call the teacher (the pupil's) father because he gives
the Veda; for nobody can perform a (sacred) rite before the
investiture with the girdle of Munga grass.
   172. (He who has not been initiated) should not pronounce (any)
Vedic text excepting (those required for) the performance of funeral
rites, since he is on a level with a Sudra before his birth from the
Veda.
   173. The (student) who has been initiated must be instructed in the
performance of the vows, and gradually learn the Veda, observing the
prescribed rules.
   174. Whatever dress of skin, sacred thread, girdle, staff, and
lower garment are prescribed for a (student at the initiation), the
like (must again be used) at the (performance of the) vows.
   175. But a student who resides with his teacher must observe the
following restrictive rules, duly controlling all his organs, in order
to increase his spiritual merit.
   176. Every day, having bathed, and being purified, he must offer
libations of water to the gods, sages and manes, worship (the images
of) the gods, and place fuel on (the sacred fire).
   177. Let him abstain from honey, meat, perfumes, garlands,
substances (used for) flavouring (food), women, all substances
turned acid, and from doing injury to living creatures.
   178. From anointing (his body), applying collyrium to his eyes,
from the use of shoes and of an umbrella (or parasol), from
(sensual) desire, anger, covetousness, dancing, singing, and playing
(musical instruments),
   179. From gambling, idle disputes, backbiting, and lying, from
looking at and touching women, and from hurting others.
   180. Let him always sleep alone, let him never waste his manhood;
for he who voluntarily wastes his manhood, breaks his vow.
   181. A twice-born student, who has involuntarily wasted his manly
strength during sleep, must bathe, worship the sun, and afterwards
thrice mutter the Rik-verse (which begins), 'Again let my strength
return to me.'
   182. Let him fetch a pot full of water, flowers, cowdung, earth,
and Kusa grass, as much as may be required (by his teacher), and daily
go to beg food.
   183. A student, being pure, shall daily bring food from the
houses of men who are not deficient in (the knowledge of) the Veda and
in (performing) sacrifices, and who are famous for (following their
lawful) occupations.
   184. Let him not beg from the relatives of his teacher, nor from
his own or his mother's blood-relations; but if there are no houses
belonging to strangers, let him go to one of those named above, taking
the last-named first;
   185. Or, if there are no (virtuous men of the kind) mentioned
above, he may go to each (house in the) village, being pure and
remaining silent; but let him avoid Abhisastas (those accused of
mortal sin).
   186. Having brought sacred fuel from a distance, let him place it
anywhere but on the ground, and let him, unwearied, make with it burnt
oblations to the sacred fire, both evening and morning.
   187. He who, without being sick, neglects during seven (successive)
days to go out begging, and to offer fuel in the sacred fire, shall
perform the penance of an Avakirnin (one who has broken his vow).
   188. He who performs the vow (of studentship) shall constantly
subsist on alms, (but) not eat the food of one (person only); the
subsistence of a student on begged food is declared to be equal (in
merit) to fasting.
   189. At his pleasure he may eat, when invited, the food of one
man at (a rite) in honour of the gods, observing (however the
conditions on his vow, or at a (funeral meal) in honor of the manes,
behaving (however) like a hermit.
   190. This duty is prescribed by the wise for a Brahmana only; but
no such duty is ordained for a Kshatriya and a Vaisya.
   191. Both when ordered by his teacher, and without a (special)
command, (a student) shall always exert himself in studying (the
Veda), and in doing what is serviceable to his teacher.
   192. Controlling his body, his speech, his organs (of sense), and
his mind, let him stand with joined hands, looking at the face of
his teacher.
   193. Let him always keep his right arm uncovered, behave decently
and keep his body well covered, and when he is addressed (with the
words), 'Be seated,' he shall sit down, facing his teacher.
   194. In the presence of his teacher let him always eat less, wear a
less valuable dress and ornaments (than the former), and let him
rise earlier (from his bed), and go to rest later.
   195. Let him not answer or converse with (his teacher), reclining
on a bed, nor sitting, nor eating, nor standing, nor with an averted
face.
   196. Let him do (that), standing up, if (his teacher) is seated,
advancing towards him when he stands, going to meet him if he
advances, and running after him when he runs;
   197. Going (round) to face (the teacher), if his face is averted,
approaching him if he stands at a distance, but bending towards him if
he lies on a bed, and if he stands in a lower place.
   198. When his teacher is nigh, let his bed or seat be low; but
within sight of his teacher he shall not sit carelessly at ease.
   199. Let him not pronounce the mere name of his teacher (without
adding an honorific title) behind his back even, and let him not mimic
his gait, speech, and deportment.
   200. Wherever (people) justly censure or falsely defame his
teacher, there he must cover his ears or depart thence to another
place.
   201. By censuring (his teacher), though justly, he will become
(in his next birth) an ass, by falsely defaming him, a dog; he who
lives on his teacher's substance, will become a worm, and he who is
envious (of his merit), a (larger) insect.
   202. He must not serve the (teacher by the intervention of another)
while he himself stands aloof, nor when he (himself) is angry, nor
when a woman is near; if he is seated in a carriage or on a (raised)
seat, he must descend and afterwards salute his (teacher).
   203. Let him not sit with his teacher, to the leeward or to the
windward (of him); nor let him say anything which his teacher cannot
hear.
   204. He may sit with his teacher in a carriage drawn by oxen,
horses, or camels, on a terrace, on a bed of grass or leaves, on a
mat, on a rock, on a wooden bench, or in a boat.
   205. If his teacher's teacher is near, let him behave (towards him)
as towards his own teacher; but let him, unless he has received
permission from his teacher, not salute venerable persons of his own
(family).
   206. This is likewise (ordained as) his constant behaviour
towards (other) instructors in science, towards his relatives (to whom
honour is due), towards all who may restrain him from sin, or may give
him salutary advice.
   207. Towards his betters let him always behave as towards his
teacher, likewise towards sons of his teacher, born by wives of
equal caste, and towards the teacher's relatives both on the side of
the father and of the mother.
   208. The son of the teacher who imparts instruction (in his
father's stead), whether younger or of equal age, or a student of (the
science of) sacrifices (or of other Angas), deserves the same honour
as the teacher.
   209. (A student) must not shampoo the limbs of his teacher's son,
nor assist him in bathing, nor eat the fragments of his food, nor wash
his feet.
   210. The wives of the teacher, who belong to the same caste, must
be treated as respectfully as the teacher; but those who belong to a
different caste, must be honoured by rising and salutation.
   211. Let him not perform for a wife of his teacher (the offices of)
anointing her, assisting her in the bath, shampooing her limbs, or
arranging her hair.
   212. (A pupil) who is full twenty years old, and knows what is
becoming and unbecoming, shall not salute a young wife of his
teacher (by clasping) her feet.
   213. It is the nature of women to seduce men in this (world); for
that reason the wise are never unguarded in (the company of) females.
   214. For women are able to lead astray in (this) world not only a
fool, but even a learned man, and (to make) him a slave of desire
and anger.
   215. One should not sit in a lonely place with one's mother,
sister, or daughter; for the senses are powerful, and master even a
learned man.
   216. But at his pleasure a young student may prostrate himself on
the ground before the young wife of a teacher, in accordance with
the rule, and say, 'I, N. N., (worship thee, O lady).'
   217. On returning from a journey he must clasp the feet of his
teacher's wife and daily salute her (in the manner just mentioned),
remembering the duty of the virtuous.
   218. As the man who digs with a spade (into the ground) obtains
water, even so an obedient (pupil) obtains the knowledge which lies
(hidden) in his teacher.
   219. A (student) may either shave his head, or wear his hair in
braids, or braid one lock on the crown of his head; the sun must never
set or rise while he (lies asleep) in the village.
   220. If the sun should rise or set while he is sleeping, be it
(that he offended) intentionally or unintentionally, he shall fast
during the (next) day, muttering (the Savitri).
   221. For he who lies (sleeping), while the sun sets or rises, and
does not perform (that) penance, is tainted by great guilt.
   222. Purified by sipping water, he shall daily worship during
both twilights with a concentrated mind in a pure place, muttering the
prescribed text according to the rule.
   223. If a woman or a man of low caste perform anything (leading to)
happiness, let him diligently practise it, as well as (any other
permitted act) in which his heart finds pleasure.
   224. (Some declare that) the chief good consists in (the
acquisition of) spiritual merit and wealth, (others place it) in
(the gratification of) desire and (the acquisition of) wealth,
(others) in (the acquisition of) spiritual merit alone, and (others
say that the acquisition of) wealth alone is the chief good here
(below); but the (correct) decision is that it consists of the
aggregate of (those) three.
   225. The teacher, the father, the mother, and an elder brother must
not be treated with disrespect, especially by a Brahmana, though one
be grievously offended (by them).
   226. The teacher is the image of Brahman, the father the image of
Pragipati (the lord of created beings), the mother the image of the
earth, and an (elder) full brother the image of oneself.
   227. That trouble (and pain) which the parents undergo on the birth
of (their) children, cannot be compensated even in a hundred years.
   228. Let him always do what is agreeable to those (two) and
always (what may please) his teacher; when those three are pleased, he
obtains all (those rewards which) austerities (yield).
   229. Obedience towards those three is declared to be the best (form
of) austerity; let him not perform other meritorious acts without
their permission.
   230. For they are declared to be the three worlds, they the three
(principal) orders, they the three Vedas, and they the three sacred
fires.
   231. The father, forsooth, is stated to be the Garhapatya fire, the
mother the Dakshinagni, but the teacher the Ahavaniya fire; this triad
of fires is most venerable.
   232. He who neglects not those three, (even after he has become)
a householder, will conquer the three worlds and, radiant in body like
a god, he will enjoy bliss in heaven.
   233. By honouring his mother he gains this (nether) world, by
honouring his father the middle sphere, but by obedience to his
teacher the world of Brahman.
   234. All duties have been fulfilled by him who honours those three;
but to him who honours them not, all rites remain fruitless.
   235. As long as those three live, so long let him not
(independently) perform any other (meritorious acts); let him always
serve them, rejoicing (to do what is) agreeable and beneficial (to
them).
   236. He shall inform them of everything that with their consent
he may perform in thought, word, or deed for the sake of the next
world.
   237. By (honouring) these three all that ought to be done by man,
is accomplished; that is clearly the highest duty, every other (act)
is a subordinate duty.
   238. He who possesses faith may receive pure learning even from a
man of lower caste, the highest law even from the lowest, and an
excellent wife even from a base family.
   239. Even from poison nectar may be taken, even from a child good
advice, even from a foe (a lesson in) good conduct, and even from an
impure (substance) gold.
   240. Excellent wives, learning, (the knowledge of) the law, (the
rules of) purity, good advice, and various arts may be acquired from
anybody.
   241. It is prescribed that in times of distress (a student) may
learn (the Veda) from one who is not a Brahmana; and that he shall
walk behind and serve (such a) teacher, as long as the instruction
lasts.
   242. He who desires incomparable bliss (in heaven) shall not
dwell during his whole life in (the house of) a non-Brahmanical
teacher, nor with a Brahmana who does not know the whole Veda and
the Angas.
   243. But if (a student) desires to pass his whole life in the
teacher's house, he must diligently serve him, until he is freed
from this body.
   244. A Brahmana who serves his teacher till the dissolution of
his body, reaches forthwith the eternal mansion of Brahman.
   245. He who knows the sacred law must not present any gift to his
teacher before (the Samavartana); but when, with the permission of his
teacher, he is about to take the (final) bath, let him procure (a
present) for the venerable man according to his ability,
   246. (Viz.) a field, gold, a cow, a horse, a parasol and shoes, a
seat, grain, (even) vegetables, (and thus) give pleasure to his
teacher.
   247. (A perpetual student) must, if his teacher dies, serve his son
(provided he be) endowed with good qualities, or his widow, or his
Sapinda, in the same manner as the teacher.
   248. Should none of these be alive, he must serve the sacred
fire, standing (by day) and sitting (during the night), and thus
finish his life.
   249. A Brahmana who thus passes his life as a student without
breaking his vow, reaches (after death) the highest abode and will not
be born again in this world.
                        CHAPTER III.

   1. The vow (of studying) the three Vedas under a teacher must be
kept for thirty-six years, or for half that time, or for a quarter, or
until the (student) has perfectly learnt them.
   2. (A student) who has studied in due order the three Vedas, or
two, or even one only, without breaking the (rules of) studentship,
shall enter the order of householders.
   3. He who is famous for (the strict performance of) his duties
and has received his heritage, the Veda, from his father, shall be
honoured, sitting on a couch and adorned with a garland, with (the
present of) a cow (and the honey-mixture).
   4. Having bathed, with the permission of his teacher, and performed
according to the rule the Samavartana (the rite on returning home),
a twice-born man shall marry a wife of equal caste who is endowed with
auspicious (bodily) marks.
   5. A damsel who is neither a Sapinda on the mother's side, nor
belongs to the same family on the father's side, is recommended to
twice-born men for wedlock and conjugal union.
   6. In connecting himself with a wife, let him carefully avoid the
ten following families, be they ever so great, or rich in kine,
horses, sheep, grain, or (other) property,
   7. (Viz.) one which neglects the sacred rites, one in which no male
children (are born), one in which the Veda is not studied, one (the
members of) which have thick hair on the body, those which are subject
to hemorrhoids, phthisis, weakness of digestion, epilepsy, or white or
black leprosy.
   8. Let him not marry a maiden (with) reddish (hair), nor one who
has a redundant member, nor one who is sickly, nor one either with
no hair (on the body) or too much, nor one who is garrulous or has red
(eyes),
   9. Nor one named after a constellation, a tree, or a river, nor one
bearing the name of a low caste, or of a mountain, nor one named after
a bird, a snake, or a slave, nor one whose name inspires terror.
   10. Let him wed a female free from bodily defects, who has an
agreeable name, the (graceful) gait of a Hamsa or of an elephant, a
moderate (quantity of) hair on the body and on the head, small
teeth, and soft limbs.
   11. But a prudent man should not marry (a maiden) who has no
brother, nor one whose father is not known, through fear lest (in
the former case she be made) an appointed daughter (and in the latter)
lest (he should commit) sin.
   12. For the first marriage of twice-born men (wives) of equal caste
are recommended; but for those who through desire proceed (to marry
again) the following females, (chosen) according to the (direct) order
(of the castes), are most approved.
   13. It is declared that a Sudra woman alone (can be) the wife of
a Sudra, she and one of his own caste (the wives) of a Vaisya, those
two and one of his own caste (the wives) of a Kshatriya, those three
and one of his own caste (the wives) of a Brahmana.
   14. A Sudra woman is not mentioned even in any (ancient) story as
the (first) wife of a Brahmana or of a Kshatriya, though they lived in
the (greatest) distress.
   15. Twice-born men who, in their folly, wed wives of the low
(Sudra) caste, soon degrade their families and their children to the
state of Sudras.
   16. According to Atri and to (Gautama) the son of Utathya, he who
weds a Sudra woman becomes an outcast, according to Saunaka on the
birth of a son, and according to Bhrigu he who has (male) offspring
from a (Sudra female, alone).
   17. A Brahmana who takes a Sudra wife to his bed, will (after
death) sink into hell; if he begets a child by her, he will lose the
rank of a Brahmana.
   18. The manes and the gods will not eat the (offerings) of that man
who performs the rites in honour of the gods, of the manes, and of
guests chiefly with a (Sudra wife's) assistance, and such (a man) will
not go to heaven.
   19. For him who drinks the moisture of a Sudra's lips, who is
tainted by her breath, and who begets a son on her, no expiation is
prescribed.
   20. Now listen to (the) brief (description of) the following
eight marriage-rites used by the four castes (varna) which partly
secure benefits and partly produce evil both in this life and after
death.
   21. (They are) the rite of Brahman (Brahma), that of the gods
(Daiva), that of the Rishis (Arsha), that of Pragapati (Pragapatya),
that of the Asuras (Asura), that of the Gandharvas (Gandharva), that
of the Rhashasas (Rakshasa), and that of the Pisakas (Paisaka).
   22. Which is lawful for each caste (varna) and which are the
virtues or faults of each (rite), all this I will declare to you, as
well as their good and evil results with respect to the offspring.
   23. One may know that the first six according to the order
(followed above) are lawful for a Brahmana, the four last for a
Kshatriya, and the same four, excepting the Rakshasa rite, for a
Vaisya and a Sudra.
   24. The sages state that the first four are approved (in the
case) of a Brahmana, one, the Rakshasa (rite in the case) of a
Kshatriya, and the Asura (marriage in that) of a Vaisya and of a
Sudra.
   25. But in these (Institutes of the sacred law) three of the five
(last) are declared to be lawful and two unlawful; the Paisaka and the
Asura (rites) must never be used.
   26. For Kshatriyas those before-mentioned two rites, the
Gandharva and the Rakshasa, whether separate or mixed, are permitted
by the sacred tradition.
   27. The gift of a daughter, after decking her (with costly
garments) and honouring (her by presents of jewels), to a man
learned in the Veda and of good conduct, whom (the father) himself
invites, is called the Brahma rite.
   28. The gift of a daughter who has been decked with ornaments, to a
priest who duly officiates at a sacrifice, during the course of its
performance, they call the Daiva rite.
   29. When (the father) gives away his daughter according to the
rule, after receiving from the bridegroom, for (the fulfilment of) the
sacred law, a cow and a bull or two pairs, that is named the Arsha
rite.
   30. The gift of a daughter (by her father) after he has addressed
(the couple) with the text, 'May both of you perform together your
duties,' and has shown honour (to the bridegroom), is called in the
Smriti the Pragapatya rite.
   31. When (the bridegroom) receives a maiden, after having given
as much wealth as he can afford, to the kinsmen and to the bride
herself, according to his own will, that is called the Asura rite.
   32. The voluntary union of a maiden and her lover one must know (to
be) the Gandharva rite, which springs from desire and has sexual
intercourse for its purpose.
   33. The forcible abduction of a maiden from her home, while she
cries out and weeps, after (her kinsmen) have been slain or wounded
and (their houses) broken open, is called the Rakshasa rite.
   34. When (a man) by stealth seduces a girl who is sleeping,
intoxicated, or disordered in intellect, that is the eighth, the
most base and sinful rite of the Pisakas.
   35. The gift of daughters among Brahmanas is most approved, (if
it is preceded) by (a libation of) water; but in the case of other
castes (it may be performed) by (the expression of) mutual consent.
   36. Listen now to me, ye Brahmanas, while I fully declare what
quality has been ascribed by Manu to each of these marriage-rites.
   37. The son of a wife wedded according to the Brahma rite, if he
performs meritorious acts, liberates from sin ten ancestors, ten
descendants and himself as the twenty-first.
   38. The son born of a wife, wedded according to the Daiva rite,
likewise (saves) seven ancestors and seven descendants, the son of a
wife married by the Arsha rite three (in the ascending and
descending lines), and the son of a wife married by the rite of Ka
(Pragapati) six (in either line).
   39. From the four marriages, (enumerated) successively, which begin
with the Brahma rite spring sons, radiant with knowledge of the Veda
and honoured by the Sishtas (good men).
   40. Endowded with the qualities of beauty and goodness,
possessing wealth and fame, obtaining as many enjoyments as they
desire and being most righteous, they will live a hundred years.
   41. But from the remaining (four) blamable marriages spring sons
who are cruel and speakers of untruth, who hate the Veda and the
sacred law.
   42. In the blameless marriages blameless children are born to
men, in blamable (marriages) blamable (offspring); one should
therefore avoid the blamable (forms of marriage).
   43. The ceremony of joining the hands is prescribed for
(marriages with) women of equal caste (varna); know that the following
rule (applies) to weddings with females of a different caste (varna).
   44. On marrying a man of a higher caste a Kshatriya bride must take
hold of an arrow, a Vaisya bride of a goad, and a Sudra female of
the hem of the (bridegroom's) garment.
   45. Let (the husband) approach his wife in due season, being
constantly satisfied with her (alone); he may also, being intent on
pleasing her, approach her with a desire for conjugal union (on any
day) excepting the Parvans.
   46. Sixteen (days and) nights (in each month), including four
days which differ from the rest and are censured by the virtuous, (are
called) the natural season of women.
   47. But among these the first four, the eleventh and the thirteenth
are (declared to be) forbidden; the remaining nights are recommended.
   48. On the even nights sons are conceived and daughters on the
uneven ones; hence a man who desires to have sons should approach
his wife in due season on the even (nights).
   49. A male child is produced by a greater quantity of male seed,
a female child by the prevalence of the female; if (both are) equal, a
hermaphrodite or a boy and a girl; if (both are) weak or deficient
in quantity, a failure of conception (results).
   50. He who avoids women on the six forbidden nights and on eight
others, is (equal in chastity to) a student, in whichever order he may
live.
   51. No father who knows (the law) must take even the smallest
gratuity for his daughter; for a man who, through avarice, takes a
gratuity, is a seller of his offspring.
   52. But those (male) relations who, in their folly, live on the
separate property of women, (e.g. appropriate) the beasts of burden,
carriages, and clothes of women, commit sin and will sink into hell.
   53. Some call the cow and the bull (given) at an Arsha wedding 'a
gratuity;' (but) that is wrong, since (the acceptance of) a fee, be it
small or great, is a sale (of the daughter).
   54. When the relatives do not appropriate (for their use) the
gratuity (given), it is not a sale; (in that case) the (gift) is
only a token of respect and of kindness towards the maidens.
   55. Women must be honoured and adorned by their fathers,
brothers, husbands, and brothers-in-law, who desire (their own)
welfare.
   56. Where women are honoured, there the gods are pleased; but where
they are not honoured, no sacred rite yields rewards.
   57. Where the female relations live in grief, the family soon
wholly perishes; but that family where they are not unhappy ever
prospers.
   58. The houses on which female relations, not being duly
honoured, pronounce a curse, perish completely, as if destroyed by
magic.
   59. Hence men who seek (their own) welfare, should always honour
women on holidays and festivals with (gifts of) ornaments, clothes,
and (dainty) food.
   60. In that family, where the husband is pleased with his wife
and the wife with her husband, happiness will assuredly be lasting.
   61. For if the wife is not radiant with beauty, she will not
attract her husband; but if she has no attractions for him, no
children will be born.
   62. If the wife is radiant with beauty, the whole house is
bright; but if she is destitute of beauty, all will appear dismal.
   63. By low marriages, by omitting (the performance of) sacred
rites, by neglecting the study of the Veda, and by irreverence towards
Brahmanas, (great) families sink low.
   64. By (practising) handicrafts, by pecuniary transactions, by
(begetting) children on Sudra females only, by (trading in) cows,
horses, and carriages, by (the pursuit of) agriculture and by taking
service under a king,
   65. By sacrificing for men unworthy to offer sacrifices and by
denying (the future rewards for good) works, families, deficient in
the (knowledge of the) Veda, quickly perish.
   66. But families that are rich in the knowledge of the Veda, though
possessing little wealth, are numbered among the great, and acquire
great fame.
   67. With the sacred fire, kindled at the wedding, a householder
shall perform according to the law the domestic ceremonies and the
five (great) sacrifices, and (with that) he shall daily cook his food.
   68. A householder has five slaughter-houses (as it were, viz.)
the hearth, the grinding-stone, the broom, the pestle and mortar,
the water-vessel, by using which he is bound (with the fetters of
sin).
   69. In order to successively expiate (the offences committed by
means) of all these (five) the great sages have prescribed for
householders the daily (performance of the five) great sacrifices.
   70. Teaching (and studying) is the sacrifice (offered) to
Brahman, the (offerings of water and food called) Tarpana the
sacrifice to the manes, the burnt oblation the sacrifice offered to
the gods, the Bali offering that offered to the Bhutas, and the
hospitable reception of guests the offering to men.
   71. He who neglects not these five great sacrifices, while he is
able (to perform them), is not tainted by the sins (committed) in
the five places of slaughter, though he constantly lives in the (order
of) house (-holders).
   72. But he who does not feed these five, the gods, his guests,
those whom he is bound to maintain, the manes, and himself, lives not,
though he breathes.
   73. They call (these) five sacrifices also, Ahuta, Huta, Prahuta,
Brahmya-huta, and Prasita.
   74. Ahuta (not offered in the fire) is the muttering (of Vedic
texts), Huta the burnt oblation (offered to the gods), Prahuta
(offered by scattering it on the ground) the Bali offering given to
the Bhutas, Brahmya-huta (offered in the digestive fire of Brahmanas),
the respectful reception of Brahmana (guests), and Prasita (eaten) the
(daily oblation to the manes, called) Tarpana.
   75. Let (every man) in this (second order, at least) daily apply
himself to the private recitation of the Veda, and also to the
performance of the offering to the gods; for he who is diligent in the
performance of sacrifices, supports both the movable and the immovable
creation.
   76. An oblation duly thrown into the fire, reaches the sun; from
the sun comes rain, from rain food, therefrom the living creatures
(derive their subsistence).
   77. As all living creatures subsist by receiving support from
air, even so (the members of) all orders subsist by receiving
support from the householder.
   78. Because men of the three (other) orders are daily supported
by the householder with (gifts of) sacred knowledge and food,
therefore (the order of) householders is the most excellent order.
   79. (The duties of) this order, which cannot be practised by men
with weak organs, must be carefully observed by him who desires
imperishable (bliss in) heaven, and constant happiness in this (life).
   80. The sages, the manes, the gods, the Bhutas, and guests ask
the householders (for offerings and gifts); hence he who knows (the
law), must give to them (what is due to each).
   81. Let him worship, according to the rule, the sages by the
private recitation of the Veda, the gods by burnt oblations, the manes
by funeral offerings (Sraddha), men by (gifts of) food, and the Bhutas
by the Bali offering.
   82. Let him daily perform a funeral sacrifice with food, or with
water, or also with milk, roots, and fruits, and (thus) please the
manes.
   83. Let him feed even one Brahmana in honour of the manes at (the
Sraddha), which belongs to the five great sacrifices; but let him
not feed on that (occasion) any Brahmana on account of the
Vaisvadeva offering.
   84. A Brahmana shall offer according to the rule (of his
Grihya-sutra a portion) of the cooked food destined for the Vaisvadeva
in the sacred domestic fire to the following deities:
   85. First to Agni, and (next) to Soma, then to both these gods
conjointly, further to all the gods (Visve Devah), and (then) to
Dhanvantari,
   86. Further to Kuhu (the goddess of the new-moon day), to Anumati
(the goddess of the full-moon day), to Pragapati (the lord of
creatures), to heaven and earth conjointly, and finally to Agni
Svishtakrit (the fire which performs the sacrifice well).
   87. After having thus duly offered the sacrificial food, let him
throw Bali offerings in all directions of the compass, proceeding
(from the east) to the south, to Indra, Yama, Varuna, and Soma, as
well as to the servants (of these deities).
   88. Saying, '(Adoration) to the Maruts,' he shall scatter (some
food) near the door, and (some) in water, saying, '(Adoration to the
waters;' he shall throw (some) on the pestle and the mortar,
speaking thus, '(Adoration) to the trees.'
   89. Near the head (of the bed) he shall make an offering to Sri
(fortune), and near the foot (of his bed) to Bhadrakali; in the centre
of the house let him place a Bali for Brahman and for Vastoshpati (the
lord of the dwelling) conjointly.
   90. Let him throw up into the air a Bali for all the gods, and
(in the day-time one) for the goblins roaming about by day, (and in
the evening one) for the goblins that walk at night.
   91. In the upper story let him offer a Bali to Sarvatmabhuti; but
let him throw what remains (from these offerings) in a southerly
direction for the manes.
   92. Let him gently place on the ground (some food) for dogs,
outcasts, Kandalas (Svapak), those afflicted with diseases that are
punishments of former sins, crows, and insects.
   93. That Brahmana who thus daily honours all beings, goes,
endowed with a resplendent body, by a straight road to the highest
dwelling-place (i.e. Brahman).
   94. Having performed this Bali offering, he shall first feed his
guest and, according to the rule, give alms to an ascetic (and) to a
student.
   95. A twice-born householder gains, by giving alms, the same reward
for his meritorious act which (a student) obtains for presenting, in
accordance with the rule, a cow to his teacher.
   96. Let him give, in accordance with the rule, to a Brahmana who
knows the true meaning of the Veda, even (a small portion of food
as) alms, or a pot full of water, having garnished (the food with
seasoning, or the pot with flowers and fruit).
   97. The oblations to gods and manes, made by men ignorant (of the
law of gifts), are lost, if the givers in their folly present
(shares of them) to Brahmanas who are mere ashes.
   98. An offering made in the mouth-fire of Brahmanas rich in
sacred learning and austerities, saves from misfortune and from
great guilt.
   99. But let him offer, in accordance with the rule, to a guest
who has come (of his own accord) a seat and water, as well as food,
garnished (with seasoning), according to his ability.
   100. A Brahmana who stays unhonoured (in the house), takes away
(with him) all the spiritual merit even of a man who subsists by
gleaning ears of corn, or offers oblations in five fires.
   101. Grass, room (for resting), water, and fourthly a kind word;
these (things) never fail in the houses of good men.
   102. But a Brahmana who stays one night only is declared to be a
guest (atithi); for because he stays (sthita) not long (anityam), he
is called atithi (a guest).
   103. One must not consider as a guest a Brahmana who dwells in
the same village, nor one who seeks his livelihood by social
intercourse, even though he has come to a house where (there is) a
wife, and where sacred fires (are kept).
   104. Those foolish householders who constantly seek (to live on)
the food of others, become, in consequence of that (baseness), after
death the cattle of those who give them food.
   105. A guest who is sent by the (setting) sun in the evening,
must not be driven away by a householder; whether he have come at
(supper-) time or at an inopportune moment, he must not stay in the
house without entertainment.
   106. Let him not eat any (dainty) food which he does not offer to
his guest; the hospitable reception of guests procures wealth, fame,
long life, and heavenly bliss.
   107. Let him offer (to his guests) seats, rooms, beds, attendance
on departure and honour (while they stay), to the most distinguished
in the best form, to the lower ones in a lower form, to equals in an
equal manner.
   108. But if another guest comes after the Vaisvadeva offering has
been finished, (the householder) must give him food according to his
ability, (but) not repeat the Bali offering.
   109. A Brahmana shall not name his family and (Vedic) gotra in
order to obtain a meal; for he who boasts of them for the sake of a
meal, is called by the wise a foul feeder (vantasin).
   110. But a Kshatriya (who comes) to the house of a Brahmana is
not called a guest (atithi), nor a Vaisya, nor a Sudra, nor a personal
friend, nor a relative, nor the teacher.
   111. But if a Kshatriya comes to the house of a Brahmana in the
manner of a guest, (the house-holder) may feed him according to his
desire, after the above-mentioned Brahmanas have eaten.
   112. Even a Vaisya and a Sudra who have approached his house in the
manner of guests, he may allow to eat with his servants, showing
(thereby) his compassionate disposition.
   113. Even to others, personal friends and so forth, who have come
to his house out of affection, he may give food, garnished (with
seasoning) according to his ability, (at the same time) with his wife.
   114. Without hesitation he may give food, even before his guests,
to the following persons, (viz.) to newly-married women, to infants,
to the sick, and to pregnant women.
   115. But the foolish man who eats first without having given food
to these (persons) does, while he crams, not know that (after death)
he himself will be devoured by dogs and vultures.
   116. After the Brahmanas, the kinsmen, and the servants have dined,
the householder and his wife may afterwards eat what remains.
   117. Having honoured the gods, the sages, men, the manes, and the
guardian deities of the house, the householder shall eat afterwards
what remains.
   118. He who prepares food for himself (alone), eats nothing but
sin; for it is ordained that the food which remains after (the
performance of) the sacrifices shall be the meal of virtuous men.
   119. Let him honour with the honey-mixture a king, an officiating
priest, a Snataka, the teacher, a son-in-law, a father-in-law, and a
maternal uncle, (if they come) again after a full year (has elapsed
since their last visit).
   120. A king and a Srotriya, who come on the performance of a
sacrifice, must be honoured with the honey-mixture, but not if no
sacrifice is being performed; that is a settled rule.
   121. But the wife shall offer in the evening (a portion) of the
dressed food as a Bali-oblation, without (the recitation of) sacred
formulas; for that (rite which is called the) Vaisvadeva is prescribed
both for the morning and the evening.
   122. After performing the Pitriyagna, a Brahmana who keeps a sacred
fire shall offer, month by month, on the new-moon day, the funeral
sacrifice (Sraddha, called) Pindanvaharyaka.
   123. The wise call the monthly funeral offering to the manes
Anvaharya (to be offered after the cakes), and that must be
carefully performed with the approved (sorts of) flesh (mentioned
below).
   124. I will fully declare what and how many (Brahmanas) must be fed
on that (occasion), who must be avoided, and on what kinds of food
(they shall dine).
   125. One must feed two (Brahmanas) at the offering to the gods, and
three at the offering to the manes, or one only on either occasion;
even a very wealthy man shall not be anxious (to entertain) a large
company.
   126. A large company destroys these five (advantages) the
respectful treatment (of the invited, the propriety of) place and
time, purity and (the selection of) virtuous Brahmana (guests); he
therefore shall not seek (to entertain) a large company.
   127. Famed is this rite for the dead, called (the sacrifice
sacred to the manes (and performed) on the new-moon day; if a man is
diligent in (performing) that, (the reward of) the rite for the
dead, which is performed according to Smarta rules, reaches him
constantly.
   128. Oblations to the gods and manes must be presented by the
givers to a Srotriya alone; what is given to such a most worthy
Brahmana yields great reward.
   129. Let him feed even one learned man at (the sacrifice) to the
gods, and one at (the sacrifice) to the manes; (thus) he will gain a
rich reward, not (if he entertains) many who are unacquainted with the
Veda.
   130. Let him make inquiries even regarding the remote (ancestors
of) a Brahmana who has studied an entire (recension of the) Veda;
(if descended from a virtuous race) such a man is a worthy recipient
of gifts (consisting) of food offered to the gods or to the manes,
he is declared (to procure as great rewards as) a guest (atithi).
   131. Though a million of men, unaquainted with the Rikas, were to
dine at a (funeral sacrifice), yet a single man, learned in the
Veda, who is satisfied (with his entertainment), is worth them all
as far as the (production of) spiritual merit (is concerned).
   132. Food sacred to the manes or to the gods must be given to a man
distinguished by sacred knowledge; for hands, smeared with blood,
cannot be cleansed with blood.
   133. As many mouthfuls as an ignorant man swallows at a sacrifice
to the gods or to the manes, so many red-hot spikes, spears, and
iron balls must (the giver of the repast) swallow after death.
   134. Some Brahmanas are devoted to (the pursuit of) knowledge,
and others to (the performance of) austerities; some to austerities
and to the recitation of the Veda, and others to (the performance
of) sacred rites.
   135. Oblations to the manes ought to be carefully presented to
those devoted to knowledge, but offerings to the gods, in accordance
with the reason (of the sacred law), to (men of) all the four
(above-mentioned classes).
   136. If there is a father ignorant of the sacred texts whose son
has learned one whole recension of the Veda and the Angas, and a son
ignorant of the sacred texts whose father knows an entire recension of
the Veda and the Angas,
   137. Know that he whose father knows the Veda, is the more
venerable one (of the two); yet the other one is worthy of honour,
because respect is due to the Veda (which he has learned).
   138. Let him not entertain a personal friend at a funeral
sacrifice; he may gain his affection by (other) valuable gifts; let
him feed at a Sraddha a Brahmana whom he considers neither as a foe
nor as a friend.
   139. He who performs funeral sacrifices and offerings to the gods
chiefly for the sake of (gaining) friends, reaps after death no reward
for Sraddhas and sacrifices.
   140. That meanest among twice-born men who in his folly contracts
friendships through a funeral sacrifice, loses heaven, because he
performed a Sraddha for the sake of friendship.
   141. A gift (of food) by twice-born men, consumed with (friends and
relatives), is said to be offered to the Pisakas; it remains in this
(world) alone like a blind cow in one stable.
   142. As a husbandman reaps no harvest when he has sown the seed
in barren soil, even so the giver of sacrificial food gains no
reward if he presented it to a man unacquainted with the Rikas.
   143. But a present made in accordance with the rules to a learned
man, makes the giver and the recipient partakers of rewards both in
this (life) and after death.
   144. (If no learned Brahmana be at hand), he may rather honour a
(virtuous) friend than an enemy, though the latter may be qualified
(by learning and so forth); for sacrificial food, eaten by a foe,
bears no reward after death.
   145. Let him (take) pains (to) feed at a Sraddha an adherent of the
Rig-veda who has studied one entire (recension of that) Veda, or a
follower of the Yagur-veda who has finished one Sakha, or a singer
of Samans who (likewise) has completed (the study of an entire
recension).
   146. If one of these three dines, duly honoured, at a funeral
sacrifice, the ancestors of him (who gives the feast), as far as the
seventh person, will be satisfied for a very long time.
   147. This is the chief rule (to be followed) in offering sacrifices
to the gods and manes; know that the virtuous always observe the
following subsidiary rule.
   148. One may also entertain (on such occasions) one's maternal
grandfather, a maternal uncle, a sister's son, a father-in-law,
one's teacher, a daughter's son, a daughter's husband, a cognate
kinsman, one's own officiating priest or a man for whom one offers
sacrifices.
   149. For a rite sacred to the gods, he who knows the law will not
make (too close) inquiries regarding an (invited) Brahmana; but when
one performs a ceremony in honour of the manes, one must carefully
examine (the qualities and parentage of the guest).
   150. Manu has declared that those Brahmanas who are thieves,
outcasts, eunuchs, or atheists are unworthy (to partake) of
oblations to the gods and manes.
   151. Let him not entertain at a Sraddha one who wears his hair in
braids (a student), one who has not studied (the Veda), one
afflicted with a skin-disease, a gambler, nor those who sacrifice
for a multitude (of sacrificers).
   152. Physicians, temple-priests, sellers of meat, and those who
subsist by shop-keeping must be avoided at sacrifices offered to the
gods and to the manes.
   153. A paid servant of a village or of a king, man with deformed
nails or black teeth, one who opposes his teacher, one who has
forsaken the sacred fire, and a usurer;
   154. One suffering from consumption, one who subsists by tending
cattle, a younger brother who marries or kindles the sacred fire
before the elder, one who neglects the five great sacrifices, an enemy
of the Brahmana race, an elder brother who marries or kindles the
sacred fire after the younger, and one who belongs to a company or
corporation,
   155. An actor or singer, one who has broken the vow of studentship,
one whose (only or first) wife is a Sudra female, the son of a
remarried woman, a one-eyed man, and he in whose house a paramour of
his wife (resides);
   156. He who teaches for a stipulated fee and he who is taught on
that condition, he who instructs Sudra pupils and he whose teacher
is a Sudra, he who speaks rudely, the son of an adulteress, and the
son of a widow,
   157. He who forsakes his mother, his father, or a teacher without a
(sufficient) reason, he who has contracted an alliance with outcasts
either through the Veda or through a marriage,
   158. An incendiary, a prisoner, he who eats the food given by the
son of an adulteress, a seller of Soma, he who undertakes voyages by
sea, a bard, an oil-man, a suborner to perjury,
   159. He who wrangles or goes to law with his father, the keeper
of a gambling-house, a drunkard, he who is afflicted with a disease
(in punishment of former) crimes, he who is accused of a mortal sin, a
hypocrite, a seller of substances used for flavouring food,
   160. A maker of bows and of arrows, he who lasciviously dallies
with a brother's widow, the betrayer of a friend, one who subsists
by gambling, he who learns (the Veda) from his son,
   161. An epileptic man, who suffers from scrofulous swellings of the
glands, one afflicted with white leprosy, an informer, a madman, a
blind man, and he who cavils at the Veda must (all) be avoided.
   162. A trainer of elephants, oxen, horses, or camels, he who
subsists by astrology, a bird-fancier, and he who teaches the use of
arms,
   163. He who diverts water-courses, and he who delights in
obstructing them, an architect, a messenger, and he who plants trees
(for money),
   164. A breeder of sporting-dogs, a falconer, one who defiles
maidens, he who delights in injuring living creatures, he who gains
his subsistence from Sudras, and he who offers sacrifices to the
Ganas,
   165. He who does not follow the rule of conduct, a (man destitute
of energy like a) eunuch, one who constantly asks (for favours), he
who lives by agriculture, a club-footed man, and he who is censured by
virtuous men,
   166. A shepherd, a keeper of buffaloes, the husband of a
remarried woman, and a carrier of dead bodies, (all these) must be
carefully avoided.
   167. A Brahmana who knows (the sacred law) should shun at
(sacrifices) both (to the gods and to the manes) these lowest of
twice-born men, whose conduct is reprehensible, and who are unworthy
(to sit) in the company (at a repast).
   168. As a fire of dry grass is (unable to consume the offerings and
is quickly) extinguished, even so (is it with) an unlearned
Brahmana; sacrificial food must not be given to him, since it (would
be) offered in ashes.
   169. I will fully declare what result the giver obtains after
death, if he gives food, destined for the gods or manes, to a man
who is unworthy to sit in the company.
   170. The Rakshasas, indeed, consume (the food) eaten by Brahmanas
who have not fulfilled the vow of studentship, by a Parivettri and
so forth, and by other men not admissible into the company.
   171. He must be considered as a Parivettri who marries or begins
the performance of the Agnihotra before his elder brother, but the
latter as a Parivitti.
   172. The elder brother who marries after the younger, the younger
brother who marries before the elder, the female with whom such a
marriage is contracted, he who gives her away, and the sacrificing
priest, as the fifth, all fall into hell.
   173. He who lasciviously dallies with the widow of a deceased
brother, though she be appointed (to bear a child by him) in
accordance with the sacred law, must be known to be a Didhishupati.
   174. Two (kinds of) sons, a Kunda and a Golaka, are born by wives
of other men; (he who is born) while the husband lives, will be a
Kunda, and (he who is begotten) after the husband's death, a Golaka.
   175. But those two creatures, who are born of wives of other men,
cause to the giver the loss (of the rewards), both in this life and
after death, for the food sacred to gods or manes which has been given
(to them).
   176. The foolish giver (of a funeral repast) does not reap the
reward for as many worthy guests as a man, inadmissible into
company, can look on while they are feeding.
   177. A blind man by his presence causes to the giver (of the feast)
the loss of the reward for ninety (guests), a one-eyed man for
sixty, one who suffers from white leprosy for a hundred, and one
punished by a (terrible) disease for a thousand.
   178. The giver (of a Sraddha) loses the reward, due for such a
non-sacrificial gift, for as many Brahmanas as a (guest) who
sacrifices for Sudras may touch (during the meal) with his limbs.
   179. And if a Brahmana, though learned in the Veda, accepts through
covetousness a gift from such (a man), he will quickly perish, like
a vessel of unburnt clay in water.
   180 (Food) given to a seller of Soma becomes ordure, (that given)
to a physician pus and blood, but (that presented) to a
temple-priest is lost, and (that given) to a usurer finds no place (in
the world of the gods).
   181. What has been given to a Brahmana who lives by trade that is
not (useful) in this world and the next, and (a present) to a Brahmana
born of a remarried woman (resembles) an oblation thrown into ashes.
   182. But the wise declare that the food which (is offered) to other
unholy, inadmissible men, enumerated above, (is turned into) adipose
secretions, blood, flesh, marrow, and bone.
   183. Now hear by what chief of twice-born men a company defiled
by (the presence of) unworthy (guests) is purified, and the full
(description of) the Brahmanas who sanctify a company.
   184. Those men must be considered as the sanctifiers of a company
who are most learned in all the Vedas and in all the Angas, and who
are the descendants of Srotriyas.
   185. A Trinakiketa, one who keeps five sacred fires, a
Trisuparna, one who is versed in the six Angas, the son of a woman
married according to the Brahma rite, one who sings the Gyeshthasaman,
   186. One who knows the meaning of the Veda, and he who expounds it,
a student, one who has given a thousand (cows), and a centenarian must
be considered as Brahmanas who sanctify a company.
   187. On the day before the Sraddha-rite is performed, or on the day
when it takes place, let him invite with due respect at least three
Brahmanas, such as have been mentioned above.
   188. A Brahmana who has been invited to a (rite) in honour of the
manes shall always control himself and not recite the Veda, and he who
performs the Sraddha (must act in the same manner).
   189. For the manes attend the invited Brahmanas, follow them
(when they walk) like the wind, and sit near them when they are
seated.
   190. But a Brahmana who, being duly invited to a rite in honour
of the gods or of the manes, in any way breaks (the appointment),
becomes guilty (of a crime), and (in his next birth) a hog.
   191. But he who, being invited to a Sraddha, dallies with a Sudra
woman, takes upon himself all the sins which the giver (of the
feast) committed.
   192. The manes are primeval deities, free from anger, careful of
purity, ever chaste, averse from strife, and endowed with great
virtues.
   193. Now learn fully from whom all these (manes derive) their
origin, and with what ceremonies they ought to be worshipped.
   194. The (various) classes of the manes are declared to be the sons
of all those sages, Mariki and the rest, who are children of Manu, the
son of Hiranyagarbha.
   195. The Somasads, the sons of Virag, are stated to be the manes of
the Sadhyas, and the Agnishvattas, the children of Mariki, are
famous in the world (as the manes) of the gods.
   196. The Barhishads, born of Atri, are recorded to be (the manes)
of the Daityas, Danavas, Yakshas, Gandharvas, Snake-deities,
Rakshasas, Suparnas, and a Kimnaras,
   197. The Somapas those of the Brahmanas, the Havirbhugs those of
the Kshatriyas, the Agyapas those of the Vaisyas, but the Sukalins
those of the Sudras.
   198. The Somapas are the sons of Kavi (Bhrigu), the Havishmats
the children of Angiras, the Agyapas the offspring of Pulastya, but
the Sukalins (the issue) of Vasishtha.
   199. One should know that (other classes), the Agnidagdhas, the
Anagnidagdhas, the Kavyas, the Barhishads, the Agnishvattas, and the
Saumyas, are (the manes) of the Brahmanas alone.
   200. But know also that there exist in this (world) countless
sons and grandsons of those chief classes of manes which have been
enumerated.
   201. From the sages sprang the manes, from the manes the gods and
the Danavas, but from the gods the whole world, both the movable and
the immovable in due order.
   202. Even water offered with faith (to the manes) in vessels made
of silver or adorned with silver, produces endless (bliss).
   203. For twice-born men the rite in honour of the manes is more
important than the rite in honour of the gods; for the offering to the
gods which precedes (the Sraddhas), has been declared to be a means of
fortifying (the latter).
   204. Let him first invite a (Brahmana) in honour of the gods as a
protection for the (offering to the manes); for the Rakshasas
destroy a funeral sacrifice which is left without such a protection.
   205. Let him make (the Sraddha) begin and end with (a rite) in
honour of the gods; it shall not begin and end with a (rite) to the
manes; for he who makes it begin and end with a (rite) in honour of
the manes, soon perishes together with his progeny.
   206. Let him smear a pure and secluded place with cowdung, and
carefully make it sloping towards the south.
   207. The manes are always pleased with offerings made in open,
naturally pure places, on the banks of rivers, and in secluded spots.
   208. The (sacrificer) shall make the (invited) Brahmanas, who
have duly performed their ablutions, sit down on separate, prepared
seats, on which blades of Kusa grass have been placed.
   209. Having placed those blameless Brahmanas on their seats, he
shall honour them with fragrant garlands and perfumes, beginning
with (those who are invited in honour of) the gods.
   210. Having presented to them water, sesamum grains, and blades
of Kusa grass, the Brahmana (sacrificer) shall offer (oblations) in
the sacred fire, after having received permission (to do so) from
(all) the Brahmana (guests) conjointly.
   211. Having first, according to the rule, performed, as a means
of protecting (the Sraddha), oblations to Agni, to Soma, and to
Yama, let him afterwards satisfy the manes by a gift of sacrificial
food.
   212. But if no (sacred) fire (is available), he shall place (the
offerings) into the hand of a Brahmana; for Brahmanas who know the
sacred texts declare, 'What fire is, even such is a Brahmana.'
   213. They (also) call those first of twice-born men the ancient
deities of the funeral sacrifice, free from anger, easily pleased,
employed in making men prosper.
   214. After he has performed (the oblations) in the fire, (and)
the whole series of ceremonies in such a manner that they end in the
south, let him sprinkle water with his right hand on the spot (where
the cakes are to be placed).
   215. But having made three cakes out of the remainder of that
sacrificial food, he must, concentrating his mind and turning
towards the south, place them on (Kusa grass) exactly in the same
manner in which (he poured out the libations of) water.
   216. Having offered those cakes according to the (prescribed) rule,
being pure, let him wipe the same hand with (the roots of) those
blades of Kusa grass for the sake of the (three ancestors) who partake
of the wipings (lepa).
   217. Having (next) sipped water, turned round (towards the
north), and thrice slowly suppressed his breath, (the sacrificer)
who knows the sacred texts shall worship (the guardian deities of) the
six seasons and the manes.
   218. Let him gently pour out the remainder of the water near the
cakes, and, with fixed attention, smell those cakes, in the order in
which they were placed (on the ground).
   219. But taking successively very small portions from the cakes, he
shall make those seated Brahmana eat them, in accordance with the
rule, before (their dinner).
   220. But if the (sacrificer's) father is living, he must offer (the
cakes) to three remoter (ancestors); or he may also feed his father at
the funeral sacrifice as (one of the) Brahmana (guests).
   221. But he whose father is dead, while his grandfather lives,
shall, after pronouncing his father's name, mention (that of) his
great-grandfather.
   222. Manu has declared that either the grandfather may eat at
that Sraddha (as a guest), or (the grandson) having received
permission, may perform it, as he desires.
   223. Having poured water mixed with sesamum, in which a blade of
Kusa grass has been placed, into the hands of the (guests), he shall
give (to each) that (above-mentioned) portion of the cake, saying, 'To
those, Svadha!'
   224. But carrying (the vessel) filled with food with both hands,
the (sacrificer) himself shall gently place it before the Brahmanas,
meditating on the manes.
   225. The malevolent Asuras forcibly snatch away that food which
is brought without being held with both hands.
   226. Let him, being pure and attentive, carefully place on the
ground the seasoning (for the rice), such as broths and pot herbs,
sweet and sour milk, and honey,
   227. (As well as) various (kinds of) hard food which require
mastication, and of soft food, roots, fruits, savoury meat, and
fragrant drinks.
   228. All this he shall present (to his guests), being pure and
attentive, successively invite them to partake of each (dish),
proclaiming its qualities.
   229. Let him on no account drop a tear, become angry or utter an
untruth, nor let him touch the food with his foot nor violently
shake it.
   230. A tear sends the (food) to the Pretas, anger to his enemies, a
falsehood to the dogs, contact with his foot to the Rakshasas, a
shaking to the sinners.
   231. Whatever may please the Brahmanas, let him give without
grudging it; let him give riddles from the Veda, for that is agreeable
to the manes.
   232. At a (sacrifice in honour) of the manes, he must let (his
guests) hear the Veda, the Institutes of the sacred law, legends,
tales, Puranas, and Khilas.
   233. Himself being delighted, let him give delight to the
Brahmanas, cause them to partake gradually and slowly (of each
dish), and repeatedly invite (them to eat) by (offering) the food
and (praising) its qualities.
   234. Let him eagerly entertain at a funeral sacrifice a
daughter's son, though he be a student, and let him place a Nepal
blanket on the on the seat (of each guest), scattering sesamum
grains on the ground.
   235. There are three means of sanctification, (to be used) at a
Sraddha, a daughter's son, a Nepal blanket, and sesamum grains; and
they recommend three (other things) for it, cleanliness, suppression
of anger, and absence of haste.
   236. All the food must be very hot, and the (guests) shall eat in
silence; (even though) asked by the giver (of the feast), the
Brahmanas shall not proclaim the qualities of the sacrificial food.
   237. As long as the food remains warm, as long as they eat in
silence, as long as the qualities of the food are not proclaimed, so
long the manes partake (of it).
   238. What (a guest) eats, covering his head, what he eats with
his face turned towards the south, what he eats with sandals on (his
feet), that the Rakshasas consume.
   239. A Kandala, a village pig, a cock, a dog, a menstruating woman,
and a eunuch must not look at the Brahmanas while they eat.
   240. What (any of) these sees at a burnt-oblation, at a (solemn)
gift, at a dinner (given to Brahmanas), or at any rite in honour of
the gods and manes, that produces not the intended result.
   241. A boar makes (the rite) useless by inhaling the smell (of
the offerings), a cock by the air of his wings, a dog by throwing
his eye (on them), a low-caste man by touching (them).
   242. If a lame man, a one-eyed man, one deficient in a limb, or one
with a redundant limb, be even the servant of the performer (of the
Sraddha), he must be removed from that place (where the Sraddha is
held).
   243. To a Brahmana (householder), or to an ascetic who comes for
food, he may, with the permission of (his) Brahmana (guests), show
honour according to his ability.
   244. Let him mix all the kinds of food together, sprinkle them with
water and put them, scattering them (on Kusa grass), down on the
ground in front of (his guests), when they have finished their meal.
   245. The remnant (in the dishes), and the portion scattered on Kusa
grass, shall be the share of deceased (children) who received not
the sacrament (of cremation) and of those who (unjustly) forsook noble
wives.
   246. They declare the fragments which have fallen on the ground
at a (Sraddha) to the manes, to be the share of honest, dutiful
servants.
   247. But before the performance of the Sapindikarana, one must feed
at the funeral sacrifice in honour of a (recently-) deceased Aryan
(one Brahmana) without (making an offering) to the gods, and give
one cake only.
   248. But after the Sapindikarana of the (deceased father) has
been performed according to the sacred law, the sons must offer the
cakes with those ceremonies, (described above.)
   249. The foolish man who, after having eaten a Sraddha (-dinner),
gives the leavings to a Sudra, falls headlong into the Kalasutra hell.
   250. If the partaker of a Sraddha (-dinner) enters on the same
day the bed of a Sudra female, the manes of his (ancestors) will lie
during that month in her ordure.
   251. Having addressed the question, 'Have you dined well?' (to
his guests), let him give water for sipping to them who are satisfied,
and dismiss them, after they have sipped water, (with the words) 'Rest
either (here or at home)!'
   252. The Brahmana (guests) shall then answer him, 'Let there be
Svadha;' for at all rites in honour of the manes the word Svadha is
the highest benison.
   253. Next let him inform (his guests) who have finished their meal,
of the food which remains; with the permission of the Brahmanas let
him dispose (of that), as they may direct.
   254. At a (Sraddha) in honour of the manes one must use (in
asking of the guests if they are satisfied, the word) svaditam; at a
Goshthi-sraddha, (the word) susrutam; at a Vriddhi-sraddha, (the word)
sampannam; and at (a rite) in honour of the gods, (the word) rukitam.
   255. The afternoon, Kusa grass, the due preparation of the
dwelling, sesamum grains, liberality, the careful preparation of the
food, and (the company of) distinguished Brahmanas are true riches
at all funeral sacrifices.
   256. Know that Kusa grass, purificatory (texts), the morning,
sacrificial viands of all kinds, and those means of purification,
mentioned above, are blessings at a sacrifice to the gods.
   257. The food eaten by hermits in the forest, milk, Soma-juice,
meat which is not prepared (with spices), and salt unprepared by
art, are called, on account of their nature, sacrificial food.
   258. Having dismissed the (invited) Brahmanas, let him, with a
concentrated mind, silent and pure, look towards the south and ask
these blessings of the manes:
   259. 'May liberal men abound with us! May (our knowledge of) the
Vedas and (our) progeny increase! May faith not forsake us! May we
have much to give (to the needy)!'
   260. Having thus offered (the cakes), let him, after (the
prayer), cause a cow, a Brahmana, a goat, or the sacred fire to
consume those cakes, or let him throw them into water.
   261. Some make the offering of the cakes after (the dinner); some
cause (them) to be eaten by birds or throw them into fire or into
water.
   262. The (sacrificer's) first wife, who is faithful and intent on
the worship of the manes, may eat the middle-most cake, (if she be)
desirous of bearing a son.
   263. (Thus) she will bring forth a son who will be long-lived,
famous, intelligent, rich, the father of numerous offspring, endowed
with (the quality of) goodness, and righteous.
   264. Having washed his hands and sipped water, let him prepare
(food) for his paternal relations and, after giving it to them with
due respect, let him feed his maternal relatives also.
   265. But the remnants shall be left (where they lie) until the
Brahmanas have been dismissed; afterwards he shall perform the (daily)
domestic Bali-offering; that is a settled (rule of the) sacred law.
   266. I will now fully declare what kind of sacrificial food,
given to the manes according to the rule, will serve for a long time
or for eternity.
   267. The ancestors of men are satisfied for one month with
sesamum grains, rice, barley, masha beans, water, roots, and fruits,
which have been given according to the prescribed rule,
   268. Two months with fish, three months with the meat of
gazelles, four with mutton, and five indeed with the flesh of birds,
   269. Six months with the flesh of kids, seven with that of
spotted deer, eight with that of the black antelope, but nine with
that of the (deer called) Ruru,
   270. Ten months they are satisfied with the meat of boars and
buffaloes, but eleven months indeed with that of hares and tortoises,
   271. One year with cow-milk and milk-rice; from the flesh of a
long-eared white he-goat their satisfaction endures twelve years.
   272. The (vegetable called) Kalasaka, (the fish called)
Mahasalka, the flesh of a rhinoceros and that of a red goat, and all
kinds of food eaten by hermits in the forest serve for an endless
time.
   273. Whatever (food), mixed with honey, one gives on the thirteenth
lunar day in the rainy season under the asterism of Maghah, that
also procures endless (satisfaction).
   274. 'May such a man (the manes say) be born in our family who will
give us milk-rice, with honey and clarified butter, on the
thirteenth lunar day (of the month of Bhadrapada) and (in the
afternoon) when the shadow of an elephant falls towards the east.'
   275. Whatever (a man), full of faith, duly gives according to the
prescribed rule, that becomes in the other world a perpetual and
imperishable (gratification) for the manes.
   276. The days of the dark half of the month, beginning with the
tenth, but excepting the fourteenth, are recommended for a funeral
sacrifice; (it is) not thus (with) the others.
   277. He who performs it on the even (lunar) days and under the even
constellations, gains (the fulfilment of) all his wishes; he who
honours the manes on odd (lunar days) and under odd
(constellations), obtains distinguished offspring.
   278. As the second half of the month is preferable to the first
half, even so the afternoon is better for (the performance of) a
funeral sacrifice than the forenoon.
   279. Let him, untired, duly perform the (rites) in honour of the
manes in accordance with the prescribed rule, passing the sacred
thread over the right shoulder, proceeding from the left to the
right (and) holding Kusa grass in his hands, up to the end (of the
ceremony).
   280. Let him not perform a funeral sacrifice at night, because
the (night) is declared to belong to the Rakshasas, nor in the
twilight, nor when the sun has just risen.
   281. Let him offer here below a funeral sacrifice, according to the
rule given above, (at least) thrice a year, in winter, in summer,
and in the rainy season, but that which is included among the five
great sacrifices, every day.
   282. The burnt-oblation, offered at a sacrifice to the manes,
must not be made in a common fire; a Brahmana who keeps a sacred
fire (shall) not (perform) a funeral sacrifice except on the
new-moon day.
   283. Even when a Brahmana, after bathing, satisfies the manes
with water, he obtains thereby the whole reward for the performance of
the (daily) Sraddha.
   284. They call (the manes of) fathers Vasus, (those of)
grandfathers Rudras, and (those of) great-grandfathers Adityas; thus
(speaks) the eternal Veda.
   285. Let him daily partake of the vighasa and daily eat amrita
(ambrosia); but vighasa is what remains from the meal (of Brahmana
guests) and the remainder of a sacrifice (is called) amrita.
   286. Thus all the ordinances relating to the five (daily great)
sacrifices have been declared to you; hear now the law for the
manner of living fit for Brahmanas.
                         CHAPTER IV.

   1. Having dwelt with a teacher during the fourth part of (a
man's) life, a Brahmana shall live during the second quarter (of his
existence) in his house, after he has wedded a wife.
   2. A Brahmana must seek a means of subsistence which either
causes no, or at least little pain (to others), and live (by that)
except in times of distress.
   3. For the purpose of gaining bare subsistence, let him
accumulate property by (following those) irreproachable occupations
(which are prescribed for) his (caste), without (unduly) fatiguing his
body.
   4. He may subsist by Rita (truth), and Amrita (ambrosia), or by
Mrita (death) and by Pramrita (what causes many deaths); or even by
(the mode) called Satyanrita (a mixture of truth and falsehood), but
never by Svavritti (a dog's mode of life).
   5. By Rita shall be understood the gleaning of corn; by Amrita,
what is given unasked; by Mrita, food obtained by begging and
agriculture is declared to be Pramrita.
   6. But trade and (money-lending) are Satyanrita, even by that one
may subsist. Service is called Svavritti; therefore one should avoid
it.
   7. He may either possess enough to fill a granary, or a store
filling a grain-jar; or he may collect what suffices for three days,
or make no provision for the morrow.
   8. Moreover, among these four Brahmana householders, each
later-(named) must be considered more distinguished, and through his
virtue to have conquered the world more completely.
   9. One of these follows six occupations, another subsists by three,
one by two, but the fourth lives by the Brahmasattra.
   10. He who maintains himself by picking up grains and ears of corn,
must be always intent on (the performance of) the Agnihotra, and
constantly offer those Ishtis only, which are prescribed for the
days of the conjunction and opposition (of the moon), and for the
solstices.
   11. Let him never, for the sake of subsistence, follow the ways
of the world; let him live the pure, straightforward, honest life of a
Brahmana.
   12. He who desires happiness must strive after a perfectly
contented disposition and control himself; for happiness has
contentment for its root, the root of unhappiness is the contrary
(disposition).
   13. A Brahmana, who is a Snataka and subsists by one of the
(above-mentioned) modes of life, must discharge the (following) duties
which secure heavenly bliss, long life, and fame.
   14. Let him, untired, perform daily the rites prescribed for him in
the Veda; for he who performs those according to his ability,
attains to the highest state.
   15. Whether he be rich or even in distress, let him not seek wealth
through pursuits to which men cleave, nor by forbidden occupations,
nor (let him accept presents) from any (giver whosoever he may be).
   16. Let him not, out of desire (for enjoyments), attach himself
to any sensual pleasures, and let him carefully obviate an excessive
attachment to them, by (reflecting on their worthlessness in) his
heart.
   17. Let him avoid all (means of acquiring) wealth which impede
the study of the Veda; (let him maintain himself) anyhow, but study,
because that (devotion to the Veda-study secures) the realisation of
his aims.
   18. Let him walk here (on earth), bringing his dress, speech, and
thoughts to a conformity with his age, his occupation, his wealth, his
sacred learning, and his race.
   19. Let him daily pore over those Institutes of science which
soon give increase of wisdom, those which teach the acquisition of
wealth, those which are beneficial (for other worldly concerns), and
likewise over the Nigamas which explain the Veda.
   20. For the more a man completely studies the Institutes of
science, the more he fully understands (them), and his great
learning shines brightly.
   21. Let him never, if he is able (to perform them), neglect the
sacrifices to the sages, to the gods, to the Bhutas, to men, and to
the manes.
   22. Some men who know the ordinances for sacrificial rites,
always offer these great sacrifices in their organs (of sensation),
without any (external) effort.
   23. Knowing that the (performance of the) sacrifice in their speech
and their breath yields imperishable (rewards), some always offer
their breath in their speech, and their speech in their breath.
   24. Other Brahmanas, seeing with the eye of knowledge that the
performance of those rites has knowledge for its root, always
perform them through knowledge alone.
   25. A Brahmana shall always offer the Agnihotra at the beginning or
at the end of the day and of the night, and the Darsa and Paurnamasa
(Ishtis) at the end of each half-month,
   26. When the old grain has been consumed the (Agrayana) Ishti
with new grain, at the end of the (three) seasons the (Katurmasya-)
sacrifices, at the solstices an animal (sacrifice), at the end of
the year Soma-offerings.
   27. A Brahmana, who keeps sacred fires, shall, if he desires to
live long, not eat new grain or meat, without having offered the
(Agrayana) Ishti with new grain and an animal-(sacrifice).
   28. For his fires, not being worshipped by offerings of new grain
and of an animal, seek to devour his vital spirits, (because they are)
greedy for new grain and flesh.
   29. No guest must stay in his house without being honoured,
according to his ability, with a seat, food, a couch, water, or
roots and fruits.
   30. Let him not honour, even by a greeting, heretics, men who
follow forbidden occupations, men who live like cats, rogues,
logicians, (arguing against the Veda,) and those who live like herons.
   31. Those who have become Snatakas after studying the Veda, or
after completing their vows, (and) householders, who are Srotriyas,
one must worship by (gifts of food) sacred to gods and manes, but
one must avoid those who are different.
   32. A householder must give (as much food) as he is able (to spare)
to those who do not cook for themselves, and to all beings one must
distribute (food) without detriment (to one's own interest).
   33. A Snataka who pines with hunger, may beg wealth of a king, of
one for whom he sacrifices, and of a pupil, but not of others; that is
a settled rule.
   34. A Snataka who is able (to procure food) shall never waste
himself with hunger, nor shall he wear old or dirty clothes, if he
possesses property.
   35. Keeping his hair, nails, and beard clipped, subduing his
passions by austerities, wearing white garments and (keeping
himself) pure, he shall be always engaged in studying the Veda and
(such acts as are) conducive to his welfare.
   36. He shall carry a staff of bamboo, a pot full of water, a sacred
string, a bundle of Kusa grass, and (wear) two bright golden
ear-rings.
   37. Let him never look at the sun, when he sets or rises, is
eclipsed or reflected in water, or stands in the middle of the sky.
   38. Let him not step over a rope to which a calf is tied, let him
not run when it rains, and let him not look at his own image in water;
that is a settled rule.
   39. Let him pass by (a mound of) earth, a cow, an idol, a Brahmana,
clarified butter, honey, a crossway, and well-known trees, turning his
right hand towards them.
   40. Let him, though mad with desire, not approach his wife when her
courses appear; nor let him sleep with her in the same bed.
   41. For the wisdom, the energy, the strength, the sight, and the
vitality of a man who approaches a woman covered with menstrual
excretions, utterly perish.
   42. If he avoids her, while she is in that condition, his wisdom,
energy, strength, sight, and vitality will increase.
   43. Let him not eat in the company of his wife, nor look at her,
while she eats, sneezes, yawns, or sits at her ease.
   44. A Brahmana who desires energy must not look at (a woman) who
applies collyrium to her eyes, has anointed or uncovered herself or
brings forth (a child).
   45. Let him not eat, dressed with one garment only; let him not
bathe naked; let him not void urine on a road, on ashes, or in a
cow-pen,
   46. Nor on ploughed land, in water, on an altar of bricks, on a
mountain, on the ruins of a temple, nor ever on an ant-hill,
   47. Nor in holes inhabited by living creatures, nor while he
walks or stands, nor on reaching the bank of a river, nor on the top
of a mountain.
   48. Let him never void faeces or urine, facing the wind, or a fire,
or looking towards a Brahmana, the sun, water, or cows.
   49. He may ease himself, having covered (the ground) with sticks,
clods, leaves, grass, and the like, restraining his speech, (keeping
himself) pure, wrapping up his body, and covering his head.
   50. Let him void faeces and urine, in the daytime turning to the
north, at night turning towards the south, during the two twilights in
the same (position) as by day.
   51. In the shade or in darkness a Brahmana may, both by day and
at night, do it, assuming any position he pleases; likewise when his
life is in danger.
   52. The intellect of (a man) who voids urine against a fire, the
sun, the moon, in water, against a Brahmana, a cow, or the wind,
perishes.
   53. Let him not blow a fire with his mouth; let him not look at a
naked woman; let him not throw any impure substance into the fire, and
let him not warm his feet at it.
   54. Let him not place (fire) under (a bed or the like); nor step
over it, nor place it (when he sleeps) at the foot-(end of his bed);
let him not torment living creatures.
   55. Let him not eat, nor travel, nor sleep during the twilight; let
him not scratch the ground; let him not take off his garland.
   56. Let him not throw urine or faeces into the water, nor saliva,
nor (clothes) defiled by impure substances, nor any other
(impurity), nor blood, nor poisonous things.
   57. Let him not sleep alone in a deserted dwelling; let him not
wake (a superior) who is sleeping; let him not converse with a
menstruating woman; nor let him go to a sacrifice, if he is not chosen
(to be officiating priest).
   58. Let him keep his right arm uncovered in a place where a
sacred fire is kept, in a cow-pen, in the presence of Brahmanas,
during the private recitation of the Veda, and at meals.
   59. Let him not interrupt a cow who is suckling (her calf), nor
tell anybody of it. A wise man, if he sees a rainbow in the sky,
must not point it out to anybody.
   60. Let him not dwell in a village where the sacred law is not
obeyed, nor (stay) long where diseases are endemic; let him not go
alone on a journey, nor reside long on a mountain.
   61. Let him not dwell in a country where the rulers are Sudras, nor
in one which is surrounded by unrighteous men, nor in one which has
become subject to heretics, nor in one swarming with men of the lowest
castes.
   62. Let him not eat anything from which the oil has been extracted;
let him not be a glutton; let him not eat very early (in the morning),
nor very late (in the evening), nor (take any food) in the evening, if
he has eaten (his fill) in the morning.
   63. Let him not exert himself without a purpose; let him not
drink water out of his joined palms; let him not eat food (placed)
in his lap; let him not show (idle) curiosity.
   64. Let him not dance, nor sing, nor play musical instruments,
nor slap (his limbs), nor grind his teeth, nor let him make uncouth
noises, though he be in a passion.
   65. Let him never wash his feet in a vessel of white brass; let him
not eat out of a broken (earthen) dish, nor out of one that (to judge)
from its appearance (is) defiled.
   66. Let him not use shoes, garments, a sacred string, ornaments,
a garland, or a water-vessel which have been used by others.
   67. Let him not travel with untrained beasts of burden, nor with
(animals) that are tormented by hunger or disease, or whose horns,
eyes, and hoofs have been injured, or whose tails have been
disfigured.
   68. Let him always travel with (beasts) which are well broken in,
swift, endowed with lucky marks, and perfect in colour and form,
without urging them much with the goad.
   69. The morning sun, the smoke rising from a (burning) corpse,
and a broken seat must be avoided. Let him not clip his nails or hair,
and not tear his nails with his teeth.
   70. Let him not crush earth or clods, nor tear off grass with his
nails; let him not do anything that is useless or will have
disagreeable results in the future.
   71. A man who crushes clods, tears off grass, or bites his nails,
goes soon to perdition, likewise an informer and he who neglects
(the rules of) purification.
   72. Let him not wrangle; let him not wear a garland over (his
hair). To ride on the back of cows (or of oxen) is anyhow a blamable
act.
   73. Let him not enter a walled village or house except by the gate,
and by night let him keep at a long distance from the roots of trees.
   74. Let him never play with dice, nor himself take off his shoes;
let him not eat, lying on a bed, nor what has been placed in his
hand or on a seat.
   75. Let him not eat after sunset any (food) containing sesamum
grains; let him never sleep naked, nor go anywhere unpurified (after
meals).
   76. Let him eat while his feet are (yet) wet (from the ablution),
but let him not go to bed with wet feet. He who eats while his feet
are (still) wet, will attain long life.
   77. Let him never enter a place, difficult of access, which is
impervious to his eye; let him not look at urine or ordure, nor
cross a river (swimming) with his arms.
   78. Let him not step on hair, ashes, bones, potsherds,
cotton-seed or chaff, if he desires long life.
   79. Let him not stay together with outcasts, nor with Kandalas, nor
with Pukkasas, nor with fools, nor with overbearing men, nor with
low-caste men, nor with Antyavasayins.
   80. Let him not give to a Sudra advice, nor the remnants (of his
meal), nor food offered to the gods; nor let him explain the sacred
law (to such a man), nor impose (upon him) a penance.
   81. For he who explains the sacred law (to a Sudra) or dictates
to him a penance, will sink together with that (man) into the hell
(called) Asamvrita.
   82. Let him not scratch his head with both hands joined; let him
not touch it while he is impure, nor bathe without (submerging) it.
   83. Let him avoid (in anger) to lay hold of (his own or other
men's) hair, or to strike (himself or others) on the head. When he has
bathed (submerging) his head, he shall not touch any of his limbs with
oil.
   84. Let him not accept presents from a king who is not descended
from the Kshatriya race, nor from butchers, oil-manufacturers, and
publicans, nor from those who subsist by the gain of prostitutes.
   85. One oil-press is as (bad) as ten slaughter-houses, one tavern
as (bad as) ten oil-presses, one brothel as (bad as) ten taverns,
one king as (bad as) ten brothels.
   86. A king is declared to be equal (in wickedness) to a butcher who
keeps a hundred thousand slaughter-houses; to accept presents from him
is a terrible (crime).
   87. He who accepts presents from an avaricious king who acts
contrary to the Institutes (of the sacred law), will go in
succession to the following twenty-one hells:
   88. Tamisra, Andhatamisra, Maharaurava, Raurava, the Kalasutra
hell, Mahanaraka,
   89. Samgivana, Mahaviki, Tapana, Sampratapana, Samghata,
Sakakola, Kudmala, Putimrittika,
   90. Lohasanku, Rigisha, Pathin, the (flaming) river, Salmala,
Asipatravana, and Lohakaraka.
   91. Learned Brahmanas, who know that, who study the Veda and desire
bliss after death, do not accept presents from a king.
   92. Let him wake in the muhurta, sacred to Brahman, and think of
(the acquisition of) spiritual merit and wealth, of the bodily fatigue
arising therefrom, and of the true meaning of the Veda.
   93. When he has risen, has relieved the necessities of nature and
carefully purified himself, let him stand during the morning twilight,
muttering for a long time (the Gayatri), and at the proper time (he
must similarly perform) the evening (devotion).
   94. By prolonging the twilight devotions, the sages obtained long
life, wisdom, honour, fame, and excellence in Vedic knowledge.
   95. Having performed the Upakarman according to the prescribed rule
on (the full moon of the month) Sravana, or on that of Praushthapada
(Bhadrapada), a Brahmana shall diligently study the Vedas during
four months and a half.
   96. When the Pushya-day (of the month Pausha), or the first day
of the bright half of Magha has come, a Brahmana shall perform in
the forenoon the Utsargana of the Vedas.
   97. Having performed the Utsarga outside (the village), as the
Institutes (of the sacred law) prescribe, he shall stop reading during
two days and the intervening night, or during that day (of the
Utsarga) and (the following) night.
   98. Afterwards he shall diligently recite the Vedas during the
bright (halves of the months), and duly study all the Angas of the
Vedas during the dark fortnights.
   99. Let him not recite (the texts) indistinctly, nor in the
presence of Sudras; nor let him, if in the latter part of the night he
is tired with reciting the Veda, go again to sleep.
   100. According to the rule declared above, let him recite the daily
(portion of the) Mantras, and a zealous Brahmana, (who is) not in
distress, (shall study) the Brahmana and the Mantrasamhita.
   101. Let him who studies always avoid (reading) on the following
occasions when the Veda-study is forbidden, and (let) him who
teaches pupils according to the prescribed rule (do it likewise).
   102. Those who know the (rules of) recitation declare that in the
rainy season the Veda-study must be stopped on these two
(occasions), when the wind is audible at night, and when it whirls
up the dust in the day-time.
   103. Manu has stated, that when lightning, thunder, and rain (are
observed together), or when large fiery meteors fall on all sides, the
recitation must be interrupted until the same hour (on the next day,
counting from the occurrence of the event).
   104. When one perceives these (phenomena) all together (in the
twilight), after the sacred fires have been made to blaze (for the
performance of the Agnihotra), then one must know the recitation of
the Veda to be forbidden, and also when clouds appear out of season.
   105. On (the occasion of) a preternatural sound from the sky,
(of) an earthquake, and when the lights of heaven are surrounded by
a halo, let him know that (the Veda-study must be) stopped until the
same hour (on the next day), even if (these phenomena happen) in the
(rainy) season.
   106. But when lightning and the roar of thunder (are observed)
after the sacred fires have been made to blaze, the stoppage shall
last as long as the light (of the sun or of the stars is visible);
if the remaining (above-named phenomenon, rain, occurs, the reading
shall cease), both in the day-time and at night.
   107. For those who wish to acquire exceedingiy great merit, a
continual interruption of the Veda-study (is prescribed) in villages
and in towns, and (the Veda-study must) always (cease) when any kind
of foul smell (is perceptible).
   108. In a village where a corpse lies, in the presence of a (man
who lives as unrighteously as a) Sudra, while (the sound of) weeping
(is heard), and in a crowd of men the (recitation of the Veda must be)
stopped.
   109. In water, during the middle part of the night, while he
voids excrements, or is impure, and after he has partaken of a funeral
dinner, a man must not even think in his heart (of the sacred texts).
   110. A learned Brahmana shall not recite the Veda during three
days, when he has accepted an invitation to a (funeral rite) in honour
of one ancestor (ekoddishta), or when the king has become impure
through a birth or death in his family (sutaka), or when Rahu by an
eclipse makes the moon impure.
   111. As long as the smell and the stains of the (food given) in
honour of one ancestor remain on the body of a learned Brahmana, so
long he must not recite the Veda.
   112. While lying on a bed, while his feet are raised (on a
bench), while he sits on his hams with a cloth tied round his knees,
let him not study, nor when he has eaten meat or food given by a
person impure on account of a birth or a death,
   113. Nor during a fog, nor while the sound of arrows is audible,
nor during both the twilights, nor on the new-moon day, nor on the
fourteenth and the eighth (days of each half-month), nor on the
full-moon day.
   114. The new-moon day destroys the teacher, the fourteenth (day)
the pupil, the eighth and the full-moon days (destroy all
remembrance of) the Veda; let him therefore avoid (reading on) those
(days).
   115. A Brahmana shall not recite (the Veda) during a dust-storm,
nor while the sky is preternaturally red, nor while jackals howl,
nor while the barking of dogs, the braying of donkeys, or the grunting
of camels (is heard), nor while (he is seated) in a company.
   116. Let him not study near a burial-ground, nor near a village,
nor in a cow-pen, nor dressed in a garment which he wore during
conjugal intercourse, nor after receiving a present at a funeral
sacrifice.
   117. Be it an animal or a thing inanimate, whatever be the (gift)
at a Sraddha, let him not, having just accepted it, recite the Veda;
for the hand of a Brahmana is his mouth.
   118. When the village has been beset by robbers, and when an
alarm has been raised by fire, let him know that (the Veda-study
must be) interrupted until the same hour (on the next day), and on
(the occurrence of) all portents.
   119. On (the occasion of) the Upakarman and (of) the Vedotsarga
an omission (of the Veda-study) for three days has been prescribed,
but on the Ashtakas and on the last nights of the seasons for a day
and a night.
   120. Let him not recite the Veda on horseback, nor on a tree, nor
on an elephant, nor in a boat (or ship), nor on a donkey, nor on
camel, nor standing on barren ground, nor riding in a carriage,
   121. Nor during a verbal altercation, nor during a mutual
assault, nor in a camp, nor during a battle, nor when he has just
eaten, nor during an indigestion, nor after vomiting, nor with sour
eructations,
   122. Nor without receiving permission from a guest (who stays in
his house), nor while the wind blows vehemently, nor while blood flows
from his body, nor when he is wounded by a weapon.
   123. Let him never recite the Rig-veda or the Yagur-veda while
the Saman (melodies) are heard; (let him stop all Veda-study for a day
and a night) after finishing a Veda or after reciting an Aranyaka.
   124. The Rig-veda is declared to be sacred to the gods, the
Yagur-veda sacred to men, and the Sama-veda sacred to the manes; hence
the sound of the latter is impure (as it were).
   125. Knowing this, the learned daily repeat first in due order
the essence of the three (Vedas) and afterwards the (text of the)
Veda.
   126. Know that (the Veda-study must be) interrupted for a day and a
night, when cattle, a frog, a cat, a dog, a snake, an ichneumon, or
a rat pass between (the teacher and his pupil).
   127. Let a twice-born man always carefully interrupt the Veda-study
on two (occasions, viz.) when the place where he recites is impure,
and when he himself is unpurified.
   128. A twice-born man who is a Snataka shall remain chaste on the
new-moon day, on the eighth (lunar day of each half-month), on the
full-moon day, and on the fourteenth, even (if they fall) in the
period (proper for conjugal intercourse).
   129. Let him not bathe (immediately) after a meal, nor when he is
sick, nor in the middle of the night, nor frequently dressed in all
his garments, nor in a pool which he does not perfectly know.
   130. Let him not intentionally step on the shadow of (images of)
the gods, of a Guru, of a king, of a Snataka, of his teacher, of a
reddish-brown animal, or of one who has been initiated to the
performance of a Srauta sacrifice (Dikshita).
   131. At midday and at midnight, after partaking of meat at a
funeral dinner, and in the two twilights let him not stay long on a
cross-road.
   132. Let him not step intentionally on things used for cleansing
the body, on water used for a bath, on urine or ordure, on blood, on
mucus, and on anything spat out or vomited.
   133. Let him not show particular attention to an enemy, to the
friend of an enemy, to a wicked man, to a thief, or to the wife of
another man.
   134. For in this world there is nothing so detrimental to long life
as criminal conversation with another man's wife.
   135. Let him who desires prosperity, indeed, never despise a
Kshatriya, a snake, and a learned Brahmana, be they ever so feeble.
   136. Because these three, when treated with disrespect, may utterly
destroy him; hence a wise man must never despise them.
   137. Let him not despise himself on account of former failures;
until death let him seek fortune, nor despair of gaining it.
   138. Let him say what is true, let him say what is pleasing, let
him utter no disagreeable truth, and let him utter no agreeable
falsehood; that is the eternal law.
   139. (What is) well, let him call well, or let him say 'well' only;
let him not engage in a useless enmity or dispute with anybody.
   140. Let him not journey too early in the morning, nor too late
in the evening, nor just during the midday (heat), nor with an unknown
(companion), nor alone, nor with Sudras.
   141. Let him not insult those who have redundant limbs or are
deficient in limbs, nor those destitute of knowledge, nor very aged
men, nor those who have no beauty or wealth, nor those who are of
low birth.
   142. A Brahmana who is impure must not touch with his hand a cow, a
Brahmana, or fire; nor, being in good health, let him look at the
luminaries in the sky, while he is impure.
   143. If he has touched these, while impure, let him always sprinkle
with his hand water on the organs of sensation, all his limbs, and the
navel.
   144. Except when sick he must not touch the cavities (of the
body) without a reason, and he must avoid (to touch) the hair on the
secret (parts).
   145. Let him eagerly follow the (customs which are) auspicious
and the rule of good conduct, be careful of purity, and control all
his organs, let him mutter (prayers) and, untired, daily offer
oblations in the fire.
   146. No calamity happens to those who eagerly follow auspicious
customs and the rule of good conduct, to those who are always
careful of purity, and to those who mutter (sacred texts) and offer
burnt-oblations.
   147. Let him, without tiring, daily mutter the Veda at the proper
time; for they declare that to be one's highest duty; (all) other
(observances) are called secondary duties.
   148. By daily reciting the Veda, by (the observance of the rules
of) purification, by (practising) austerities, and by doing no
injury to created beings, one (obtains the faculty of) remembering
former births.
   149. He who, recollecting his former existences, again recites
the Veda, gains endless bliss by the continual study of the Veda.
   150. Let him always offer on the Parva-days oblations to Savitri
and such as avert evil omens, and on the Ashtakas and Anvashtakas
let him constantly worship the manes.
   151. Far from his dwelling let him remove urine (and ordure), far
(let him remove) the water used for washing his feet, and far the
remnants of food and the water from his bath.
   152. Early in the morning only let him void faeces, decorate (his
body), bathe, clean his teeth, apply collyrium to his eyes, and
worship the gods.
   153. But on the Parva-days let him go to visit the (images of
the) gods, and virtuous Brahmanas, and the ruler (of the country), for
the sake of protection, as well as his Gurus.
   154. Let him reverentially salute venerable men (who visit him),
give them his own seat, let him sit near them with joined hands and,
when they leave, (accompany them), walking behind them.
   155. Let him, untired, follow the conduct of virtuous men,
connected with his occupations, which has been fully declared in the
revealed texts and in the sacred tradition (Smriti) and is the root of
the sacred law.
   156. Through virtuous conduct he obtains long life, through
virtuous conduct desirable offspring, through virtuous conduct
imperishable wealth; virtuous conduct destroys (the effect of)
inauspicious marks.
   157. For a man of bad conduct is blamed among people, constantly
suffers misfortunes, is afflicted with diseases, and short-lived.
   158. A man who follows the conduct of the virtuous, has faith and
is free from envy, lives a hundred years, though he be entirely
destitute of auspicious marks.
   159. Let him carefully avoid all undertakings (the success of)
which depends on others; but let him eagerly pursue that (the
accomplishment of) which depends on himself.
   160. Everything that depends on others (gives) pain, everything
that depends on oneself (gives) pleasure; know that this is the
short definition of pleasure and pain.
   161. When the performance of an act gladdens his heart, let him
perform it with diligence; but let him avoid the opposite.
   162. Let him never offend the teacher who initiated him, nor him
who explained the Veda, nor his father and mother, nor (any other)
Guru, nor cows, nor Brahmanas, nor any men performing austerities.
   163. Let him avoid atheism, cavilling at the Vedas, contempt of the
gods, hatred, want of modesty, pride, anger, and harshness.
   164. Let him, when angry, not raise a stick against another man,
nor strike (anybody) except a son or a pupil; those two he may beat in
order to correct them.
   165. A twice-born man who has merely threatened a Brahmana with the
intention of (doing him) a corporal injury, will wander about for a
hundred years in the Tamisra hell.
   166. Having intentionally struck him in anger, even with a blade of
grass, he will be born during twenty-one existences in the wombs (of
such beings where men are born in punishment of their) sins.
   167. A man who in his folly caused blood to flow from the body of a
Brahmana who does not attack him, will suffer after death
exceedingly great pain.
   168. As many particles of dust as the blood takes up from the
ground, during so many years the spiller of the blood will be devoured
by other (animals) in the next world.
   169. A wise man should therefore never threaten a Brahmana, nor
strike him even with a blade of grass, nor cause his blood to flow.
   170. Neither a man who (lives) unrighteously, nor he who (acquires)
wealth (by telling) falsehoods, nor he who always delights in doing
injury, ever attain happiness in this world.
   171. Let him, though suffering in consequence of his righteousness,
never turn his heart to unrighteousness; for he will see the speedy
overthrow of unrighteous, wicked men.
   172. Unrighteousness, practised in this world, does not at once
produce its fruit, like a cow; but, advancing slowly, it cuts off
the roots of him who committed it.
   173. If (the punishment falls) not on (the offender) himself, (it
falls) on his sons, if not on the sons, (at least) on his grandsons;
but an iniquity (once) committed, never fails to produce fruit to
him who wrought it.
   174. He prospers for a while through unrighteousness, then he gains
great good fortune, next he conquers his enemies, but (at last) he
perishes (branch and) root.
   175. Let him always delight in truthfulness, (obedience to) the
sacred law, conduct worthy of an Aryan, and purity; let him chastise
his pupils according to the sacred law; let him keep his speech, his
arms, and his belly under control.
   176. Let him avoid (the acquisition of) wealth and (the
gratification of his) desires, if they are opposed to the sacred
law, and even lawful acts which may cause pain in the future or are
offensive to men.
   177. Let him not be uselessly active with his hands and feet, or
with his eyes, nor crooked (in his ways), nor talk idly, nor injure
others by deeds or even think of it.
   178. Let him walk in that path of holy men which his fathers and
his grandfathers followed; while he walks in that, he will not
suffer harm.
   179. With an officiating or a domestic priest, with a teacher, with
a maternal uncle, a guest and a dependant, with infants, aged and sick
men, with learned men, with his paternal relatives, connexions by
marriage and maternal relatives,
   180. With his father and his mother, with female relatives, with
a brother, with his son and his wife, with his daughter and with his
slaves, let him not have quarrels.
   181. If he avoids quarrels with these persons, he will be freed
from all sins, and by suppressing (all) such (quarrels) a
householder conquers all the following worlds.
   182. The teacher is the lord of the world of Brahman, the father
has power over the world of the Lord of created beings (Pragapati),
a guest rules over the world of Indra, and the priests over the
world of the gods.
   183. The female relatives (have power) over the world of the
Apsarases, the maternal relatives over that of the Visve Devas, the
connexions by marriage over that of the waters, the mother and the
maternal uncle over the earth.
   184. Infants, aged, poor and sick men must be considered as
rulers of the middle sphere, the eldest brother as equal to one's
father, one's wife and one's son as one's own body,
   185. One's slaves as one's shadow, one's daughter as the highest
object of tenderness; hence if one is offended by (any one of)
these, one must bear it without resentment.
   186. Though (by his learning and sanctity) he may be entitled to
accept presents, let him not attach himself (too much) to that
(habit); for through his accepting (many) presents the divine light in
him is soon extinguished.
   187. Without a full knowledge of the rules, prescribed by the
sacred law for the acceptance of presents, a wise man should not
take anything, even though he may pine with hunger.
   188. But an ignorant (man) who accepts gold, land, a horse, a
cow, food, a dress, sesamum-grains, (or) clarified butter, is
reduced to ashes like (a piece of) wood.
   189. Gold and food destroy his longevity, land and a cow his
body, a horse his eye (sight), a garment his skin, clarified butter
his energy, sesamum-grains his offspring.
   190. A Brahmana who neither performs austerities nor studies the
Veda, yet delights in accepting gifts, sinks with the (donor into
hell), just as (he who attempts to cross over in) a boat made of stone
(is submerged) in the water.
   191. Hence an ignorant (man) should be afraid of accepting any
presents; for by reason of a very small (gift) even a fool sinks (into
hell) as a cow into a morass.
   192. (A man) who knows the law should not offer even water to a
Brahmana who acts like a cat, nor to a Brahmana who acts like a heron,
nor to one who is unacquainted with the Veda.
   193. For property, though earned in accordance with prescribed
rules, which is given to these three (persons), causes in the next
world misery both to the giver and to the recipient.
   194. As he who (attempts to) cross water in a boat of stone sinks
(to the bottom), even so an ignorant donor and an ignorant donee
sink low.
   195. (A man) who, ever covetous, displays the flag of virtue,
(who is) a hypocrite, a deceiver of the people, intent on doing
injury, (and) a detractor (from the merits) of all men, one must
know to be one who acts like a cat.
   196. That Brahmana, who with downcast look, of a cruel disposition,
is solely intent on attaining his own ends, dishonest and falsely
gentle, is one who acts like a heron.
   197. Those Brahmanas who act like herons, and those who display the
characteristics of cats, fall in consequence of that wicked mode of
acting into (the hell called) Andhatamisra.
   198. When he has committed a sin, let him not perform a penance
under the pretence (that the act is intended to gain) spiritual merit,
(thus) hiding his sin under (the pretext of) a vow and deceiving women
and Sudras.
   199. Such Brahmanas are reprehended after death and in this
(life) by those who expound the Veda, and a vow, performed under a
false pretence, goes to the Rakshasas.
   200. He who, without being a student, gains his livelihood by
(wearing) the dress of a student, takes upon himself the guilt of
(all) students and is born again in the womb of an animal.
   201. Let him never bathe in tanks belonging to other men; if he
bathes (in such a one), he is tainted by a portion of the guilt of him
who made the tank.
   202. He who uses without permission a carriage, a bed, a seat, a
well, a garden or a house belonging to an (other man), takes upon
himself one fourth of (the owner's) guilt.
   203. Let him always bathe in rivers, in ponds, dug by the gods
(themselves), in lakes, and in waterholes or springs.
   204. A wise man should constantly discharge the paramount duties
(called yama), but not always the minor ones (called niyama); for he
who does not discharge the former, while he obeys the latter alone,
becomes an outcast.
   205. A Brahmana must never eat (a dinner given) at a sacrifice that
is offered by one who is not a Srotriya, by one who sacrifices for a
multitude of men, by a woman, or by a eunuch.
   206. When those persons offer sacrificial viands in the fire, it is
unlucky for holy (men) it displeases the gods; let him therefore avoid
it.
   207. Let him never eat (food given) by intoxicated, angry, or
sick (men), nor that in which hair or insects are found, nor what
has been touched intentionally with the foot,
   208. Nor that at which the slayer of a learned Brahmana has looked,
nor that which has been touched by a menstruating woman, nor that
which has been pecked at by birds or touched by a dog,
   209. Nor food at which a cow has smelt, nor particularly that which
has been offered by an invitation to all comers, nor that (given) by a
multitude or by harlots, nor that which is declared to be had by a
learned (man),
   210. Nor the food (given) by a thief, a musician, a carpenter, a
usurer, one who has been initiated (for the performance of a Srauta
sacrifice), a miser, one bound with fetters,
   211. By one accused of a mortal sin (Abhisasta), a hermaphrodite,
an unchaste woman, or a hypocrite, nor (any sweet thing) that has
turned sour, nor what has been kept a whole night, nor (the food) of a
Sudra, nor the leavings (of another man),
   212. Nor (the food given) by a physician, a hunter, a cruel man,
one who eats the fragments (of another's meal), nor the food of an
Ugra, nor that prepared for a woman in childbed, nor that (given at
a dinner) where (a guest rises) prematurely (and) sips water, nor that
(given by a woman) whose ten days of impurity have not elapsed,
   213. Nor (food) given without due respect, nor (that which
contains) meat eaten for no sacred purpose, nor (that given) by a
female who has no male (relatives), nor the food of an enemy, nor that
(given) by the lord of a town, nor that (given) by outcasts, nor
that on which anybody has sneezed;
   214. Nor the food (given) by an informer, by one who habitually
tells falsehoods, or by one who sells (the rewards for) sacrifices,
nor the food (given) by an actor, a tailor, or an ungrateful (man),
   215. By a blacksmith, a Nishada, a stage-player, a goldsmith, a
basket-maker, or a dealer in weapons,
   216. By trainers of hunting dogs, publicans, a washerman, a dyer, a
pitiless (man), and a man in whose house (lives) a paramour (of his
wife),
   217. Nor (the food given) by those who knowingly bear with
paramours (of their wives), and by those who in all matters are
ruled by women, nor food (given by men) whose ten days of impurity
on account of a death have not passed, nor that which is unpalatable.
   218. The food of a king impairs his vigour, the food of a Sudra his
excellence in sacred learning, the food of a goldsmith his
longevity, that of a leather-cutter his fame;
   219. The food of an artisan destroys his offspring, that of a
washerman his (bodily) strength; the food of a multitude and of
harlots excludes him from (the higher) worlds.
   220. The food of a physician (is as vile as) pus, that of an
unchaste woman (equal to) semen, that of a usurer (as vile as) ordure,
and that of a dealer in weapons (as bad as) dirt.
   221. The food of those other persons who have been successively
enumerated as such whose food must not be eaten, the wise declare
(to be as impure as) skin, bones, and hair.
   222. If he has unwittingly eaten the food of one of those, (he
must) fast for three days; if he has eaten it intentionally, or (has
swallowed) semen, ordure, or urine, he must perform a Krikkhra
penance.
   223. A Brahmana who knows (the law) must not eat cooked food
(given) by a Sudra who performs no Sraddhas; but, on failure of
(other) means of subsistence, he may accept raw (grain), sufficient
for one night (and day).
   224. The gods, having considered (the respective merits) of a
niggardly Srotriya and of a liberal usurer, declared the food of
both to be equal (in quality).
   225. The Lord of created beings (Pragapati) came and spake to them,
'Do not make that equal, which is unequal. The food of that liberal
(usurer) is purified by faith; (that of the) of the) other (man) is
defiled by a want of faith.'
   226. Let him, without tiring, always offer sacrifices and perform
works of charity with faith; for offerings and charitable works made
with faith and with lawfully-earned money, (procure) endless rewards.
   227. Let him always practise, according to his ability, with a
cheerful heart, the duty of liberality, both by sacrifices and by
charitable works, if he finds a worthy recipient (for his gifts.)
   228. If he is asked, let him always give something, be it ever so
little, without grudging; for a worthy recipient will (perhaps) be
found who saves him from all (guilt).
   229. A giver of water obtains the satisfaction (of his hunger and
thirst), a giver of food imperishable happiness, a giver of sesamum
desirable offspring, a giver of a lamp a most excellent eyesight.
   230. A giver of land obtains land, a giver of gold long life, a
giver of a house most excellent mansions, a giver of silver (rupya)
exquisite beauty (rupa),
   231. A giver of a garment a place in the world of the moon, a giver
of a horse (asva) a place in the world of the Asvins, a giver of a
draught-ox great good fortune, a giver of a cow the world of the sun;
   232. A giver of a carriage or of a bed a wife, a giver of
protection supreme dominion, a giver of grain eternal bliss, a giver
of the Veda (brahman) union with Brahman;
   233. The gift of the Veda surpasses all other gifts, water, food,
cows, land, clothes, sesamum, gold, and clarified butter.
   234. For whatever purpose (a man) bestows any gift, for that same
purpose he receives (in his next birth) with due honour its (reward).
   235. Both he who respectfully receives (a gift), and he who
respectfully bestows it, go to heaven; in the contrary case (they both
fall) into hell.
   236. Let him not be proud of his austerities; let him not utter a
falsehood after he has offered a sacrifice; let him not speak ill of
Brahmanas, though he be tormented (by them); when he has bestowed (a
gift), let him not boast of it.
   237. By falsehood a sacrifice becomes vain, by self-complacency
(the reward for) austerities is lost, longevity by speaking evil of
Brahmanas, and (the reward of) a gift by boasting.
   238. Giving no pain to any creature, let him slowly accumulate
spiritual merit, for the sake (of acquiring) a companion to the next
world, just as the white ant (gradually raises its) hill.
   239. For in the next world neither father, nor mother, nor wife,
nor sons, nor relations stay to be his companions; spiritual merit
alone remains (with him).
   240. Single is each being born; single it dies; single it enjoys
(the reward of its) virtue; single (it suffers the punishment of
its) sin.
   241. Leaving the dead body on the ground like a log of wood, or a
clod of earth, the relatives depart with averted faces; but
spiritual merit follows the (soul).
   242. Let him therefore always slowly accumulate spiritual merit, in
order (that it may be his) companion (after death); for with merit
as his companion he will traverse a gloom difficult to traverse.
   243. (That companion) speedily conducts the man who is devoted to
duty and effaces his sins by austerities, to the next world, radiant
and clothed with an ethereal body.
   244. Let him, who desires to raise his race, ever form connexions
with the most excellent (men), and shun all low ones.
   245. A Brahmana who always connects himself with the most excellent
(ones), and shuns all inferior ones, (himself) becomes most
distinguished; by an opposite conduct he becomes a Sudra.
   246. He who is persevering, gentle, (and) patient, shuns the
company of men of cruel conduct, and does no injury (to living
creatures), gains, if he constantly lives in that manner, by
controlling his organs and by liberality, heavenly bliss.
   247. He may accept from any (man), fuel, water, roots, fruit,
food offered without asking, and honey, likewise a gift (which
consists in) a promise of protection.
   248. The Lord of created beings (Pragapati) has declared that
alms freely offered and brought (by the giver himself) may be accepted
even from a sinful man, provided (the gift) had not been (asked for
or) promised beforehand.
   249. During fifteen years the manes do not eat (the food) of that
man who disdains a (freely-offered gift), nor does the fire carry
his offerings (to the gods).
   250. A couch, a house, Kusa grass, perfumes, water, flowers,
jewels, sour milk, grain, fish, sweet milk, meat, and vegetables let
him not reject, (if they are voluntarily offered.)
   251. He who desires to relieve his Gurus and those whom he is bound
to maintain, or wishes to honour the gods and guests, may accept
(gifts) from anybody; but he must not satisfy his (own hunger) with
such (presents).
   252. But if his Gurus are dead, or if he lives separate from them
in (another) house, let him, when he seeks a subsistence, accept
(presents) from good men alone.
   253. His labourer in tillage, a friend of his family, his cow-herd,
his slave, and his barber are, among Sudras, those whose food he may
eat, likewise (a poor man) who offers himself (to be his slave).
   254. As his character is, as the work is which he desires to
perform, and as the manner is in which he means to serve, even so (a
voluntary slave) must offer himself.
   255. He who describes himself to virtuous (men), in a manner
contrary to truth, is the most sinful (wretch) in this world; he is
a thief who makes away with his own self.
   256. All things (have their nature) determined by speech; speech is
their root, and from speech they proceed; but he who is dishonest with
respect to speech, is dishonest in everything.
   257. When he has paid, according to the law, his debts to the great
sages, to the manes, and to the gods, let him make over everything
to his son and dwell (in his house), not caring for any worldly
concerns.
   258. Alone let him constantly meditate in solitude on that which is
salutary for his soul; for he who meditates in solitude attains
supreme bliss.
   259. Thus have been declared the means by which a Brahmana
householder must always subsist, and the summary of the ordinances for
a Snataka, which cause an increase of holiness and are praiseworthy.
   260. A Brahmana who, being learned in the lore of the Vedas,
conducts himself in this manner and daily destroys his sins, will be
exalted in Brahman's world.
                         CHAPTER V.

   1. The sages, having heard the duties of a Snataka thus declared,
spoke to great-souled Bhrigu, who sprang from fire:
   2. 'How can Death have power over Brahmanas who know the sacred
science, the Veda, (and) who fulfil their duties as they have been
explained (by thee), O Lord? '
   3. Righteous Bhrigu, the son of Manu, (thus) answered the great
sages: 'Hear, (in punishment) of what faults Death seeks to shorten
the lives of Brahmanas!'
   4. 'Through neglect of the Veda-study, through deviation from the
rule of conduct, through remissness (in the fulfilment of duties), and
through faults (committed by eating forbidden) food, Death becomes
eager to shorten the lives of Brahmanas.'
   5. Garlic, leeks and onions, mushrooms and (all plants),
springing from impure (substances), are unfit to be eaten by
twice-born men.
   6. One should carefully avoid red exudations from trees and
(juices) flowing from incisions, the Selu (fruit), and the thickened
milk of a cow (which she gives after calving).
   7. Rice boiled with sesamum, wheat mixed with butter, milk and
sugar, milk-rice and flour-cakes which are not prepared for a
sacrifice, meat which has not been sprinkled with water while sacred
texts were recited, food offered to the gods and sacrificial viands,
   8. The milk of a cow (or other female animal) within ten days after
her calving, that of camels, of one-hoofed animals, of sheep, of a cow
in heat, or of one that has no calf with her,
   9. (The milk) of all wild animals excepting buffalo-cows, that of
women, and all (substances turned) sour must be avoided.
   10. Among (things turned) sour, sour milk, and all (food)
prepared of it may be eaten, likewise what is extracted from pure
flowers, roots, and fruit.
   11. Let him avoid all carnivorous birds and those living in
villages, and one-hoofed animals which are not specially permitted (to
be eaten), and the Tittibha (Parra Jacana),
   12. The sparrow, the Plava, the Hamsa, the Brahmani duck, the
village-cock, the Sarasa crane, the Raggudala, the woodpecker, the
parrot, and the starling,
   13. Those which feed striking with their beaks, web-footed birds,
the Koyashti, those which scratch with their toes, those which dive
and live on fish, meat from a slaughter-house and dried meat,
   14. The Baka and the Balaka crane, the raven, the Khangaritaka,
(animals) that eat fish, village-pigs, and all kinds of fishes.
   15. He who eats the flesh of any (animal) is called the eater of
the flesh of that (particular creature), he who eats fish is an
eater of every (kind of) flesh; let him therefore avoid fish.
   16. (But the fish called) Pathina and (that called) Rohita may be
eaten, if used for offerings to the gods or to the manes; (one may
eat) likewise Ragivas, Simhatundas, and Sasalkas on all (occasions).
   17. Let him not eat solitary or unknown beasts and birds, though
they may fall under (the categories of) eatable (creatures), nor any
five-toed (animals).
   18. The porcupine, the hedgehog, the iguana, the rhinoceros, the
tortoise, and the hare they declare to be eatable; likewise those
(domestic animals) that have teeth in one jaw only, excepting camels.
   19. A twice-born man who knowingly eats mushrooms, a village-pig,
garlic, a village-cock, onions, or leeks, will become an outcast.
   20. He who unwittingly partakes of (any of) these six, shall
perform a Samtapana (Krikkhra) or the lunar penance (Kandrayana) of
ascetics; in case (he who has eaten) any other (kind of forbidden
food) he shall fast for one day (and a night ).
   21. Once a year a Brahmana must perform a Krikkhra penance, in
order to atone for unintentionally eating (forbidden food) but for
intentionally (eating forbidden food he must perform the penances
prescribed) specially.
   22. Beasts and birds recommended (for consumption) may be slain
by Brahmanas for sacrifices, and in order to feed those whom they
are bound to maintain; for Agastya did this of old.
   23. For in ancient (times) the sacrificial cakes were (made of
the flesh) of eatable beasts and birds at the sacrifices offered by
Brahmanas and Kshatriyas.
   24. All lawful hard or soft food may be eaten, though stale, (after
having been) mixed with fatty (substances), and so may the remains
of sacrificial viands.
   25. But all preparations of barley and wheat, as well as
preparations of milk, may be eaten by twice-born men without being
mixed with fatty (substances), though they may have stood for a long
time.
   26. Thus has the food, allowed and forbidden to twice-born men,
been fully described; I will now propound the rules for eating and
avoiding meat.
   27. One may eat meat when it has been sprinkled with water, while
Mantras were recited, when Brahmanas desire (one's doing it), when one
is engaged (in the performance of a rite) according to the law, and
when one's life is in danger.
   28. The Lord of creatures (Pragapati) created this whole (world
to be) the sustenance of the vital spirit; both the immovable and
the movable (creation is) the food of the vital spirit.
   29. What is destitute of motion is the food of those endowed with
locomotion; (animals) without fangs (are the food) of those with
fangs, those without hands of those who possess hands, and the timid
of the bold.
   30. The eater who daily even devours those destined to be his food,
commits no sin; for the creator himself created both the eaters and
those who are to be eaten (for those special purposes).
   31. 'The consumption of meat (is befitting) for sacrifices,' that
is declared to be a rule made by the gods; but to persist (in using
it) on other (occasions) is said to be a proceeding worthy of
Rakshasas.
   32. He who eats meat, when he honours the gods and manes, commits
no sin, whether he has bought it, or himself has killed (the
animal), or has received it as a present from others.
   33. A twice-born man who knows the law, must not eat meat except in
conformity with the law; for if he has eaten it unlawfully, he will,
unable to save himself, be eaten after death by his (victims).
   34. After death the guilt of one who slays deer for gain is not
as (great) as that of him who eats meat for no (sacred) purpose.
   35. But a man who, being duly engaged (to officiate or to dine at a
sacred rite), refuses to eat meat, becomes after death an animal
during twenty-one existences.
   36. A Brahmana must never eat (the flesh of animals unhallowed by
Mantras; but, obedient to the primeval law, he may eat it, consecrated
with Vedic texts.
   37. If he has a strong desire (for meat) he may make an animal of
clarified butter or one of flour, (and eat that); but let him never
seek to destroy an animal without a (lawful) reason.
   38. As many hairs as the slain beast has, so often indeed will he
who killed it without a (lawful) reason suffer a violent death in
future births.
   39. Svayambhu (the Self-existent) himself created animals for the
sake of sacrifices; sacrifices (have been instituted) for the good
of this whole (world); hence the slaughtering (of beasts) for
sacrifices is not slaughtering (in the ordinary sense of the word).
   40. Herbs, trees, cattle, birds, and (other) animals that have been
destroyed for sacrifices, receive (being reborn) higher existences.
   41. On offering the honey-mixture (to a guest), at a sacrifice
and at the rites in honour of the manes, but on these occasions
only, may an animal be slain; that (rule) Manu proclaimed.
   42. A twice-born man who, knowing the true meaning of the Veda,
slays an animal for these purposes, causes both himself and the animal
to enter a most blessed state.
   43. A twice-born man of virtuous disposition, whether he dwells
in (his own) house, with a teacher, or in the forest, must never, even
in times of distress, cause an injury (to any creature) which is not
sanctioned by the Veda.
   44. Know that the injury to moving creatures and to those destitute
of motion, which the Veda has prescribed for certain occasions, is
no injury at all; for the sacred law shone forth from the Veda.
   45. He who injures innoxious beings from a wish to (give) himself
pleasure, never finds happiness, neither living nor dead.
   46. He who does not seek to cause the sufferings of bonds and death
to living creatures, (but) desires the good of all (beings), obtains
endless bliss.
   47. He who does not injure any (creature), attains without an
effort what he thinks of, what he undertakes, and what he fixes his
mind on.
   48. Meat can never be obtained without injury to living
creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to (the
attainment of) heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun (the use of)
meat.
   49. Having well considered the (disgusting) origin of flesh and the
(cruelty of) fettering and slaying corporeal beings, let him
entirely abstain from eating flesh.
   50. He who, disregarding the rule (given above), does not eat
meat like a Pisaka, becomes dear to men, and will not be tormented
by diseases.
   51. He who permits (the slaughter of an animal), he who cuts it up,
he who kills it, he who buys or sells (meat), he who cooks it, he
who serves it up, and he who eats it, (must all be considered as)
the slayers (of the animal).
   52. There is no greater sinner than that (man) who, though not
worshipping the gods or the manes, seeks to increase (the bulk of) his
own flesh by the flesh of other (beings).
   53. He who during a hundred years annually offers a
horse-sacrifice, and he who entirely abstains from meat, obtain the
same reward for their meritorious (conduct).
   54. By subsisting on pure fruit and roots, and by eating food fit
for ascetics (in the forest), one does not gain (so great) a reward as
by entirely avoiding (the use of) flesh.
   55. 'Me he (mam sah)' will devour in the next (world), whose
flesh I eat in this (life); the wise declare this (to be) the real
meaning of the word 'flesh' (mamsah).
   56. There is no sin in eating meat, in (drinking) spirituous
liquor, and in carnal intercourse, for that is the natural way of
created beings, but abstention brings great rewards.
   57. I will now in due order explain the purification for the dead
and the purification of things as they are prescribed for the four
castes (varna).
   58. When (a child) dies that has teethed, or that before teething
has received (the sacrament of) the tonsure (Kudakarana) or (of the
initiation), all relatives (become) impure, and on the birth (of a
child) the same (rule) is prescribed.
   59. It is ordained (that) among Sapindas the impurity on account of
a death (shall last) ten days, (or) until the bones have been
collected, (or) three days or one day only.
   60. But the Sapinda-relationship ceases with the seventh person (in
the ascending and descending lines), the Samanodaka-relationship
when the (common) origin and the (existence of a common family)-
name are no (longer) known.
   61. As this impurity on account of a death is prescribed for
(all) Sapindas, even so it shall be (held) on a birth by those who
desire to be absolutely pure.
   62. (Or while) the impurity on account of a death is common to
all (Sapindas), that caused by a birth (falls) on the parents alone;
(or) it shall fall on the mother alone, and the father shall become
pure by bathing;
   63. But a man, having spent his strength, is purified merely by
bathing; after begetting a child (on a remarried female), he shall
retain the impurity during three days.
   64. Those who have touched a corpse are purified after one day
and night (added to) three periods of three days; those who give
libations of water, after three days.
   65. A pupil who performs the Pitrimedha for his deceased teacher,
becomes also pure after ten days, just like those who carry the corpse
out (to the burial-ground).
   66. (A woman) is purified on a miscarriage in as many (days and)
nights as months (elapsed after conception), and a menstruating female
becomes pure by bathing after the menstrual secretion has ceased (to
flow).
   67. (On the death) of children whose tonsure (Kudakarman) has not
been performed, the (Sapindas) are declared to become pure in one (day
and) night; (on the death) of those who have received the tonsure (but
not the initiation, the law) ordains (that) the purification (takes
place) after three days.
   68. A child that has died before the completion of its second year,
the relatives shall carry out (of the village), decked (with
flowers, and bury it) in pure ground, without collecting the bones
(afterwards).
   69. Such (a child) shall not be burnt with fire, and no libations
of water shall be offered to it; leaving it like a (log of) wood in
the forest, (the relatives) shall remain impure during three days
only.
   70. The relatives shall not offer libations to (a child) that has
not reached the third year; but if it had teeth, or the ceremony of
naming it (Namakarman) had been performed, (the offering of water
is) optional.
   71. If a fellow-student has died, the Smriti prescribes an impurity
of one day; on a birth the purification of the Samanodakas is declared
(to take place) after three (days and) nights.
   72. (On the death) of females (betrothed but) not married (the
bridegroom and his) relatives are purified after three days, and the
paternal relatives become pure according to the same rule.
   73. Let (mourners) eat food without factitious salt, bathe during
three days, abstain from meat, and sleep separate on the ground.
   74. The above rule regarding impurity on account of a death has
been prescribed (for cases where the kinsmen live) near (the
deceased); (Sapinda) kinsmen and (Samanodaka) relatives must know
the following rule (to refer to cases where deceased lived) at a
distance (from them).
   75. He who may hear that (a relative) residing in a distant country
has died, before ten (days after his death have elapsed), shall be
impure for the remainder of the period of ten (days and) nights only.
   76. If the ten days have passed, he shall be impure during three
(days and) nights; but if a year has elapsed (since the occurrence
of the death), he becomes pure merely by bathing.
   77. A man who hears of a (Sapinda) relative's death, or of the
birth of a son after the ten days (of impurity have passed), becomes
pure by bathing, dressed in his garments.
   78. If an infant (that has not teethed), or a (grownup relative who
is) not a Sapinda, die in a distant country, one becomes at once
pure after bathing in one's clothes.
   79. If within the ten days (of impurity) another birth or death
happens, a Brahmana shall remain impure only until the (first)
period of ten days has expired.
   80. They declare that, when the teacher (akarya) has died, the
impurity (lasts) three days; if the (teacher's) son or wife (is
dead, it lasts) a day and a night; that is a settled (rule).
   81. For a Srotriya who resides with (him out of affection), a man
shall be impure for three days; for a maternal uncle, a pupil, an
officiating priest, or a maternal relative, for one night together
with the preceding and following days.
   82. If the king in whose realm he resides is dead, (he shall be
impure) as long as the light (of the sun or stars shines), but for (an
intimate friend) who is not a Srotriya (the impurity lasts) for a
whole day, likewise for a Guru who knows the Veda and the Angas.
   83. A Brahmana shall be pure after ten days, a Kshatriya after
twelve, a Vaisya after fifteen, and a Sudra is purified after a month.
   84. Let him not (unnecessarily) lengthen the period of impurity,
nor interrupt the rites to be performed with the sacred fires; for
he who performs that (Agnihotra) rite will not be impure, though (he
be) a (Sapinda) relative.
   85. When he has touched a Kandala, a menstruating woman, an
outcast, a woman in childbed, a corpse, or one who has touched a
(corpse), he becomes pure by bathing.
   86. He who has purified himself by sipping water shall, on seeing
any impure (thing or person), always mutter the sacred texts,
addressed to Surya, and the Pavamani (verses).
   87. A Brahmana who has touched a human bone to which fat adheres,
becomes pure by bathing; if it be free from fat, by sipping water
and by touching (afterwards) a cow or looking at the sun.
   88. He who has undertaken the performance of a vow shall not pour
out libations (to the dead) until the vow has been completed; but when
he has offered water after its completion, he becomes pure in three
days only.
   89. Libations of water shall not be offered to those who (neglect
the prescribed rites and may be said to) have been born in vain, to
those born in consequence of an illegal mixture of the castes, to
those who are ascetics (of heretical sects), and to those who have
committed suicide,
   90. To women who have joined a heretical sect, who through lust
live (with many men), who have caused an abortion, have killed their
husbands, or drink spirituous liquor.
   91. A student does not break his vow by carrying out (to the
place of cremation) his own dead teacher (akarya), sub-teacher
(upadhyaya), father, mother, or Guru.
   92. Let him carry out a dead Sudra by the southern gate of the
town, but (the corpses of) twice-born men, as is proper, by the
western, northern, or eastern (gates).
   93. The taint of impurity does not fall on kings, and those engaged
in the performance of a vow, or of a Sattra; for the (first are)
seated on the throne of Indra, and the (last two are) ever pure like
Brahman.
   94. For a king, on the throne of magnanimity, immediate
purification is prescribed, and the reason for that is that he is
seated (there) for the protection of (his) subjects.
   95. (The same rule applies to the kinsmen) of those who have fallen
in a riot or a battle, (of those who have been killed) by lightning or
by the king, and (of those who perished fighting) for cows and
Brahmanas, and to those whom the king wishes (to be pure).
   96. A king is an incarnation of the eight guardian deities of the
world, the Moon, the Fire, the Sun, the Wind, Indra, the Lords of
wealth and water (Kubera and Varuna), and Yama.
   97. Because the king is pervaded by those lords of the world, no
impurity is ordained for him; for purity and impurity of mortals is
caused and removed by (those) lords of the world.
   98. By him who is slain in battle with brandished weapons according
to the law of the Kshatriyas, a (Srauta) sacrifice is instantly
completed, and so is the period of impurity (caused by his death);
that is a settled rule.
   99. (At the end of the period of impurity) a Brahmana who has
performed the necessary rites, becomes pure by touching water, a
Kshatriya by touching the animal on which he rides, and his weapons, a
Vaisya by touching his goad or the nose-string (of his oxen), a
Sudra by touching his staff.
   100. Thus the purification (required) on (the death of) Sapindas
has been explained to you, O best of twice-born men; hear now the
manner in which men are purified on the death of any (relative who is)
not a Sapinda.
   101. A Brahmana, having carried out a dead Brahmana who is not a
Sapinda, as (if he were) a (near) relative, or a near relative of
his mother, becomes pure after three days;
   102. But if he eats the food of the (Sapindas of the deceased),
he is purified in ten days, (but) in one day, if he does not eat their
food nor dwells in their house.
   103. Having voluntarily followed a corpse, whether (that of) a
paternal kinsman or (of) a stranger, he becomes pure by bathing,
dressed in his clothes, by touching fire and eating clarified butter.
   104. Let him not allow a dead Brahmana to be carried out by a
Sudra, while men of the same caste are at hand; for that
burnt-offering which is defiled by a Sudra's touch is detrimental to
(the deceased's passage to) heaven.
   105. The knowledge (of Brahman) austerities, fire, (holy) food,
earth, (restraint of) the internal organ, water, smearing (with
cowdung), the wind, sacred rites, the sun, and time are the
purifiers of corporeal (beings).
   106. Among all modes of purification, purity in (the acquisition
of) wealth is declared to be the best; for he is pure who gains wealth
with clean hands, not he who purifies himself with earth and water.
   107. The learned are purified by a forgiving disposition, those who
have committed forbidden actions by liberality, secret sinners by
muttering (sacred texts), and those who best know the Veda by
austerities.
   108. By earth and water is purified what ought to be made pure, a
river by its current, a woman whose thoughts have been impure by the
menstrual secretion, a Brahmana by abandoning the world (samnyasa).
   109. The body is cleansed by water, the internal organ is
purified by truthfulness, the individual soul by sacred learning and
austerities, the intellect by (true) knowledge.
   110. Thus the precise rules for the purification of the body have
been declared to you; hear now the decision (of the law) regarding the
purification of the various (inanimate) things.
   111. The wise ordain that all (objects) made of metal, gems, and
anything made of stone are to be cleansed with ashes, earth, and
water.
   112. A golden vessel which shows no stains, becomes pure with water
alone, likewise what is produced in water (as shells and coral),
what is made of stone, and a silver (vessel) not enchased.
   113. From the union of water and fire arose the glittering gold and
silver; those two, therefore, are best purified by (the elements) from
which they sprang.
   114. Copper, iron, brass, pewter, tin, and lead must be cleansed,
as may be suitable (for each particular case), by alkaline
(substances), acids or water.
   115. The purification prescribed for all (sorts of) liquids is by
passing two blades of Kusa grass through them, for solid things by
sprinkling (them with water), for (objects) made of wood by planing
them.
   116. At sacrifices the purification of (the Soma cups called)
Kamasas and Grahas, and of (other) sacrificial vessels (takes place)
by rubbing (them) with the hand, and (afterwards) rinsing (them with
water).
   117. The Karu and (the spoons called) Sruk and Sruva must be
cleaned with hot water, likewise (the wooden sword, called) Sphya, the
winnowing-basket (Surpa), the cart (for bringing the grain), the
pestle and the mortar.
   118. The manner of purifying large quantities of grain and of cloth
is to sprinkle them with water; but the purification of small
quantities is prescribed (to take place) by washing them.
   119. Skins and (objects) made of split cane must be cleaned like
clothes; vegetables, roots, and fruit like grain;
   120. Silk and woollen stuffs with alkaline earth; blankets with
pounded Arishta (fruit); Amsupattas with Bel fruit; linen cloth with
(a paste of) yellow mustard.
   121. A man who knows (the law) must purify conch-shells, horn, bone
and ivory, like linen cloth, or with a mixture of cow's urine and
water.
   122. Grass, wood, and straw become pure by being sprinkled (with
water), a house by sweeping and smearing (it with cowdung or
whitewash), an earthen (vessel) by a second burning.
   123. An earthen vessel which has been defiled by spirituous liquor,
urine, ordure, saliva, pus or blood cannot be purified by another
burning.
   124. Land is purified by (the following) five (modes, viz.) by
sweeping, by smearing (it with cowdung), by sprinkling (it with
cows' urine or milk), by scraping, and by cows staying (on it during a
day and night).
   125. (Food) which has been pecked at by birds, smelt at by cows,
touched (with the foot), sneezed on, or defiled by hair or insects,
becomes pure by scattering earth (over it).
   126. As long as the (foul) smell does not leave an (object) defiled
by impure substances, and the stain caused by them (does not
disappear), so long must earth and water be applied in cleansing
(inanimate) things.
   127. The gods declared three things (to be) pure to Brahmanas, that
(on which) no (taint is) visible, what has been washed with water, and
what has been commended (as pure) by the word (of a Brahmana).
   128. Water, sufficient (in quantity) in order to slake the thirst
of a cow, possessing the (proper) smell, colour, and taste, and
unmixed with impure substances, is pure, if it is collected on
(pure) ground.
   129. The hand of an artisan is always pure, so is (every vendible
commodity) exposed for sale in the market, and food obtained by
begging which a student holds (in his hand) is always fit for use;
that is a settled rule.
   130. The mouth of a woman is always pure, likewise a bird when he
causes a fruit to fall; a calf is pure on the flowing of the milk, and
a dog when he catches a deer.
   131. Manu has declared that the flesh (of an animal) killed by dogs
is pure, likewise (that) of a (beast) slain by carnivorous (animals)
or by men of low caste (Dasyu), such as Kandalas.
   132. All those cavities (of the body) which lie above the navel are
pure, (but) those which are below the navel are impure, as well as
excretions that fall from the body.
   133. Flies, drops of water, a shadow, a cow, a horse, the rays of
the sun, dust, earth, the wind, and fire one must know to be pure to
the touch.
   134. In order to cleanse (the organs) by which urine and faeces are
ejected, earth and water must be used, as they may be required,
likewise in removing the (remaining ones among) twelve impurities of
the body.
   135. Oily exudations, semen, blood, (the fatty substance of the)
brain, urine, faeces, the mucus of the nose, ear-wax, phlegm, tears,
the rheum of the eyes, and sweat are the twelve impurities of human
(bodies).
   136. He who desires to be pure, must clean the organ by one
(application of) earth, the anus by (applying earth) three (times),
the (left) hand alone by (applying it) ten (times), and both (hands)
by (applying it) seven (times).
   137. Such is the purification ordained for householders; (it
shall be) double for students, treble for hermits, but quadruple for
ascetics.
   138. When he has voided urine or faeces, let him, after sipping
water, sprinkle the cavities, likewise when he is going to recite
the Veda, and always before he takes food.
   139. Let him who desires bodily purity first sip water three times,
and then twice wipe his mouth; but a woman and a Sudra (shall
perform each act) once (only).
   140. Sudras who live according to the law, shall each month shave
(their heads); their mode of purification (shall be) the same as
that of Vaisyas, and their food the fragments of an Aryan's meal.
   141. Drops (of water) from the mouth which do not fall on a limb,
do not make (a man) impure, nor the hair of the moustache entering the
mouth, nor what adheres to the teeth.
   142. Drops which trickle on the feet of him who offers water for
sipping to others, must be considered as equal to (water collected
on the ground; they render him not impure.
   143. He who, while carrying anything in any manner, is touched by
an impure (person or thing), shall become pure, if he performs an
ablution, without putting down that object.
   144. He who has vomited or purged shall bathe, and afterwards eat
clarified butter; but if (the attack comes on) after he has eaten, let
him only sip water; bathing is prescribed for him who has had
intercourse with a woman.
   145. Though he may be (already) pure, let him sip water after
sleeping, sneezing, eating, spitting, telling untruths, and drinking
water, likewise when he is going to study the Veda.
   146. Thus the rules of personal purification for men of all castes,
and those for cleaning (inanimate) things, have been fully declared to
you: hear now the duties of women.
   147. By a girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing
must be done independently, even in her own house.
   148. In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in
youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman
must never be independent.
   149. She must not seek to separate herself from her father,
husband, or sons; by leaving them she would make both (her own and her
husband's) families contemptible.
   150. She must always be cheerful, clever in (the management of her)
household affairs, careful in cleaning her utensils, and economical in
expenditure.
   151. Him to whom her father may give her, or her brother with the
father's permission, she shall obey as long as he lives, and when he
is dead, she must not insult (his memory).
   152. For the sake of procuring good fortune to (brides), the
recitation of benedictory texts (svastyayana), and the sacrifice to
the Lord of creatures (Pragapati) are used at weddings; (but) the
betrothal (by the father or guardian) is the cause of (the
husband's) dominion (over his wife).
   153. The husband who wedded her with sacred texts, always gives
happiness to his wife, both in season and out of season, in this world
and in the next.
   154. Though destitute of virtue, or seeking pleasure (elsewhere),
or devoid of good qualities, (yet) a husband must be constantly
worshipped as a god by a faithful wife.
   155. No sacrifice, no vow, no fast must be performed by women apart
(from their husbands); if a wife obeys her husband, she will for
that (reason alone) be exalted in heaven.
   156. A faithful wife, who desires to dwell (after death) with her
husband, must never do anything that might displease him who took
her hand, whether he be alive or dead.
   157. At her pleasure let her emaciate her body by (living on)
pure flowers, roots, and fruit; but she must never even mention the
name of another man after her husband has died.
   158. Until death let her be patient (of hardships),
self-controlled, and chaste, and strive (to fulfil) that most
excellent duty which (is prescribed) for wives who have one husband
only.
   159. Many thousands of Brahmanas who were chaste from their
youth, have gone to heaven without continuing their race.
   160. A virtuous wife who after the death of her husband
constantly remains chaste, reaches heaven, though she have no son,
just like those chaste men.
   161. But a woman who from a desire to have offspring violates her
duty towards her (deceased) husband, brings on herself disgrace in
this world, and loses her place with her husband (in heaven).
   162. Offspring begotten by another man is here not (considered
lawful), nor (does offspring begotten) on another man's wife (belong
to the begetter), nor is a second husband anywhere prescribed for
virtuous women.
   163. She who cohabits with a man of higher caste, forsaking her own
husband who belongs to a lower one, will become contemptible in this
world, and is called a remarried woman (parapurva).
   164. By violating her duty towards her husband, a wife is disgraced
in this world, (after death) she enters the womb of a jackal, and is
tormented by diseases (the punishment of) her sin.
   165. She who, controlling her thoughts, words, and deeds, never
slights her lord, resides (after death) with her husband (in
heaven), and is called a virtuous (wife).
   166. In reward of such conduct, a female who controls her thoughts,
speech, and actions, gains in this (life) highest renown, and in the
next (world) a place near her husband.
   167. A twice-born man, versed in the sacred law, shall burn a
wife of equal caste who conducts herself thus and dies before him,
with (the sacred fires used for) the Agnihotra, and with the
sacrificial implements.
   168. Having thus, at the funeral, given the sacred fires to his
wife who dies before him, he may marry again, and again kindle (the
fires).
   169. (Living) according to the (preceding) rules, he must never
neglect the five (great) sacrifices, and, having taken a wife, he must
dwell in (his own) house during the second period of his life.
                          CHAPTER VI.

   1. A twice-born Snataka, who has thus lived according to the law in
the order of householders, may, taking a firm resolution and keeping
his organs in subjection, dwell in the forest, duly (observing the
rules given below).
   2. When a householder sees his (skin) wrinkled, and (his hair)
white, and. the sons of his sons, then he may resort to the forest.
   3. Abandoning all food raised by cultivation, and all his
belongings, he may depart into the forest, either committing his
wife to his sons, or accompanied by her.
   4. Taking with him the sacred fire and the implements required
for domestic (sacrifices), he may go forth from the village into the
forest and reside there, duly controlling his senses.
   5. Let him offer those five great sacrifices according to the rule,
with various kinds of pure food fit for ascetics, or with herbs,
roots, and fruit.
   6. Let him wear a skin or a tattered garment; let him bathe in
the evening or in the morning; and let him always wear (his hair in)
braids, the hair on his body, his beard, and his nails (being
unclipped).
   7. Let him perform the Bali-offering with such food as he eats, and
give alms according to his ability; let him honour those who come to
his hermitage with alms consisting of water, roots, and fruit.
   8. Let him be always industrious in privately reciting the Veda;
let him be patient of hardships, friendly (towards all), of
collected mind, ever liberal and never a receiver of gifts, and
compassionate towards all living creatures.
   9. Let him offer, according to the law, the Agnihotra with three
sacred fires, never omitting the new-moon and full-moon sacrifices
at the proper time.
   10. Let him also offer the Nakshatreshti, the Agrayana, and the
Katurmasya (sacrifices), as well as the Turayana and likewise the
Dakshayana, in due order.
   11. With pure grains, fit for ascetics, which grow in spring and in
autumn, and which he himself has collected, let him severally
prepare the sacrificial cakes (purodasa) and the boiled messes (karu),
as the law directs.
   12. Having offered those most pure sacrificial viands, consisting
of the produce of the forest, he may use the remainder for himself,
(mixed with) salt prepared by himself.
   13. Let him eat vegetables that grow on dry land or in water,
flowers, roots, and fruits, the productions of pure trees, and oils
extracted from forest-fruits.
   14. Let him avoid honey, flesh, and mushrooms growing on the ground
(or elsewhere, the vegetables called) Bhustrina, and Sigruka, and
the Sleshmantaka fruit.
   15. Let him throw away in the month of Asvina the food of ascetics,
which he formerly collected, likewise his worn-out clothes and his
vegetables, roots, and fruit.
   16. Let him not eat anything (grown on) ploughed (land), though
it may have been thrown away by somebody, nor roots and fruit grown in
a village, though (he may be) tormented (by hunger).
   17. He may eat either what has been cooked with fire, or what has
been ripened by time; he either may use a stone for grinding, or his
teeth may be his mortar.
   18. He may either at once (after his daily meal) cleanse (his
vessel for collecting food), or lay up a store sufficient for a month,
or gather what suffices for six months or for a year.
   19. Having collected food according to his ability, he may either
eat at night (only), or in the day-time (only), or at every fourth
meal-time, or at every eighth.
   20. Or he may live according to the rule of the lunar penance
(Kandrayana, daily diminishing the quantity of his food) in the bright
(half of the month) and (increasing it) in the dark (half); or he
may eat on the last days of each fortnight, once (a day only),
boiled barley-gruel.
   21. Or he may constantly subsist on flowers, roots, and fruit
alone, which have been ripened by time and have fallen
spontaneously, following the rule of the (Institutes) of Vikhanas.
   22. Let him either roll about on the ground, or stand during the
day on tiptoe, (or) let him alternately stand and sit down; going at
the Savanas (at sunrise, at midday, and at sunset) to water in the
forest (in order to bathe).
   23. In summer let him expose himself to the heat of five fires,
during the rainy season live under the open sky, and in winter be
dressed in wet clothes, (thus) gradually increasing (the rigour of)
his austerities.
   24. When he bathes at the three Savanas (sunrise, midday, and
sunset), let him offer libations of water to the manes and the gods,
and practising harsher and harsher austerities, let him dry up his
bodily frame.
   25. Having reposited the three sacred fires in himself, according
to the prescribed rule, let him live without a fire, without a
house, wholly silent, subsisting on roots and fruit,
   26. Making no effort (to procure) things that give pleasure,
chaste, sleeping on the bare ground, not caring for any shelter,
dwelling at the roots of trees.
   27. From Brahmanas (who live as) ascetics, let him receive alms,
(barely sufficient) to support life, or from other householders of the
twice-born (castes) who reside in the forest.
   28. Or (the hermit) who dwells in the forest may bring (food)
from a village, receiving it either in a hollow dish (of leaves), in
(his naked) hand, or in a broken earthen dish, and may eat eight
mouthfuls.
   29. These and other observances must a Brahmana who dwells in the
forest diligently practise, and in order to attain complete (union
with) the (supreme) Soul, (he must study) the various sacred texts
contained in the Upanishads,
   30. (As well as those rites and texts) which have been practised
and studied by the sages (Rishis), and by Brahmana householders, in
order to increase their knowledge (of Brahman), and their austerity,
and in order to sanctify their bodies;
   31. Or let him walk, fully determined and going straight on, in a
north-easterly direction, subsisting on water and air, until his
body sinks to rest.
   32. A Brahmana, having got rid of his body by one of those modes
practised by the great sages, is exalted in the world of Brahman, free
from sorrow and fear.
   33. But having thus passed the third part of (a man's natural
term of) life in the forest, he may live as an ascetic during the
fourth part of his existence, after abandoning all attachment to
worldly objects.
   34. He who after passing from order to order, after offering
sacrifices and subduing his senses, becomes, tired with (giving)
alms and offerings of food, an ascetic, gains bliss after death.
   35. When he has paid the three debts, let him apply his mind to
(the attainment of) final liberation; he who seeks it without having
paid (his debts) sinks downwards.
   36. Having studied the Vedas in accordance with the rule, having
begat sons according to the sacred law, and having offered
sacrifices according to his ability, he may direct his mind to (the
attainment of) final liberation.
   37. A twice-born man who seeks final liberation, without having
studied the Vedas, without having begotten sons, and without having
offered sacrifices, sinks downwards.
   38. Having performed the Ishti, sacred to the Lord of creatures
(Pragapati), where (he gives) all his property as the sacrificial fee,
having reposited the sacred fires in himself, a Brahmana may depart
from his house (as an ascetic).
   39. Worlds, radiant in brilliancy, become (the portion) of him
who recites (the texts regarding) Brahman and departs from his house
(as an ascetic), after giving a promise of safety to all created
beings.
   40. For that twice-born man, by whom not the smallest danger even
is caused to created beings, there will be no danger from any
(quarter), after he is freed from his body.
   41. Departing from his house fully provided with the means of
purification (Pavitra), let him wander about absolutely silent, and
caring nothing for enjoyments that may be offered (to him).
   42. Let him always wander alone, without any companion, in order to
attain (final liberation), fully understanding that the solitary (man,
who) neither forsakes nor is forsaken, gains his end.
   43. He shall neither possess a fire, nor a dwelling, he may go to a
village for his food, (he shall be) indifferent to everything, firm of
purpose, meditating (and) concentrating his mind on Brahman.
   44. A potsherd (instead of an alms-bowl), the roots of trees (for a
dwelling), coarse worn-out garments, life in solitude and indifference
towards everything, are the marks of one who has attained liberation.
   45. Let him not desire to die, let him not desire to live; let
him wait for (his appointed) time, as a servant (waits) for the
payment of his wages.
   46. Let him put down his foot purified by his sight, let him
drink water purified by (straining with) a cloth, let him utter speech
purified by truth, let him keep his heart pure.
   47. Let him patiently bear hard words, let him not insult
anybody, and let him not become anybody's enemy for the sake of this
(perishable) body.
   48. Against an angry man let him not in return show anger, let
him bless when he is cursed, and let him not utter speech, devoid of
truth, scattered at the seven gates.
   49. Delighting in what refers to the Soul, sitting (in the postures
prescribed by the Yoga), independent (of external help), entirely
abstaining from sensual enjoyments, with himself for his only
companion, he shall live in this world, desiring the bliss (of final
liberation).
   50. Neither by (explaining) prodigies and omens, nor by skill in
astrology and palmistry, nor by giving advice and by the exposition
(of the Sastras), let him ever seek to obtain alms.
   51. Let him not (in order to beg) go near a house filled with
hermits, Brahmanas, birds, dogs, or other mendicants.
   52. His hair, nails, and beard being clipped, carrying an
alms-bowl, a staff, and a water-pot, let him continually wander about,
controlling himself and not hurting any creature.
   53. His vessels shall not be made of metal, they shall be free from
fractures; it is ordained that they shall be cleansed with water, like
(the cups, called) Kamasa, at a sacrifice.
   54. A gourd, a wooden bowl, an earthen (dish), or one made of split
cane, Manu, the son of Svayambhu, has declared (to be) vessels
(suitable) for an ascetic.
   55. Let him go to beg once (a day), let him not be eager to
obtain a large quantity (of alms); for an ascetic who eagerly seeks
alms, attaches himself also to sensual enjoyments.
   56. When no smoke ascends from (the kitchen), when the pestle
lies motionless, when the embers have been extinguished, when the
people have finished their meal, when the remnants in the dishes
have been removed, let the ascetic always go to beg.
   57. Let him not be sorry when he obtains nothing, nor rejoice
when he obtains (something), let him (accept) so much only as will
sustain life, let him not care about the (quality of his) utensils.
   58. Let him disdain all (food) obtained in consequence of humble
salutations, (for) even an ascetic who has attained final
liberation, is bound (with the fetters of the Samsara) by accepting
(food given) in consequence of humble salutations.
   59. By eating little, and by standing and sitting in solitude,
let him restrain his senses, if they are attracted by sensual objects.
   60. By the restraint of his senses, by the destruction of love
and hatred, and by the abstention from injuring the creatures, he
becomes fit for immortality.
   61. Let him reflect on the transmigrations of men, caused by
their sinful deeds, on their falling into hell, and on the torments in
the world of Yama,
   62. On the separation from their dear ones, on their union with
hated men, on their being overpowered by age and being tormented
with diseases,
   63. On the departure of the individual soul from this body and
its new birth in (another) womb, and on its wanderings through ten
thousand millions of existences,
   64. On the infliction of pain on embodied (spirits), which is
caused by demerit, and the gain of eternal bliss, which is caused by
the attainment of their highest aim, (gained through) spiritual merit.
   65. By deep meditation let him recognise the subtile nature of
the supreme Soul, and its presence in all organisms, both the
highest and the lowest.
   66. To whatever order he may be attached, let him, though blemished
(by a want of the external marks), fulfil his duty, equal-minded
towards all creatures; (for) the external mark (of the order) is not
the cause of (the acquisition of) merit.
   67. Though the fruit of the Kataka tree (the clearing-nut) makes
water clear, yet the (latter) does not become limpid in consequence of
the mention of the (fruit's) name.
   68. In order to preserve living creatures, let him always by day
and by night, even with pain to his body, walk, carefully scanning the
ground.
   69. In order to expiate (the death) of those creatures which he
unintentionally injures by day or by night, an ascetic shall bathe and
perform six suppressions of the breath.
   70. Three suppressions of the breath even, performed according to
the rule, and accompanied with the (recitation of the) Vyahritis and
of the syllable Om, one must know to be the highest (form of)
austerity for every Brahmana.
   71. For as the impurities of metallic ores, melted in the blast (of
a furnace), are consumed, even so the taints of the organs are
destroyed through the suppression of the breath.
   72. Let him destroy the taints through suppressions of the
breath, (the production of) sin by fixed attention, all sensual
attachments by restraining (his senses and organs), and all
qualities that are not lordly by meditation.
   73. Let him recognise by the practice of meditation the progress of
the individual soul through beings of various kinds, (a progress) hard
to understand for unregenerate men.
   74. He who possesses the true insight (into the nature of the
world), is not fettered by his deeds; but he who is destitute of
that insight, is drawn into the circle of births and deaths.
   75. By not injuring any creatures, by detaching the senses (from
objects of enjoyment), by the rites prescribed in the Veda, and by
rigorously practising austerities, (men) gain that state (even) in
this (world).
   76-77. Let him quit this dwelling, composed of the five elements,
where the bones are the beams, which is held together by tendons
(instead of cords), where the flesh and the blood are the mortar,
which is thatched with the skin, which is foul-smelling, filled with
urine and ordure, infested by old age and sorrow, the seat of disease,
harassed by pain, gloomy with passion, and perishable.
   78. He who leaves this body, (be it by necessity) as a tree (that
is torn from) the river-bank, or (freely) like a bird (that) quits a
tree, is freed from the misery (of this world, dreadful like) a shark.
   79. Making over (the merit of his own) good actions to his
friends and (the guilt of) his evil deeds to his enemies, he attains
the eternal Brahman by the practice of meditation.
   80. When by the disposition (of his heart) he becomes indifferent
to all objects, he obtains eternal happiness both in this world and
after death.
   81. He who has in this manner gradually given up all attachments
and is freed from all the pairs (of opposites), reposes in Brahman
alone.
   82. All that has been declared (above) depends on meditation; for
he who is not proficient in the knowledge of that which refers to
the Soul reaps not the full reward of the performance of rites.
   83. Let him constantly recite (those texts of) the Veda which refer
to the sacrifice, (those) referring to the deities, and (those)
which treat of the Soul and are contained in the concluding portions
of the Veda (Vedanta).
   84. That is the refuge of the ignorant, and even that (the
refuse) of those who know (the meaning of the Veda); that is (the
protection) of those who seek (bliss in) heaven and of those who
seek endless (beatitude).
   85. A twice-born man who becomes an ascetic, after the successive
performance of the above-mentioned acts, shakes off sin here below and
reaches the highest Brahman.
   86. Thus the law (valid) for self-restrained ascetics has been
explained to you; now listen to the (particular) duties of those who
give up (the rites prescribed by) the Veda.
   87. The student, the householder, the hermit, and the ascetic,
these (constitute) four separate orders, which all spring from (the
order of) householders.
   88. But all (or) even (any of) these orders, assumed successively
in accordance with the Institutes (of the sacred law), lead the
Brahmana who acts by the preceding (rules) to the highest state.
   89. And in accordance with the precepts of the Veda and of the
Smriti, the housekeeper is declared to be superior to all of them; for
he supports the other three.
   90. As all rivers, both great and small, find a resting-place in
the ocean, even so men of all orders find protection with householders
   91. By twice-born men belonging to (any of) these four orders,
the tenfold law must be ever carefully obeyed.
   92. Contentment, forgiveness, self-control, abstention from
unrighteously appropriating anything, (obedience to the rules of)
purification, coercion of the organs, wisdom, knowledge (of the
supreme Soul), truthfulness, and abstention from anger, (form) the
tenfold law.
   93. Those Brahmanas who thoroughly study the tenfold law, and after
studying obey it, enter the highest state.
   94. A twice-born man who, with collected mind, follows the
tenfold law and has paid his (three) debts, may, after learning the
Vedanta according to the prescribed rule, become an ascetic.
   95. Having given up (the performance of) all rites, throwing off
the guilt of his (sinful) acts, subduing his organs and having studied
the Veda, he may live at his ease under the protection of his son.
   96. He who has thus given up (the performance of) all rites, who is
solely intent on his own (particular) object, (and) free from desires,
destroys his guilt by his renunciation and obtains the highest state.
   97. Thus the fourfold holy law of Brahmanas, which after death
(yields) imperishable rewards, has been declared to you; now learn the
duty of kings.
                         CHAPTER VII.

   1. I will declare the duties of kings, (and) show how a king should
conduct himself, how he was created, and how (he can obtain) highest
success.
   2. A Kshatriya, who has received according to the rule the
sacrament prescribed by the Veda, must duly protect this whole
(world).
   3. For, when these creatures, being without a king, through fear
dispersed in all directions, the Lord created a king for the
protection of this whole (creation),
   4. Taking (for that purpose) eternal particles of Indra, of the
Wind, of Yama, of the Sun, of Fire, of Varuna, of the Moon, and of the
Lord of wealth (Kubera).
   5. Because a king has been formed of particles of those lords of
the gods, he therefore surpasses all created beings in lustre;
   6. And, like the sun, he burns eyes and hearts; nor can anybody
on earth even gaze on him.
   7. Through his (supernatural) power he is Fire and Wind, he Sun and
Moon, he the Lord of justice (Yama), he Kubera, he Varuna, he great
Indra.
   8. Even an infant king must not be despised, (from an idea) that he
is a (mere) mortal; for he is a great deity in human form.
   9. Fire burns one man only, if he carelessly approaches it, the
fire of a king's (anger) consumes the (whole) family, together with
its cattle and its hoard of property.
   10. Having fully considered the purpose, (his) power, and the place
and the time, he assumes by turns many (different) shapes for the
complete attainment of justice.
   11. He, in whose favour resides Padma, the goddess of fortune, in
whose valour dwells victory, in whose anger abides death, is formed of
the lustre of all (gods).
   12. The (man), who in his exceeding folly hates him, will
doubtlessly perish; for the king quickly makes up his mind to
destroy such (a man).
   13. Let no (man), therefore, transgress that law which
favourites, nor (his orders) which inflict pain on those in disfavour.
   14. For the (king's) sake the Lord formerly created his own son,
Punishment, the protector of all creatures, (an incarnation of) the
law, formed of Brahman's glory.
   15. Through fear of him all created beings, both the immovable
and the movable, allow themselves to be enjoyed and swerve not from
their duties.
   16. Having fully considered the time and the place (of the
offence), the strength and the knowledge (of the offender), let him
justly inflict that (punishment) on men who act unjustly.
   17. Punishment is (in reality) the king (and) the male, that the
manager of affairs, that the ruler, and that is called the surety
for the four orders' obedience to the law.
   18. Punishment alone governs all created beings, punishment alone
protects them, punishment watches over them while they sleep; the wise
declare punishment (to be identical with) the law.
   19. If (punishment) is properly inflicted after (due)
consideration, it makes all people happy; but inflicted without
consideration, it destroys everything.
   20. If the king did not, without tiring, inflict punishment on
those worthy to be punished, the stronger would roast the weaker, like
fish on a spit;
   21. The crow would eat the sacrificial cake and the dog would
lick the sacrificial viands, and ownership would not remain with any
one, the lower ones would (usurp the place of) the higher ones.
   22. The whole world is kept in order by punishment, for a guiltless
man is hard to find; through fear of punishment the whole world yields
the enjoyments (which it owes).
   23. The gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, the Rakshasas, the
bird and snake deities even give the enjoyments (due from them)
only, if they are tormented by (the fear of) punishment.
   24. All castes (varna) would be corrupted (by intermixture), all
barriers would be broken through, and all men would rage (against each
other) in consequence of mistakes with respect to punishment.
   25. But where Punishment with a black hue and red eyes stalks
about, destroying sinners, there the subjects are not disturbed,
provided that he who inflicts it discerns well.
   26. They declare that king to be a just inflicter of punishment,
who is truthful, who acts after due consideration, who is wise, and
who knows (the respective value of) virtue, pleasure, and wealth.
   27. A king who properly inflicts (punishment), prospers with
respect to (those) three (means of happiness); but he who is
voluptuous, partial, and deceitful will be destroyed, even through the
(unjust) punishment (which he inflicts).
   28. Punishment (possesses) a very bright lustre, and is hard to
be administered by men with unimproved minds; it strikes down the king
who swerves from his duty, together with his relatives.
   29. Next it will afflict his castles, his territories, the whole
world together with the movable and immovable (creation), likewise the
sages and the gods, who (on the failure of offerings) ascend to the
sky.
   30. (Punishment) cannot be inflicted justly by one who has no
assistant, (nor) by a fool, (nor) by a covetous man, (nor) by one
whose mind is unimproved, (nor) by one addicted to sensual pleasures.
   31. By him who is pure (and) faithful to his promise, who acts
according to the Institutes (of the sacred law), who has good
assistants and is wise, punishment can be (justly) inflicted.
   32. Let him act with justice in his own domain, with rigour
chastise his enemies, behave without duplicity towards his friends,
and be lenient towards Brahmanas.
   33. The fame of a king who behaves thus, even though he subsist
by gleaning, is spread in the world, like a drop of oil on water.
   34. But the fame of a king who acts in a contrary manner and who
does not subdue himself, diminishes in extent among men like a drop of
clarified butter in water.
   35. The king has been created (to be) the protector of the castes
(varna) and orders, who, all according to their rank, discharge
their several duties.
   36. Whatever must be done by him and by his servants for the
protection of his people, that I will fully declare to you in due
order.
   37. Let the king, after rising early in the morning, worship
Brahmanas who are well versed in the threefold sacred science and
learned (in polity), and follow their advice.
   38. Let him daily worship aged Brahmanas who know the Veda and
are pure; for he who always worships aged men, is honoured even by
Rakshasas.
   39. Let him, though he may already be modest, constantly learn
modesty from them; for a king who is modest never perishes.
   40. Through a want of modesty many kings have perished, together
with their belongings; through modesty even hermits in the forest have
gained kingdoms.
   41. Through a want of humility Vena perished, likewise king
Nahusha, Sudas, the son of Pigavana, Sumukha, and Nemi.
   42. But by humility Prithu and Manu gained sovereignty, Kubera
the position of the Lord of wealth, and the son of Gadhi the rank of a
Brahmana.
   43. From those versed in the three Vedas let him learn the
threefold (sacred science), the primeval science of government, the
science of dialectics, and the knowledge of the (supreme) Soul; from
the people (the theory of) the (various) trades and professions.
   44. Day and night he must strenuously exert himself to conquer
his senses; for he (alone) who has conquered his own senses, can
keep his subjects in obedience.
   45. Let him carefully shun the ten vices, springing from love of
pleasure, and the eight, proceeding from wrath, which (all) end in
misery.
   46. For a king who is attached to the vices springing from love
of pleasure, loses his wealth and his virtue, but (he who is given) to
those arising from anger, (loses) even his life.
   47. Hunting, gambling, sleeping by day, censoriousness, (excess
with) women, drunkenness, (an inordinate love for) dancing, singing,
and music, and useless travel are the tenfold set (of vices) springing
from love of pleasure.
   48. Tale-bearing, violence, treachery, envy, slandering, (unjust)
seizure of property, reviling, and assault are the eightfold set (of
vices) produced by wrath.
   49. That greediness which all wise men declare to be the root
even of both these (sets), let him carefully conquer; both sets (of
vices) are produced by that.
   50. Drinking, dice, women, and hunting, these four (which have been
enumerated) in succession, he must know to be the most pernicious in
the set that springs from love of pleasure.
   51. Doing bodily injury, reviling, and the seizure of property,
these three he must know to be the most pernicious in the set produced
by wrath.
   52. A self-controlled (king) should know that in this set of seven,
which prevails everywhere, each earlier-named vice is more
abominable (than those named later).
   53. (On a comparison) between vice and death, vice is declared to
be more pernicious; a vicious man sinks to the nethermost (hell), he
who dies, free from vice, ascends to heaven.
   54. Let him appoint seven or eight ministers whose ancestors have
been royal servants, who are versed in the sciences, heroes skilled in
the use of weapons and descended from (noble) families and who have
been tried.
   55. Even an undertaking easy (in itself) is (sometimes) hard to
be accomplished by a single man; how much (harder is it for a king),
especially (if he has) no assistant, (to govern) a kingdom which
yields great revenues.
   56. Let him daily consider with them the ordinary (business,
referring to) peace and war, (the four subjects called) sthana, the
revenue, the (manner of) protecting (himself and his kingdom), and the
sanctification of his gains (by pious gifts).
   57. Having (first) ascertained the opinion of each (minister)
separately and (then the views) of all together, let him do what is
(most) beneficial for him in his affairs.
   58. But with the most distinguished among them all, a learned
Brahmana, let the king deliberate on the most important affairs
which relate to the six measures of royal policy.
   59. Let him, full of confidence, always entrust to that
(official) all business; having taken his final resolution with him,
let him afterwards begin to act.
   60. He must also appoint other officials, (men) of integrity,
(who are) wise, firm, well able to collect money, and well tried.
   61. As many persons as the due performance of his business
requires, so many skilful and clever (men), free from sloth, let him
appoint.
   62. Among them let him employ the brave, the skilful, the
high-born, and the honest in (offices for the collection of)
revenue, (e.g.) in mines, manufactures, and storehouses, (but) the
timid in the interior of his palace.
   63. Let him also appoint an ambassador who is versed in all
sciences, who understands hints, expressions of the face and gestures,
who is honest, skilful, and of (noble) family.
   64. (Such) an ambassador is commended to a king (who is) loyal,
honest, skilful, possessing a good memory, who knows the (proper)
place and time (for action, who is) handsome, fearless, and eloquent.
   65. The army depends on the official (placed in charge of it),
the due control (of the subjects) on the army, the treasury and the
(government of) the realm on the king, peace and its opposite (war) on
the ambassador.
   66. For the ambassador alone makes (kings') allies and separates
allies; the ambassador transacts that business by which (kings) are
disunited or not.
   67. With respect to the affairs let the (ambassador) explore the
expression of the countenance, the gestures and actions of the
(foreign king) through the gestures and actions of his confidential
(advisers), and (discover) his designs among his servants.
   68. Having learnt exactly (from his ambassador) the designs of
the foreign king, let (the king) take such measures that he does not
bring evil on himself.
   69. Let him settle in a country which is open and has a dry
climate, where grain is abundant, which is chiefly (inhabited) by
Aryans, not subject to epidemic diseases (or similar troubles), and
pleasant, where the vassals are obedient and his own (people easily)
find their livelihood.
   70. Let him build (there) a town, making for his safety a fortress,
protected by a desert, or a fortress built of (stone and) earth, or
one protected by water or trees, or one (formed by an encampment of
armed) men or a hill-fort.
   71. Let him make every effort to secure a hill-fort, for amongst
all those (fortresses mentioned) a hill-fort is distinguished by
many superior qualities.
   72. The first three of those (various kinds of fortresses) are
inhabited by wild beasts, animals living in holes and aquatic animals,
the last three by monkeys, men, and gods respectively.
   73. As enemies do not hurt these (beings, when they are)
sheltered by (their) fortresses, even so foes (can) not injure a
king who has taken refuge in his fort.
   74. One bowman, placed on a rampart, is a match in battle for one
hundred (foes), one hundred for ten thousand; hence it is prescribed
(in the Sastras that a king will posses) a fortress.
   75. Let that (fort) be well supplied with weapons, money, grain and
beasts of burden, with Brahmanas, with artisans, with engines, with
fodder, and with water.
   76. Let him cause to be built for himself, in the centre of it, a
spacious palace, (well) protected, habitable in every season,
resplendent (with whitewash), supplied with water and trees.
   77. Inhabiting that, let him wed a consort of equal caste
(varna), who possesses auspicious marks (on her body), and is born
in a great family, who is charming and possesses beauty and
excellent qualities.
   78. Let him appoint a domestic priest (purohita) and choose
officiating priests (ritvig); they shall perform his domestic rites
and the (sacrifices) for which three fires are required.
   79. A king shall offer various (Srauta) sacrifices at which liberal
fees (are distributed), and in order to acquire merit, he shall give
to Brahmanas enjoyments and wealth.
   80. Let him cause the annual revenue in his kingdom to be collected
by trusty (officials), let him obey the sacred law in (his
transactions with) the people, and behave like a father towards all
men.
   81. For the various (branches of business) let him appoint
intelligent supervisors; they shall inspect all (the acts) of those
men who transact his business.
   82. Let him honour those Brahmanas who have returned from their
teacher's house (after studying the Veda); for that (money which is
given) to Brahmanas is declared to be an imperishable treasure for
kings.
   83. Neither thieves nor foes can take it, nor can it be lost; hence
an imperishable store must be deposited by kings with Brahmanas.
   84. The offering made through the mouth of a Brahmana, which is
neither spilt, nor falls (on the ground), nor ever perishes, is far
more excellent than Agnihotras.
   85. A gift to one who is not a Brahmana (yields) the ordinary
(reward; a gift) to one who calls himself a Brahmana, a double
(reward); a gift to a well-read Brahmana, a hundred-thousandfold
(reward); (a gift) to one who knows the Veda and the Angas
(Vedaparaga, a reward) without end.
   86. For according to the particular qualities of the recipient
and according to the faith (of the giver) a small or a great reward
will be obtained for a gift in the next world.
   87. A king who, while he protects his people, is defied by
(foes), be they equal in strength, or stronger, or weaker, must not
shrink from battle, remembering the duty of Kshatriyas.
   88. Not to turn back in battle, to protect the people, to honour
the Brahmanas, is the best means for a king to secure happiness.
   89. Those kings who, seeking to slay each other in battle, fight
with the utmost exertion and do not turn back, go to heaven.
   90. When he fights with his foes in battle, let him not strike with
weapons concealed (in wood), nor with (such as are) barbed,
poisoned, or the points of which are blazing with fire.
   91. Let him not strike one who (in flight) has climbed on an
eminence, nor a eunuch, nor one who joins the palms of his hands (in
supplication), nor one who (flees) with flying hair, nor one who
sits down, nor one who says 'I am thine;'
   92. Nor one who sleeps, nor one who has lost his coat of mail,
nor one who is naked, nor one who is disarmed, nor one who looks on
without taking part in the fight, nor one who is fighting with another
(foe);
   93. Nor one whose weapons are broken, nor one afflicted (with
sorrow), nor one who has been grievously wounded, nor one who is in
fear, nor one who has turned to flight; (but in all these cases let
him) remember the duty (of honourable warriors).
   94. But the (Kshatriya) who is slain in battle, while he turns back
in fear, takes upon himself all the sin of his master, whatever (it
may be);
   95. And whatever merit (a man) who is slain in flight may have
gained for the next (world), all that his master takes.
   96. Chariots and horses, elephants, parasols, money, grain, cattle,
women, all sorts of (marketable) goods and valueless metals belong
to him who takes them (singly) conquering (the possessor).
   97. A text of the Veda (declares) that (the soldiers) shall present
a choice portion (of the booty) to the king; what has not been taken
singly, must be distributed by the king among all the soldiers.
   98. Thus has been declared the blameless, primeval law for
warriors; from this law a Kshatriya must not depart, when he strikes
his foes in battle.
   99. Let him strive to gain what he has not yet gained; what he
has gained let him carefully preserve; let him augment what he
preserves, and what he has augmented let him bestow on worthy men.
   100. Let him know that these are the four means for securing the
aims of human (existence); let him, without ever tiring, properly
employ them.
   101. What he has not (yet) gained, let him seek (to gain) by
(his) army; what he has gained, let him protect by careful
attention; what he has protected, let him augment by (various modes
of) increasing it; and what he has augmented, let him liberally bestow
(on worthy men).
   102. Let him be ever ready to strike, his prowess constantly
displayed, and his secrets constantly concealed, and let him
constantly explore the weaknesses of his foe.
   103. Of him who is always ready to strike, the whole world stands
in awe; let him therefore make all creatures subject to himself even
by the employment of force.
   104. Let him ever act without guile, and on no account
treacherously; carefully guarding himself, let him always fathom the
treachery which his foes employ.
   105. His enemy must not know his weaknesses, but he must know the
weaknesses of his enemy; as the tortoise (hides its limbs), even so
let him secure the members (of his government against treachery),
let him protect his own weak points.
   106. Let him plan his undertakings (patiently meditating) like a
heron; like a lion, let him put forth his strength; like a wolf, let
him snatch (his prey); like a hare, let him double in retreat.
   107. When he is thus engaged in conquest, let him subdue all the
opponents whom he may find, by the (four) expedients, conciliation and
the rest.
   108. If they cannot be stopped by the three first expedients,
then let him, overcoming them by force alone, gradually bring them
to subjection.
   109. Among the four expedients, conciliation and the rest, the
learned always recommend conciliation and (the employment of) force
for the prosperity of kingdoms.
   110. As the weeder plucks up the weeds and preserves the corn, even
so let the king protect his kingdom and destroy his opponents.
   111. That king who through folly rashly oppresses his kingdom,
(will), together with his relatives, ere long be deprived of his
life and of his kingdom.
   112. As the lives of living creatures are destroyed by tormenting
their bodies, even so the lives of kings are destroyed by their
oppressing their kingdoms.
   113. In governing his kingdom let him always observe the
(following) rules; for a king who governs his kingdom well, easily
prospers.
   114. Let him place a company of soldiers, commanded (by a trusty
officer), the midst of two, three, five or hundreds of villages, (to
be) a protection of the kingdom.
   115. Let him appoint a lord over (each) village, as well as lords
of ten villages, lords of twenty, lords of a hundred, and lords of a
thousand.
   116. The lord of one village himself shall inform the lord of ten
villages of the crimes committed in his village, and the ruler of
ten (shall make his report) to the ruler of twenty.
   117. But the ruler of twenty shall report all such (matters) to the
lord of a hundred, and the lord of a hundred shall himself give
information to the lord of a thousand.
   118. Those (articles) which the villagers ought to furnish daily to
the king, such as food, drink, and fuel, the lord of one village shall
obtain.
   119. The ruler of ten (villages) shall enjoy one kula (as much land
as suffices for one family), the ruler of twenty five kulas, the
superintendent of a hundred villages (the revenues of) one village,
the lord of a thousand (the revenues of) a town.
   120. The affairs of these (officials), which are connected with
(their) villages and their separate business, another minister of
the king shall inspect, (who must be) loyal and never remiss;
   121. And in each town let him appoint one superintendent of all
affairs, elevated in rank, formidable, (resembling) a planet among the
stars.
   122. Let that (man) always personally visit by turns all those
(other officials); let him properly explore their behaviour in their
districts through spies (appointed to) each.
   123. For the servants of the king, who are appointed to protect
(the people), generally become knaves who seize the property of
others; let him protect his subjects against such (men).
   124. Let the king confiscate the whole property of those
(officials) who, evil-minded, may take money from suitors, and
banish them.
   125. For women employed in the royal service and for menial
servants, let him fix a daily maintenance, in proportion to their
position and to their work.
   126. One pana must be given (daily) as wages to the lowest, six
to the highest, likewise clothing every six months and one drona of
grain every month.
   127. Having well considered (the rates of) purchase and (of)
sale, (the length of) the road, (the expense for) food and condiments,
the charges of securing the goods, let the king make the traders pay
duty.
   128. After (due) consideration the king shall always fix in his
realm the duties and taxes in such a manner that both he himself and
the man who does the work receive (their due) reward.
   129. As the leech, the calf, and the bee take their food little
by little, even so must the king draw from his realm moderate annual
taxes.
   130. A fiftieth part of (the increments on) cattle and gold may
be taken by the king, and the eighth, sixth, or twelfth part of the
crops.
   131. He may also take the sixth part of trees, meat, honey,
clarified butter, perfumes, (medical) herbs, substances used for
flavouring food, flowers, roots, and fruit;
   132. Of leaves, pot-herbs, grass, (objects) made of cane, skins, of
earthen vessels, and all (articles) made of stone.
   133. Though dying (with want), a king must not levy a tax on
Srotriyas, and no Srotriya, residing in his kingdom, must perish
from hunger.
   134. The kingdom of that king, in whose dominions a Srotriya
pines with hunger, will even, ere long, be afflicted by famine.
   135. Having ascertained his learning in the Veda and (the purity
of) his conduct, the king shall provide for him means of subsistence
in accordance with the sacred law, and shall protect him in every way,
as a father (protects) the lawful son of his body.
   136. Whatever meritorious acts (such a Brahmana) performs under the
full protection of the king, thereby the king's length of life,
wealth, and kingdom increase.
   137. Let the king make the common inhabitants of his realm who live
by traffic, pay annually some trifle, which is called a tax.
   138. Mechanics and artisans, as well as Sudras who subsist by
manual labour, he may cause to work (for himself) one (day) in each
month.
   139. Let him not cut up his own root (by levying no taxes), nor the
root of other (men) by excessive greed; for by cutting up his own root
(or theirs), he makes himself or them wretched.
   140. Let the king, having carefully considered (each) affair, be
both sharp and gentle; for a king who is both sharp and gentle is
highly respected.
   141. When he is tired with the inspection of the business of men,
let him place on that seat (of justice) his chief minister, (who
must be) acquainted with the law, wise, self-controlled, and descended
from a (noble) family.
   142. Having thus arranged all the affairs (of) his (government), he
shall zealously and carefully protect his subjects.
   143. That (monarch) whose subjects are carried off by robbers
(Dasyu) from his kingdom, while they loudly call (for help), and he
and his servants are (quietly) looking on, is a dead and not a
living (king).
   144. The highest duty of a Kshatriya is to protect his subjects,
for the king who enjoys the rewards, just mentioned, is bound to
(discharge that) duty.
   145. Having risen in the last watch of the night, having
performed (the rite of) personal purification, having, with a
collected mind, offered oblations in the fire, and having worshipped
Brahmanas, he shall enter the hall of audience which must possess
the marks (considered) auspicious (for a dwelling).
   146. Tarrying there, he shall gratify all subjects (who come to see
him by a kind reception) and afterwards dismiss them; having dismissed
his subjects, he shall take counsel with his ministers.
   147. Ascending the back of a hill or a terrace, (and) retiring
(there) in a lonely place, or in a solitary forest, let him consult
with them unobserved.
   148. That king whose secret plans other people, (though)
assembled (for the purpose), do not discover, (will) enjoy the whole
earth, though he be poor in treasure.
   149. At the time of consultation let him cause to be removed
idiots, the dumb, the blind, and the deaf, animals, very aged men,
women, barbarians, the sick, and those deficient in limbs.
   150. (Such) despicable (persons), likewise animals, and
particularly women betray secret council; for that reason he must be
careful with respect to them.
   151. At midday or at midnight, when his mental and bodily
fatigues are over, let him deliberate, either with himself alone or
with his (ministers), on virtue, pleasure, and wealth,
   152. On (reconciling) the attainment of these (aims) which are
opposed to each other, on bestowing his daughters in marriage, and
on keeping his sons (from harm),
   153. On sending ambassadors, on the completion of undertakings
(already begun), on the behaviour of (the women in) his harem, and
on the doings of his spies.
   154. On the whole eightfold business and the five classes (of
spies), on the goodwill or enmity and the conduct of the circle (of
neighbours he must) carefully (reflect).
   155. On the conduct of the middlemost (prince), on the doings of
him who seeks conquest, on the behaviour of the neutral (king), and
(on that) of the foe (let him) sedulously (meditate).
   156. These (four) constituents (prakriti, form), briefly
(speaking), the foundation of the circle (of neighbours); besides,
eight others are enumerated (in the Institutes of Polity) and (thus)
the (total) is declared to be twelve.
   157. The minister, the kingdom, the fortress, the treasury, and the
army are five other (constituent elements of the circle); for, these
are mentioned in connexion with each (of the first twelve; thus the
whole circle consists), briefly (speaking, of) seventy-two
(constituent parts).
   158. Let (the king) consider as hostile his immediate neighbour and
the partisan of (such a) foe, as friendly the immediate neighbour of
his foe, and as neutral (the king) beyond those two.
   159. Let him overcome all of them by means of the (four)
expedients, conciliation and the rest, (employed) either singly or
conjointly, (or) by bravery and policy (alone).
   160. Let him constantly think of the six measures of royal policy
(guna, viz.) alliance, war, marching, halting, dividing the army,
and seeking protection.
   161. Having carefully considered the business (in hand), let him
resort to sitting quiet or marching, alliance or war, dividing his
forces or seeking protection (as the case may require).
   162. But the king must know that there are two kinds of alliances
and of wars, (likewise two) of both marching and sitting quiet, and
two (occasions for) seeking protection.)
   163. An alliance which yields present and future advantages, one
must know to be of two descriptions, (viz.) that when one marches
together (with an ally) and the contrary (when the allies act
separately).
   164. War is declared to be of two kinds, (viz.) that which is
undertaken in season or out of season, by oneself and for one's own
purposes, and (that waged to avenge) an injury done to a friend.
   165. Marching (to attack) is said to be twofold, (viz. that
undertaken) by one alone when an urgent matter has suddenly arisen,
and (that undertaken) by one allied with a friend.
   166. Sitting quiet is stated to be of two kinds, (viz. that
incumbent) on one who has gradually been weakened by fate or in
consequence of former acts, and (that) in favour of a friend.
   167. If the army stops (in one place) and its master (in another)
in order to effect some purpose, that is called by those acquainted
with the virtues of the measures of royal policy, the twofold division
of the forces.
   168. Seeking refuge is declared to be of two kinds, (first) for the
purpose of attaining an advantage when one is harassed by enemies,
(secondly) in order to become known among the virtuous (as the protege
of a powerful king).
   169. When (the king) knows (that) at some future time his
superiority (is) certain, and (that) at the time present (he will
suffer) little injury, then let him have recourse to peaceful
measures.
   170. But when he thinks all his subjects to be exceedingly
contented, and (that he) himself (is) most exalted (in power), then
let him make war.
   171. When he knows his own army to be cheerful in disposition and
strong, and (that) of his enemy the reverse, then let him march
against his foe.
   172. But if he is very weak in chariots and beasts of burden and in
troops, then let him carefully sit quiet, gradually conciliating his
foes.
   173. When the king knows the enemy to be stronger in every respect,
then let him divide his army and thus achieve his purpose.
   174. But when he is very easily assailable by the forces of the
enemy, then let him quickly seek refuge with a righteous, powerful
king.
   175. That (prince) who will coerce both his (disloyal) subjects and
the army of the foe, let him ever serve with every effort like a Guru.
   176. When, even in that (condition), he sees (that) evil is
caused by (such) protection, let him without hesitation have
recourse to war.
   177. By all (the four) expedients a politic prince must arrange
(matters so) that neither friends, nor neutrals, nor foes are superior
to himself.
   178. Let him fully consider the future and the immediate results of
all undertakings, and the good and bad sides of all past (actions).
   179. He who knows the good and the evil (which will result from his
acts) in the future, is quick in forming resolutions for the
present, and understands the consequences of past (actions), will
not be conquered.
   180. Let him arrange everything in such a manner that no ally, no
neutral or foe may injure him; that is the sum of political wisdom.
   181. But if the king undertakes an expedition against a hostile
kingdom, then let him gradually advance, in the following manner,
against his foe's capital.
   182. Let the king undertake his march in the fine month
Margasirsha, or towards the months of Phalguna and Kaitra, according
to the (condition of his) army.
   183. Even at other times, when he has a certain prospect of
victory, or when a disaster has befallen his foe, he may advance to
attack him.
   184. But having duly arranged (all affairs) in his original
(kingdom) and what relates to the expedition, having secured a basis
(for his operations) and having duly dispatched his spies;
   185. Having cleared the three kinds of roads, and (having made) his
sixfold army (efficient), let him leisurely proceed in the manner
prescribed for warfare against the enemy's capital.
   186. Let him be very much on his guard against a friend who
secretly serves the enemy and against (deserters) who return (from the
enemy's camp); for such (men are) the most dangerous foes.
   187. Let him march on his road, arraying (his troops) like a
staff (i.e. in an oblong), or like a waggon (i.e. in a wedge), or like
a boar (i.e. in a rhombus), or like a Makara (i.e. in two triangles,
with the apices joined), or like a pin (i.e. in a long line), or
like a Garuda (i.e. in a rhomboid with far-extended wings).
   188. From whatever (side) he apprehends danger, in that (direction)
let him extend his troops, and let him always himself encamp in an
array, shaped like a lotus.
   189. Let him allot to the commander-in-chief, to the
(subordinate) general, (and to the superior officers) places in all
directions, and let him turn his front in that direction whence he
fears danger.
   190. On all sides let him place troops of soldiers, on whom he
can rely, with whom signals have been arranged, who are expert both in
sustaining a charge and in charging, fearless and loyal.
   191. Let him make a small number of soldiers fight in close
order, at his pleasure let him extend a large number in loose ranks;
or let him make them fight, arranging (a small number) in the
needle-array, (and a large number) in the thunderbolt-array.
   192. On even ground let him fight with chariots and horses, in
water-bound places with boats and elephants, on (ground) covered
with trees and shrubs with bows, on hilly ground with swords, targets,
(and other) weapons.
   193. (Men born in) Kurukshetra, Matsyas, Pankalas, and those born
in Surasena, let him cause to fight in the van of the battle, as
well as (others who are) tall and light.
   194. After arranging his troops, he should encourage them (by an
address) and carefully inspect them; he should also mark the behaviour
(of the soldiers) when they engage the enemy.
   195. When he has shut up his foe (in a town), let him sit encamped,
harass his kingdom, and continually spoil his grass, food, fuel, and
water.
   196. Likewise let him destroy the tanks, ramparts, and ditches, and
let him assail the (foe unawares) and alarm him at night.
   197. Let him instigate to rebellion those who are open to such
instigations, let him be informed of his (foe's) doings, and, when
fate is propitious, let him fight without fear, trying to conquer.
   198. He should (however) try to conquer his foes by conciliation,
by (well-applied) gifts, and by creating dissension, used either
separately or conjointly, never by fighting, (if it can be avoided.)
   199. For when two (princes) fight, victory and defeat in the battle
are, as experience teaches, uncertain; let him therefore avoid an
engagement.
   200. (But) if even those three before-mentioned expedients fail,
then let him, duly exerting himself, fight in such a manner that he
may completely conquer his enemies.
   201. When he has gained victory, let him duly worship the gods
and honour righteous Brahmanas, let him grant exemptions, and let
him cause promises of safety to be proclaimed.
   202. But having fully ascertained the wishes of all the
(conquered), let him place there a relative of the (vanquished ruler
on the throne), and let him impose his conditions.
   203. Let him make authoritative the lawful (customs) of the
(inhabitants), just as they are stated (to be), and let him honour the
(new king) and his chief servants with precious gifts.
   204. The seizure of desirable property which causes displeasure,
and its distribution which causes pleasure, are both recommendable,
(if they are) resorted to at the proper time.
   205. All undertakings (in) this (world) depend both on the ordering
of fate and on human exertion; but among these two (the ways of)
fate are unfathomable; in the case of man's work action is possible.
   206. Or (the king, bent on conquest), considering a friend, gold,
and land (to be) the triple result (of an expedition), may, using
diligent care, make peace with (his foe) and return (to his realm).
   207. Having paid due attention to any king in the circle (of
neighbouring states) who might attack him in the rear, and to his
supporter who opposes the latter, let (the conqueror) secure the fruit
of the expedition from (the prince whom he attacks), whether (he may
have become) friendly or (remained) hostile.
   208. By gaining gold and land a king grows not so much in
strength as by obtaining a firm friend, (who), though weak, (may
become) powerful in the future.
   209. A weak friend (even) is greatly commended, who is righteous
(and) grateful, whose people are contented, who is attached and
persevering in his undertakings.
   210. The wise declare him (to be) a most dangerous foe, who is
wise, of noble race, brave, clever, liberal, grateful, and firm.
   211. Behaviour worthy of an Aryan, knowledge of men, bravery, a
compassionate disposition, and great liberality are the virtues of a
neutral (who may be courted).
   212. Let the king, without hesitation, quit for his own sake even a
country (which is) salubrious, fertile, and causing an increase of
cattle.
   213. For times of need let him preserve his wealth; at the
expense of his wealth let him preserve his wife; let him at all events
preserve himself even by (giving up) his wife and his wealth.
   214. A wise (king), seeing that all kinds of misfortunes
violently assail him at the same time, should try all (the four)
expedients, be it together or separately, (in order to save himself.)
   215. On the person who employs the expedients, on the business to
be accomplished, and on all the expedients collectively, on these
three let him ponder and strive to accomplish his ends.
   216. Having thus consulted with his ministers on all these
(matters), having taken exercise, and having bathed afterwards, the
king may enter the harem at midday in order to dine.
   217. There he may eat food, (which has been prepared) by
faithful, incorruptible (servants) who know the (proper) time (for
dining), which has been well examined (and hallowed) by sacred texts
that destroy poison.
   218. Let him mix all his food with medicines (that are) antidotes
against poison, and let him always be careful to wear gems which
destroy poison.
   219. Well-tried females whose toilet and ornaments have been
examined, shall attentively serve him with fans, water, and perfumes.
   220. In like manner let him be careful about his carriages, bed,
seat, bath, toilet, and all his ornaments.
   221. When he has dined, he may divert himself with his wives in the
harem; but when he has diverted himself, he must, in due time, again
think of the affairs of state.
   222. Adorned (with his robes of state), let him again inspect his
fighting men, all his chariots and beasts of burden, the weapons and
accoutrements.
   223. Having performed his twilight-devotions, let him, well
armed, hear in an inner apartment the doings of those who make
secret reports and of his spies.
   224. But going to another secret apartment and dismissing those
people, he may enter the harem, surrounded by female (servants), in
order to dine again.
   225. Having eaten there something for the second time, and having
been recreated by the sound of music, let him go to rest and rise at
the proper time free from fatigue.
   226. A king who is in good health must observe these rules; but, if
he is indisposed, he may entrust all this (business) to his servants.
                       CHAPTER VIII.

   1. A king, desirous of investigating law cases, must enter his
court of justice, preserving a dignified demeanour, together with
Brahmanas and with experienced councillors.
   2. There, either seated or standing, raising his right arm, without
ostentation in his dress and ornaments, let him examine the business
of suitors,
   3. Daily (deciding) one after another (all cases) which fall
under the eighteen titles (of the law) according to principles drawn
from local usages. and from the Institutes of the sacred law.
   4. Of those (titles) the first is the non-payment of debts, (then
follow), (2) deposit and pledge, (3) sale without ownership, (4)
concerns among partners, and (5) resumption of gifts,
   5. (6) Non-payment of wages, (7) non-performance of agreements, (8)
rescission of sale and purchase, (9) disputes between the owner (of
cattle) and his servants,
   6. (10) Disputes regarding boundaries, (11) assault and (12)
defamation, (13) theft, (14) robbery and violence, (15) adultery,
   7. (16) Duties of man and wife, (17) partition (of inheritance),
(18) gambling and betting; these are in this world the eighteen topics
which give rise to lawsuits.
   8. Depending on the eternal law, let him decide the suits of men
who mostly contend on the titles just mentioned.
   9. But if the king does not personally investigate the suits,
then let him appoint a learned Brahmana to try them.
   10. That (man) shall enter that most excellent court, accompanied
by three assessors, and fully consider (all) causes (brought) before
the (king), either sitting down or standing.
   11. Where three Brahmanas versed in the Vedas and the learned
(judge) appointed by the king sit down, they call that the court of
(four-faced) Brahman.
   12. But where justice, wounded by injustice, approaches and the
judges do not extract the dart, there (they also) are wounded (by that
dart of injustice).
   13. Either the court must not be entered, or the truth must be
spoken; a man who either says nothing or speaks falsely, becomes
sinful.
   14. Where justice is destroyed by injustice, or truth by falsehood,
while the judges look on, there they shall also be destroyed.
   15. 'Justice, being violated, destroys; justice, being preserved,
preserves: therefore justice must not be violated, lest violated
justice destroy us.'
   16. For divine justice (is said to be) a bull (vrisha); that
(man) who violates it (kurute 'lam) the gods consider to be (a man
despicable like) a Sudra (vrishala); let him, therefore, beware of
violating justice.
   17. The only friend who follows men even after death is justice;
for everything else is lost at the same time when the body (perishes).
   18. One quarter of (the guilt of) an unjust (decision) falls on him
who committed (the crime), one quarter on the (false) witness, one
quarter on all the judges, one quarter on the king.
   19. But where he who is worthy of condemnation is condemned, the
king is free from guilt, and the judges are saved (from sin); the
guilt falls on the perpetrator (of the crime alone).
   20. A Brahmana who subsists only by the name of his caste (gati),
or one who merely calls himself a Brahmana (though his origin be
uncertain), may, at the king's pleasure, interpret the law to him, but
never a Sudra.
   21. The kingdom of that monarch, who looks on while a Sudra settles
the law, will sink (low), like a cow in a morass.
   22. That kingdom where Sudras are very numerous, which is
infested by atheists and destitute of twice-born (inhabitants), soon
entirely perishes, afflicted by famine and disease.
   23. Having occupied the seat of justice, having covered his body,
and having worshipped the guardian deities of the world, let him, with
a collected mind, begin the trial of causes.
   24. Knowing what is expedient or inexpedient, what is pure
justice or injustice, let him examine the causes of suitors
according to the order of the castes (varna).
   25. By external signs let him discover the internal disposition
of men, by their voice, their colour, their motions, their aspect,
their eyes, and their gestures.
   26. The internal (working of the) mind is perceived through the
aspect, the motions, the gait, the gestures, the speech, and the
changes in the eye and of the face.
   27. The king shall protect the inherited (and other) property of
a minor, until he has returned (from his teacher's house) or until
he has passed his minority.
   28. In like manner care must be taken of barren women, of those who
have no sons, of those whose family is extinct, of wives and widows
faithful to their lords, and of women afflicted with diseases.
   29. A righteous king must punish like thieves those relatives who
appropriate the property of such females during their lifetime.
   30. Property, the owner of which has disappeared, the king shall
cause to be kept as a deposit during three years; within the period of
three years the owner may claim it, after (that term) the king may
take it.
   31. He who says, 'This belongs to me,' must be examined according
to the rule; if he accurately describes the shape, and the number
(of the articles found) and so forth, (he is) the owner, (and) ought
(to receive) that property.
   32. But if he does not really know the time and the place (where it
was) lost, its colour, shape, and size, he is worthy of a fine equal
(in value) to the (object claimed).
   33. Now the king, remembering the duty of good men, may take
one-sixth part of property lost and afterwards found, or one-tenth, or
at least one-twelfth.
   34. Property lost and afterwards found (by the king's servants)
shall remain in the keeping of (special) officials; those whom the
king may convict of stealing it, he shall cause to be slain by an
elephant.
   35. From that man who shall truly say with respect to
treasure-trove, 'This belongs to me,' the king may take one-sixth or
one-twelfth part.
   36. But he who falsely says (so), shall be fined in one-eighth of
his property, or, a calculation of (the value of) the treasure
having been made, in some smaller portion (of that).
   37. When a learned Brahmana has found treasure, deposited in former
(times), he may take even the whole (of it); for he is master of
everything.
   38. When the king finds treasure of old concealed in the ground let
him give one half to Brahmanas and place the (other) half in his
treasury.
   39. The king obtains one half of ancient hoards and metals
(found) in the ground, by reason of (his giving) protection, (and)
because he is the lord of the soil.
   40. Property stolen by thieves must be restored by the king to (men
of) all castes (varna); a king who uses such (property) for himself
incurs the guilt of a thief.
   41. (A king) who knows the sacred law, must inquire into the laws
of castes (gati), of districts, of guilds, and of families, and (thus)
settle the peculiar law of each.
   42. For men who follow their particular occupations and abide by
their particular duty, become dear to people, though they may live
at a distance.
   43. Neither the king nor any servant of his shall themselves
cause a lawsuit to be begun, or hush up one that has been brought
(before them) by (some) other (man).
   44. As a hunter traces the lair of a (wounded) deer by the drops of
blood, even so the king shall discover on which side the right lies,
by inferences (from the facts).
   45. When engaged in judicial proceedings he must pay full attention
to the truth, to the object (of the dispute), (and) to himself, next
to the witnesses, to the place, to the time, and to the aspect.
   46. What may have been practised by the virtuous, by such
twice-born men as are devoted to the law, that he shall establish as
law, if it be not opposed to the (customs of) countries, families, and
castes (gati).
   47. When a creditor sues (before the king) for the recovery of
money from a debtor, let him make the debtor pay the sum which the
creditor proves (to be due).
   48. By whatever means a creditor may be able to obtain possession
of his property, even by those means may he force the debtor and
make him pay.
   49. By moral suasion, by suit of law, by artful management, or by
the customary proceeding, a creditor may recover property lent; and
fifthly, by force.
   50. A creditor who himself recovers his property from his debtor,
must not be blamed by the king for retaking what is his own.
   51. But him who denies a debt which is proved by good evidence,
he shall order to pay that debt to the creditor and a small fine
according to his circumstances.
   52. On the denial (of a debt) by a debtor who has been required
in court to pay it, the complainant must call (a witness) who was
present (when the loan was made), or adduce other evidence.
   53. (The plaintiff) who calls a witness not present at the
transaction, who retracts his statements, or does not perceive that
his statements (are) confused or contradictory;
   54. Or who having stated what he means to prove afterwards varies
(his case), or who being questioned on a fact duly stated by himself
does not abide by it;
   55. Or who converses with the witnesses in a place improper for
such conversation; or who declines to answer a question, properly put,
or leaves (the court);
   56. Or who, being ordered to speak, does not answer, or does not
prove what he has alleged; or who does not know what is the first
(point), and what the second, fails in his suit.
   57. Him also who says 'I have witnesses,' and, being ordered to
produce them, produces them not, the judge must on these (same)
grounds declare to be non-suited.
   58. If a plaintiff does not speak, he may be punished corporally or
fined according to the law; if (a defendant) does not plead within
three fortnights, he has lost his cause.
   59. In the double of that sum which (a defendant) falsely denies or
on which (the plaintiff) falsely declares, shall those two (men)
offending against justice be fined by the king.
   60. (A defendant) who, being brought (into court) by the
creditor, (and) being questioned, denies (the debt), shall be
convicted (of his falsehood) by at least three witnesses (who must
depose) in the presence of the Brahmana (appointed by) the king.
   61. I will fully declare what kind of men may be made witnesses
in suits by creditors, and in what manner those (witnesses) must
give true (evidence).
   62. Householders, men with male issue, and indigenous
(inhabitants of the country, be they) Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, or
Sudras, are competent, when called by a suitor, to give evidence,
not any persons whatever (their condition may be) except in cases of
urgency.
   63. Trustworthy men of all the (four) castes (varna) may be made
witnesses in lawsuits, (men) who know (their) whole duty, and are free
from covetousness; but let him reject those (of an) opposite
(character).
   64. Those must not be made (witnesses) who have an interest in
the suit, nor familiar (friends), companions, and enemies (of the
parties), nor (men) formerly convicted (of perjury), nor (persons)
suffering under (severe) illness, nor (those) tainted (by mortal sin).
   65. The king cannot be made a witness, nor mechanics and actors,
nor a: Srotriya, nor a student of the Veda, nor (an ascetic) who has
given up (all) connexion (with the world),
   66. Nor one wholly dependent, nor one of bad fame, nor a Dasyu, nor
one who follows forbidden occupations, nor an aged (man), nor an
infant, nor one (man alone), nor a man of the lowest castes, nor one
deficient in organs of sense,
   67. Nor one extremely grieved, nor one intoxicated, nor a madman,
nor one tormented by hunger or thirst, nor one oppressed by fatigue,
nor one tormented by desire, nor a wrathful man, nor a thief.
   68. Women should give evidence for women, and for twice-born men
twice-born men (of the) same (kind), virtuous Sudras for Sudras, and
men of the lowest castes for the lowest.
   69. But any person whatsoever, who has personal knowledge (of an
act committed) in the interior apartments (of a house), or in a
forest, or of (a crime causing) loss of life, may give evidence
between the parties.
   70. On failure (of qualified witnesses, evidence) may given (in
such cases) by a woman, by an infant, by an aged man, by a pupil, by a
relative, by a slave, or by a hired servant.
   71. But the (judge) should consider the evidence of infants, aged
and diseased men, who (are apt to) speak untruly, as untrustworthy,
likewise that of men with disordered minds.
   72. In all cases of violence, of theft and adultery, of
defamation and assault, he must not examine the (competence of)
witnesses (too strictly).
   73. On a conflict of the witnesses the king shall accept (as
true) the evidence of the) majority; if (the conflicting parties
are) equal in number, (that of) those distinguished by good qualities;
on a difference between (equally) distinguished (witnesses, that of)
the best among the twice-born.
   74. Evidence in accordance with what has actually been seen or
heard, is admissible; a witness who speaks truth in those (cases),
neither loses spiritual merit nor wealth.
   75. A witness who deposes in an assembly of honourable men (Arya)
anything else but what he has seen or heard, falls after death
headlong into hell and loses heaven.
   76. When a man (originally) not appointed to be a witness sees or
hears anything and is (afterwards) examined regarding it, he must
declare it (exactly) as he saw or heard it.
   77. One man who is free from covetousness may be (accepted as)
witness; but not even many pure women, because the understanding of
females is apt to waver, nor even many other men, who are tainted with
sin.
   78. What witnesses declare quite naturally, that must be received
on trials; (depositions) differing from that, which they make
improperly, are worthless for (the purposes of) justice.
   79. The witnesses being assembled in the court in the presence of
the plaintiff and of the defendant, let the judge examine them, kindly
exhorting them in the following manner:
   80. 'What ye know to have been mutually transacted in this matter
between the two men before us, declare all that in accordance with the
truth; for ye are witnesses in this (cause).
   81. 'A witness who speaks the truth in his evidence, gains (after
death) the most excellent regions (of bliss) and here (below)
unsurpassable fame; such testimony is revered by Brahman (himself).
   82. 'He who gives false evidence is firmly bound by Varuna's
fetters, helpless during one hundred existences; let (men therefore)
give true evidence.
   83. 'By truthfulness a witness is purified, through truthfulness
his merit grows, truth must, therefore, be spoken by witnesses of
all castes (varna).
   84. 'The Soul itself is the witness of the Soul, and the Soul is
the refuge of the Soul; despise not thy own Soul, the supreme
witness of men.
   85. 'The wicked, indeed, say in their hearts, "Nobody sees us;" but
the gods distinctly see them and the male within their own breasts.
   86. 'The sky, the earth, the waters, (the male in) the heart, the
moon, the sun, the fire, Yama and the wind, the night, the two
twilights, and justice know the conduct of all corporeal beings.'
   87. The (judge), being purified, shall ask in the forenoon the
twice-born (witnesses) who (also have been) purified, (and stand)
facing the north or the east, to give true evidence in the presence of
(images of) the gods and of Brahmanas.
   88. Let him examine a Brahmana (beginning with) 'Speak,' a
Kshatriya (beginning with) 'Speak the truth,' a Vaisya (admonishing
him) by (mentioning) his kine, grain, and gold, a Sudra (threatening
him) with (the guilt of) every crime that causes loss of caste;
   89. (Saying), 'Whatever places (of torment) are assigned (by the
sages) to the slayer of a Brahmana, to the murderer of women and
children, to him who betrays a friend, and to an ungrateful man, those
shall be thy (portion), if thou speakest falsely.
   90. '(The reward) of all meritorious deeds which thou, good man,
hast done since thy birth, shall become the share of the dogs, if in
thy speech thou departest from the truth.
   91. 'If thou thinkest, O friend of virtue, with respect to thyself,
"I am alone," (know that) that sage who witnesses all virtuous acts
and all crimes, ever resides in thy heart.
   92. 'If thou art not at variance with that divine Yama, the son
of Vivasvat, who dwells in thy heart, thou needest neither visit the
Ganges nor the (land of the) Kurus.
   93. 'Naked and shorn, tormented with hunger and thirst, and
deprived of sight, shall the man who gives false evidence, go with a
potsherd to beg food at the door of his enemy.
   94. 'Headlong, in utter darkness shall the sinful man tumble into
hell, who being interrogated in a judicial inquiry answers one
question falsely.
   95. 'That man who in a court (of justice) gives an untrue account
of a transaction (or asserts a fact) of which he was not an
eye-witness, resembles a blind man who swallows fish with the bones.
   96. 'The gods are acquainted with no better man in this world
than him, of whom his conscious Soul has no distrust, when he gives
evidence.
   97. 'Learn now, O friend, from an enumeration in due order, how
many relatives he destroys who gives false evidence in several
particular cases.
   98. 'He kills five by false Testimony regarding (small) cattle,
he kills ten by false testimony regarding kine, he kills a hundred
by false evidence concerning horses, and a thousand by false
evidence concerning men.
   99. 'By speaking falsely in a cause regarding gold, he kills the
born and the unborn; by false evidence concerning land, he kills
everything; beware, therefore, of false evidence concerning land.
   100. 'They declare (false evidence) concerning water, concerning
the carnal enjoyment of women, and concerning all gems, produced in
water, or consisting of stones (to be) equally (wicked) as a lie
concerning land.
   101. 'Marking well all the evils (which are produced) by perjury,
declare thou openly everything as (thou hast) heard or seen (it).'
   102. Brahmanas who tend cattle, who trade, who are mechanics,
actors (or singers), menial servants or usurers, the (judge) shall
treat like Sudras.
   103. In (some) cases a man who, though knowing (the facts to be)
different, gives such (false evidence) from a pious motive, does not
lose heaven; such (evidence) they call the speech of the gods.
   104. Whenever the death of a Sudra, of a Vaisya, of a Kshatriya, or
of a Brahmana would be (caused) by a declaration of the truth, a
falsehood may be spoken; for such (falsehood) is preferable to the
truth.
   105. Such (witnesses) must offer to Sarasvati oblations of boiled
rice (karu) which are sacred to the goddess of speech, (thus)
performing the best penance in order to expiate the guilt of that
falsehood.
   106. Or such (a witness) may offer according to the rule, clarified
butter in the fire, reciting the Kushmanda texts, or the Rik, sacred
to Varuna, 'Untie, O Varuna, the uppermost fetter,' or the three
verses addressed to the Waters.
   107. A man who, without being ill, does not give evidence in (cases
of) loans and the like within three fortnights (after the summons),
shall become responsible for the whole debt and (pay) a tenth part
of the whole (as a fine to the king).
   108. The witness to whom, within seven days after he has given
evidence, happens (a misfortune through) sickness, a fire, or the
death of a relative, shall be made to pay the debt and a fine.
   109. If two (parties) dispute about matters for which no
witnesses are available, and the (judge) is unable to really ascertain
the truth, he may cause it to be discovered even by an oath.
   110. Both by the great sages and the gods oaths have been taken for
the purpose of (deciding doubtful) matters; and Vasishtha even swore
an oath before king (Sudas), the son of Pigavana.
   111. Let no wise man swear an oath falsely, even in a trifling
matter; for he who swears an oath falsely is lost in this (world)
and after death.
   112. No crime, causing loss of caste, is committed by swearing
(falsely) to women, the objects of one's desire, at marriages, for the
sake of fodder for a cow, or of fuel, and in (order to show) favour to
a Brahmana.
   113. Let the (judge) cause a Brahmana to swear by his veracity, a
Kshatriya by his chariot or the animal he rides on and by his weapons,
a Vaisya by his kine, grain, and gold, and a Sudra by (imprecating
on his own head the guilt) of all grievous offences (pataka).
   114. Or the (judge) may cause the (party) to carry fire or to
dive under water, or severally to touch the heads of his wives and
children.
   115. He whom the blazing fire burns not, whom the water forces
not to come (quickly) up, who meets with no speedy misfortune, must be
held innocent on (the strength of) his oath.
   116. For formerly when Vatsa was accused by his younger brother,
the fire, the spy of the world, burned not even a hair (of his) by
reason of his veracity.
   117. Whenever false evidence has been given in any suit, let the
(judge) reverse the judgment, and whatever has been done must be
(considered as) undone.
   118. Evidence (given) from covetousness, distraction, terror,
friendship, lust, wrath, ignorance, and childishness is declared (to
be) invalid.
   119. I will propound in (due) order the particular punishments
for him who gives false evidence from any one of these motives.
   120. (He who commits perjury) through covetousness shall be fined
one thousand (panas), (he who does it) through distraction, in the
lowest amercement; (if a man does it) through fear, two middling
amercements shall be paid as a fine, (if he does it) through
friendship, four times the amount of the lowest (amercement).
   121. (He who does it) through lust, (shall pay) ten times the
lowest amercement, but (he who does it) through wrath, three times the
next (or second amercement); (he who does it) through ignorance, two
full hundreds, but (he who does it) through childishness, one
hundred (panas).
   122. They declare that the wise have prescribed these fines for
perjury, in order to prevent a failure of justice, and in order to
restrain injustice.
   123. But a just king shall fine and banish (men of) the three
(lower) castes (varna) who have given false evidence, but a Brahmana
he shall (only) banish.
   124. Manu, the son of the Self-existent (Svayambhu), has named
ten places on which punishment may be (made to fall) in the cases of
the three (lower) castes (varna); but a Brahmana shall depart unhurt
(from the country).
   125. (These are) the organ, the belly, the tongue, the two hands,
and fifthly the two feet, the eye, the nose, the two ears, likewise
the (whole) body.
   126. Let the (king), having fully ascertained the motive, the
time and place (of the offence), and having considered the ability (of
the criminal to suffer) and the (nature of the) crime, cause
punishment to fall on those who deserve it.
   127. Unjust punishment destroys reputation among men, and fame
(after death), and causes even in the next world the loss of heaven;
let him, therefore, beware of (inflicting) it.
   128. A king who punishes those who do not deserve it, and
punishes not those who deserve it, brings great infamy on himself
and (after death) sinks into hell.
   129. Let him punish first by (gentle) admonition, afterwards by
(harsh) reproof, thirdly by a fine, after that by corporal
chastisement.
   130. But when he cannot restrain such (offenders) even by
corporal punishment, then let him apply to them even all the four
(modes cojointly).
   131. Those technical names of (certain quantities of) copper,
silver, and gold, which are generally used on earth for the purpose of
business transactions among men, I will fully declare.
   132. The very small mote which is seen when the sun shines
through a lattice, they declare (to be) the least of (all)
quantities and (to be called) a trasarenu (a floating particle of
dust).
   133. Know (that) eight trasarenus (are equal) in bulk (to) a liksha
(the egg of a louse), three of those to one grain of black mustard
(ragasarshapa), and three of the latter to a white mustard-seed.
   134. Six grains of white mustard are one middle-sized
barley-corn, and three barley-corns one krishnala (raktika, or
gunga-berry); five krishnalas are one masha (bean), and sixteen of
those one suvarna.
   135. Four suvarnas are one pala, and ten palas one dharana; two
krishnalas (of silver), weighed together, must be considered one
mashaka of silver.
   136. Sixteen of those make a silver dharana, or purana; but know
(that) a karsha of copper is a karshapana, or pana.
   137. Know (that) ten dharanas of silver make one satamana; four
suvarnas must be considered (equal) in weight to a nishka.
   138. Two hundred and fifty panas are declared (to be) the first (or
lowest) amercement, five (hundred) are considered as the mean (or
middlemost), but one thousand as the highest.
   139. A debt being admitted as due, (the defendant) shall pay five
in the hundred (as a fine), if it be denied (and proved) twice as
much; that is the teaching of Manu.
   140. A money-lender may stipulate as an increase of his capital,
for the interest, allowed by Vasishtha, and take monthly the eightieth
part of a hundred.
   141. Or, remembering the duty of good men, he may take two in the
hundred (by the month), for he who takes two in the hundred becomes
not a sinner for gain.
   142. Just two in the hundred, three, four, and five (and not more),
he may take as monthly interest according to the order of the castes
(varna).
   143. But if a beneficial pledge (i.e. one from which profit
accrues, has been given), he shall receive no interest on the loan;
nor can he, after keeping (such) a pledge for a very long time, give
or sell it.
   144. A pledge (to be kept only) must not be used by force, (the
creditor), so using it, shall give up his (whole) interest, or, (if it
has been spoilt by use) he shall satisfy the (owner) by (paying its)
original price; else he commits a theft of the pledge.
   145. Neither a pledge nor a deposit can be lost by lapse of time;
they are both recoverable, though they have remained long (with the
bailee).
   146. Things used with friendly assent, a cow, a camel, a
riding-horse, and (a beast) made over for breaking in, are never
lost (to the owner).
   147. (But in general) whatever (chattel) an owner sees enjoyed by
others during ten years, while, though present, he says nothing,
that (chattel) he shall not recover.
   148. If (the owner is) neither an idiot nor a minor and if (his
chattel) is enjoyed (by another) before his eyes, it is lost to him by
law; the adverse possessor shall retain that property.
   149. A pledge, a boundary, the property of infants, an (open)
deposit, a sealed deposit, women, the property of the king and the
wealth of a Srotriya are not lost in consequence of (adverse)
enjoyment.
   150. The fool who uses a pledge without the permission of the
owner, shall remit half of his interest, as a compensation for
(such) use.
   151. In money transactions interest paid at one time (not by
instalments) shall never exceed the double (of the principal); on
grain, fruit, wool or hair, (and) beasts of burden it must not be more
than five times (the original amount).
   152. Stipulated interest beyond the legal rate, being against
(the law), cannot be recovered; they call that a usurious way (of
lending); (the lender) is (in no case) entitled to (more than) five in
the hundred.
   153. Let him not take interest beyond the year, nor such as is
unapproved, nor compound interest, periodical interest, stipulated
interest, and corporal interest.
   154. He who, unable to pay a debt (at the fixed time), wishes to
make a new contract, may renew the agreement, after paying the
interest which is due.
   155. If he cannot pay the money (due as interest), he may insert it
in the renewed (agreement); he must pay as much interest as may be
due.
   156. He who has made a contract to carry goods by a wheeled
carriage for money and has agreed to a certain place or time, shall
not reap that reward, if he does not keep to the place and the time
(stipulated).
   157. Whatever rate men fix, who are expert in sea-voyages and
able to calculate (the profit) according to the place, the time, and
the objects (carried), that (has legal force) in such cases with
respect to the payment (to be made).
   158. The man who becomes a surety in this (world) for the
appearance of a (debtor), and produces him not, shall pay the debt out
of his own property.
   159. But money due by a surety, or idly promised, or lost at
play, or due for spirituous liquor, or what remains unpaid of a fine
and a tax or duty, the son (of the party owing it) shall not be
obliged to pay.
   160. This just mentioned rule shall apply to the case of a surety
for appearance (only); if a surety for payment should die, the (judge)
may compel even his heirs to discharge the debt.
   161. On what account then is it that after the death of a surety
other than for payment, whose affairs are fully known, the creditor
may (in some cases) afterwards demand the debt (of the heirs)?
   162. If the surety had received money (from him for whom he stood
bail) and had money enough (to pay), then (the heir of him) who
received it, shall pay (the debt) out of his property; that is the
settled rule.
   163. A contract made by a person intoxicated, or insane, or
grievously disordered (by disease and so forth), or wholly
dependent, by an infant or very aged man, or by an unauthorised
(party) is invalid.
   164. That agreement which has been made contrary to the law or to
the settled usage (of the virtuous), can have no legal force, though
it be established (by proofs).
   165. A fraudulent mortgage or sale, a fraudulent gift or
acceptance, and (any transaction) where he detects fraud, the
(judge) shall declare null and void.
   166. If the debtor be dead and (the money borrowed) was expended
for the family, it must be paid by the relatives out of their own
estate even if they are divided.
   167. Should even a person wholly dependent make a contract for
the behoof of the family, the master (of the house), whether
(living) in his own country or abroad, shall not rescind it.
   168. What is given by force, what is enjoyed by force, also what
has been caused to be written by force, and all other transactions
done by force, Manu has declared void.
   169. Three suffer for the sake of others, witnesses, a surety,
and judges; but four enrich themselves (through others), a Brahmana, a
money-lender, a merchant, and a king.
   170. No king, however indigent, shall take anything that ought
not to be taken, nor shall he, however wealthy, decline taking that
which he ought to take, be it ever so small.
   171. In consequence of his taking what ought not to be taken, or of
his refusing what ought to be received, a king will be accused of
weakness and perish in this (world) and after death.
   172. By taking his due, by preventing the confusion of the castes
(varna), and by protecting the weak, the power of the king grows,
and he prospers in this (world) and after death.
   173. Let the prince, therefore, like Yama, not heeding his own
likings and dislikings, behave exactly like Yama, suppressing his
anger and controlling himself.
   174. But that evil-minded king who in his folly decides causes
unjustly, his enemies soon subjugate.
   175. If, subduing love and hatred, he decides the causes
according to the law, (the hearts of) his subjects turn towards him as
the rivers (run) towards the ocean.
   176. (The debtor) who complains to the king that his creditor
recovers (the debt) independently (of the court), shall be compelled
by the king to pay (as a fine) one quarter (of the sum) and to his
(creditor) the money (due).
   177. Even by (personal) labour shall the debtor make good (what
he owes) to his creditor, if he be of the same caste or of a lower
one; but a (debtor) of a higher caste shall pay it gradually (when
he earns something).
   178. According to these rules let the king equitably decide between
men, who dispute with each other the matters, which are proved by
witnesses and (other) evidence.
   179. A sensible man should make a deposit (only) with a person of
(good) family, of good conduct, well acquainted with the law,
veracious, having many relatives, wealthy, and honourable (arya).
   180. In whatever manner a person shall deposit anything in the
hands of another, in the same manner ought the same thing to be
received back (by the owner); as the delivery (was, so must be) the
re-delivery.
   181. He who restores not his deposit to the depositor at his
request, may be tried by the judge in the depositor's absence.
   182. On failure of witnesses let the (judge) actually deposit
gold with that (defendant) under some pretext or other through spies
of suitable age and appearance (and afterwards demand it back).
   183. If the (defendant) restores it in the manner and shape in
which it was bailed, there is nothing (of that description) in his
hands, for which others accuse him.
   184. But if he restores not that gold, as be ought, to those
(spies), then he shall be compelled by force to restore both
(deposits); that is a settled rule of law.
   185. An open or a sealed deposit must never be returned to a near
relative (of the depositor during the latter's lifetime); for if
(the recipient) dies (without delivering them), they are lost, but
if he does not die, they are not lost.
   186. But (a depositary) who of his own accord returns them to a
near relative of a deceased (depositor), must not be harassed (about
them) by the king or by the depositor's relatives.
   187. And (in doubtful cases) he should try to obtain that object by
friendly means, without (having recourse to) artifice, or having
inquired into (depositary's) conduct, he should settle (the matter)
with gentle means.
   188. Such is the rule for obtaining back all those open deposits;
in the case of a sealed deposit (the depositary) shall incur no
(censure), unless he has taken out something.
   189. (A deposit) which has been stolen by thieves or washed away by
water or burned by fire, (the bailee) shall not make it good, unless
he took part of it (for himself).
   190. Him who appropriates a deposit and him (who asks for it)
without having made it, (the judge) shall try by all (sorts of) means,
and by the oaths prescribed in the Veda.
   191. He who does not return a deposit and he who demands what he
never bailed shall both be punished like thieves, or be compelled to
pay a fine equal (to the value of the object retained or claimed).
   192. The king should compel him who does not restore an open
deposit, and in like manner him who retains a sealed deposit, to pay a
fine equal (to its value).
   193. That man who by false pretences may possess himself of
another's property, shall be publicly punished by various (modes of)
corporal (or capital) chastisement, together with his accomplices.
   194. If a deposit of a particular description or quantity is bailed
by anybody in the presence of a number (of witnesses), it must be
known to be of that particular (description and quantity; the
depositary) who makes a false statement (regarding it) is liable to
a fine.
   195. But if anything is delivered or received privately, it must be
privately returned; as the bailment (was, so should be) the
re-delivery.
   196. Thus let the king decide (causes) concerning a deposit and a
friendly loan (for use) without showing (undue) rigour to the
depositary.
   197. If anybody sells the property of another man, without being
the owner and without the assent of the owner, the (judge) shall not
admit him who is a thief, though he may not consider himself as a
thief, as a witness (in any case).
   198. If the (offender) is a kinsman (of the owner), he shall be
fined six hundred panas; if he is not a kinsman, nor has any excuse,
he shall be guilty of theft.
   199. A gift or sale, made by anybody else but the owner, must be
considered as null and void, according to the rule in judicial
proceedings.
   200. Where possession is evident, but no title is perceived,
there the title (shall be) a proof (of ownership), not possession;
such is the settled rule.
   201. He who obtains a chattel in the market before a number (of
witnesses), acquires that chattel with a clear legal title by
purchase.
   202. If the original (seller) be not producible, (the buyer)
being exculpated by a public sale, must be dismissed by the king
without punishment, but (the former owner) who lost the chattel
shall receive it (back from the buyer).
   203. One commodity mixed with another must not be sold (as pure),
nor a bad one (as good), nor less (than the proper quantity or
weight), nor anything that is not at hand or that is concealed.
   204. If, after one damsel has been shown, another be given to the
bridegroom, he may marry them both for the same price; that Manu
ordained.
   205. He who gives (a damsel in marriage), having first openly
declared her blemishes, whether she be insane, or afflicted with
leprosy, or have lost her virginity, is not liable to punishment.
   206. If an officiating priest, chosen to perform a sacrifice,
abandons his work, a share only (of the fee) in proportion to the work
(done) shall be given to him by those who work with him.
   207. But he who abandons his work after the sacrificial fees have
been given, shall obtain his full share and cause to be performed
(what remains) by another (priest).
   208. But if (specific) fees are ordained for the several parts of a
rite, shall he (who performs the part) receive them, or shall they all
share them?
   209. The Adhvaryu priest shall take the chariot, and the Brahman at
the kindling of the fires (Agnyadhana) a horse, the Hotri priest shall
also take a horse, and the Udgatri the cart, (used) when (the Soma) is
purchased.
   210. The (four) chief priests among all (the sixteen), who are
entitled to one half, shall receive a moiety (of the fee), the next
(four) one half of that, the set entitled to a third share, one third,
and those entitled to a fourth a quarter.
   211. By the application of these principles the allotment of shares
must be made among those men who here (below) perform their work
conjointly.
   212. Should money be given (or promised) for a pious purpose by one
man to another who asks for it, the gift shall be void, if the
(money is) afterwards not (used) in the manner (stated).
   213. But if the (recipient) through pride or greed tries to enforce
(the fulfilment of the promise), he shall be compelled by the king
to pay one suvarna as an expiation for his theft.
   214. Thus the lawful subtraction of a gift has been fully
explained; I will next propound (the law for) the non-payment of
wages.
   215. A hired (servant or workman) who, without being ill, out of
pride fails to perform his work according to the agreement, shall be
fined eight krishnalas and no wages shall be paid to him.
   216. But (if he is really) ill, (and) after recovery performs
(his work) according to the original agreement, he shall receive his
wages even after (the lapse of) a very long time.
   217. But if he, whether sick or well, does not (perform or) cause
to be performed (by others) his work according to his agreement, the
wages for that work shall not be given to him, even (if it be only)
slightly incomplete.
   218. Thus the law for the non-payment of wages has been
completely stated; I will next explain the law concerning men who
break an agreement.
   219. If a man belonging to a corporation inhabiting a village or
a district, after swearing to an agreement, breaks it through avarice,
(the king) shall banish him from his realm,
   220. And having imprisoned such a breaker of an agreement, he shall
compel him to pay six nishkas, (each of) four suvarnas, and one
satamana of silver.
   221. A righteous king shall apply this law of fines in villages and
castes (gati) to those who break an agreement.
   222. If anybody in this (world), after buying or selling
anything, repent (of his bargain), he may return or take (back) that
chattel within ten days.
   223. But after (the lapse of) ten days he may neither give nor
cause it to be given (back); both he who takes it (back) and he who
gives it (back, except by consent) shall be fined by the king six
hundred (panas).
   224. But the king himself shall impose a fine of ninety-six panas
on him who gives a blemished damsel (to a suitor) without informing
(him of the blemish).
   225. But that man who, out of malice, says of a maiden, 'She is not
a maiden,' shall be fined one hundred (panas), if he cannot prove
her blemish.
   226. The nuptial texts are applied solely to virgins, (and) nowhere
among men to females who have lost their virginity, for such (females)
are excluded from religious ceremonies.
   227. The nuptial texts are a certain proof (that a maiden has
been made a lawful) wife; but the learned should know that they (and
the marriage ceremony are complete with the seventh step (of the bride
around the sacred fire).
   228. If anybody in this (world) repent of any completed
transaction, (the king) shall keep him on the road of rectitude in
accordance with the rules given above.
   229. I will fully declare in accordance with the true law (the
rules concerning) the disputes, (arising) from the transgressions of
owners of cattle and of herdsmen.
   230. During the day the responsibility for the safety (of the
cattle rests) on the herdsman, during the night on the owner,
(provided they are) in his house; (if it be) otherwise, the herdsman
will be responsible (for them also during the night).
   231. A hired herdsman who is paid with milk, may milk with the
consent of the owner the best (cow) out of ten; such shall be his hire
if no (other) wages (are paid).
   232. The herdsman alone shall make good (the loss of a beast)
strayed, destroyed by worms, killed by dogs or (by falling) into a
pit, if he did not duly exert himself (to prevent it).
   233. But for (an animal) stolen by thieves, though he raised an
alarm, the herdsman shall not pay, provided he gives notice to his
master at the proper place and time.
   234. If cattle die, let him carry to his master their ears, skin,
tails, bladders, tendons, and the yellow concrete bile, and let him
point out their particular. marks.
   235. But if goats or sheep are surrounded by wolves and the
herdsman does not hasten (to their assistance), lie shall be
responsible for any (animal) which a wolf may attack and kill.
   236. But if they, kept in (proper) order, graze together in the
forest, and a wolf, suddenly jumping on one of them, kills it, the
herdsman shall bear in that case no responsibility.
   237. On all sides of a village a space, one hundred dhanus or three
samya-throws (in breadth), shall be reserved (for pasture), and thrice
(that space) round a town.
   238. If the cattle do damage to unfenced crops on that (common),
the king shall in that case not punish the herdsmen.
   239. (The owner of the field) shall make there a hedge over which a
camel cannot look, and stop every gap through which a dog or a boar
can thrust his head.
   240. (If cattle do mischief) in an enclosed field near a highway or
near a village, the herdsman shall be fined one hundred (panas);
(but cattle), unattended by a herdsman, (the watchman in the field)
shall drive away.
   241. (For damage) in other fields (each head of) cattle shall
(pay a fine of one (pana) and a quarter, and in all (cases the value
of) the crop (destroyed) shall be made good to the owner of the field;
that is the settled rule.
   242. But Manu has declared that no fine shall be paid for (damage
done by) a cow within ten days after her calving, by bulls and by
cattle sacred to the gods, whether they are attended by a herdsman
or not.
   243. If (the crops are destroyed by) the husbandman's (own)
fault, the fine shall amount to ten times as much as (the king's)
share; but the fine (shall be) only half that amount if (the fault
lay) with the servants and the farmer had no knowledge of it.
   244. To these rules a righteous king shall keep in (all cases of)
transgressions by masters, their cattle, and herdsmen.
   245. If a dispute has arisen between two villages concerning a
boundary, the king shall settle the limits in the month of
Gyaishtha, when the landmarks are most distinctly visible.
   246. Let him mark the boundaries (by) trees, (e.g.) Nyagrodhas,
Asvatthas, Kimsukas, cotton-trees, Salas, Palmyra palms, and trees
with milky juice,
   247. By clustering shrubs, bamboos of different kinds, Samis,
creepers and raised mounds, reeds, thickets of Kubgaka; thus the
boundary will not be forgotten.
   248. Tanks, wells, cisterns, and fountains should be built where
boundaries meet, as well as temples,
   249. And as he will see that through men's ignorance of the
boundaries trespasses constantly occur in the world, let him cause
to be made other hidden marks for boundaries,
   250. Stones, bones, cow's hair, chaff, ashes, potsherds, dry
cowdung, bricks, cinders, pebbles, and sand,
   251. And whatever other things of a similar kind the earth does not
corrode even after a long time, those he should cause to be buried
where one boundary joins (the other).
   252. By these signs, by long continued possession, and by
constantly flowing streams of water the king shall ascertain the
boundary (of the land) of two disputing parties.
   253. If there be a doubt even on inspection of the marks, the
settlement of a dispute regarding boundaries shall depend on
witnesses.
   254. The witnesses, (giving evidence) regarding a boundary, shall
be examined concerning the landmarks in the presence of the crowd of
the villagers and also of the two litigants.
   255. As they, being questioned, unanimously decide, even so he
shall record the boundary (in writing), together with their names.
   256. Let them, putting earth on their heads, wearing chaplets (of
red flowers) and red dresses, being sworn each by (the rewards for)
his meritorious deeds, settle (the boundary) in accordance with the
truth.
   257. If they determine (the boundary) in the manner stated, they
are guiltless (being) veracious witnesses; but if they determine it
unjustly, they shall be compelled to pay a fine of two hundred
(panas).
   258. On failure of witnesses (from the two villages, men of) the
four neighbouring villages, who are pure, shall make (as witnesses)
a decision concerning the boundary in the presence of the king.
   259. On failure of neighbours (who are) original inhabitants (of
the country and can be) witnesses with respect to the boundary, (the
king) may hear the evidence even of the following inhabitants of the
forest.
   260. (Viz.) hunters, fowlers, herdsmen, fishermen, root-diggers,
snake-catchers, gleaners, and other foresters.
   261. As they, being examined, declare the marks for the meeting
of the boundaries (to be), even so the king shall justly cause them to
be fixed between the two villages.
   262. The decision concerning the boundary-marks of fields, wells,
tanks, of gardens and houses depends upon (the evidence of) the
neighbours.
   263. Should the neighbours give false evidence, when men dispute
about a boundary-mark, the king shall make each of them pay the
middlemost amercement as a fine.
   264. He who by intimidation possesses himself of a house, a tank, a
garden, or a field, shall be fined five hundred (panas); (if he
trespassed) through ignorance, the fine (shall be) two hundred
(panas).
   265. If the boundary cannot be ascertained (by any evidence), let a
righteous king with (the intention of) benefiting them (all),
himself assign (his) land (to each); that is the settled rule.
   266. Thus the law for deciding boundary (disputes) has been fully
declared, I will next propound the (manner of) deciding (cases of)
defamation.
   267. A Kshatriya, having defamed a Brahmana, shall be fined one
hundred (panas); a Vaisya one hundred and fifty or two hundred; a
Sudra shall suffer corporal punishment.
   268. A Brahmana shall be fined fifty (panas) for defaming a
Kshatriya; in (the case of) a Vaisya the fine shall be twenty-five
(panas); in (the case of) a Sudra twelve.
   269. For offences of twice-born men against those of equal caste
(varna, the fine shall be) also twelve (panas); for speeches which
ought not to be uttered, that (and every fine shall be) double.
   270. A once-born man (a Sudra), who insults a twice-born man with
gross invective, shall have his tongue cut out; for he is of low
origin.
   271. If he mentions the names and castes (gati) of the (twice-born)
with contumely, an iron nail, ten fingers long, shall be thrust
red-hot into his mouth.
   272. If he arrogantly teaches Brahmanas their duty, the king
shall cause hot oil to be poured into his mouth and into his ears.
   273. He who through arrogance makes false statements regarding
the learning (of a caste-fellow), his country, his caste (gati), or
the rites by which his body was sanctified, shall be compelled to
pay a fine of two hundred (panas).
   274. He who even in accordance with the true facts (contemptuously)
calls another man one-eyed, lame, or the like (names), shall be
fined at least one karshapana.
   275. He who defames his mother, his father, his wife, his
brother, his son, or his teacher, and he who gives not the way to
his preceptor, shall be compelled to pay one hundred (panas).
   276. (For mutual abuse) by a Brahmana and a Kshatriya a fine must
be imposed by a discerning (king), on the Brahmana the lowest
amercement, but on the Kshatriya the middlemost.
   277. A Vaisya and a Sudra must be punished exactly in the same
manner according to their respective castes, but the tongue (of the
Sudra) shall not be cut out; that is the decision.
   278. Thus the rules for punishments (applicable to cases) of
defamation have been truly declared; I will next propound the decision
(of cases) of assault.
   279. With whatever limb a man of a low caste does hurt to (a man of
the three) highest (castes), even that limb shall be cut off; that
is the teaching of Manu.
   280. He who raises his hand or a stick, shall have his hand cut
off; he who in anger kicks with his foot, shall have his foot cut off.
   281. A low-caste man who tries to place himself on the same seat
with a man of a high caste, shall be branded on his hip and be
banished, or (the king) shall cause his buttock to be gashed.
   282. If out of arrogance he spits (on a superior), the king shall
cause both his lips to be cut off; if he urines (on him), the penis;
if he breaks wind (against him), the anus.
   283. If he lays hold of the hair (of a superior), let the (king)
unhesitatingly cut off his hands, likewise (if he takes him) by the
feet, the beard, the neck, or the scrotum.
   284. He who breaks the skin (of an equal) or fetches blood (from
him) shall be fined one hundred (panas), he who cuts a muscle six
nishkas, he who breaks a bone shall be banished.
   285. According to the usefulness of the several (kinds of) trees
a fine must be inflicted for injuring them; that is the settled rule.
   286. If a blow is struck against men or animals in order to (give
them) pain, (the judge) shall inflict a fine in proportion to the
amount of pain (caused).
   287. If a limb is injured, a wound (is caused), or blood (flows,
the assailant) shall be made to pay (to the sufferer) the expenses
of the cure, or the whole (both the usual amercement and the
expenses of the cure as a) fine (to the king).
   288. He who damages the goods of another, be it intentionally or
unintentionally, shall give satisfaction to the (owner) and pay to the
king a fine equal to the (damage).
   289. In the case of (damage done to) leather, or to utensils of
leather, of wood, or of clay, the fine (shall be) five times their
value; likewise in the case of (damage to) flowers, roots, and fruit.
   290. They declare with respect to a carriage, its driver and its
owner, (that there are) ten cases in which no punishment (for damage
done) can be inflicted; in other cases a fine is prescribed.
   291. When the nose-string is snapped, when the yoke is broken, when
the carriage turns sideways or back, when the axle or a wheel is
broken,
   292. When the leather-thongs, the rope around the neck or the
bridle are broken, and when (the driver) has loudly called out,
'Make way,' Manu has declared (that in all these cases) no
punishment (shall be inflicted).
   293. But if the cart turns off (the road) through the driver's want
of skill, the owner shall be fined, if damage (is done), two hundred
(panas).
   294. If the driver is skilful (but negligent), he alone shall be
fined; if the driver is unskilful, the occupants of the carriage
(also) shall be each fined one hundred (panas).
   295. But if he is stopped on his way by cattle or by (another)
carriage, and he causes the death of any living being, a fine shall
without doubt be imposed.
   296. If a man is killed, his guilt will be at once the same as
(that of) a thief; for large animals such as cows, elephants, camels
or horses, half of that.
   297. For injuring small cattle the fine (shall be) two hundred
(panas); the fine for beautiful wild quadrupeds and birds shall amount
to fifty (panas).
   298. For donkeys, sheep, and goats the fine shall be five mashas;
but the punishment for killing a dog or a pig shall be one masha.
   299. A wife, a son, a slave, a pupil, and a (younger) brother of
the full blood, who have committed faults, may be beaten with a rope
or a split bamboo,
   300. But on the back part of the body (only), never on a noble
part; he who strikes them otherwise will incur the same guilt as a
thief.
   301. Thus the whole law of assault (and hurt) has been declared
completely; I will now explain the rules for the decision (in cases)
of theft.
   302. Let the king exert himself to the utmost to punish thieves;
for, if he punishes thieves, his fame grows and his kingdom prospers.
   303. That king, indeed, is ever worthy of honour who ensures the
safety (of his subjects); for the sacrificial session (sattra, which
he, as it were, performs thereby) ever grows in length, the safety (of
his subjects representing) the sacrificial fee.
   304. A king who (duly) protects (his subjects) receives from each
and all the sixth part of their spiritual merit; if he does not
protect them, the sixth part of their demerit also (will fall on him).
   305. Whatever (merit a man gains by) reading the Veda, by
sacrificing, by charitable gifts, (or by) worshipping (Gurus and
gods), the king obtains a sixth part of that in consequence of his
duly protecting (his kingdom).
   306. A king who protects the created beings in accordance with
the sacred law and smites those worthy of corporal punishment, daily
offers (as it were) sacrifices at which hundred thousands (are given
as) fees.
   307. A king who does not afford protection, (yet) takes his share
in kind, his taxes, tolls and duties, daily presents and fines, will
(after death) soon sink into hell.
   308. They declare that a king who affords no protection, (yet)
receives the sixth part of the produce, takes upon himself all the
foulness of his whole people.
   309. Know that a king who heeds not the rules (of the law), who
is an atheist, and rapacious, who does not protect (his subjects, but)
devours them, will sink low (after death).
   310. Let him carefully restrain the wicked by three methods,- by
imprisonment by putting them in fetters, and by various (kinds of)
corporal punishments.
   311. For by punishing the wicked and by favouring the virtuous,
kings are constantly sanctified, just as twice-born men by sacrifices.
   312. A king who desires his own welfare must always forgive
litigants, infants, aged and sick men, who inveigh against him.
   313. He who, being abused by men in pain, pardons (them), will in
reward of that (act) be exalted in heaven; but he who, (proud) of
his kingly state, forgives them not, will for that (reason) sink
into hell.
   314. A thief shall, running, approach the king, with flying hair,
confessing that theft (and saying), 'Thus have I done, punish me;'
   315. (And he must) carry on his shoulder a pestle, or a club of
Khadira wood, or a spear sharp at both ends, or an iron staff.
   316. Whether he be punished or pardoned, the thief is freed from
the (guilt of) theft; but the king, if he punishes not, takes upon
himself the guilt of the thief.
   317. The killer of a learned Brahmana throws his guilt on him who
eats his food, an adulterous wife on her (negligent) husband, a
(sinning) pupil or sacrificer on (their negligent) teacher (or
priest), a thief on the king (who pardons him).
   318. But men who have committed crimes and have been punished by
the king, go to heaven, being pure like those who performed
meritorious deeds.
   319. He who steals the rope or the water-pot from a well, or
damages a hut where water is distributed, shall pay one masha as a
fine and restore the (article abstracted or damaged) in its (proper
place).
   320. On him who steals more than ten kumbhas of grain corporal
punishment (shall be inflicted); in other cases he shall be fined
eleven times as much, and shall pay to the (owner the value of his)
property.
   321. So shall corporal punishment be inflicted for stealing more
than a hundred (palas) of articles sold by the weight, (i.e.) of gold,
silver, and so forth, and of most excellent clothes.
   322. For (stealing) more than fifty (palas) it is enacted that
the hands (of the offender) shall be cut off; but in other cases,
let him inflict a fine of eleven times the value.
   323. For stealing men of noble family and especially women and
the most precious gems, (the offender) deserves corporal (or
capital) punishment.
   324. For stealing large animals, weapons, or medicines, let the
king fix a punishment, after considering the time and the purpose (for
which they were destined).
   325. For (stealing) cows belonging to Brahmanas, piercing (the
nostrils of) a barren cow, and for stealing (other) cattle
(belonging to Brahmanas, the offender) shall forthwith lose half his
feet.
   326. (For stealing) thread, cotton, drugs causing fermentation,
cowdung, molasses, sour milk, sweet milk, butter-milk, water, or
grass,
   327. Vessels made of bamboo or other cane, salt of various kinds,
earthen (vessels), earth and ashes,
   328. Fish, birds, oil, clarified butter, meat, honey, and other
things that come from beasts,
   329. Or other things of a similar kind, spirituous liquor, boiled
rice, and every kind of cooked food, the fine (shall be) twice the
value (of the stolen article).
   330. For flowers, green corn, shrubs, creepers, trees, and other
unhusked (grain) the fine (shall be) five krishnalas.
   331. For husked grain, vegetables, roots, and fruit the fine (shall
be) one hundred (panas) if there is no connexion (between the owner
and the thief), fifty (panas) if such a connexion exists.
   332. An offence (of this description), which is committed in the
presence (of the owner) and with violence, will be robbery; if (it
is committed) in his absence, it will be theft; likewise if (the
possession of) anything is denied after it has been taken.
   333. On that man who may steal (any of) the above-mentioned
articles, when they are prepared for (use), let the king inflict the
first (or lowest) amercement; likewise on him who may steal (a sacred)
fire out of the room (in which it is kept).
   334. With whatever limb a thief in any way commits (an offence)
against men, even of that (the king) shall deprive him in order to
prevent (a repetition of the crime).
   335. Neither a father, nor a teacher, nor a friend, nor a mother,
nor a wife, nor a son, nor a domestic priest must be left unpunished
by a king, if they do not keep within their duty.
   336. Where another common man would be fined one karshapana, the
king shall be fined one thousand; that is the settled rule.
   337. In (a case of) theft the guilt of a Sudra shall be
eightfold, that of a Vaisya sixteenfold, that of a Kshatriya
two-and-thirtyfold,
   338. That of a Brahmana sixty-fourfold, or quite a hundredfold,
or (even) twice four-and-sixtyfold; (each of them) knowing the
nature of the offence.
   339. (The taking of) roots and of fruit from trees, of wood for a
(sacrificial) fire, and of grass for feeding cows, Manu has declared
(to be) no theft.
   340. A Brahmana, seeking to obtain property from a man who took
what was not given to him, either by sacrificing for him or by
teaching him, is even like a thief.
   341. A twice-born man, who is travelling and whose provisions are
exhausted, shall not be fined, if he takes two stalks of sugar-cane or
two (esculent) roots from the field of another man.
   342. He who ties up unbound or sets free tied up (cattle of other
men), he who takes a slave, a horse, or a carriage will have
incurred the guilt of a thief.
   343. A king who punishes thieves according to these rules, will
gain fame in this world and after death unsurpassable bliss.
   344. A king who desires to gain the throne of Indra and
imperishable eternal fame, shall not, even for a moment, neglect (to
punish) the man who commits violence.
   345. He who commits violence must be considered as the worst
offender, (more wicked) than a defamer, than a thief, and than he
who injures (another) with a staff.
   346. But that king who pardons the perpetrator of violence
quickly perishes and incurs hatred.
   347. Neither for friendship's sake, nor for the sake of great
lucre, must a king let go perpetrators of violence, who cause terror
to all creatures.
   348. Twice-born men may take up arms when (they are) hindered (in
the fulfilment of their duties, when destruction (threatens) the
twice-born castes (varna) in (evil) times,
   349. In their own defence, in a strife for the fees of
officiating priests, and in order to protect women and Brahmanas; he
who (under such circumstances) kills in the cause of right, commits no
sin.
   350. One may slay without hesitation an assassin who approaches
(with murderous intent), whether (he be one's) teacher, a child or
an aged man, or a Brahmana deeply versed in the Vedas.
   351. By killing an assassin the slayer incurs no guilt, whether (he
does it) publicly or secretly; in that case fury recoils upon fury.
   352. Men who commit adultery with the wives of others, the king
shall cause to be marked by punishments which cause terror, and
afterwards banish.
   353. For by (adultery) is caused a mixture of the castes (varna)
among men; thence (follows) sin, which cuts up even the roots and
causes the destruction of everything.
   354. A man formerly accused of (such) offences, who secretly
converses with another man's wife, shall pay the first (or lowest)
amercement.
   355. But a man, not before accused, who (thus) speaks with (a
woman) for some (reasonable) cause, shall not incur any guilt, since
in him there is no transgression.
   356. He who addresses the wife of another man at a Tirtha,
outside the village, in a forest, or at the confluence of rivers,
suffer (the punishment for) adulterous acts (samgrahana).
   357. Offering presents (to a woman), romping (with her), touching
her ornaments and dress, sitting with her on a bed, all (these acts)
are considered adulterous acts (samgrahana).
   358. If one touches a woman in a place (which ought) not (to be
touched) or allows (oneself to be touched in such a spot), all (such
acts done) with mutual consent are declared (to be) adulterous
(samgrahana).
   359. A man who is not a Brahmana ought to suffer death for adultery
(samgrahana); for the wives of all the four castes even must always be
carefully guarded.
   360. Mendicants, bards, men who have performed the initiatory
ceremony of a Vedic sacrifice, and artisans are not prohibited from
speaking to married women.
   361. Let no man converse with the wives of others after he has been
forbidden (to do so); but he who converses (with them), in spite of
a prohibition, shall be fined one suvarna.
   362. This rule does not apply to the wives of actors and singers,
nor (of) those who live on (the intrigues of) their own (wives); for
such men send their wives (to others) or, concealing themselves, allow
them to hold criminal intercourse.
   363. Yet he who secretly converses with such women, or with
female slaves kept by one (master), and with female ascetics, shall be
compelled to pay a small fine.
   364. He who violates an unwilling maiden shall instantly suffer
corporal punishment; but a man who enjoys a willing maiden shall not
suffer corporal punishment, if (his caste be) the same (as hers).
   365. From a maiden who makes advances to a (man of) high (caste),
he shall not take any fine; but her, who courts a (man of) low
(caste), let him force to live confined in her house.
   366. A (man of) low (caste) who makes love to a maiden (of) the
highest (caste) shall suffer corporal punishment; he who addresses a
maiden (on) equal (caste) shall pay the nuptial fee, if her father
desires it.
   367. But if any man through insolence forcibly contaminates a
maiden, two of his fingers shall be instantly cut off, and he shall
pay a fine of six hundred (panas).
   368. A man (of) equal (caste) who defiles a willing maiden shall
not suffer the amputation of his fingers, but shall pay a fine of
two hundred (panas) in order to deter him from a repetition (of the
offence).
   369. A damsel who pollutes (another) damsel must be fined two
hundred (panas), pay the double of her (nuptial) fee, and receive
ten (lashes with a) rod.
   370. But a woman who pollutes a damsel shall instantly have (her
head) shaved or two fingers cut off, and be made to ride (through
the town) on a donkey.
   371. If a wife, proud of the greatness of her relatives or (her
own) excellence, violates the duty which she owes to her lord, the
king shall cause her to be devoured by dogs in a place frequented by
many.
   372. Let him cause the male offender to be burnt on a red-hot
iron bed; they shall put logs under it, (until) the sinner is burned
(to death).
   373. On a man (once) convicted, who is (again) accused within a
year, a double fine (must be inflicted); even thus (must the fine be
doubled) for (repeated) intercourse with a Vratya and a Kandali.
   374. A Sudra who has intercourse with a woman of a twice-born caste
(varna), guarded or unguarded, (shall be punished in the following
manner): if she was unguarded, he loses the part (offending) and all
his property; if she was guarded, everything (even his life).
   375. (For intercourse with a guarded Brahmana a Vaisya shall
forfeit all his property after imprisonment for a year; a Kshatriya
shall be fined one thousand (panas) and be shaved with the urine (of
an ass).
   376. If a Vaisya or a Kshatriya has connexion with an unguarded
Brahmana, let him fine the Vaisya five hundred (panas) and the
Kshatriya one thousand.
   377. But even these two, if they offend with a Brahmani (not
only) guarded (but the wife of an eminent man), shall be punished like
a Sudra or be burnt in a fire of dry grass.
   378. A Brahmana who carnally knows a guarded Brahmani against her
will, shall be fined one thousand (panas); but he shall be made to pay
five hundred, if he had connexion with a willing one.
   379. Tonsure (of the head) is ordained for a Brahmana (instead
of) capital punishment; but (men of) other castes shall suffer capital
punishment.
   380. Let him never slay a Brahmana, though he have committed all
(possible) crimes; let him banish such an (offender), leaving all
his property (to him) and (his body) unhurt.
   381. No greater crime is known on earth than slaying a Brahmana;
a king, therefore, must not even conceive in his mind the thought of
killing a Brahmana.
   382. If a Vaisya approaches a guarded female of the Kshatriya
caste, or a Kshatriya a (guarded) Vaisya woman, they both deserve
the same punishment as in the case of an unguarded Brahmana female.
   383. A Brahmana shall be compelled to pay a fine of one thousand
(panas) if he has intercourse with guarded (females of) those two
(castes); for (offending with) a (guarded) Sudra female a fine of
one thousand (panas shall be inflicted) on a Kshatriya or a Vaisya.
   384. For (intercourse with) an unguarded Kshatriya a fine of five
hundred (panas shall fall) on a Vaisya; but (for the same offence) a
Kshatriya shall be shaved with the urine (of a donkey) or (pay) the
same fine.
   385. A Brahmana who approaches unguarded females (of the) Kshatriya
or Vaisya (castes), or a Sudra female, shall be fined five hundred
(panas); but (for intercourse with) a female (of the) lowest (castes),
one thousand.
   386. That king in whose town lives no thief, no adulterer, no
defamer, no man guilty of violence, and no committer of assaults,
attains the world of Sakra (Indra).
   387. The suppression of those five in his dominions secures to a
king paramount sovereignty among his peers and fame in the world.
   388. A sacrificer who forsakes an officiating priest, and an
officiating priest who forsakes a sacrificer, (each being) able to
perform his work and not contaminated (by grievous crimes), must
each be fined one hundred (panas).
   389. Neither a mother, nor a father, nor a wife, nor a son shall be
cast off; he who casts them off, unless guilty of a crime causing loss
of caste, shall be fined six hundred (panas).
   390. If twice-born men dispute among each other concerning the duty
of the orders, a king who desires his own welfare should not (hastily)
decide (what is) the law.
   391. Having shown them due honor, he should, with (the assistance
of) Brahmanas, first soothe them by gentle (speech) and afterwards
teach them their duty.
   392. A Brahmana who does not invite his next neighbour and his
neighbour next but one, (though) both (he) worthy (of the honour),
to a festival at which twenty Brahmanas are entertained, is liable
to a fine of one masha.
   393. A Srotriya who does not entertain a virtuous Srotriya at
auspicious festive rites, shall be made to pay him twice (the value
of) the meal and a masha of gold (as a fine to the king).
   394. A blind man, an idiot, (a cripple) who moves with the help
of a board, a man full seventy years old, and he who confers
benefits on Srotriyas, shall not be compelled by any (king) to pay a
tax.
   395. Let the king always treat kindly a Srotriya, a sick or
distressed man, an infant and an aged or indigent man, a man of high
birth, and an honourable man (Arya).
   396. A washerman shall wash (the clothes of his employers) gently
on a smooth board of Salmaliwood he shall not return the clothes (of
one person) for those (of another), nor allow anybody (but the
owner) to wear them.
   397. A weaver (who has received) ten palas (of thread), shall
return (cloth weighing) one pala more; he who acts differently shall
be compelled to pay a fine of twelve (panas).
   398. Let the king take one-twentieth of that (amount) which men,
well acquainted with the settlement of tolls and duties (and)
skilful in (estimating the value of) all kinds of merchandise, may fix
as the value for each saleable commodity.
   399. Let the king confiscate the whole property of (a trader) who
out of greed exports goods of which the king has a monopoly or (the
export of which is) forbidden.
   400. He who avoids a custom-house (or a toll), he who buys or sells
at an improper time, or he who makes a false statement in
enumerating (his goods), shall be fined eight times (the amount of
duty) which he tried to evade.
   401. Let (the king) fix (the rates for) the purchase and sale of
all marketable goods, having (duly) considered whence they come,
whither they go, how long they have been kept, the (probable) profit
and the (probable) outlay.
   402. Once in five nights, or at the close of each fortnight, let
the king publicly settle the prices for the (merchants).
   403. All weights and measures must be duly marked, and once in
six months let him re-examine them.
   404. At a ferry an (empty) cart shall be made to pay one pana, a
man's (load) half a pana, an animal and a woman one quarter of a
(pana), an unloaded man one-half of a quarter.
   405. Carts (laden) with vessels full (of merchandise) shall be made
to pay toll at a ferry according to the value (of the goods), empty
vessels and men without luggage some trifle.
   406. For a long passage the boat-hire must be proportioned to the
places and times; know that this (rule refers) to (passages along) the
banks of rivers; at sea there is no settled (freight).
   407. But a woman who has been pregnant two months or more, an
ascetic, a hermit in the forest, and Brahmanas who are students of the
Veda, shall not be made to pay toll at a ferry.
   408. Whatever may be damaged in a boat by the fault of the boatmen,
that shall be made good by the boatmen collectively, (each paying) his
share.
   409. This decision in suits (brought) by passengers (holds good
only) in case the boatmen are culpably negligent on the water; in
the case of (an accident) caused by (the will of) the gods, no fine
can be (inflicted on them).
   410. (The king) should order a Vaisya to trade, to lend money, to
cultivate the land, or to tend cattle, and a Sudra to serve the
twice-born castes
   411. (Some wealthy) Brahmana shall compassionately support both a
Kshatriya and a Vaisya, if they are distressed for a livelihood,
employing them on work (which is suitable for) their (castes).
   412. But a Brahmana who, because he is powerful, out of greed makes
initiated (men of the) twice-born (castes) against their will do the
work of slaves, shall be fined by the king six hundred (panas).
   413. But a Sudra, whether bought or unbought, he may compel to do
servile work; for he was created by the Self-existent (Svayambhu) to
be the slave of a Brahmana.
   414. A Sudra, though emancipated by his master, is not released
from servitude; since that is innate in him, who can set him free from
it?
   415. There are slaves of seven kinds, (viz.) he who is made a
captive under a standard, he who serves for his daily food, he who
is born in the house, he who is bought and he who is given, he who
is inherited from ancestors, and he who is enslaved by way of
punishment.
   416. A wife, a son, and a slave, these three are declared to have
no property; the wealth which they earn is (acquired) for him to
whom they belong.
   417. A Brahmana may confidently seize the goods of (his) Sudra
(slave); for, as that (slave) can have no property, his master may
take his possessions.
   418. (The king) should carefully compel Vaisyas and Sudra to
perform the work (prescribed) for them; for if these two (castes)
swerved from their duties, they would throw this (whole) world into
confusion.
   419. Let him daily look after the completion of his undertakings,
his beasts of burden, and carriages, (the collection of) his
revenues and the disbursements, his mines and his treasury.
   420. A king who thus brings to a conclusion. all the legal business
enumerated above, and removes all sin, reaches the highest state (of
bliss).
                         CHAPTER IX.

   1. I will now propound the eternal laws for a husband and his
wife who keep to the path of duty, whether they be united or
separated.
   2. Day and night woman must be kept in dependence by the males (of)
their (families), and, if they attach themselves to sensual
enjoyments, they must be kept under one's control.
   3. Her father protects (her) in childhood, her husband protects
(her) in youth, and her sons protect (her) in old age; a woman is
never fit for independence.
   4. Reprehensible is the father who gives not (his daughter in
marriage) at the proper time; reprehensible is the husband who
approaches not (his wife in due season), and reprehensible is the
son who does not protect his mother after her husband has died.
   5. Women must particularly be guarded against evil inclinations,
however trifling (they may appear); for, if they are not guarded, they
will bring sorrow on two families.
   6. Considering that the highest duty of all castes, even weak
husbands (must) strive to guard their wives.
   7. He who carefully guards his wife, preserves (the purity of)
his offspring, virtuous conduct, his family, himself, and his (means
of acquiring) merit.
   8. The husband, after conception by his wife, becomes an embryo and
is born again of her; for that is the wifehood of a wife (gaya),
that he is born (gayate) again by her.
   9. As the male is to whom a wife cleaves, even so is the son whom
she brings forth; let him therefore carefully guard his wife, in order
to keep his offspring pure.
   10. No man can completely guard women by force; but they can be
guarded by the employment of the (following) expedients:
   11. Let the (husband) employ his (wife) in the collection and
expenditure of his wealth, in keeping (everything) clean, in (the
fulfilment of) religious duties, in the preparation of his food, and
in looking after the household utensils.
   12. Women, confined in the house under trustworthy and obedient
servants, are not (well) guarded; but those who of their own accord
keep guard over themselves, are well guarded.
   13. Drinking (spirituous liquor), associating with wicked people,
separation from the husband, rambling abroad, sleeping (at
unseasonable hours), and dwelling in other men's houses, are the six
causes of the ruin of women.
   14. Women do not care for beauty, nor is their attention fixed on
age; (thinking), '(It is enough that) he is a man,' they give
themselves to the handsome and to the ugly.
   15. Through their passion for men, through their mutable temper,
through their natural heartlessness, they become disloyal towards
their husbands, however carefully they may be guarded in this (world).
   16. Knowing their disposition, which the Lord of creatures laid
in them at the creation, to be such, (every) man should most
strenuously exert himself to guard them.
   17. (When creating them) Manu allotted to women (a love of their)
bed, (of their) seat and (of) ornament, impure desires, wrath,
dishonesty, malice, and bad conduct.
   18. For women no (sacramental) rite (is performed) with sacred
texts, thus the law is settled; women (who are) destitute of
strength and destitute of (the knowledge of) Vedic texts, (are as
impure as) falsehood (itself), that is a fixed rule.
   19. And to this effect many sacred texts are sung also in the
Vedas, in order to (make) fully known the true disposition (of women);
hear (now those texts which refer to) the expiation of their (sins).
   20. 'If my mother, going astray and unfaithful, conceived illicit
desires, may my father keep that seed from me,' that is the scriptural
text.
   21. If a woman thinks in her heart of anything that would pain
her husband, the (above-mentioned text) is declared (to be a means
for) completely removing such infidelity.
   22. Whatever be the qualities of the man with whom a woman is
united according to the law, such qualities even she assumes, like a
river (united) with the ocean.
   23. Akshamala, a woman of the lowest birth, being united to
Vasishtha and Sarangi, (being united) to Mandapala, became worthy of
honour.
   24. These and other females of low birth have attained eminence
in this world by the respective good qualities of their husbands.
   25. Thus has been declared the ever pure popular usage (which
regulates the relations) between husband and wife; hear (next) the
laws concerning children which are the cause of happiness in this
world and after death.
   26. Between wives (striyah) who (are destined) to bear children,
who secure many blessings, who are worthy of worship and irradiate
(their) dwellings, and between the goddesses of fortune (sriyah, who
reside) in the houses (of men), there is no difference whatsoever.
   27. The production of children, the nurture of those born, and
the daily life of men, (of these matters) woman is visibly the cause.
   28. Offspring, (the due performance on religious rites, faithful
service, highest conjugal happiness and heavenly bliss for the
ancestors and oneself, depend on one's wife alone.
   29. She who, controlling her thoughts, speech, and acts, violates
not her duty towards her lord, dwells with him (after death) in
heaven, and in this world is called by the virtuous a faithful
(wife, sadhvi)
   30. But for disloyalty to her husband a wife is censured among men,
and (in her next life) she is born in the womb of a jackal and
tormented by diseases, the punishment of her sin.
   31. Listen (now) to the following holy discussion, salutary to
all men, which the virtuous (of the present day) and the ancient great
sages have held concerning male offspring.
   32. They (all) say that the male issue (of a woman) belongs to
the lord, but with respect to the (meaning of the term) lord the
revealed texts differ; some call the begetter (of the child the lord),
others declare (that it is) the owner of the soil.
   33. By the sacred tradition the woman is declared to be the soil,
the man is declared to be the seed; the production of all corporeal
beings (takes place) through the union of the soil with the seed.
   34. In some cases the seed is more distinguished, and in some the
womb of the female; but when both are equal, the offspring is most
highly esteemed.
   35. On comparing the seed and the receptacle (of the seed), the
seed is declared to be more important; for the offspring of all
created beings is marked by the characteristics of the seed.
   36. Whatever (kind on seed is sown in a field, prepared in due
season, (a plant) of that same kind, marked with the peculiar
qualities of the seed, springs up in it.
   37. This earth, indeed, is called the primeval womb of created
beings; but the seed develops not in its development any properties of
the womb.
   38. In this world seeds of different kinds, sown at the proper time
in the land, even in one field, come forth (each) according to its
kind.
   39. The rice (called) vrihi and (that called) sali, mudga-beans,
sesamum, masha-beans, barley, leeks, and sugar-cane, (all) spring up
according to their seed.
   40. That one (plant) should be sown and another be produced
cannot happen; whatever seed is sown, (a plant of) that kind even
comes forth.
   41. Never therefore must a prudent well-trained man, who knows
the Veda and its Angas and desires long life, cohabit with another's
wife.
   42. With respect to this (matter), those acquainted with the past
recite some stanzas, sung by Vayu (the Wind, to show) that seed must
not be sown by (any) man on that which belongs to another.
   43. As the arrow, shot by (a hunter) who afterwards hits a
wounded (deer) in the wound (made by another), is shot in vain, even
so the seed, sown on what belongs to another, is quickly lost (to
the sower).
   44. (Sages) who know the past call this earth (prithivi) even the
wife of Prithu; they declare a field to belong to him who cleared away
the timber, and a deer to him who (first) wounded it.
   45. He only is a perfect man who consists (of three persons
united), his wife, himself, and his offspring; thus (says the Veda),
and (learned) Brahmanas propound this (maxim) likewise, 'The husband
is declared to be one with the wife.'
   46. Neither by sale nor by repudiation is a wife released from
her husband; such we know the law to be, which the Lord of creatures
(Pragapati) made of old.
   47. Once is the partition (of the inheritance) made, (once is) a
maiden given in marriage, (and) once does (a man) say,' I will
give;' each of those three (acts is done) once only.
   48. As with cows, mares, female camels, slave-girls,
buffalo-cows, she-goats, and ewes, it is not the begetter (or his
owner) who obtains the offspring, even thus (it is) with the wives
of others.
   49. Those who, having no property in a field, but possessing
seed-corn, sow it in another's soil, do indeed not receive the grain
of the crop which may spring up.
   50. If (one man's) bull were to beget a hundred calves on another
man's cows, they would belong to the owner of the cows; in vain
would the bull have spent his strength.
   51. Thus men who have no marital property in women, but sow their
seed in the soil of others, benefit the owner of the woman; but the
giver of the seed reaps no advantage.
   52. If no agreement with respect to the crop has been made
between the owner of the field and the owner of the seed, the
benefit clearly belongs to the owner of the field; the receptacle is
more important than the seed.
   53. But if by a special contract (a field) is made over (to
another) for sowing, then the owner of the seed and the owner of the
soil are both considered in this world as sharers of the (crop).
   54. If seed be carried by water or wind into somebody's field and
germinates (there), the (plant sprung from that) seed belongs even
to the owner of the field, the owner of the seed does not receive
the crop.
   55. Know that such is the law concerning the offspring of cows,
mares, slave-girls, female camels, she-goats, and ewes, as well as
of females of birds and buffalo-cows.
   56. Thus the comparative importance of the seed and of the womb has
been declared to you; I will next propound the law (applicable) to
women in times of misfortune.
   57. The wife of an elder brother is for his younger (brother) the
wife of a Guru; but the wife of the younger is declared (to be) the
daughter-in-law of the elder.
   58. An elder (brother) who approaches the wife of the younger,
and a younger (brother who approaches) the wife of the elder, except
in times of misfortune, both become outcasts, even though (they were
duly) authorised.
   59. On failure of issue (by her husband) a woman who has been
authorised, may obtain, (in the) proper (manner prescribed), the
desired offspring by (cohabitation with) a brother-in-law or (with
some other) Sapinda (of the husband).
   60. He (who is) appointed to (cohabit with) the widow shall
(approach her) at night anointed with clarified butter and silent,
(and) beget one son, by no means a second.
   61. Some (sages), versed in the law, considering the purpose of the
appointment not to have been attained by those two (on the birth of
the first), think that a second (son) may be lawfully procreated on
(such) women.
   62. But when the purpose of the appointment to (cohabit with) the
widow bas been attained in accordance with the law, those two shall
behave towards each other like a father and a daughter-in-law.
   63. If those two (being thus) appointed deviate from the rule and
act from carnal desire, they will both become outcasts, (as men) who
defile the bed of a daughter-in-law or of a Guru.
   64. By twice-born men a widow must not be appointed to (cohabit
with) any other (than her husband); for they who appoint (her) to
another (man), will violate the eternal law.
   65. In the sacred texts which refer to marriage the appointment (of
widows) is nowhere mentioned, nor is the re-marriage of widows
prescribed in the rules concerning marriage.
   66. This practice which is reprehended by the learned of the
twice-born castes as fit for cattle is said (to have occurred) even
among men, while Vena ruled.
   67. That chief of royal sages who formerly possessed the whole
world, caused a confusion of the castes (varna), his intellect being
destroyed by lust.
   68. Since that (time) the virtuous censure that (man) who in his
folly appoints a woman, whose husband died, to (bear) children (to
another man).
   69. If the (future) husband of a maiden dies after troth verbally
plighted, her brother-in-law shall wed her according to the
following rule.
   70. Having, according to the rule, espoused her (who must be)
clad in white garments and be intent on purity, he shall approach
her once in each proper season until issue (be had).
   71. Let no prudent man, after giving his daughter to one (man),
give her again to another; for he who gives (his daughter) whom he had
before given, incurs (the guilt of) speaking falsely regarding a human
being.
   72. Though (a man) may have accepted a damsel in due form, he may
abandon (her if she be) blemished, diseased, or deflowered, and (if
she have been) given with fraud.
   73. If anybody gives away a maiden possessing blemishes without
declaring them, (the bridegroom) may annul that (contract) with the
evil-minded giver.
   74. A man who has business (abroad) may depart after securing a
maintenance for his wife; for a wife, even though virtuous, may be
corrupted if she be distressed by want of subsistence.
   75. If (the husband) went on a journey after providing (for her),
the wife shall subject herself to restraints in her daily life; but if
he departed without providing (for her), she may subsist by
blameless manual work.
   76. If the husband went abroad for some sacred duty, (she) must
wait for him eight years, if (he went) to (acquire) learning or fame
six (years), if (he went) for pleasure three years.
   77. For one year let a husband bear with a wife who hates him;
but after (the lapse of) a year let him deprive her of her property
and cease to cohabit with her.
   78. She who shows disrespect to (a husband) who is addicted to
(some evil) passion, is a drunkard, or diseased, shall be deserted for
three months (and be) deprived of her ornaments and furniture.
   79. But she who shows aversion towards a mad or outcast
(husband), a eunuch, one destitute of manly strength, or one afflicted
with such diseases as punish crimes, shall neither be cast off nor
be deprived of her property.
   80. She who drinks spirituous liquor, is of bad conduct,
rebellious, diseased, mischievous, or wasteful, may at any time be
superseded (by another wife).
   81. A barren wife may be superseded in the eighth year, she whose
children (all) die in the tenth, she who bears only daughters in the
eleventh, but she who is quarrelsome without delay.
   82. But a sick wife who is kind (to her husband) and virtuous in
her conduct, may be superseded (only) with her own consent and must
never be disgraced.
   83. A wife who, being superseded, in anger departs from (her
husband's) house, must either be instantly confined or cast off in the
presence of the family.
   84. But she who, though having been forbidden, drinks spirituous
liquor even at festivals, or goes to public spectacles or
assemblies, shall be fined six krishnalas.
   85. If twice-born men wed women of their own and of other (lower
castes), the seniority, honour, and habitation of those (wives) must
be (settled) according to the order of the castes (varna).
   86. Among all (twice-born men) the wife of equal caste alone, not a
wife of a different caste by any means, shall personally attend her
husband and assist him in his daily sacred rites.
   87. But he who foolishly causes that (duty) to be performed by
another, while his wife of equal caste is alive, is declared by the
ancients (to be) as (despicable) as a Kandala (sprung from the)
Brahmana (caste).
   88. To a distinguished, handsome suitor (of) equal (caste) should
(a father) give his daughter in accordance with the prescribed rule,
though she have not attained (the proper age).
   89. (But) the maiden, though marriageable, should rather stop in
(the father's) house until death, than that he should ever give her to
a man destitute of good qualities.
   90. Three years let a damsel wait, though she be marriageable;
but after that time let her choose for herself a bridegroom (of) equal
(caste and rank).
   91. If, being not given in marriage, she herself seeks a husband,
she incurs no guilt, nor (does) he whom she weds.
   92. A maiden who choses for herself, shall not take with her any
ornaments, given by her father or her mother, or her brothers; if
she carries them away, it will be theft.
   93. But he who takes (to wife) a marriageable damsel, shall not pay
any nuptial fee to her father; for the (latter) will lose his dominion
over her in consequence of his preventing (the legitimate result of
the appearance of) her enemies.
   94. A man, aged thirty years, shall marry a maiden of twelve who
pleases him, or a man of twenty-four a girl eight years of age; if
(the performance of) his duties would (otherwise) be impeded, (he must
marry) sooner.
   95. The husband receives his wife from the gods, (he does not wed
her) according to his own will; doing what is agreeable to the gods,
he must always support her (while she is) faithful.
   96. To be mothers were women created, and to be fathers men;
religious rites, therefore, are ordained in the Veda to be performed
(by the husband) together with the wife.
   97. If, after the nuptial fee has been paid for a maiden, the giver
of the fee dies, she shall be given in marriage to his brother, in
case she consents.
   98. Even a Sudra ought not to take a nuptial fee, when he gives
away his daughter; for he who takes a fee sell his daughter,
covering (the transaction by another name).
   99. Neither ancients nor moderns who were good men have done such
(a deed) that, after promising (a daughter) to one man, they have
her to another;
   100. Nor, indeed, have we heard, even in former creations, of
such (a thing as) the covert sale of a daughter for a fixed price,
called a nuptial fee.
   101. 'Let mutual fidelity continue until death,' this may be
considered as the summary of the highest law for husband and wife.
   102. Let man and woman, united in marriage, constantly exert
themselves, that (they may not be) disunited (and) may not violate
their mutual fidelity.
   103. Thus has been declared to you the law for a husband and his
wife, which is intimately connected with conjugal happiness, and the
manner of raising offspring in times of calamity; learn (now the law
concerning) the division of the inheritance.
   104. After the death of the father and of the mother, the brothers,
being assembled, may divide among themselves in equal shares the
paternal (and the maternal) estate; for, they have no power (over
it) while the parents live.
   105. (Or) the eldest alone may take the whole paternal estate,
the others shall live under him just as (they lived) under their
father.
   106. Immediately on the birth of his first-born a man is (called)
the father of a son and is freed from the debt to the manes; that
(son), therefore, is worthy (to receive) the whole estate.
   107. That son alone on whom he throws his debt and through whom
he obtains immortality, is begotten for (the fulfilment of) the law;
all the rest they consider the offspring of desire.
   108. As a father (supports) his sons, so let the eldest support his
younger brothers, and let them also in accordance with the law
behave towards their eldest brother as sons (behave towards their
father).
   109. The eldest (son) makes the family prosperous or, on the
contrary, brings it to ruin; the eldest (is considered) among men most
worthy of honour, the eldest is not treated with disrespect by the
virtuous.
   110. If the eldest brother behaves as an eldest brother (ought to
do), he (must be treated) like a mother and like a father; but if he
behaves in a manner unworthy of an eldest brother, he should yet be
honoured like a kinsman.
   111. Either let them thus live together, or apart, if (each)
desires (to gain) spiritual merit; for (by their living) separate
(their) merit increases, hence separation is meritorious.
   112. The additional share (deducted) for the eldest shall be
one-twentieth (of the estate) and the best of all chattels, for the
middlemost half of that, but for the youngest one-fourth.
   113. Both the eldest and the youngest shall take (their shares)
according to (the rule just) stated (each of) those who are between
the eldest and the youngest, shall have the share (prescribed for the)
middlemost.
   114. Among the goods of every kind the eldest shall take the best
(article), and (even a single chattel) which is particularly good,
as well as the best of ten (animals).
   115. But among (brothers) equally skilled in their occupations,
there is no additional share, (consisting of the best animal) among
ten; some trifle only shall be given to the eldest as a token of
respect.
   116. If additional shares are thus deducted, one must allot equal
shares (out of the residue to each); but if no deduction is made,
the allotment of the shares among them shall be (made) in the
following manner.
   117. Let the eldest son take one share in excess, the (brother)
born next after him one (share) and a half, the younger ones one share
each; thus the law is settled.
   118. But to the maiden (sisters) the brothers shall severally
give (portions) out of their shares, each out of his share
one-fourth part; those who refuse to give (it), will become outcasts.
   119. Let him never divide (the value of) a single goat or sheep, or
a (single beast) with uncloven hoofs; it is prescribed (that) a single
goat or sheep (remaining after an equal division, belongs) to the
eldest alone.
   120. If a younger brother begets a son on the wife of the elder,
the division must then be made equally; this the law is settled.
   121. The representative (the son begotten on the wife) is not
invested with the right of the principal (the eldest brother to an
additional share); the principal (became) a father on the
procreation (of a son by his younger brother); hence one should give a
share to the (son begotten on the wife of the elder brother) according
to the rule (stated above).
   122. If there be a doubt, how the division shall be made, in case
the younger son is born of the elder wife and the elder son of the
younger wife,
   123. (Then the son) born of the first wife shall take as his
additional share one (most excellent) bull; the next best bulls (shall
belong) to those (who are) inferior on account of their mothers.
   124. But the eldest (son, being) born of the eldest wife, shall
receive fifteen cows and a bull, the other sons may then take shares
according to (the seniority of) their mothers; that is a settled rule.
   125. Between sons born of wives equal (in caste) (and) without (any
other) distinction no seniority in right of the mother exists;
seniority is declared (to be) according to birth.
   126. And with respect to the Subrahmanya (texts) also it is
recorded that the invocation (of Indra shall be made) by the
first-born, of twins likewise, (conceived at one time) in the wombs
(of their mothers) the seniority is declared (to depend) on (actual)
birth.
   127. He who has no son may make his daughter in the following
manner an appointed daughter (putrika, saying to her husband), 'The
(male) child, born of her, shall perform my funeral rites.'
   128. According to this rule Daksha, himself, lord of created
beings, formerly made (all his female offspring) appointed daughters
in order to multiply his race.
   129. He gave ten to Dharma, thirteen to Kasyapa, twenty-seven to
King Soma, honouring (them) with an affectionate heart.
   130. A son is even (as) oneself, (such) a daughter is equal to a
son; how can another (heir) take the estate, while such (an
appointed daughter who is even) oneself, lives?
   131. But whatever may be the separate property of the mother,
that is the share of the unmarried daughter alone; and the son of an
(appointed) daughter shall take the whole estate of (his maternal
grandfather) who leaves no son.
   132. The son of an (appointed) daughter, indeed, shall (also)
take the estate of his (own) father, who leaves no (other) son; he
shall (then) present two funeral cakes to his own father and to his
maternal grandfather.
   133. Between a son's son and the son of an (appointed) daughter
there is no difference, neither with respect to worldly matters nor to
sacred duties; for their father and mother both sprang from the body
of the same (man).
   134. But if, after a daughter has been appointed, a son be born (to
her father), the division (of the inheritance) must in that (case)
be equal; for there is no right of primogeniture for a woman.
   135. But if an appointed daughter by accident dies without
(leaving) a son, the husband of the appointed daughter may, without
hesitation, take that estate.
   136. Through that son whom (a daughter), either not appointed or
appointed, may bear to (a husband) of equal (caste), his maternal
grandfather (has) a son's son; he shall present the funeral cake and
take the estate.
   137. Through a son he conquers the worlds, through a son's son he
obtains immortality, but through his son's grandson he gains the world
of the sun.
   138. Because a son delivers (trayate) his father from the hell
called Put, he was therefore called put-tra (a deliverer from Put)
by the Self-existent (Svayambhu) himself.
   139. Between a son's son and the son of a daughter there exists
in this world no difference; for even the son of a daughter saves
him (who has no sons) in the next world, like the son's son.
   140. Let the son of an appointed daughter first present a funeral
cake to his mother, the second to her father, the funeral to his
father's father.
   141. Of the man who has an adopted (Datrima) son possessing all
good qualities, that same (son) shall take the inheritance, though
brought from another family.
   142. An adopted son shall never take the family (name) and the
estate of his natural father; the funeral cake follows the family
(name) and the estate, the funeral offerings of him who gives (his son
in adoption) cease (as far as that son is concerned).
   143. The son of a wife, not appointed (to have issue by another),
and he whom (an appointed female, already) the mother of a son,
bears to her brother-in-law, are both unworthy of a share, (one being)
the son of an adulterer and (the other) produced through (mere) lust.
   144. Even the male (child) of a female (duly) appointed, not
begotten according to the rule (given above), is unworthy of the
paternal estate; for he was procreated by an outcast.
   145. A son (legally) begotten on such an appointed female shall
inherit like a legitimate son of the body; for that seed and the
produce belong, according to the law, to the owner of the soil.
   146. He who takes care of his deceased brother's estate and of
his widow, shall, after raising up a son for his brother, give that
property even to that (son).
   147. If a woman (duly) appointed bears a son to her
brother-in-law or to another (Sapinda), that (son, if he is)
begotten through desire, they declare (to be) incapable of
inheriting and to be produced in vain.
   148. The rules (given above) must be understood (to apply) to a
distribution among sons of women of the same (caste); hear (now the
law) concerning those begotten by one man on many wives of different
(castes).
   149. If there be four wives of a Brahmana in the direct order of
the castes, the rule for the division (of the estate) among the sons
born of them is as follows:
   150. The (slave) who tills (the field), the bull kept for
impregnating cows, the vehicle, the ornaments, and the house shall
be given as an additional portion to the Brahmana (son), and one
most excellent share.
   151. Let the son of the Brahmana (wife) take three shares of the
(remainder of the) estate, the son of the Kshatriya two, the son of
the Vaisya a share and a half, and the son of the Sudra may take one
share.
   152. Or let him who knows the law make ten shares of the whole
estate, and justly distribute them according to the following rule:
   153. The Brahmana (son) shall take four shares, son of the
Kshatriya (wife) three, the son of the Vaisya shall have two parts,
the son of the Sudra may take one share.
   154. Whether (a Brahmana) have sons or have no sons (by wives of
the twice-born castes), the (heir) must, according to the law, give to
the son of a Sudra (wife) no more than a tenth (part of his estate).
   155. The son of a Brahmana, a Kshatriya, and a Vaisya by a Sudra
(wife) receives no share of the inheritance; whatever his father may
give to him, that shall be his property.
   156. All the sons of twice-born men, born of wives of the same
caste, shall equally divide the estate, after the others have given to
the eldest an additional share.
   157. For a Sudra is ordained a wife of his own caste only (and)
no other; those born of her shall have equal shares, even if there
be a hundred sons.
   158. Among the twelve sons of men whom Manu, sprung from the
Self-existent (Svayambhu), enumerates, six are kinsmen and heirs,
and six not heirs, (but) kinsmen.
   159. The legitimate son of the body, the son begotten on a wife,
the son adopted, the son made, the son secretly born, and the son cast
off, (are) the six heirs and kinsmen.
   160. The son of an unmarried damsel, the son received with the
wife, the son bought, the son begotten on a re-married woman, the
son self-given, and the son of a Sudra female, (are) the six (who are)
not heirs, (but) kinsmen.
   161. Whatever result a man obtains who (tries to) cross a (sheet
of) water in an unsafe boat, even that result obtains he who (tries
to) pass the gloom (of the next world) with (the help of) bad
(substitutes for a real) son.
   162. If the two heirs of one man be a legitimate son of his body
and a son begotten on his wife, each (of the two sons), to the
exclusion of the other, shall take the estate of his (natural) father.
   163. The legitimate son of the body alone (shall be) the owner of
the paternal estate; but, in order to avoid harshness, let him allow a
maintenance to the rest.
   164. But when the legitimate son of the body divides the paternal
estate, he shall give one-sixth or one-fifth part of his father's
property to the son begotten on the wife.
   165. The legitimate son and the son of the wife (thus) share the
father's estate; but the other tell become members of the family,
and inherit according to their order (each later named on failure of
those named earlier).
   166. Him whom a man begets on his own wedded wife, let him know
to be a legitimate son of the body (Aurasa), the first in rank.
   167. He who was begotten according to the peculiar law (of the
Niyoga) on the appointed wife of a dead man, of a eunuch, or of one
diseased, is called a son begotten on a wife (Kshetraga).
   168. That (boy) equal (by caste) whom his mother or his father
affectionately give, (confirming the gift) with (a libation of) water,
in times of distress (to a man) as his son, must be considered as an
adopted son (Datrima).
   169. But he is considered a son made (Kritrima) whom (a man)
makes his son, (he being) equal (by caste), acquainted with (the
distinctions between) right and wrong, (and) endowed with filial
virtues.
   170. If (a child) be born in a man's house and his father be not
known, he is a son born secretly in the house (Gudhotpanna), and shall
belong to him of whose wife he was born.
   171. He whom (a man) receives as his son, (after he has been)
deserted by his parents or by either of them, is called a son cast off
(Apaviddha).
   172. A son whom a damsel secretly bears in the house of her father,
one shall name the son of an unmarried damsel (Kanina, and declare)
such offspring of an unmarried girl (to belong) to him who weds her
(afterwards).
   173. If one marries, either knowingly or unknowingly, a pregnant
(bride), the child in her womb belongs to him who weds her, and is
called (a son) received with the bride (Sahodha).
   174. If a man buys a (boy), whether equal or unequal (in good
qualities), from his father and mother for the sake of having a son,
that (child) is called a (son) bought (Kritaka).
   175. If a woman abandoned by her husband, or a widow, of her own
accord contracts a second marriage and bears (a son), he is called the
son of a re-married woman (Paunarbhava).
   176. If she be (still) a virgin, or one who returned (to her
first husband) after leaving him, she is worthy to again perform
with her second (or first deserted) husband the (nuptial) ceremony.
   177. He who, having lost his parents or being abandoned (by them)
without (just) cause, gives himself to a (man), is called a son
self-given (Svayamdatta).
   178. The son whom a Brahmana begets through lust on a Sudra
female is, (though) alive (parayan), a corpse (sava), and hence called
a Parasava (a living corpse).
   179. A son who is (begotten) by a Sudra on a female slave, or on
the female slave of his slave, may, if permitted (by his father), take
a share (of the inheritance); thus the law is settled.
   180. These eleven, the son begotten on the wife and the rest as
enumerated (above), the wise call substitutes for a son, (taken) in
order (to prevent) a failure of the (funeral) ceremonies.
   181. Those sons, who have been mentioned in connection with (the
legitimate son of the body), being begotten by strangers, belong (in
reality) to him from whose seed they sprang, but not to the other (man
who took them).
   182. If among brothers, sprung from one (father), one have a son,
Manu has declared them all to have male offspring through that son.
   183. If among all the wives of one husband one have a son, Manu
declares them all (to be) mothers of male children through that son.
   184. On failure of each better (son), each next inferior (one) is
worthy of the inheritance; but if there be many (of) equal (rank),
they shall all share the estate.
   185. Not brothers, nor fathers, (but) sons take the paternal
estate; but the father shall take the inheritance of (a son) who
leaves no male issue, and his brothers.
   186. To three (ancestors) water must be offered, to three the
funeral cake is given, the fourth (descendant is) the giver of these
(oblations), the fifth has no connection (with them).
   187. Always to that (relative within three degrees) who is
nearest to the (deceased) Sapinda the estate shall belong;
afterwards a Sakulya shall be (the heir, then) the spiritual teacher
or the pupil.
   188. But on failure of all (heirs) Brahmanas (shall) share the
estate, (who are) versed the in the three Vedas, pure and
self-controlled; thus the law is not violated.
   189. The property of a Brahmana must never be taken by the king,
that is a settled rule; but (the property of men) of other castes
the king may take on failure of all (heirs).
   190. (If the widow) of (a man) who died without leaving issue,
raises up to him a son by a member of the family (Sagotra), she
shall deliver to that (son) the whole property which belonged to the
(deceased).
   191. But if two (sons), begotten by two (different men), contend
for the property (in the hands) of their mother, each shall take, to
the exclusion of the other, what belonged to his father.
   192. But when the mother has died, all the uterine brothers and the
uterine sisters shall equally divide the mother's estate.
   193. Even to the daughters of those (daughters) something should be
given, as is seemly, out of the estate of their maternal
grandmother, on the score of affection.
   194. What (was given) before the (nuptial) fire, what (was given)
on the bridal procession, what was given in token of love, and what
was received from her brother, mother, or father, that is called the
sixfold property of a woman.
   195. (Such property), as well as a gift subsequent and what was
given (to her) by her affectionate husband, shall go to her offspring,
(even) if she dies in the lifetime of her husband.
   196. It is ordained that the property (of a woman married)
according to the Brahma, the Daiva, the Arsha, the Gandharva, or the
Pragapatya rite (shall belong) to her husband alone, if she dies
without issue.
   197. But it is prescribed that the property which may have been
given to a (wife) on an Asura marriage or (one of the) other (blamable
marriages, shall go) to her mother and to her father, if she dies
without issue.
   198. Whatever property may have been given by her father to a
wife (who has co-wives of different castes), that the daughter (of
the) Brahmani (wife) shall take, or that (daughter's) issue.
   199. Women should never make a hoard from (the property of) their
families which is common to many, nor from their own (husbands'
particular) property without permission.
   200. The ornaments which may have been worn by women during their
husbands' lifetime, his heirs shall not divide; those who divide
them become outcasts.
   201. Eunuchs and outcasts, (persons) born blind or deaf, the
insane, idiots and the dumb, as well as those deficient in any organ
(of action or sensation), receive no share.
   202. But it is just that (a man) who knows (the law) should give
even to all of them food and raiment without stint, according to his
ability; he who gives it not will become all outcast.
   203. If the eunuch and the rest should somehow or other desire to
(take) wives, the offspring of such among them as have children is
worthy of a share.
   204. Whatever property the eldest (son) acquires (by his own
exertion) after the father's death, a share of that (shall belong)
to his younger (brothers), provided they have made a due progress in
learning.
   205. But if all of them, being unlearned, acquire property by their
labour, the division of that shall be equal, (as it is) not property
acquired by the father; that is a settled rule.
   206. Property (acquired) by learning belongs solely to him to
whom (it was given), likewise the gift of a friend, a present received
on marriage or with the honey-mixture.
   207. But if one of the brothers, being able (to maintain himself)
by his own occupation, does not desire (a share of the family)
property, he may be made separate (by the others) receiving a trifle
out of his share to live upon.
   208. What one (brother) may acquire by his labour without using the
patrimony, that acquisition, (made solely) by his own effort, he shall
not share unless by his own will (with his brothers).
   209. But if a father recovers lost ancestral property, he shall not
divide it, unless by his own will, with his sons, (for it is)
self-acquired (property).
   210. If brothers, (once) divided and living (again) together (as
coparceners), make a second partition, the division shall in that case
be equal; in such a case there is no right of primogeniture.
   211. If the eldest or the youngest (brother) is deprived of his
share, or if either of them dies, his share is not lost (to his
immediate heirs).
   212. His uterine brothers, having assembled together, shall equally
divide it, and those brothers who were reunited (with him) and the
uterine sisters.
   213. An eldest brother who through avarice may defraud the
younger ones, shall no (longer hold the position of) the eldest, shall
not receive an (eldest son's additional) share, and shall be
punished by the king.
   214. All brothers who habitually commit forbidden acts, are
unworthy of (a share of) the property, and the eldest shall not make
(anything his) separate property without giving (an equivalent) to his
younger brothers.
   215. If undivided brethren, (living with their father,) together
make an exertion (for gain), the father shall on no account give to
them unequal shares (on a division of the estate).
   216. But a son, born after partition, shall alone take the property
of his father, or if any (of the other sons) be reunited with the
(father), he shall share with them.
   217. A mother shall obtain the inheritance of a son (who dies)
without leaving issue, and, if the mother be dead, the paternal
grandmother shall take the estate.
   218. And if, after all the debts and assets have been duly
distributed according to the rule, any (property) be afterwards
discovered, one must divide it equally.
   219. A dress, a vehicle, ornaments, cooked food, water, and
female (slaves), property destined for pious uses or sacrifices, and a
pasture-ground, they declare to be indivisible.
   220. The division (of the property) and the rules for allotting
(shares) to the (several) sons, those begotten on a wife and the rest,
in (due) order, have been thus declared to you; hear (now) the laws
concerning gambling.
   221. Gambling and betting let the king exclude from his realm;
those two vices cause the destruction of the kingdoms of princes.
   222. Gambling and betting amount to open theft; the king shall
always exert himself in suppressing both (of them).
   223. When inanimate (things) are used (for staking money on
them), that is called among men gambling (dyuta), when animate
beings are used (for the same purpose), one must know that to be
betting (samahvaya).
   224. Let the king corporally punish all those (persons) who
either gamble and bet or afford (an opportunity for it), likewise
Sudras who assume the distinctive marks of twice-born (men).
   225. Gamblers, dancers and singers, cruel men, men belonging to
an heretical sect, those following forbidden occupations, and
sellers of spirituous liquor, let him instantly banish from his town.
   226. If such (persons who are) secret thieves, dwell in the realm
of a king, they constantly harass his good subjects by their forbidden
practices.
   227. In a former Kalpa this (vice of) gambling has been seen to
cause great enmity; a wise man, therefore, should not practise it even
for amusement.
   228. On every man who addicts himself to that (vice) either
secretly or openly, the king may inflict punishment according to his
discretion.
   229. But a Kshatriya, a Vaisya, and a Sudra who are unable to pay a
fine, shall discharge the debt by labour; a Brahmana shall pay it by
installments.
   230. On women, infants, men of disordered mind, the poor and the
sick, the king shall inflict punishment with a whip, a cane, or a rope
and the like.
   231. But those appointed (to administer public) affairs, who, baked
by the fire of wealth, mar the business of suitors, the king shall
deprive of their property.
   232. Forgers of royal edicts, those who corrupt his ministers,
those who slay women, infants, or Brahmanas, and those who serve his
enemies, the king shall put to death.
   233. Whenever any (legal transaction) has been completed or (a
punishment) been inflicted according to the law, he shall sanction
it and not annul it.
   234. Whatever matter his ministers or the judge may settle
improperly, that the king himself shall (re-) settle and fine (them)
one thousand (panas).
   235. The slayer of a Brahmana, (A twice-born man) who drinks (the
spirituous liquor called) Sura, he who steals (the gold of a
Brahmana), and he who violates a Guru's bed, must each and all be
considered as men who committed mortal sins (mahapataka).
   236. On those four even, if they do not perform a penance, let
him inflict corporal punishment and fines in accordance with the law.
   237. For violating a Guru's bed, (the mark of) a female part
shall be (impressed on the forehead with a hot iron); for drinking
(the spirituous liquor called) Sura, the sign of a tavern; for
stealing (the gold of a Brahmana), a dog's foot; for murdering a
Brahmana, a headless corpse.
   238. Excluded from all fellowship at meals, excluded from all
sacrifices, excluded from instruction and from matrimonial
alliances, abject and excluded from all religious duties, let them
wander over (this) earth.
   239. Such (persons) who have been branded with (indelible) marks
must be cast off by their paternal and maternal relations, and receive
neither compassion nor a salutation; that is the teaching of Manu.
   240. But (men of) all castes who perform the prescribed penances,
must not be branded on the forehead by the king, but shall be made
to pay the highest amercement.
   241. For (such) offences the middlemost amercement shall be
inflicted on a Brahmana, or he may be banished from the realm, keeping
his money and his chattels.
   242. But (men of) other (castes), who have unintentionally
committed such crimes, ought to be deprived of their whole property;
if (they committed them) intentionally, they shall be banished.
   243. A virtuous king must not take for himself the property of a
man guilty of mortal sin; but if he takes it out of greed, he is
tainted by that guilt (of the offender).
   244. Having thrown such a fine into the water, let him offer it
to Varuna, or let him bestow it on a learned and virtuous Brahmana.
   245. Varuna is the lord of punishment, for he holds the sceptre
even over kings; a Brahmana who has learnt the whole Veda is the
lord of the whole world.
   246. In that (country), where the king avoids taking the property
of (mortal) sinners, men are born in (due) time (and are) long-lived,
   247. And the crops of the husbandmen spring up, each as it was
sown, and the children die not, and no misshaped (offspring) is born.
   248. But the king shall inflict on a base-born (Sudra), who
intentionally gives pain to Brahmanas, various (kinds of) corporal
punishment which cause terror.
   249. When a king punishes an innocent (man), his guilt is
considered as great as when he sets free a guilty man; but (he
acquires) merit when he punishes (justly).
   250. Thus the (manner of) deciding suits (falling) under the
eighteen titles, between two litigant parties, has been declared at
length.
   251. A king who thus duly fulfils his duties in accordance with
justice, may seek to gain countries which he has not yet gained, and
shall duly protect them when he has gained them.
   252. Having duly settled his country, and having built forts in
accordance with the Institutes, he shall use his utmost exertions to
remove (those men who are nocuous like) thorns.
   253. By protecting those who live as (becomes) Aryans and by
removing the thorns, kings, solely intent on guarding their
subjects, reach heaven.
   254. The realm of that king who takes his share in kind, though
he does not punish thieves, (will be) disturbed and he (will) lose
heaven.
   255. But if his kingdom be secure, protected by the strength of his
arm, it will constantly flourish like a (well)- watered tree.
   256. Let the king who sees (everything) through his spies, discover
the two sorts of thieves who deprive others of their property, both
those who (show themselves) openly and those who (lie) concealed.
   257. Among them, the open rogues (are those) who subsist by
(cheating in the sale of) various marketable commodities, but the
concealed rogues are burglars, robbers in forests, and so forth.
   258. Those who take bribes, cheats and rogues, gamblers, those
who live by teaching (the performance of) auspicious ceremonies,
sanctimonious hypocrites, and fortune-tellers,
   259. Officials of high rank and physicians who act improperly,
men living by showing their proficiency in arts, and clever harlots,
   260. These and the like who show themselves openly, as well as
others who walk in disguise (such as) non-Aryans who wear the marks of
Aryans, he should know to be thorns (in the side of his people).
   261. Having detected them by means of trustworthy persons, who,
disguising themselves, (pretend) to follow the same occupations and by
means of spies, wearing various disguises, he must cause them to be
instigated (to commit offences), and bring them into his power.
   262. Then having caused the crimes, which they committed by their
several actions, to be proclaimed in accordance with the facts, the
king shall duly punish them according to their strength and their
crimes.
   263. For the wickedness of evil-minded thieves, who secretly
prowl over this earth, cannot be restrained except by punishment.
   264. Assembly-houses, houses where water is distributed or cakes
are sold, brothels, taverns and victualler's shops, cross-roads,
well-known trees, festive assemblies, and play-houses and
concert-rooms,
   265. Old gardens, forests, the shops of artisans, empty
dwellings, natural and artificial groves,
   266. These and the like places the king shall cause to be guarded
by companies of soldiers, both stationary and patrolling, and by
spies, in order to keep away thieves.
   267. By the means of clever reformed thieves, who associate with
such (rogues), follow them and know their various machinations, he
must detect and destroy them.
   268. Under the pretext of (offering them) various dainties, of
introducing them to Brahmanas, and on the pretence of (showing them)
feats of strength, the (spies) must make them meet (the officers of
justice).
   269. Those among them who do not come, and those who suspect the
old (thieves employed by the king), the king shall attack by force and
slay together with their friends, blood relations, and connexions.
   270. A just king shall not cause a thief to be put to death,
(unless taken) with the stolen goods (in his possession); him who
(is taken) with the stolen goods and the implements (of burglary),
he may, without hesitation, cause to be slain.
   271. All those also who in villages give food to thieves or grant
them room for (concealing their implements), he shall cause to be
put to death.
   272. Those who are appointed to guard provinces and his vassals who
have been ordered (to help), he shall speedily punish like thieves,
(if they remain) inactive in attacks (by robbers).
   273. Moreover if (a man), who subsists by (the fulfilment of) the
law, departs from the established rule of the law, the (king) shall
severely punish him by a fine, (because he) violated his duty.
   274. Those who do not give assistance according to their ability
when a village is being plundered, a dyke is being destroyed, or a
highway robbery committed, shall be banished with their goods and
chattels.
   275. On those who rob the king's treasury and those who persevere
in opposing (his commands), he shall inflict various kinds of
capital punishment, likewise on those who conspire with his enemies.
   276. But the king shall cut off the hands of those robbers who,
breaking into houses, commit thefts at night, and cause them to be
impaled on a pointed stake.
   277. On the first conviction, let him cause two fingers of a
cut-purse to be amputated; on the second, one hand and one foot; on
the third, he shall suffer death.
   278. Those who give (to thieves) fire, food, arms, or shelter,
and receivers of stolen goods, the ruler shall punish like thieves.
   279. Him who breaks (the dam of) a tank he shall slay (by
drowning him) in water or by (some other) (mode of) capital
punishment; or the offender may repair the (damage), but shall be made
to pay the highest amercement.
   280. Those who break into a (royal) storehouse, an armoury, or a
temple, and those who steal elephants, horses, or chariots, he shall
slay without hesitation.
   281. But he who shall take away the water of a tank, made in
ancient times, or shall cut off the supply of water, must be made to
pay the first (or lowest) amercement.
   282. But he who, except in a case of extreme necessity, drops filth
on the king's high-road, shall pay two karshapanas and immediately
remove (that) filth.
   283. But a person in urgent necessity, an aged man, a pregnant
woman, or a child, shall be reprimanded and clean the (place); that is
a settled rule.
   284. All physicians who treat (their patients) wrongly (shall
pay) a fine; in the case of animals, the first (or lowest); in the
case of human beings, the middlemost (amercement).
   285. He who destroys a bridge, the flag (of a temple or royal
palace), a pole, or images, shall repair the whole (damage) and pay
five hundred (panas).
   286. For adulterating unadulterated commodities, and for breaking
gems or for improperly boring (them), the fine is the first (or
lowest) amercement.
   287. But that man who behaves dishonestly to honest (customers)
or cheats in his prices, shall be fined in the first or in the
middlemost amercement.
   288. Let him place all prisons near a high-road, where the
suffering and disfigured offenders can be seen.
   289. Him who destroys the wall (of a town), or fills up the ditch
(round a town), or breaks a (town)- gate, he shall instantly banish.
   290. For all incantations intended to destroy life, for magic rites
with roots (practised by persons) not related (to him against whom
they are directed), and for various kinds of sorcery, a fine of two
hundred (panas) shall be inflicted.
   291. He who sells (for seed-corn that which is) not seed-corn, he
who takes up seed (already sown), and he who destroys a boundary
(-mark), shall be punished by mutilation.
   292. But the king shall cause a goldsmith who behaves
dishonestly, the most nocuous of all the thorns, to be cut to pieces
with razors.
   293. For the theft of agricultural implements, of arms and of
medicines, let the king award punishment, taking into account the time
(of the offence) and the use (of the object).
   294. The king and his minister, his capital, his realm, his
treasury, his army, and his ally are the seven constituent parts (of a
kingdom); (hence) a kingdom is said to have seven limbs (anga).
   295. But let him know (that) among these seven constituent parts of
a kingdom (which have been enumerated) in due order, each earlier
(named) is more important and (its destruction) the greater calamity.
   296. Yet in a kingdom containing seven constituent parts, which
is upheld like the triple staff (of an ascetic), there is no (single
part) more important (than the others), by reason of the importance of
the qualities of each for the others.
   297. For each part is particularly qualified for (the
accomplishment of) certain objects, (and thus) each is declared to
be the most important for that particular purpose which is effected by
its means.
   298. By spies, by a (pretended) display of energy, and by
carrying out (various) undertakings, let the king constantly ascertain
his own and his enemy's strength;
   299. Moreover, all calamities and vices; afterwards, when he has
fully considered their relative importance, let him begin his
operations.
   300. (Though he be) ever so much tired (by repeated failures),
let him begin his operations again and again; for fortune greatly
favours the man who (strenuously) exerts himself in his undertakings.
   301. The various ways in which a king behaves (resemble) the Krita,
Treta, Dvapara, and Kali ages; hence the king is identified with the
ages (of the world).
   302. Sleeping he represents the Kali (or iron age), waking the
Dvapara (or brazen) age, ready to act the Treta (or silver age), but
moving (actively) the Krita (or golden) age.
   303. Let the king emulate the energetic action of Indra, of the
Sun, of the Wind, of Yama, of Varuna, of the Moon, of the Fire, and of
the Earth.
   304. As Indra sends copious rain during the four months of the
rainy season, even so let the king, taking upon himself the office
of Indra, shower benefits on his kingdom.
   305. As the Sun during eight months (imperceptibly) draws up the
water with his rays, even so let him gradually draw his taxes from his
kingdom; for that is the office in which he resembles the Sun.
   306. As the Wind moves (everywhere), entering (in the shape of
the vital air) all created beings, even so let him penetrate
(everywhere) through his spies; that is the office in which he
resembles the Wind.
   307. As Yama at the appointed time subjects to his rule both
friends and foes, even so all subjects must be controlled by the king;
that is the office in which he resembles Yama.
   308. As (a sinner) is seen bound with ropes by Varuna, even so
let him punish the wicked; that is his office in which he resembles
Varuna.
   309. He is a king, taking upon himself the office of the Moon,
whose (appearance) his subjects (greet with as great joy) as men
feel on seeing the full moon.
   310. (If) he is ardent in wrath against criminals and endowed
with brilliant energy, and destroys wicked vassals, then his character
is said (to resemble) that of Fire.
   311. As the Earth supports all created beings equally, thus (a
king) who supports all his subjects, (takes upon himself) the office
of the Earth.
   312. Employing these and other means, the king shall, ever untired,
restrain thieves both in his own dominions and in (those of) others.
   313. Let him not, though fallen into the deepest distress,
provoke Brahmanas to anger; for they, when angered, could instantly
destroy him together with his army and his vehicles.
   314. Who could escape destruction, when he provokes to anger
those (men), by whom the fire was made to consume all things, by
whom the (water of the) ocean was made undrinkable, and by whom the
moon was made to wane and to increase again?
   315. Who could prosper, while he injures those (men) who provoked
to anger, could create other worlds and other guardians of the
world, and deprive the gods of their divine station?
   316. What man, desirous of life, would injure them to whose support
the (three) worlds and the gods ever owe their existence, and whose
wealth is the Veda?
   317. A Brahmana, be he ignorant or learned, is a great divinity,
just as the fire, whether carried forth (for the performance of a
burnt-oblation) or not carried forth, is a great divinity.
   318. The brilliant fire is not contaminated even in
burial-places, and, when presented with oblations (of butter) at
sacrifices, it again increases mightily.
   319. Thus, though Brahmanas employ themselves in all (sorts of)
mean occupations, they must be honoured in every way; for (each of)
them is a very great deity.
   320. When the Kshatriyas become in any way overbearing towards
the Brahmanas, the Brahmanas themselves shall duly restrain them;
for the Kshatriyas sprang from the Brahmanas.
   321. Fire sprang from water, Kshatriyas from Brahmanas, iron from
stone; the all-penetrating force of those (three) has no effect on
that whence they were produced.
   322. Kshatriyas prosper not without Brahmanas, Brahmanas prosper
not without Kshatriyas; Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, being closely
united, prosper in this (world) and in the next.
   323. But (a king who feels his end drawing nigh) shall bestow all
his wealth, accumulated from fines, on Brahmanas, make over his
kingdom to his son, and then seek death in battle.
   324. Thus conducting himself (and) ever intent on (discharging) his
royal duties, a king shall order all his servants (to work) for the
good of his people.
   325. Thus the eternal law concerning the duties of a king has
been fully declared; know that the following rules apply in (due)
order to the duties of Vaisyas and Sudras.
   326. After a Vaisya has received the sacraments and has taken a
wife, he shall be always attentive to the business whereby he may
subsist and to (that of) tending cattle.
   327. For when the Lord of creatures (Pragapati) created cattle,
he made them over to the Vaisya; to the Brahmana, and to the king he
entrusted all created beings.
   328. A Vaisya must never (conceive this) wish, I will not keep
cattle; and if a Vaisya is willing (to keep them), they must never
be kept by (men of) other (castes).
   329. (A Vaisya) must know the respective value of gems, of
pearls, of coral, of metals, of (cloth) made of thread, of perfumes,
and of condiments.
   330. He must be acquainted with the (manner of) sowing of seeds,
and of the good and bad qualities of fields, and he must perfectly
know all measures and weights.
   331. Moreover, the excellence and defects of commodities, the
advantages and disadvantages of (different) countries, the
(probable) profit and loss on merchandise, and the means of properly
rearing cattle.
   332. He must be acquainted with the (proper), wages of servants,
with the various languages of men, with the manner of keeping goods,
and (the rules of) purchase and sale.
   333. Let him exert himself to the utmost in order to increase his
property in a righteous manner, and let him zealously give food to all
created beings.
   334. But to serve Brahmanas (who are) learned in the Vedas,
householders, and famous (for virtue) is the highest duty of a
Sudra, which leads to beatitude.
   335. (A Sudra who is) pure, the servant of his betters, gentle in
his speech, and free from pride, and always seeks a refuge with
Brahmanas, attains (in his next life) a higher caste.
   336. The excellent law for the conduct of the (four) castes
(varna), (when they are) not in distress, has been thus promulgated;
now hear in order their (several duties) in times of distress.
                         CHAPTER X.

   1. Let the three twice-born castes (varna), discharging their
(prescribed) duties, study (the Veda); but among them the Brahmana
(alone) shall teach it, not the other two; that is an established
rule.
   2. The Brahmana must know the means of subsistence (prescribed)
by law for all, instruct the others, and himself live according to
(the law)
   3. On account of his pre-eminence, on account of the superiority of
his origin, on account of his observance of (particular) restrictive
rules, and on account of his particular sanctification the Brahmana is
the lord of (all) castes (varna).
   4. Brahmana, the Kshatriya, and the Vaisya castes (varna) are the
twice-born ones, but the fourth, the Sudra, has one birth only;
there is no fifth (caste).
   5. In all castes (varna) those (children) only which are begotten
in the direct order on wedded wives, equal (in caste and married as)
virgins, are to be considered as belonging to the same caste (as their
fathers)
   6. Sons, begotten by twice-born man on wives of the next lower
castes, they declare to be similar (to their fathers, but) blamed on
account of the fault (inherent) in their mothers.
   7. Such is the eternal law concerning (children) born of wives
one degree lower (than their husbands); know (that) the following rule
(is applicable) to those born of women two or three degrees lower.
   8. From a Brahmana a with the daughter of a Vaisya is born (a
son) called an Ambashtha, with the daughter of a sudra a Nishada,
who is also called Parasava.
   9. From a Kshatriya and the daughter of a Sudra springs a being,
called Ugra, resembling both a Kshatriya and a Sudra, ferocious in his
manners, and delighting in cruelty.
   10. Children of a Brahmana by (women of) the three (lower)
castes, of a Kshatriya by (wives of) the two (lower) castes, and of
a Vaisya by (a wife of) the one caste (below him) are all six called
base-born (apasada).
   11. From a Kshatriya by the daughter of a Brahmana is born (a son
called) according to his caste (gati) a Suta; from a Vaisya by females
of the royal and the Brahmana (castes) spring a Magadha and a Vaideha.
   12. From a Sudra are born an Ayogava, a Kshattri, and a Kandala,
the lowest of men, by Vaisya, Kshatriya, and Brahmana) females,
(sons who owe their origin to) a confusion of the castes.
   13. As an Ambashtha and an Ugra, (begotten) in the direct order
on (women) one degree lower (than their husbands) are declared (to
be), even so are a Kshattri and a Vaidehaka, though they were born
in the inverse order of the castes (from mothers one degree higher
than the fathers).
   14. Those sons of the twice-born, begotten on wives of the next
lower castes, who have been enumerated in due order, they call by
the name Anantaras (belonging to the next lower caste), on account
of the blemish (inherent) in their mothers.
   15. A Brahmana begets on the daughter of an Ugra an Avrita, on
the daughter of an Ambashtha an Abhira, but on a female of the Ayogava
(caste) a Dhigvana.
   16. From a Sudra spring in the inverse order (by females of the
higher castes) three base-born (sons, apasada), an Ayogava, a
Kshattri, and a Kandala, the lowest of men;
   17. From a Vaisya are born in the inverse order of the castes a
Magadha and a Vaideha, but from a Kshatriya a Suta only; these are
three other base-born ones (apasada).
   18. The son of a Nishada by a Sudra female becomes a Pukkasa by
caste (gati), but the son of a Sudra by a Nishada female is declared
to be a Kukkutaka.
   19. Moreover, the son of by Kshattri by an Ugra female is called
a Svapaka; but one begotten by a Vaidehaka on an Ambashtha female is
named a Vena.
   20. Those (sons) whom the twice-born beget on wives of equal caste,
but who, not fulfilling their sacred duties, are excluded from the
Savitri, one must designate by the appellation Vratyas.
   21. But from a Vratya (of the) Brahmana (caste) spring the wicked
Bhriggakantaka, the Avantya, the Vatadhana, the Pushpadha, and the
Saikha.
   22. From a Vratya (of the) Kshatriya (caste), the Ghalla, the
Malla, the Likkhivi, the Nata, the Karana, the Khasa, and the Dravida.
   23. From a Vratya (of the) Vaisya (caste) are born a Sudhanvan,
an Akarya, a Karusha, a Viganman, a Maitra, and a Satvata.
   24. By adultery (committed by persons) of (different) castes, by
marriages with women who ought not to be married, and by the neglect
of the duties and occupations (prescribed) to each, are produced (sons
who owe their origin) to a confusion the castes.
   25. I will (now) fully enumerate those (sons) of mixed origin,
who are born of Anulomas and of Pratilomas, and (thus) are mutually
connected.
   26. The Suta, the Vaidehaka, the Kandala, that lowest of mortals,
the Magadha, he of the Kshattri caste (gati), and the Ayogava,
   27. These six (Pratilomas) beget similar races (varna) on women
of their own (caste), they (also) produce (the like) with females of
their mother's caste (gati), and with females (of) higher ones.
   28. As a (Brahmana) begets on (females of) two out of the three
(twice-born castes a son similar to) himself, (but inferior) on
account of the lower degree (of the mother), and (one equal to
himself) on a female of his own race, even so is the order in the case
of the excluded (races, vahya).
   29. Those (six mentioned above) also beget, the one on the
females of the other, a great many (kinds of) despicable (sons),
even more sinful than their (fathers), and excluded (from the Aryan
community, vahya).
   30. Just as a Sudra begets on a Brahmana female a being excluded
(from the Aryan community), even so (a person himself) excluded pro
creates with (females of) the four castes (varna, sons) more (worthy
of being) excluded (than he himself).
   31. But men excluded (by the Aryans, vahya), who approach females
of higher rank, beget races (varna) still more worthy to be
excluded, low men (hina) still lower races, even fifteen (in number).
   32. A Dasyu begets on an Ayogava (woman) a Sairandhra, who is
skilled in adorning and attending (his master), who, (though) not a
slave, lives like a slave, (or) subsists by snaring (animals).
   33. A Vaideha produces (with the same) a sweet-voiced Maitreyaka,
who, ringing a bell at the appearance of dawn, continually. praises
(great) men.
   34. A Nishada begets (on the same) a Margava (or) Dasa, who
subsists by working as a boatman, (and) whom the inhabitants of
Aryavarta call a Kaivarta.
   35. Those three base-born ones are severally begot on Ayogava
women, who wear the clothes of the dead, are wicked, and eat
reprehensible food.
   36. From a Nishada springs (by a woman of the Vaideha caste) a
Karavara, who works in leather; and from a Vaidehaka (by women of
the Karavara and Nishada castes), an Andhra and a Meda, who dwell
outside the village.
   37. From a Kandala by a Vaideha woman is born a Pandusopaka, who
deals in cane; from a Nishada (by the same) an Ahindika.
   38. But from a Kandala by a Pukkasa woman is born the sinful
Sopaka, who lives by the occupations of his sire, and is ever despised
by good men.
   39. A Nishada woman bears to a Kandala a son (called) Antyavasayin,
employed in burial-grounds, and despised even by those excluded
(from the Aryan community).
   40. These races, (which originate) in a confusion (of the castes
and) have been described according to their fathers and mothers, may
be known by their occupations, whether they conceal or openly show
themselves.
   41. Six sons, begotten (by Aryans) on women of equal and the next
lower castes (Anantara), have the duties of twice-born men; but all
those born in consequence of a violation (of the law) are, as
regards their duties, equal to Sudras.
   42. By the power of austerities and of the seed (from which they
sprang), these (races) obtain here among men more exalted or lower
rank in successive births.
   43. But in consequence of the omission of the sacred rites, and
of their not consulting Brahmanas, the following tribes of
Kshatriyas have gradually sunk in this world to the condition of
Sudras;
   44. (Viz.) the Paundrakas, the Kodas, the Dravidas, the Kambogas,
the Yavanas, the Sakas, the Paradas, the Pahlavas, the Kinas, the
Kiratas, and the Daradas.
   45. All those tribes in this world, which are excluded from (the
community of) those born from the mouth, the arms, the thighs, and the
feet (of Brahman), are called Dasyus, whether they speak the
language of the Mlekkhas (barbarians) or that of the Aryans.
   46. Those who have been mentioned as the base-born (offspring,
apasada) of Aryans, or as produced in consequence of a violation (of
the law, apadhvamsaga), shall subsist by occupations reprehended by
the twice-born.
   47. To Sutas (belongs) the management of horses and of chariots; to
Ambashthas, the art of healing; to Vaidehakas, the service of women;
to Magadhas, trade;
   48. Killing fish to Nishadas; carpenters' work to the Ayogava; to
Medas, Andhras, Kunkus, and Madgus, the slaughter of wild animals;
   49. To Kshattris, Ugras, and Pukkasas, catching and killing
(animals) living in holes; to Dhigvanas, working in leather; to Venas,
playing drums.
   50. Near well-known trees and burial-grounds, on mountains and in
groves, let these (tribes) dwell, known (by certain marks), and
subsisting by their peculiar occupations.
   51. But the dwellings of Kandalas and Svapakas shall be outside the
village, they must be made Apapatras, and their wealth (shall be) dogs
and donkeys.
   52. Their dress (shall be) the garments of the dead, (they shall
eat) their food from broken dishes, black iron (shall be) their
ornaments, and they must always wander from place to place.
   53. A man who fulfils a religious duty, shall not seek
intercourse with them; their transactions (shall be) among themselves,
and their marriages with their equals.
   54. Their food shall be given to them by others (than an Aryan
giver) in a broken dish; at night they shall not walk about in
villages and in towns.
   55. By day they may go about for the purpose of their work,
distinguished by marks at the king's command, and they shall carry out
the corpses (of persons) who have no relatives; that is a settled
rule.
   56. By the king's order they shall always execute the criminals, in
accordance with the law, and they shall take for themselves the
clothes, the beds, and the ornaments of (such) criminals.
   57. A man of impure origin, who belongs not to any caste, (varna,
but whose character is) not known, who, (though) not an Aryan, has the
appearance of an Aryan, one may discover by his acts.
   58. Behaviour unworthy of an Aryan, harshness, cruelty, and
habitual neglect of the prescribed duties betray in this world a man
of impure origin.
   59. A base-born man either resembles in character his father, or
his mother, or both; he can never conceal his real nature.
   60. Even if a man, born in a great family, sprang from criminal
intercourse, he will certainly possess the faults of his (father),
be they small or great.
   61. But that kingdom in which such bastards, sullying (the purity
of) the castes, are born, perishes quickly together with its
inhabitants.
   62. Dying, without the expectation of a reward, for the sake of
Brahmanas and of cows, or in the defence of women and children,
secures beatitude to those excluded (from the Aryan community, vahya.)
   63. Abstention from injuring (creatures), veracity, abstention from
unlawfully appropriating (the goods of others), purity, and control of
the organs, Manu has declared to be the summary of the law for the
four castes.
   64. If (a female of the caste), sprung from a Brahmana and a
Sudra female, bear (children) to one of the highest caste, the
inferior (tribe) attains the highest caste within the seventh
generation.
   65. (Thus) a Sudra attains the rank of a Brahmana, and (in a
similar manner) a Brahmana sinks to the level of a Sudra; but know
that it is the same with the offspring of a Kshatriya or of a Vaisya.
   66. If (a doubt) should arise, with whom the preeminence (is,
whether) with him whom an Aryan by chance begot on a non-Aryan female,
or (with the son) of a Brahmana woman by a non-Aryan,
   67. The decision is as follows: 'He who was begotten by an Aryan on
a non-Aryan female, may become (like to) an Aryan by his virtues; he
whom an Aryan (mother) bore to a non-Aryan father (is and remains)
unlike to an Aryan.'
   68. The law prescribes that neither of the two shall receive the
sacraments, the first (being excluded) on account of the lowness of
his origin, the second (because the union of his parents was)
against the order of the castes.
   69. As good seed, springing up in good soil, turns out perfectly
well, even so the son of an Aryan by an Aryan woman is worthy of all
the sacraments.
   70. Some sages declare the seed to be more important, and others
the field; again others (assert that) the seed and the field (are
equally important); but the legal decision on this point is as
follows:
   71. Seed, sown on barren ground, perishes in it; a (fertile)
field also, in which no (good) seed (is sown), will remain barren.
   72. As through the power of the seed (sons) born of animals
became sages who are honoured and praised, hence the seed is
declared to be more important.
   73. Having considered (the case of) a non-Aryan who acts like an
Aryan, and (that of) an Aryan who acts like a non-Aryan, the creator
declared, 'Those two are neither equal nor unequal.'
   74. Brahmanas who are intent on the means (of gaining union with)
Brahman and firm in (discharging) their duties, shall live by duly
performing the following six acts, (which are enumerated) in their
(proper) order.
   75. Teaching, studying, sacrificing for himself, sacrificing for
others, making gifts and receiving them are the six acts
(prescribed) for a Brahmana.
   76. But among the six acts (ordained) for him three are his means
of subsistence, (viz.) sacrificing for others, teaching, and accepting
gifts from pure men.
   77. (Passing) from the Brahmana to the Kshatriya, three acts
(incumbent on the former) are forbidden, (viz.) teaching,
sacrificing for others, and, thirdly, the acceptance of gifts.
   78. The same are likewise forbidden to a Vaisya, that is a
settled rule; for Manu, the lord of creatures (Pragapati), has not
prescribed them for (men of) those two (castes).
   79. To carry arms for striking and for throwing (is prescribed) for
Kshatriyas as a means of subsistence; to trade, (to rear) cattle,
and agriculture for Vaisyas; but their duties are liberality, the
study of the Veda, and the performance of sacrifices.
   80. Among the several occupations the most commendable are,
teaching the Veda for a Brahmana, protecting (the people) for a
Kshatriya, and trade for a Vaisya.
   81. But a Brahmana, unable to subsist by his peculiar occupations
just mentioned, may live according to the law applicable to
Kshatriyas; for the latter is next to him in rank.
   82. If it be asked, 'How shall it be, if he cannot maintain himself
by either (of these occupations?' the answer is), he may adopt a
Vaisya's mode of life, employing himself in agriculture and rearing
cattle.
   83. But a Brahmana, or a Kshatriya, living by a Vaisya's mode of
subsistence, shall carefully avoid (the pursuit of) agriculture,
(which causes) injury to many beings and depends on others.
   84. (Some) declare that agriculture is something excellent, (but)
that means of subsistence is blamed by the virtuous; (for) the
wooden (implement) with iron point injuries the earth and (the beings)
living in the earth.
   85. But he who, through a want of means of subsistence, gives up
the strictness with respect to his duties, may sell, in order to
increase his wealth, the commodities sold by Vaisyas, making (however)
the (following) exceptions.
   86. He must avoid (selling) condiments of all sorts, cooked food
and sesamum, stones, salt, cattle, and human (beings),
   87. All dyed cloth, as well as cloth made of hemp, or flax, or
wool, even though they be not dyed, fruit, roots, and (medical) herbs
   88. Water, weapons, poison, meat, Soma, and perfumes of all
kinds, fresh milk, honey, sour milk, clarified butter, oil, wax,
sugar, Kusa-grass;
   89. All beasts of the forest, animals with fangs or tusks, birds,
spirituous liquor, indigo, lac, and all one-hoofed beasts.
   90. But he who subsists by agriculture, may at pleasure sell
unmixed sesamum grains for sacred purposes, provided he himself has
grown them and has not kept them long.
   91. If he applies sesamum to any other purpose but food, anointing,
and charitable gifts, he will be born (again) as a worm and,
together with his ancestors, be plunged into the ordure of dogs.
   92. By (selling) flesh, salt, and lac a Brahmana at once becomes an
outcast; by selling milk he becomes (equal to) a Sudra in three days.
   93. But by willingly selling in this world other (forbidden)
commodities, a Brahmana assumes after seven nights the character of
a Vaisya.
   94. Condiments may be bartered for condiments, but by no means salt
for (other) condiments; cooked food (may be exchanged) for (other
kinds of) cooked food, and sesamum seeds for grain in equal
quantities.
   95. A Kshatriya who has fallen into distress, may subsist by all
these (means); but he must never arrogantly adopt the mode of life
(prescribed for his) betters.
   96. A man of low caste who through covetousness lives by the
occupations of a higher one, the king shall deprive of his property
and banish.
   97. It is better (to discharge) one's own (appointed) duty
incompletely than to perform completely that of another; for he who
lives according to the law of another (caste) is instantly excluded
from his own.
   98. A Vaisya who is unable to subsist by his own duties, may even
maintain himself by a Sudra's mode of life, avoiding (however) acts
forbidden (to him), and he should give it up, when he is able (to do
so).
   99. But a Sudra, being unable to find service with the twice-born
and threatened with the loss of his sons and wife (through hunger),
may maintain himself by handicrafts.
   100. (Let him follow) those mechanical occupations and those
various practical arts by following which the twice-born are (best)
served.
   101. A Brahmana who is distressed through a want of means of
subsistence and pines (with hunger), (but) unwilling to adopt a
Vaisya's mode of life and resolved to follow his own (prescribed)
path, may act in the following manner.
   102. A Brahmana who has fallen into distress may accept (gifts)
from anybody; for according to the law it is not possible (to
assert) that anything pure can be sullied.
   103. By teaching, by sacrificing for, and by accepting gifts from
despicable (men) Brahmanas (in distress) commit not sin; for they (are
as pure) as fire and water.
   104. He who, when in danger of losing his life, accepts food from
any person whatsoever, is no more tainted by sin than the sky by mud.
   105. Agigarta, who suffered hunger, approached in order to slay
(his own) son, and was not tainted by sin, since he (only) sought a
remedy against famishing.
   106. Vamadeva, who well knew right and wrong, did not sully himself
when, tormented (by hunger), he desired to eat the flesh of a dog in
order to save his life.
   107. Bharadvaga, a performer of great austerities, accepted many
cows from the carpenter Bribu, when he was starving together with
his sons in a lonely forest.
   108. Visvamitra, who well knew what is right or wrong,
approached, when he was tormented by hunger, (to eat) the haunch of
a dog, receiving it the hands of a Kandala.
   109. On (comparing) the acceptance (of gifts from low men),
sacrificing (for them), and teaching (them), the acceptance of gifts
is the meanest (of those acts) and (most) reprehensible for a Brahmana
(on account of its results) in the next life.
   110. (For) assisting in sacrifices and teaching are (two acts)
always performed for men who have received the sacraments; but the
acceptance of gifts takes place even in (case the giver is) a Sudra of
the lowest class.
   111. The guilt incurred by offering sacrifices for teaching
(unworthy men) is removed by muttering (sacred texts) and by burnt
offerings, but that incurred by accepting gifts (from them) by
throwing (the gifts) away and by austerities.
   112. A Brahmana who is unable to maintain himself, should
(rather) glean ears or grains from (the field of) any (man);
gleaning ears is better than accepting gifts, picking up single grains
is declared to be still more laudable.
   113. If Brahmanas, who are Snatakas, are pining with hunger, or
in want of (utensils made of) common metals, or of other property,
they may ask the king for them; if he is not disposed to be liberal,
he must be left.
   114. (The acceptance on an untilled field is less blamable than
(that of) a tilled one; (with respect to) cows, goats, sheep, gold,
grain, and cooked food, (the acceptance of) each earlier-named
(article is less blamable than of the following ones).
   115. There are seven lawful modes of acquiring property, (viz.)
inheritance, finding or friendly donation, purchase, conquest, lending
at interest, the performance of work, and the acceptance of gifts from
virtuous men.
   116. Learning, mechanical arts, work for wages, service, rearing
cattle, traffic, agriculture, contentment (with little), alms, and
receiving interest on money, are the ten modes of subsistence
(permitted to all men in times of distress).
   117. Neither a Brahmana, nor a Kshatriya must lend (money at)
interest; but at his pleasure (either of them) may, in times of
distress when he requires money) for sacred purposes, lend to a very
sinful man at a small interest.
   118. A Kshatriya (king) who, in times of distress, takes even the
fourth part (of the crops), is free from guilt, if he protects his
subjects to the best of his ability.
   119. His peculiar duty is conquest, and he must not turn back in
danger; having protected the Vaisyas by his weapons, he may cause
the legal tax to be collected;
   120. (Viz.) from Vaisyas one-eighth as the tax on grain,
one-twentieth (on the profits on gold and cattle), which amount at
least to one Karshapana; Sudras, artisans, and mechanics (shall)
benefit (the king) by (doing) work (for him).
   121. If a Sudra, (unable to subsist by serving Brahmanas,) seeks
a livelihood, he may serve Kshatriyas, or he may also seek to maintain
himself by attending on a wealthy Vaisya.
   122. But let a (Sudra) serve Brahmanas, either for the sake of
heaven, or with a view to both (this life and the next); for he who is
called the servant of a Brahmana thereby gains all his ends.
   123. The service of Brahmanas alone is declared (to be) an
excellent occupation for a Sudra; for whatever else besides this he
may perform will bear him no fruit.
   124. They must allot to him out of their own family (-property) a
suitable maintenance, after considering his ability, his industry, and
the number of those whom he is bound to support.
   125. The remnants of their food must be given to him, as well as
their old clothes, the refuse of their grain, and their old
household furniture.
   126. A Sudra cannot commit an offence, causing loss of caste
(pataka), and he is not worthy to receive the sacraments; he has no
right to (fulfil) the sacred law (of the Aryans, yet) there is no
prohibition against (his fulfilling certain portions of) the law.
   127. (Sudras) who are desirous to gain merit, and know (their)
duty, commit no sin, but gain praise, if they imitate the practice
of virtuous men without reciting sacred texts.
   128. The more a (Sudra), keeping himself free from envy, imitates
the behaviour of the virtuous, the more he gains, without being
censured, (exaltation in) this world and the next.
   129. No collection of wealth must be made by a Sudra, even though
he be able (to do it); for a Sudra who has acquired wealth, gives pain
to Brahmanas.
   130. The duties of the four castes (varna) in times of distress
have thus been declared, and if they perform them well, they will
reach the most blessed state.
   131. Thus all the legal rules for the four castes have been
proclaimed; I next will promulgate the auspicious rules for penances.
                         CHAPTER XI.

   1. Him who wishes (to marry for the sake of having) offspring,
him who wishes to perform a sacrifice, a traveller, him who has
given away all his property, him who begs for the sake of his teacher,
his father, or his mother, a student of the Veda, and a sick man,
   2. These nine Brahmanas one should consider as Snatakas, begging in
order to fulfil the sacred law; to such poor men gifts must be given
in proportion to their learning.
   3. To these most excellent among the twice-born, food and
presents (of money) must be given; it is declared that food must be
given to others outside the sacrificial enclosure.
   4. But a king shall bestow, as is proper, jewels of all sorts,
and presents for the sake of sacrifices on Brahmanas learned in the
Vedas.
   5. If a man who has a wife weds a second wife, having begged
money (to defray the marriage expenses, he obtains) no advantage but
sensual enjoyment; but the issue (of his second marriage belongs) to
the giver of the money.
   6. One should give, according to one's ability, wealth to Brahmanas
learned in the Veda and living alone; (thus) one obtains after death
heavenly bliss.
   7. He who may possess (a supply of) food sufficient to maintain
those dependant on him during three years or more than that, is worthy
to drink the Soma-juice.
   8. But a twice-born man, who, though possessing less than that
amount of property, nevertheless drinks the Soma-juice, does not
derive any benefit from that (act), though he may have formerly
drunk the Soma-juice.
   9. (If) an opulent man (is) liberal towards strangers, while his
family lives in distress, that counterfeit virtue will first make
him taste the sweets (of fame, but afterwards) make him swallow the
poison (of punishment in hell).
   10. If (a man) does anything for the sake of his happiness in
another world, to the detriment of those whom he is bound to maintain,
that produces evil results for him, both while he lives and when he is
dead.
   11. If a sacrifice, (offered) by (any twice-born) sacrificer, (and)
especially by a Brahmana, must remain incomplete through (the want of)
one requisite, while a righteous king rules,
   12. That article (required) for the completion of the sacrifice,
may be taken (forcibly) from the house of any Vaisya, who possesses
a large number of cattle, (but) neither performs the (minor)
sacrifices nor drinks the Soma-juice;
   13. (Or) the (sacrificer) may take at his pleasure two or three
(articles required for a sacrifice) from the house of a Sudra; for a
Sudra has no business with sacrifices.
   14. If (a man) possessing one hundred cows, kindles not the
sacred fire, or one possessing a thousand cows, drinks not the
Soma-juice, a (sacrificer) may unhesitatingly take (what he
requires) from the houses of those two, even (though they be Brahmanas
or Kshatriyas);
   15. (Or) he may take (it by force or fraud) from one who always
takes and never gives, and who refuses to give it; thus the fame (of
the taker) will spread and his merit increase.
   16. Likewise he who has not eaten at (the time of) six meals, may
take at (the time of) the seventh meal (food) from a man who
neglects his sacred duties, without (however) making a provision for
the morrow,
   17. Either from the threshing-floor, or from a field, or out of the
house, or wherever he finds it; but if (the owner) asks him, he must
confess to him that (deed and its cause).
   18. (On such occasions) a Kshatriya must never take the property of
a (virtuous Brahmana; but he who is starving may appropriate the
possessions of a Dasyu, or of one who neglects his sacred duties.
   19. He who takes property from the wicked and bestows it on the
virtuous, transforms himself into a boat, and carries both (over the
sea of misfortune).
   20. The property of those who zealously offer sacrifices, the
wise call the property of the gods; but the wealth of those who
perform no sacrifices is called the property of the Asuras.
   21. On him (who, for the reasons stated, appropriates another's
possessions), a righteous king shall not inflict punishment; for (in
that case) a Brahmana pines with hunger through the Kshatriya's want
of care.
   22. Having ascertained the number of those dependent on such a man,
and having fully considered his learning and his conduct, the king
shall allow him, out of his own property, a maintenance whereon he may
live according to the law;
   23. And after allotting to him a maintenance, the king must protect
him in every way; for he obtains from such (a man) whom he protects,
the part of his spiritual merit.
   24. A Brahmana shall never beg from a Sudra property for a
sacrifice; for a sacrificer, having begged (it from such a man), after
death is born (again) as a Kandala.
   25. A Brahmana who, having begged any property for a sacrifice,
does not use the whole (for that purpose), becomes for a hundred years
a (vulture of the kind called) Bhasa, or a crow.
   26. That sinful man, who, through covetousness, seizes the property
of the gods, or the property of Brahmanas, feeds in another world on
the leavings of vultures.
   27. In case the prescribed animal and Soma-sacrifices cannot be
performed, let him always offer at the change of the year a Vaisvanari
Ishti as a penance (for the omission).
   28. But a twice-born, who, without being in distress, performs
his duties according to the law for times of distress, obtains no
reward for them in the next world; that is the opinion (of the sages).
   29. By the Visve-devas, by the Sadhyas, and by the great sages
(of the) Brahmana (caste), who were afraid of perishing in times of
distress, a substitute was made for the (principal) rule.
   30. That evil-minded man, who, being able (to fulfil) the
original law, lives according to the secondary rule, reaps no reward
for that after death.
   31. A Brahmana who knows the law need not bring any (offence) to
the notice of the king; by his own power alone be can punish those men
who injure him.
   32. His own power is greater than the power of the king; the
Brahmana therefore, may punish his foes by his own power alone.
   33. Let him use without hesitation the sacred texts, revealed by
Atharvan and by Angiras; speech, indeed, is the weapon of the
Brahmana, with that he may slay his enemies.
   34. A Kshatriya shall pass through misfortunes which have
befallen him by the strength of his arms, a Vaisya and a Sudra by
their wealth, the chief of the twice-born by muttered prayers and
burnt-oblations.
   35. The Brahmana is declared (to be) the creator (of the world),
the punisher, the teacher, (and hence) a benefactor (of all created
beings); to him let no man say anything unpropitious, nor use any
harsh words.
   36. Neither a girl, nor a (married) young woman, nor a man of
little learning, nor a fool, nor a man in great suffering, nor one
uninitiated, shall offer an Agnihotra.
   37. For such (persons) offering a burnt-oblation sink into hell, as
well as he to whom that (Agnihotra) belongs; hence the person who
sacrifices (for another) must be skilled in (the performance of)
Vaitana (rites), and know the whole Veda.
   38. A Brahmana who, though wealthy, does not give, as fee for the
performance of an Agnyadheya, a horse sacred to Pragapati, becomes
(equal to one) who has not kindled the sacred fires.
   39. Let him who has faith and controls his senses perform other
meritorious acts, but let him on no account offer sacrifices at
which he gives smaller fees (than those prescribed).
   40. The organs (of sense and action), honour, (bliss in) heaven,
longevity, fame, offspring, and cattle are destroyed by a sacrifice at
which (too) small sacrificial fees are given; hence a man of small
means should not offer a (Srauta) sacrifice.
   41. A Brahmana who, being an Agnihotrin, voluntarily neglects the
sacred fires, shall perform a lunar penance during one month; for that
(offence) is equal to the slaughter of a son.
   42. Those who, obtaining wealth from Sudras, (and using that) offer
an Agnihotra, are priests officiating for Sudras, (and hence) censured
among those who recite the Veda.
   43. Treading with his foot on the heads of those fools who
worship a fire (kindled at the expense) of a Sudra, the giver (of
the wealth) shall always pass over his miseries (in the next world).
   44. A man who omits a prescribed act, or performs a blamable act,
or cleaves to sensual enjoyments, must perform a penance.
   45. (All) sages prescribe a penance for a sin unintentionally
committed; some declare, on the evidence of the revealed texts,
(that it may be performed) even for an intentional (offence).
   46. A sin unintentionally committed is expiated by the recitation
of Vedic texts, but that which (men) in their folly commit
intentionally, by various (special) penances.
   47. A twice-born man, having become liable to perform a penance, be
it by (the decree of) fate or by (an act) committed in a former
life, must not, before the penance has been performed, have
intercourse with virtuous men.
   48. Some wicked men suffer a change of their (natural) appearance
in consequence of crimes committed in this life, and some in
consequence of those committed in a former (existence).
   49. He who steals the gold (of a Brahmana) has diseased nails; a
drinker of (the spirituous liquor called) Sura, black teeth; the
slayer of a Brahmana, consumption; the violator of a Guru's bed, a
diseased skin;
   50. An informer, a foul-smelling nose; a calumniator, a stinking
breath; a stealer of grain, deficiency in limbs; he who adulterates
(grain), redundant limbs;
   51. A stealer of (cooked) food, dyspepsia; a stealer of the words
(of the Veda), dumbness a stealer of clothes, white leprosy; a
horse-stealer, lameness.
   52. The stealer of a lamp will become blind; he who extinguishes it
will become one-eyed; injury (to sentient beings) is punished by
general sickliness; an adulterer (will have) swellings (in his limbs).
   53. Thus in consequence of a remnant of (the guilt of former)
crimes, are born idiots, dumb, blind, deaf, and deformed men, who
are (all) despised by the virtuous.
   54. Penances, therefore, must always be performed for the sake of
purification, because those whose sins have not been expiated, are
born (again) with disgraceful marks.
   55. Killing a Brahmana, drinking (the spirituous liquor called)
Sura, stealing (the gold of a Brahmana), adultery with a Guru's
wife, and associating with such (offenders), they declare (to be)
mortal sins (mahapataka).
   56. Falsely attributing to oneself high birth, giving information
to the king (regarding a crime), and falsely accusing one's teacher,
(are offences) equal to slaying a Brahmana.
   57. Forgetting the Veda, reviling the Vedas, giving false evidence,
slaying a friend, eating forbidden food, or (swallowing substances)
unfit for food, are six (offences) equal to drinking Sura.
   58. Stealing a deposit, or men, a horse, and silver, land, diamonds
and (other) gems, is declared to be equal to stealing the gold (of a
Brahmana).
   59. Carnal intercourse with sisters by the same mother, with
(unmarried) maidens, with females of the lowest castes, with the wives
of a friend, or of a son, they declare to be equal to the violation of
a Guru's bed.
   60. Slaying kine, sacrificing for those who are unworthy to
sacrifice, adultery, selling oneself, casting off one's teacher,
mother, father, or son, giving up the (daily) study of the Veda, and
neglecting the (sacred domestic) fire,
   61. Allowing one's younger brother to marry first, marrying
before one's elder brother, giving a daughter to, or sacrificing
for, (either brother),
   62. Defiling a damsel, usury, breaking a vow, selling a tank, a
garden, one's wife, or child,
   63. Living as a Vratya, casting off a relative, teaching (the Veda)
for wages, learning (the Veda) from a paid teacher, and selling
goods which one ought not to sell,
   64. Superintending mines (or factories) of any sort, executing
great mechanical works, injuring (living) plants, subsisting on (the
earnings of) one's wife, sorcery (by means of sacrifices), and working
(magic by means of) roots, (and so forth),
   65. Cutting down green trees for firewood, doing acts for one's own
advantage only, eating prohibited food,
   66. Neglecting to kindle the sacred fires, theft, non-payment of
(the three) debts, studying bad books, and practising (the arts of)
dancing and singing,
   67. Stealing grain, base metals, or cattle, intercourse with
women who drink spirituous liquor, slaying women, Sudras, Vaisyas,
or Kshatriyas, and atheism, (are all) minor offences, causing loss
of caste (Upapataka).
   68. Giving pain to a Brahmana (by a blow), smelling at things which
ought not to be smelt at, or at spirituous liquor, cheating, and an
unnatural offence with a man, are declared to cause the loss of
caste (Gatibhramsa)
   69. Killing a donkey, a horse, a camel, a deer, an elephant, a
goat, a sheep, a fish, a snake, or a buffalo, must be known to degrade
(the offender) to a mixed caste (Samkarikarana).
   70. Accepting presents from blamed men, trading, serving Sudras,
and speaking a falsehood, make (the offender) unworthy to receive
gifts (Apatra).
   71. Killing insects, small or large, or birds, eating anything kept
close to spirituous liquors, stealing fruit, firewood, or flowers,
(are offences) which make impure (Malavaha).
   72. Learn (now) completely those penances, by means of which all
the several offences mentioned (can) be expiated.
   73. For his purification the slayer of a Brahmana shall make a
hut in the forest and dwell (in it) during twelve years, subsisting on
alms and making the skull of a dead man his flag.
   74. Or let him, of his own free will, become (in a battle) the
target of archers who know (his purpose); or he may thrice throw
himself headlong into a blazing fire;
   75. Or he may offer a horse-sacrifice, a Svargit, a Gosava, an
Abhigit, a Visvagit, a Trivrit, or an Agnishtut;
   76. Or, in order to remove (the guilt of) slaying a Brahmana, he
may walk one hundred yoganas, reciting one of the Vedas, eating
little, and controlling his organs;
   77. Or he may present to a Brahmana, learned in the Vedas, whole
property, as much wealth as suffices for the maintenance (of the
recipient), or a house together with the furniture;
   78. Or, subsisting on sacrificial food, he may walk against the
stream along (the whole course of the river) Sarasvati; or,
restricting his food (very much), he may mutter thrice the Samhita
of a Veda.
   79. Having shaved off (all his hair), he may dwell at the extremity
of the village, or in a cow-pen, or in a hermitage, or at the root
of a tree, taking pleasure in doing good to cows and Brahmanas.
   80. He who unhesitatingly abandons life for the sake of Brahmanas
or of cows, is freed from (the guilt of) the murder of a Brahmana, and
(so is he) who saves (the life of) a cow, or of a Brahmana.
   81. If either he fights at least three times (against robbers in
defence of) a Brahmana's (property), or reconquers the whole
property of a Brahmana, or if he loses his life for such a cause, he
is freed (from his guilt).
   82. He who thus (remains) always firm in his vow, chaste, and of
concentrated mind, removes after the lapse of twelve years (the
guilt of) slaying a Brahmana.
   83. Or he who, after confessing his crime in an assembly of the
gods of the earth (Brahnanas), and the gods of men (Kshatriyas),
bathes (with the priests) at the close of a horse-sacrifice, is (also)
freed (from guilt).
   84. The Brahmana is declared (to be) the root of the sacred law and
the Kshatriya its top; hence he who has confessed his sin before an
assembly of such men, becomes pure.
   85. By his origin alone a Brahmana is a deity even for the gods,
and (his teaching is) authoritative for men, because the Veda is the
foundation for that.
   86. (If) only three of them who are learned in the Veda proclaim
the expiation for offences, that shall purify the (sinners); for the
words of learned men are a means of purification.
   87. A Brahmana who, with a concentrated mind, follows any of the
(above-mentioned) rules, removes the sin committed by slaying a
Brahmana through his self-control.
   88. For destroying the embryo (of a Brahmana, the sex of which was)
unknown, for slaying a Kshatriya or a Vaisya who are (engaged in or)
have offered a (Vedic) sacrifice, or a (Brahmana) woman who has bathed
after temporary uncleanness (Atreyi), he must perform the same
penance,
   89. Likewise for giving false evidence (in an important cause), for
passionately abusing the teacher, for stealing a deposit, and for
killing (his) wife or his friend:
   90. This expiation has been prescribed for unintentionally
killing a Brahmana; but for intentionally slaying a Brahmana no
atonement is ordained.
   91. A twice-born man who has (intentionally) drunk, through
delusion of mind, (the spirituous liquor called) Sura shall drink that
liquor boiling-hot; when his body has been completely scalded by that,
he is freed from his guilt;
   92. Or he may drink cow's urine, water, milk, clarified butter or
(liquid) cowdung boiling-hot, until he dies;
   93. Or, in order to remove (the guilt of) drinking Sura, he may eat
during a year once (a day) at night grains (of rice) or oilcake,
wearing clothes made of cowhair and his own hair in braids and
carrying (a wine cup as) a flag.
   94. Sura, indeed, is the dirty refuse (mala) of grain, sin also
is called dirt (mala); hence a Brahmana, a Kshatriya, and a Vaisya
shall not drink Sura.
   95. Sura one must know to be of three kinds, that distilled from
molasses (gaudi), that distilled from ground rice, and that
distilled from Madhuka-flowers (madhvi); as the one (named above) even
so are all (three sorts) forbidden to the chief of the twice-born.
   96. Sura, (all other) intoxicating drinks and decoctions and
flesh are the food of the Yakshas, Rakshasas, and Pisakas; a
Brahmana who eats (the remnants of) the offerings consecrated to the
gods, must not partake of such (substances).
   97. A Brahmana, stupefied by drunkenness, might fall on something
impure, or (improperly) pronounce Vedic (texts), or commit some
other act which ought not to be committed.
   98. When the Brahman (the Veda) which dwells in his body is
(even) once (only) deluged with spirituous liquor, his Brahmanhood
forsakes him and he becomes a Sudra.
   99. The various expiations for drinking (the spirituous liquors
called) Sura have thus been explained; I will next proclaim the
atonement for stealing the gold (of a Brahmana).
   100. A Brahmana who has stolen the gold (of a Brahmana) shall go to
the king and, confessing his deed, say, 'Lord, punish me!'
   101. Taking (from him) the club (which he must carry), the king
himself shall strike him once, by his death the thief becomes pure; or
a Brahmana (may purify himself) by austerities.
   102. He who desires to remove by austerities the guilt of
stealing the gold (of a Brahmana), shall perform the penance
(prescribed) for the slayer of a Brahmana, (living) in a forest and
dressed in (garments) made of bark.
   103. By these penances a twice-born man may remove the guilt
incurred by a theft (of gold); but he may atone for connexion with a
Guru's wife by the following penances.
   104. He who has violated his Guru's bed, shall, after confessing
his crime, extend himself on a heated iron bed, or embrace the red-hot
image (of a woman); by dying he becomes pure;
   105. Or, having himself cut off his organ and his testicles and
having taken them in his joined hands, he may walk straight towards
the region of Nirriti (the south-west), until he falls down (dead);
   106. Or, carrying the foot of a bedstead, dressed in (garments
of) bark and allowing his beard to grow, he may, with a concentrated
mind, perform during a whole year the Krikkhra (or hard, penance),
revealed by Pragapati, in a lonely forest;
   107. Or, controlling his organs, he may during three months
continuously perform the lunar penance, (subsisting) on sacrificial
food or barley-gruel, in order to remove (the guilt of) violating a
Guru's bed.
   108. By means of these penances men who have committed mortal
sins (Mahapataka) may remove their guilt, but those who committed
minor offences, causing loss of caste, (Upapataka, can do it) by the
various following penances.
   109. He who has committed a minor offence by slaying a cow (or
bull) shall drink during (the first) month (a decoction of)
barley-grains; having shaved all his hair, and covering himself with
the hide (of the slain cow), he must live in a cow-house.
   110. During the two (following) months he shall eat a small
(quantity of food) without any factitious salt at every fourth
meal-time, and shall bathe in the urine of cows, keeping his organs
under control.
   111. During the day he shall follow the cows and, standing upright,
inhale the dust (raised by their hoofs); at night, after serving and
worshipping them, he shall remain in the (posture, called) virasana.
   112. Controlling himself and free from anger, he must stand when
they stand, follow them when they walk, and seat himself when they lie
down.
   113. (When a cow is) sick, or is threatened by danger from thieves,
tigers, and the like, or falls, or sticks in a morass, he must relieve
her by all possible means:
   114. In heat, in rain, or in cold, or when the wind blows
violently, he must not seek to shelter himself, without (first)
sheltering the cows according to his ability.
   115. Let him not say (a word), if a cow eats (anything) in his
own or another's house or field or on the threshing-floor, or if a
calf drinks (milk).
   116. The slayer of a cow who serves cows in this manner, removes
after three months the guilt which he incurred by killing a cow.
   117. But after he has fully performed the penance, he must give
to (Brahmanas) learned in the Veda ten cows and a bull, (or) if he
does not possess (so much property) he must offer to them all he has.
   118. Twice-born men who have committed (other) minor offences
(Upapataka), except a student who has broken his vow (Avakirnin),
may perform, in order to purify themselves, the same penance or also a
lunar penance.
   119. But a student who has broken his vow shall offer at night on a
crossway to Nirriti a one-eyed ass, according to the rule of the
Pakayagnas.
   120. Having offered according to the rule oblations in the fire, he
shall finally offer (four) oblations of clarified butter to Vata, to
Indra, to the teacher (of the gods, Brihaspati) and to Agni,
reciting the Rik verse 'May the Maruts grant me,' &c.
   121. Those who know the Veda declare that a voluntary effusion of
semen by a twice-born (youth) who fulfils the vow (of studentship
constitutes) a breach of that vow.
   122. The divine light which the Veda imparts to the student,
enters, if he breaks his vow, the Maruts, Puruhuta (Indra), the
teacher (of the gods, Brihaspati) and Pavaka (Fire).
   123. When this sin has been committed, he shall go begging to seven
houses, dressed in the hide of the (sacrificed) ass, proclaiming his
deed.
   124. Subsisting on a single (daily meal that consists) of the
alms obtained there and bathing at (the time of) the three savanas
(morning, noon, and evening), he becomes pure after (the lapse of) one
year.
   125. For committing with intent any of the deeds which cause loss
of caste (Gatibhramsakara), (the offender) shall perform a Samtapana
Krikkhra; (for doing it) unintentionally, (the Krikkhra) revealed by
Pragapati.
   126. As atonement for deeds which degrade to a mixed caste
(Samkara), and for those which make a man unworthy to receive gifts
(Apatra), (he shall perform) the lunar (penance) during a month; for
(acts) which render impure (Malinikaraniya) he shall scald himself
during three days with (hot) barley-gruel.
   127. One fourth (of the penance) for the murder of a Brahmana is
prescribed (as expiation) for (intentionally) killing a Kshatriya,
one-eighth for killing a Vaisya; know that it is one-sixteenth for
killing a virtuous Sudra.
   128. But if a Brahmana unintentionally kills a Kshatriya, he
shall give, in order to purify himself, one thousand cows and a bull;
   129. Or he may perform the penance prescribed for the murderer of a
Brahmana during three years, controlling himself, wearing his hair
in braids, staying far away from the village, and dwelling at the root
of a tree.
   130. A Brahmana who has slain a virtuous Vaisya, shall perform
the same penance during one year, or he may give one hundred cows
and one (bull).
   131. He who has slain a Sudra, shall perform that whole penance
during six months, or he may also give ten white cows and one bull
to a Brahmana.
   132. Having killed a cat, an ichneumon, a blue jay, a frog, a
dog, an iguana, an owl, or a crow, he shall perform the penance for
the murder of a Sudra;
   133. Or he may drink milk during three days, or walk one hundred
yoganas, or bathe in a river, or mutter the hymn addressed to the
Waters.
   134. For killing a snake, a Brahmana shall give a spade of black
iron, for a eunuch a load of straw and a masha of lead;
   135. For a boar a pot of clarified butter, for a partridge a
drona of sesamum-grains, for a parrot a calf two years old, for a
crane (a calf) three years old.
   136. If he has killed a Hamsa, a Balaka, a heron, a peacock, a
monkey, a falcon, or a Bhasa, he shall give a cow to a Brahmana.
   137. For killing a horse, he shall give a garment, for (killing) an
elephant, five black bulls, for (killing) a goat, or a sheep, a
draught-ox, for killing a donkey, (a calf) one year old;
   138. But for killing carnivorous wild beasts, he shall give a
milch-cow, for (killing) wild beasts that are not carnivorous, a
heifer, for killing a camel, one krishnala.
   139. For killing adulterous women of the four castes, he must give,
in order to purify himself, respectively a leathern bag, a bow, a
goat, or a sheep.
   140. A twice-born man, who is unable to atone by gifts for the
slaughter of a serpent and the other (creatures mentioned), shall
perform for each of them, a Krikkhra (penance) in order to remove
his guilt.
   141. But for destroying one thousand (small) animals that have
bones, or a whole cart-load of boneless (animals), he shall perform
the penance (prescribed) for the murder of a Sudra.
   142. But for killing (small) animals which have bones, he should
give some trifle to a Brahmana; if he injures boneless (animals), he
becomes pure by a suppressing his breath (pranayama).
   143. For cutting fruit-trees, shrubs, creepers, lianas, or
flowering plants, one hundred Rikas must be muttered.
   144. (For destroying) any kind of creature, bred in food, in
condiments, in fruit, or in flowers, the expiation is to eat clarified
butter.
   145. If a man destroys for no good purpose plants produced by
cultivation, or such as spontaneously spring up in the forest, he
shall attend a cow during one day, subsisting on milk alone.
   146. The guilt incurred intentionally or unintentionally by
injuring (created beings) can be removed by means of these penances;
hear (now, how) all (sins) committed by partaking of forbidden food
(or drink, can be expiated).
   147. He who drinks unintentionally (the spirituous liquor,
called) Varuni, becomes pure by being initiated (again); (even for
drinking it) intentionally (a penance) destructive to life must not be
imposed; that is a settled rule.
   148. He who has drunk water which has stood in a vessel used for
keeping (the spirituous liquor, called) Sura, or other intoxicating
drinks, shall drink during five (days and) nights (nothing but) milk
in which the Sankhapushpi (plant) has been boiled.
   149. He who has touched spirituous liquor, has given it away, or
received it in accordance with the rule, or has drunk water left by
a Sudra, shall drink during three days water in which Kusa-grass has
been boiled.
   150. But when a Brahmana who has partaken of Soma-juice, has
smelt the odour exhaled by a drinker of Sura, he becomes pure by
thrice suppressing his breath in water, and eating clarified butter.
   151. (Men of) the three twice-born castes who have
unintentionally swallowed ordure or urine, or anything that has
touched Sura, must be initiated again.
   152. The tonsure, (wearing) the sacred girdle, (carrying) a
staff, going to beg, and the vows (incumbent on a student), are
omitted on the second initiation of twice-born men.
   153. But he who has eaten the food of men, whose food must not be
eaten, or the leavings of women and Sudras, or forbidden flesh,
shall drink barley (-gruel) during seven (days and) nights.
   154. A twice-born man who has drunk (fluids that have turned) sour,
or astringent decoctions, becomes, though (these substances may) not
(be specially) forbidden, impure until they have been digested.
   155. A twice-born man, who has swallowed the urine or ordure of a
village pig, of a donkey, of a camel, of a jackal, of a monkey, or
of a crow, shall perform a lunar penance.
   156. He who has eaten dried meat, mushrooms growing on the
ground, or (meat, the nature of) which is unknown, (or) such as had
been kept in a slaughter-house, shall perform the same penance.
   157. The atonement for partaking of (the meat of) carnivorous
animals, of pigs, of camels, of cocks, of crows, of donkeys, and of
human flesh, is a Tapta Krikkhra (penance).
   158. If a twice-born man, who has not returned (home from his
teacher's house), eats food, given at a monthly (Sraddha,) he shall
fast during three days and pass one day (standing) in water.
   159. But a student who on any occasion eats honey or meat, shall
perform an ordinary Krikkhra (penance), and afterwards complete his
vow (of studentship).
   160. He who eats what is left by a cat, by a crow, by a mouse (or
rat), by a dog, or by an ichneumon, or (food) into which a hair or
an insect has fallen, shall drink (a decoction of) the Brahmasuvarkala
(plant).
   161. He who desires to be pure, must not eat forbidden food, and
must vomit up such as he has eaten unintentionally, or quickly atone
for it by (various) means of purification.
   162. The various rules respecting penances for eating forbidden
food have been thus declared; hear now the law of those penances which
remove the guilt of theft.
   163. The chief of the twice-born, having voluntarily stolen
(valuable) property, grain, or cooked food, from the house of a
caste-fellow, is purified by performing Krikkhra (penances) during a
whole year.
   164. The lunar penance has been declared to be the expiation for
stealing men and women, and (for wrongfully appropriating) a field,
a house, or the water of wells and cisterns.
   165. He who has stolen objects of small value from the house of
another man, shall, after restoring the (stolen article), perform a
Samtapana Krikkhra for his purification.
   166. (To swallow) the five products of the cow (pankagavya) is
the atonement for stealing eatables of various kinds, a vehicle, a
bed, a seat, flowers, roots, or fruit.
   167. Fasting during three (days and) nights shall be (the penance
for stealing) grass, wood, trees, dry food, molasses, clothes,
leather, and meat.
   168. To subsist during twelve days on (uncooked) grains (is the
penance for stealing) gems, pearls, coral, copper, silver, iron,
brass, or stone.
   169. (For stealing) cotton, silk, wool, an animal with cloven
hoofs, or one with uncloven hoofs, a bird, perfumes, medicinal
herbs, or a rope (the penance is to subsist) during three days (on)
milk.
   170. By means of these penances, a twice-born man may remove the
guilt of theft; but the guilt of approaching women who ought not to be
approached (agamya), he may expiate by (the following) penances.
   171. He who has had sexual intercourse with sisters by the same
mother, with the wives of a friend, or of a son, with unmarried
maidens, and with females of the lowest castes, shall perform the
penance, prescribed for the violation of a Guru's bed.
   172. He who has approached the daughter of his father's sister,
(who is almost equal to) a sister, (the daughter) of his mother's
sister, or of his mother's full brother, shall perform a lunar
penance.
   173. A wise man should not take as his wife any of these three;
they must not be wedded because they are (Sapinda-) relatives, he
who marries (one of them), sinks low.
   174. A man who has committed a bestial crime, or an unnatural crime
with a female, or has had intercourse in water, or with a menstruating
woman, shall perform a Samtapana Krikkhra.
   175. A twice-born man who commits an unnatural offence with a male,
or has intercourse with a female in a cart drawn by oxen, in water, or
in the day-time, shall bathe, dressed in his clothes.
   176. A Brahmana who unintentionally approaches a woman of the
Kandala or of (any other) very low caste, who eats (the food of such
persons) and accepts (presents from them) becomes an outcast; but
(if he does it) intentionally, he becomes their equal.
   177. An exceedingly corrupt wife let her husband confine to one
apartment, and compel her to perform the penance which is prescribed
for males in cases of adultery.
   178. If, being solicited by a man (of) equal (caste), she
(afterwards) is again unfaithful, then a Krikkhra and a lunar
penance are prescribed as the means of purifying her.
   179. The sin which a twice-born man commits by dallying one night
with a Vrishali, he removes in three years, by subsisting on alms
and daily muttering (sacred texts).
   180. The atonement (to be performed) by sinners (of) four (kinds)
even, has been thus declared; hear now the penances for those who have
intercourse with outcasts.
   181. He who associates with an outcast, himself becomes an
outcast after a year, not by sacrificing for him, teaching him, or
forming a matrimonial alliance with him, but by using the same
carriage or seat, or by eating with him.
   182. He who associates with any one of those outcasts, must
perform, in order to atone for (such) intercourse, the penance
prescribed for that (sinner).
   183. The Sapindas and Samanodakas of an outcast must offer (a
libation of) water (to him, as if he were dead), outside (the
village), on an inauspicious day, in the evening and in the presence
of the relatives, officiating priests, and teachers.
   184. A female slave shall upset with her foot a pot filled with
water, as if it were for a dead person; (his Sapindas) as well as
the Samanodakas shall be impure for a day and a night;
   185. But thenceforward it shall be forbidden to converse with
him, to sit with him, to give him a share of the inheritance, and to
hold with him such intercourse as is usual among men;
   186. And (if he be the eldest) his right of primogeniture shall
be withheld and the additional share, due to the eldest son; and his
stead a younger brother, excelling in virtue, shall obtain the share
of the eldest.
   187. But when he has performed his penance, they shall bathe with
him in a holy pool and throw down a new pot, filled with water.
   188. But he shall throw that pot into water, enter his house and
perform, as before, all the duties incumbent on a relative.
   189. Let him follow the same rule in the case of female outcasts;
but clothes, food, and drink shall be given to them, and they shall
live close to the (family-) house.
   190. Let him not transact any business with unpurified sinners; but
let him in no way reproach those who have made atonement.
   191. Let him not dwell together with the murderers of children,
with those who have returned evil for good, and with the slayers of
suppliants for protection or of women, though they may have been
purified according to the sacred law.
   192. Those twice-born men who may not have been taught the
Savitri (at the time) prescribed by the rule, he shall cause to
perform three Krikkhra (penances) and afterwards initiate them in
accordance with the law.
   193. Let him prescribe the same (expiation) when twice-born men,
who follow forbidden occupations or have neglected (to learn) the
Veda, desire to perform a penance.
   194. If Brahmanas acquire property by a reprehensible action,
they become pure by relinquishing it, muttering prayers, and
(performing) austerities.
   195. By muttering with a concentrated mind the Savitri three
thousand times, (dwelling) for a month in a cow-house, (and)
subsisting on milk, (a man) is freed from (the guilt of) accepting
presents from a wicked man.
   196. But when he returns from the cow-house, emaciated with his
fast, and reverently salutes, (the Brahmanas) shall ask him,
'Friend, dost thou desire to become our equal?'
   197. If he answers to the Brahmanas, 'Forsooth, (I will not
offend again), 'he shall scatter (some) grass for the cows; if the
cows hallow that place (by eating the grass) the (Brahmana) shall
re-admit him (into their community).
   198. He who has sacrificed for Vratyas, or has performed the
obsequies of strangers, or a magic sacrifice (intended to destroy
life) or an Ahina sacrifice, removes (his guilt) by three Krikkhra
(penances).
   199. A twice-born man who has cast off a suppliant for
protection, or has (improperly) divulged the Veda, atones for his
offence, if he subsists during a year on barley.
   200. He who has been bitten by a dog, a jackal, or a donkey, by a
tame carnivorous animal, by a man, a horse, a camel, or a (village-)
pig, becomes pure by suppressing his breath (Pranayama).
   201. To eat during a month at each sixth mealtime (only), to recite
the Samhita (of a Veda), and (to perform) daily the Sakala
oblations, are the means of purifying those excluded from society at
repasts (Apanktya).
   202. A Brahmana who voluntarily rode in a carriage drawn by
camels or by asses, and he who bathed naked, become pure by
suppressing his breath (Pranayama).
   203. He who has relieved the necessities of nature, being greatly
pressed, either without (using) water or in water, becomes pure by
bathing outside (the village) in his clothes and by touching a cow.
   204. Fasting is the penance for omitting the daily rites prescribed
by the Veda and for neglecting the special duties of a Snataka.
   205. He who has said 'Hum' to a Brahmana, or has addressed one of
his betters with 'Thou,' shall bathe, fast during the remaining part
of the day, and appease (the person offended) by a reverential
salutation.
   206. He who has struck (a Brahmana) even with a blade of grass,
tied him by the neck with a cloth, or conquered him in an altercation,
shall appease him by a prostration.
   207. But he who, intending to hurt a Brahmana, has threatened
(him with a stick and the like) shall remain in hell during a
hundred years; he who (actually) struck him, during one thousand
years.
   208. As many particles of dust as the blood of a Brahmana causes to
coagulate, for so many thousand years shall the shedder of that
(blood) remain in hell.
   209. For threatening a Brahmana, (the offender) shall perform a
Krikkhra, for striking him an Atikrikkhra, for shedding his blood a
Krikkhra and an Atikrikkhra.
   210. For the expiation of offences for which no atonement has
been prescribed, let him fix a penance after considering (the
offender's) strength and the (nature of the) offence.
   211. I will (now) describe to you those means, adopted by the gods,
the sages, and the manes, through which a man may remove his sins.
   212. A twice-born man who performs (the Krikkhra penance), revealed
by Pragapati, shall eat during three days in the morning (only),
during (the next) three days in the evening (only), during the
(following) three days (food given) unasked, and shall fast during
another period of three days.
   213. (Subsisting on) the urine of cows, cowdung, milk, sour milk,
clarified butter, and a decoction of Kusa-grass, and fasting during
one (day and) night, (that is) called a Samtapana Krikkhra.
   214. A twice-born man who performs an Atikrikkhra (penance), must
take his food during three periods of three days in the manner
described above, (but) one mouthful only at each meal, and fast
during the last three days.
   215. A Brahmana who performs a Taptakrikkhra (penance) must drink
hot water, hot milk, hot clarified butter and (inhale) hot air, each
during three days, and bathe once with a concentrated mind.
   216. A fast for twelve days by a man who controls himself and
commits no mistakes, is called a Paraka Krikkhra, which removes all
guilt.
   217. If one diminishes (one's food daily by) one mouthful during
the dark (half of the month) and increases (it in the same manner)
during the bright half, and bathes (daily) at the time of three
libations (morning, noon, and evening), that is called a lunar penance
(Kandrayana).
   218. Let him follow throughout the same rule at the (Kandrayana,
called) yavamadhyama (shaped like a barley-corn), (but) let him (in
that case) begin the lunar penance, (with a) controlled (mind), on the
first day of the bright half (of the month).
   219. He who performs the lunar penance of ascetics, shall eat
(during a month) daily at midday eight mouthfuls, controlling
himself and consuming sacrificial food (only).
   220. If a Brahmana, with concentrated mind, eats (during a month
daily) four mouthfuls in a morning and four after sunset, (that is)
called the lunar penance of children.
   221. He who, concentrating his mind, eats during a month in any way
thrice eighty mouthfuls of sacrificial food, dwells (after death) in
the world of the moon.
   222. The Rudras, likewise the Adityas, the Vasus and the Maruts,
together with the great sages, practised this (rite) in order to
remove all evil.
   223. Burnt oblations, accompanied by (the recitation of) the
Mahavyahritis, must daily be made (by the penitent) himself, and he
must abstain from injuring (sentient creatures), speak the truth,
and keep himself free from anger and from dishonesty.
   224. Let him bathe three times each day and thrice each night,
dressed in his clothes; let him on no account talk to women, Sudras,
and outcasts.
   225. Let him pass the time standing (during the day) and sitting
(during the night), or if he is unable (to do that) let him lie on the
(bare) ground; let him be chaste and observe the vows (of a student)
and worship his Gurus, the gods, and Brahmanas.
   226. Let him constantly mutter the Savitri and (other) purificatory
texts according to his ability; (let him) carefully (act thus) on (the
occasion of) all (other) vows (performed) by way of penance.
   227. By these expiations twice-born men must be purified whose sins
are known, but let him purify those whose sins are not known by (the
recitation of) sacred texts and by (the performance of) burnt
oblations.
   228. By confession, by repentance, by austerity, and by reciting
(the Veda) a sinner is freed from guilt, and in case no other course
is possible, by liberality.
   229. In proportion as a man who has done wrong, himself confesses
it, even so far he is freed from guilt, as a snake from its slough.
   230. In proportion as his heart loathes his evil deed, even so
far is his body freed from that guilt.
   231. He who has committed a sin and has repented, is freed from
that sin, but he is purified only by (the resolution of) ceasing (to
sin and thinking) 'I will do so no more.'
   232. Having thus considered in his mind what results will arise
from his deeds after death, let him always be good in thoughts,
speech, and actions.
   233. He who, having either unintentionally or intentionally
committed a reprehensible deed, desires to be freed from (the guilt on
it, must not commit it a second time.
   234. If his mind be uneasy with respect to any act, let him
repeat the austerities (prescribed as a penance) for it until they
fully satisfy (his conscience).
   235. All the bliss of gods and men is declared by the sages to whom
the Veda was revealed, to have austerity for its root, austerity for
its middle, and austerity for its end.
   236. (The pursuit of sacred) knowledge is the austerity of a
Brahmana, protecting (the people) is the austerity of a Kshatriya,
(the pursuit of) his daily business is the austerity of a Vaisya,
and service the austerity of a Sudra.
   237. The sages who control themselves and subsist on fruit,
roots, and air, survey the three worlds together with their moving and
immovable (creatures) through their austerities alone.
   238. Medicines, good health, learning, and the various divine
stations are attained by austerities alone; for austerity is the means
of gaining them.
   239. Whatever is hard to be traversed, whatever is hard to be
attained, whatever is hard to be reached, whatever is hard to be
performed, all (this) may be accomplished by austerities; for
austerity (possesses a power) which it is difficult to surpass.
   240. Both those who have committed mortal sin (Mahapataka) and
all other offenders are severally freed from their guilt by means of
well-performed austerities.
   241. Insects, snakes, moths, bees, birds and beings, bereft of
motion, reach heaven by the power of austerities.
   242. Whatever sin men commit by thoughts, words, or deeds, that
they speedily burn away by penance, if they keep penance as their only
riches.
   243. The gods accept the offerings of that Brahmana alone who has
purified himself by austerities, and grant to him all he desires.
   244. The lord, Pragapati, created these Institutes (of the sacred
law) by his austerities alone; the sages likewise obtained (the
revelation of) the Vedas through their austerities.
   245. The gods, discerning that the holy origin of this whole
(world) is from austerity, have thus proclaimed the incomparable power
of austerity.
   246. The daily study of the Veda, the performance of the great
sacrifices according to one's ability, (and) patience (in suffering)
quickly destroy all guilt, even that caused by mortal sins.
   247. As a fire in one moment consumes with its bright flame the
fuel that has been placed on it, even so he who knows the Veda
destroys all guilt by the fire of knowledge.
   248. The penances for sins (made public) have been thus declared
according to the law; learn next the penances for secret (sins).
   249. Sixteen suppressions of the breath (Pranayama) accompanied
by (the recitation of) the Vyahritis and of the syllable Om, purify,
if they are repeated daily, after a month even the murderer of a
learned Brahmana.
   250. Even a drinker of (the spirituous liquor called) Sura
becomes pure, if he mutters the hymn (seen) by Kutsa, 'Removing by thy
splendour our guilt, O Agni,' &c., (that seen) by Vasishtha, 'With
their hymns the Vasishthas woke the Dawn,' &c., the Mahitra (hymn) and
(the verses called) Suddhavatis.
   251. Even he who has stolen gold, instantly becomes free from
guilt, if he once mutters (the hymn beginning with the words) 'The
middlemost brother of this beautiful, ancient Hotri-priest' and the
Sivasamkalpa.
   252. The violator of a Guru's bed is freed (from sin), if he
repeatedly recites the Havishpantiya (hymn), (that beginning) 'Neither
anxiety nor misfortune,' (and that beginning) 'Thus, verily, thus,'
and mutters the hymn addressed to Purusha.
   253. He who desires to expiate sins great or small, must mutter
during a year the Rit-verse 'May we remove thy anger, O Varuna,'
&c., or 'Whatever offence here, O Varuna,' &c.
   254. That man who, having accepted presents which ought not to be
accepted, or having eaten forbidden food, mutters the Taratsamandiya
(Rikas), becomes pure after three days.
   255. But he who has committed many sins, becomes pure, if he
recites during a month the (four verses) addressed to Soma and
Rudra, and the three verses (beginning) 'Aryaman, Varuna, and
Mitra,' while he bathes in a river.
   256. A grievous offender shall mutter the seven verses (beginning
with) 'Indra,' for half a year; but he who has committed any
blamable act in water, shall subsist during a month on food obtained
by begging.
   257. A twice-born man removes even very great guilt by offering
clarified butter with the sacred texts belonging to the
Sakala-homas, or by muttering the Rik, (beginning) 'Adoration.'
   258. He who is stained by mortal sin, becomes pure, if, with a
concentrated mind, he attends cows for a year, reciting the Pavamani
(hymns) and subsisting on alms.
   259. Or if, pure (in mind and in body), he thrice repeats the
Samhita of the Veda in a forest, sanctified by three Paraka
(penances), he is freed from all crimes causing loss of caste
(pataka).
   260. But if (a man) fasts during three days, bathing thrice a
day, and muttering (in the water the hymn seen by) Aghamarshana, he is
(likewise) freed from all sins causing loss of caste.
   261. As the horse-sacrifice, the king of sacrifices, removes all
sin, even so the Aghamarshana hymn effaces all guilt.
   262. A Brahmana who retains in his memory the Rig-veda is not
stained by guilt, though he may have destroyed these three worlds,
though he may eat the food of anybody.
   263. He who, with a concentrated mind, thrice recites the
Riksamhita, or (that of the) Yagur-veda; or (that of the) Sama-veda
together with the secret (texts, the Upanishads), is completely
freed from all sins.
   264. As a clod of earth, falling into a great lake, is quickly
dissolved, even so every sinful act is engulfed in the threefold Veda.
   265. The Rikas, the Yagus (-formulas) which differ (from the
former), the manifold Saman (-songs), must be known (to form) the
triple Veda; he who knows them, (is called) learned in the Veda.
   266. The initial triliteral Brahman on which the threefold
(sacred science) is based, is another triple Veda which must be kept
secret; he who knows that, (is called) learned in the Veda.
                         CHAPTER XII.

   1. 'O sinless One, the whole sacred law, (applicable) to the four
castes, has been declared by thee; communicate to us (now),
according to the truth, the ultimate retribution for (their) deeds.'
   2. To the great sages (who addressed him thus) righteous Bhrigu,
sprung from Manu, answered, 'Hear the decision concerning this whole
connexion with actions.'
   3. Action, which springs from the mind, from speech, and from the
body, produces either good or evil results; by action are caused the
(various) conditions of men, the highest, the middling, and the
lowest.
   4. Know that the mind is the instigator here below, even to that
(action) which is connected with the body, (and) which is of three
kinds, has three locations, and falls under ten heads.
   5. Coveting the property of others, thinking in one's heart of what
is undesirable, and adherence to false (doctrines), are the three
kinds of (sinful) mental action.
   6. Abusing (others, speaking) untruth, detracting from the merits
of all men, and talking idly, shall be the four kinds of (evil) verbal
action.
   7. Taking what has not been given, injuring (creatures) without the
sanction of the law, and holding criminal intercourse with another
man's wife, are declared to be the three kinds of (wicked) bodily
action.
   8. (A man) obtains (the result of) a good or evil mental (act) in
his mind, (that of) a verbal (act) in his speech, (that of) a bodily
(act) in his body.
   9. In consequence of (many) sinful acts committed with his body,
a man becomes (in the next birth) something inanimate, in
consequence (of sins) committed by speech, a bird, or a beast, and
in consequence of mental (sins he is re-born in) a low caste.
   10. That man is called a (true) tridandin in whose mind these
three, the control over his speech (vagdanda), the control over his
thoughts (manodanda), and the control over his body (kayadanda), are
firmly fixed.
   11. That man who keeps this threefold control (over himself) with
respect to all created beings and wholly subdues desire and wrath,
thereby assuredly gains complete success.
   12. Him who impels this (corporeal) Self to action, they call the
Kshetragna (the knower of the field); but him who does the acts, the
wise name the Bhutatman (the Self consisting of the elements).
   13. Another internal Self that is generated with all embodied
(Kshetragnas) is called Giva, through which (the Kshetragna) becomes
sensible of all pleasure and pain in (successive) births.
   14. These two, the Great One and the Kshetragna, who are closely
united with the elements, pervade him who resides in the multiform
created beings.
   15. From his body innumerable forms go forth, which constantly
impel the multiform creatures to action.
   16. Another strong body, formed of particles (of the) five
(elements and) destined to suffer the torments (in hell), is
produced after death (in the case) of wicked men.
   17. When (the evil-doers) by means of that body have suffered there
the torments imposed by Yama, (its constituent parts) are united, each
according to its class, with those very elements (from which they were
taken).
   18. He, having suffered for his faults, which are produced by
attachment to sensual objects, and which result in misery, approaches,
free from stains, those two mighty ones.
   19. Those two together examine without tiring the merit and the
guilt of that (individual soul), united with which it obtains bliss or
misery both in this world and the next.
   20. If (the soul) chiefly practises virtue and vice to a small
degree, it obtains bliss in heaven, clothed with those very elements.
   21. But if it chiefly cleaves to vice and to virtue in a small
degree, it suffers, deserted by the elements, the torments inflicted
by Yama.
   22. The individual soul, having endured those torments of Yama,
again enters, free from taint, those very five elements, each in due
proportion.
   23. Let (man), having recognised even by means of his intellect
these transitions of the individual soul (which depend) on merit and
demerit, always fix his heart on (the acquisition of) merit.
   24. Know Goodness (sattva), Activity (ragas), and Darkness
(tamas) to be the three qualities of the Self, with which the Great
One always completely pervades all existences.
   25. When one of these qualities wholly predominates in a body, then
it makes the embodied (soul) eminently distinguished for that quality.
   26. Goodness is declared (to have the form of) knowledge,
Darkness (of) ignorance, Activity (of) love and hatred; such is the
nature of these (three) which is (all-) pervading and clings to
everything created.
   27. When (man) experiences in his soul a (feeling) full of bliss, a
deep calm, as it were, and a pure light, then let him know (that it
is) among those three (the quality called) Goodness.
   28. What is mixed with pain and does not give satisfaction to the
soul one may know (to be the quality of) Activity, which is
difficult to conquer, and which ever draws embodied (souls towards
sensual objects).
   29. What is coupled with delusion, what has the character of an
undiscernible mass, what cannot be fathomed by reasoning, what
cannot be fully known, one must consider (as the quality of) Darkness.
   30. I will, moreover, fully describe the results which arise from
these three qualities, the excellent ones, the middling ones, and
the lowest.
   31. The study of the Vedas, austerity, (the pursuit of)
knowledge, purity, control over the organs, the performance of
meritorious acts and meditation on the Soul, (are) the marks of the
quality of Goodness.
   32. Delighting in undertakings, want of firmness, commission of
sinful acts, and continual indulgence in sensual pleasures, (are)
the marks of the quality of Activity.
   33. Covetousness, sleepiness, pusillanimity, cruelty, atheism,
leading an evil life, a habit of soliciting favours, and
inattentiveness, are the marks of the quality of Darkness.
   34. Know, moreover, the following to be a brief description of
the three qualities, each in its order, as they appear in the three
(times, the present, past, and future).
   35. When a (man), having done, doing, or being about to do any act,
feels ashamed, the learned may know that all (such acts bear) the mark
of the quality of Darkness.
   36. But, when (a man) desires (to gain) by an act much fame in this
world and feels no sorrow on failing, know that it (bears the mark
of the quality of) Activity.
   37. But that (bears) the mark of the quality of Goodness which with
his whole (heart) he desires to know, which he is not ashamed to
perform, and at which his soul rejoices.
   38. The craving after sensual pleasures is declared to be the
mark of Darkness, (the pursuit of) wealth (the mark) of Activity, (the
desire to gain) spiritual merit the mark of Goodness; each later)
named quality is) better than the preceding one.
   39. I will briefly declare in due order what transmigrations in
this whole (world a man) obtains through each of these qualities.
   40. Those endowed with Goodness reach the state of gods, those
endowed with Activity the state of men, and those endowed with
Darkness ever sink to the condition of beasts; that is the threefold
course of transmigrations.
   41. But know this threefold course of transmigrations that
depends on the (three) qualities (to be again) threefold, low,
middling, and high, according to the particular nature of the acts and
of the knowledge (of each man).
   42. Immovable (beings), insects, both small and great, fishes,
snakes, and tortoises, cattle and wild animals, are the lowest
conditions to which (the quality of) Darkness leads.
   43. Elephants, horses, Sudras, and despicable barbarians, lions,
tigers, and boars (are) the middling states, caused by (the quality
of) Darkness.
   44. Karanas, Suparnas and hypocrites, Rakshasas and Pisakas (belong
to) the highest (rank of) conditions among those produced by Darkness.
   45. Ghallas, Mallas, Natas, men who subsist by despicable
occupations and those addicted to gambling and drinking (form) the
lowest (order of) conditions caused by Activity.
   46. Kings and Kshatriyas, the domestic priests of kings, and
those who delight in the warfare of disputations (constitute) the
middling (rank of the) states caused by Activity.
   47. The Gandharvas, the Guhyakas, and the servants of the gods,
likewise the Apsarases, (belong all to) the highest (rank of)
conditions produced by Activity.
   48. Hermits, ascetics, Brahmanas, the crowds of the Vaimanika
deities, the lunar mansions, and the Daityas (form) the first (and
lowest rank of the) existences caused by Goodness.
   49. Sacrificers, the sages, the gods, the Vedas, the heavenly
lights, the years, the manes, and the Sadhyas (constitute) the
second order of existences, caused by Goodness.
   50. The sages declare Brahma, the creators of the universe, the
law, the Great One, and the Undiscernible One (to constitute) the
highest order of beings produced by Goodness.
   51. Thus (the result) of the threefold action, the whole system
of transmigrations which (consists) of three classes, (each) with
three subdivisions, and which includes all created beings, has been
fully pointed out.
   52. In consequence of attachment to (the objects of) the senses,
and in consequence of the non-performance of their duties, fools,
the lowest of men, reach the vilest births.
   53. What wombs this individual soul enters in this world and in
consequence of what actions, learn the particulars of that at large
and in due order.
   54. Those who committed mortal sins (mahapataka), having passed
during large numbers of years through dreadful hells, obtain, after
the expiration of (that term of punishment), the following births.
   55. The slayer of a Brahmana enters the womb of a dog, a pig, an
ass, a camel, a cow, a goat, a sheep, a deer, a bird, a Kandala, and a
Pukkasa.
   56. A Brahmana who drinks (the spirituous liquor called) Sura shall
enter (the bodies) of small and large insects, of moths, of birds,
feeding on ordure, and of destructive beasts.
   57. A Brahmana who steals (the gold of a Brahmana shall pass) a
thousand times (through the bodies) of spiders, snakes and lizards, of
aquatic animals and of destructive Pisakas.
   58. The violator of a Guru's bed (enters) a hundred times (the
forms) of grasses, shrubs, and creepers, likewise of carnivorous
(animals) and of (beasts) with fangs and of those doing cruel deeds.
   59. Men who delight in doing hurt (become) carnivorous (animals);
those who eat forbidden food, worms; thieves, creatures consuming
their own kind; those who have intercourse with women of the lowest
castes, Pretas.
   60. He who has associated with outcasts, he who has approached
the wives of other men, and he who has stolen the property of a
Brahmana become Brahmarakshasas.
   61. A man who out of greed has stolen gems, pearls or coral, or any
of the many other kinds of precious things, is born among the
goldsmiths.
   62. For stealing grain (a man) becomes a rat, for stealing yellow
metal a Hamsa, for stealing water a Plava, for stealing honey a
stinging insect, for stealing milk a crow, for stealing condiments a
dog, for stealing clarified butter an ichneumon;
   63. For stealing meat a vulture, for stealing fat a cormorant,
for stealing oil a winged animal (of the kind called) Tailapaka, for
stealing salt a cricket, for stealing sour milk a bird (of the kind
called) Balaka.
   64. For stealing silk a partridge, for stealing linen a frog, for
stealing cotton-cloth a crane, for stealing a cow an iguana, for
stealing molasses a flying-fox;
   65. For stealing fine perfumes a musk-rat, for stealing
vegetables consisting of leaves a peacock, for stealing cooked food of
various kinds a porcupine, for stealing uncooked food a hedgehog.
   66. For stealing fire he becomes a heron, for stealing
household-utensils a mason-wasp, for stealing dyed clothes a
francolin-partridge;
   67. For stealing a deer or an elephant a wolf, for stealing a horse
a tiger, for stealing fruit and roots a monkey, for stealing a woman a
bear, for stealing water a black-white cuckoo, for stealing vehicles a
camel, for stealing cattle a he-goat.
   68. That man who has forcibly taken away any kind of property
belonging to another, or who has eaten sacrificial food (of) which (no
portion) had been offered, inevitably becomes an animal.
   69. Women, also, who in like manner have committed a theft, shall
incur guilt; they will become the females of those same creatures
(which have been enumerated above).
   70. But (men of the four) castes who have relinquished without
the pressure of necessity their proper occupations, will become the
servants of Dasyus, after migrating into despicable bodies.
   71. A Brahmana who has fallen off from his duty (becomes) an
Ulkamukha Preta, who feeds on what has been vomited; and a
Kshatriya, a Kataputana (Preta), who eats impure substances and
corpses.
   72. A Vaisya who has fallen off from his duty becomes a
Maitrakshagyotika Preta, who feeds on pus; and a Sudra, a Kailasaka
(Preta, who feeds on moths).
   73. In proportion as sensual men indulge in sensual pleasures, in
that same proportion their taste for them grows.
   74. By repeating their sinful acts those men of small understanding
suffer pain here (below) in various births;
   75. (The torture of) being tossed about in dreadful hells,
Tamisra and the rest, (that of) the Forest with sword-leaved trees and
the like, and (that of) being bound and mangled;
   76. And various torments, the (pain of) being devoured by ravens
and owls, the heat of scorching sand, and the (torture of) being
boiled in jars, which is hard to bear;
   77. And births in the wombs (of) despicable (beings) which cause
constant misery, and afflictions from cold and heat and terrors of
various kinds,
   78. The (pain of) repeatedly lying in various wombs and agonizing
births, imprisonment in fetters hard to bear, and the misery of
being enslaved by others,
   79. And separations from their relatives and dear ones, and the
(pain of) dwelling together with the wicked, (labour in) gaining
wealth and its loss, (trouble in) making friends and (the appearance
of) enemies,
   80. Old age against which there is no remedy, the pangs of
diseases, afflictions of many various kinds, and (finally)
unconquerable death.
   81. But with whatever disposition of mind (a man) forms any act, he
reaps its result in a (future) body endowed with the same quality.
   82. All the results, proceeding from actions, have been thus
pointed out; learn (next) those acts which secure supreme bliss to a
Brahmana.
   83. Studying the Veda, (practising) austerities, (the acquisition
of true) knowledge, the subjugation of the organs, abstention from
doing injury, and serving the Guru are the best means for attaining
supreme bliss.
   84. (If you ask) whether among all these virtuous actions,
(performed) here below, (there be) one which has been declared more
efficacious (than the rest) for securing supreme happiness to man,
   85. (The answer is that) the knowledge of the Soul is stated to
be the most excellent among all of them; for that is the first of
all sciences, because immortality is gained through that.
   86. Among those six (kinds of) actions (enumerated) above, the
performance of) the acts taught in the Veda must ever be held to be
most efficacious for ensuring happiness in this world and the next.
   87. For in the performance of the acts prescribed by the Veda all
those (others) are fully comprised, (each) in its turn in the
several rules for the rites.
   88. The acts prescribed by the Veda are of two kinds, such as
procure an increase of happiness and cause a continuation (of
mundane existence, pravritta), and such as ensure supreme bliss and
cause a cessation (of mundane existence, nivritta).
   89. Acts which secure (the fulfilment of) wishes in this world or
in the next are called pravritta (such as cause a continuation of
mundane existence); but acts performed without any desire (for a
reward), preceded by (the acquisition) of (true) knowledge, are
declared to be nivritta (such as cause the cessation of mundane
existence).
   90. He who sedulously performs acts leading to future births
(pravritta) becomes equal to the gods; but he who is intent on the
performance of those causing the cessation (of existence, nivritta)
indeed, passes beyond (the reach of) the five elements.
   91. He who sacrifices to the Self (alone), equally recognising
the Self in all created beings and all created beings in the Self,
becomes (independent like) an autocrat and self-luminous.
   92. After giving up even the above-mentioned sacrificial rites, a
Brahmana should exert himself in (acquiring) the knowledge of the
Soul, in extinguishing his passions, and in studying the Veda.
   93. For that secures the attainment of the object of existence,
especially in the case of a Brahmana, because by attaining that, not
otherwise, a twice-born man has gained all his ends.
   94. The Veda is the eternal eye of the manes, gods, and men; the
Veda-ordinance (is) both beyond the sphere of (human) power, and
beyond the sphere of (human) comprehension; that is a certain fact.
   95. All those traditions (smriti) and those despicable systems of
philosophy, which are not based on the Veda, produce no reward after
death; for they are declared to be founded on Darkness.
   96. All those (doctrines), differing from the (Veda), which
spring up and (soon) perish, are worthless and false, because they are
of modern date.
   97. The four castes, the three worlds, the four orders, the past,
the present, and the future are all severally known by means of the
Veda.
   98. Sound, touch, colour, taste, and fifthly smell are known
through the Veda alone, (their) production (is) through the (Vedic
rites, which in this respect are) secondary acts.
   99. The eternal lore of the Veda upholds all created beings;
hence I hold that to be supreme, which is the means of (securing
happiness to) these creatures.
   100. Command of armies, royal authority, the office of a judge, and
sovereignty over the whole world he (only) deserves who knows the
Veda-science.
   101. As a fire that has gained strength consumes even trees full of
sap, even so he who knows the Veda burns out the taint of his soul
which arises from (evil) acts.
   102. In whatever order (a man) who knows the true meaning of the
Veda-science may dwell, he becomes even while abiding in this world,
fit for the union with Brahman.
   103. (Even forgetful) students of the (sacred) books are more
distinguished than the ignorant, those who remember them surpass the
(forgetful) students, those who possess a knowledge (of the meaning)
are more distinguished than those who (only) remember (the words), men
who follow (the teaching of the texts) surpass those who (merely) know
(their meaning).
   104. Austerity and sacred learning are the best means by which a
Brahmana secures supreme bliss; by austerities he destroys guilt, by
sacred learning he obtains the cessation of (births and) deaths.
   105. The three (kinds of evidence), perception, inference, and
the (sacred) Institutes which comprise the tradition (of) many
(schools), must be fully understood by him who desires perfect
correctness with respect to the sacred law.
   106. He alone, and no other man, knows the sacred law, who explores
the (utterances) of the sages and the body of the laws, by (modes
of) reasoning, not repugnant to the Veda-lore.
   107. Thus the acts which secure supreme bliss have been exactly and
fully described; (now) the secret portion of these Institutes,
proclaimed by Manu, will be taught.
   108. If it be asked how it should be with respect to (points of)
the law which have not been (specially) mentioned, (the answer is),
'that which Brahmanas (who are) Sishtas propound, shall doubtlessly
have legal (force).'
   109. Those Brahmanas must be considered as Sishtas who, in
accordance with the sacred law, have studied the Veda together with
its appendages, and are able to adduce proofs perceptible by the
senses from the revealed texts.
   110. Whatever an assembly, consisting either of at least ten, or of
at least three persons who follow their prescribed occupations,
declares to be law, the legal (force of) that one must not dispute.
   111. Three persons who each know one of the three principal
Vedas, a logician, a Mimamsaka, one who knows the Nirukta, one who
recites (the Institutes of) the sacred law, and three men belonging to
the first three orders shall constitute a (legal) assembly, consisting
of at least ten members.
   112. One who knows the Rig-veda, one who knows the Yagur-veda,
and one who knows the Sama-veda, shall be known (to form) an
assembly consisting of at least three members (and competent) to
decide doubtful points of law.
   113. Even that which one Brahmana versed in the Veda declares to be
law, must be considered (to have) supreme legal (force, but) not
that which is proclaimed by myriads of ignorant men.
   114. Even if thousands of Brahmanas, who have not fulfilled their
sacred duties, are unacquainted with the Veda, and subsist only by the
name of their caste, meet, they cannot (form) an assembly (for
settling the sacred law).
   115. The sin of him whom dunces, incarnations of Darkness, and
unacquainted with the law, instruct (in his duty), falls, increased
a hundredfold, on those who propound it.
   116. All that which is most efficacious for securing supreme
bliss has been thus declared to you; a Brahmana who does not fall
off from that obtains the most excellent state.
   117. Thus did that worshipful deity disclose to me, through a
desire of benefiting mankind, this whole most excellent secret of
the sacred law.
   118. Let (every Brahmana), concentrating his mind, fully
recognise in the Self all things, both the real and the unreal, for he
who recognises the universe in the Self, does not give his heart to
unrighteousness.
   119. The Self alone is the multitude of the gods, the universe
rests on the Self; for the Self produces the connexion of these
embodied (spirits) with actions.
   120. Let him meditate on the ether as identical with the cavities
(of the body), on the wind as identical with the organs of motions and
of touch, on the most excellent light as the same with his digestive
organs and his sight, on water as the same with the (corporeal)
fluids, on the earth as the same with the solid parts (of his body);
   121. On the moon as one with the internal organ, on the quarters of
the horizon as one with his sense of hearing, on Vishnu as one with
his (power of) motion, on Hara as the same with his strength, on
Agni (Fire) as identical with his speech, on Mitra as identical with
his excretions, and on Pragapati as one with his organ of generation.
   122. Let him know the supreme Male (Purusha, to be) the sovereign
ruler of them all, smaller even than small, bright like gold, and
perceptible by the intellect (only when) in (a state of) sleep
(-like abstraction).
   123. Some call him Agni (Fire), others Manu, the Lord of creatures,
others Indra, others the vital air, and again others eternal Brahman.
   124. He pervades all created beings in the five forms, and
constantly makes them, by means of birth, growth and decay, revolve
like the wheels (of a chariot).
   125. He who thus recognises the Self through the Self in all
created beings, becomes equal (-minded) towards all, and enters the
highest state, Brahman.
   126. A twice-born man who recites these Institutes, revealed by
Manu, will be always virtuous in conduct, and will reach whatever
condition he desires.


                    THE END OF THE LAWS OF MANU