Chapter 109 - Gift of food the best of all charitable acts

The sages said:

1. O lord, you have addressed us on the course of adharma. now let us know about the course of dharma too.

2. Having done sinful deeds, how do people meet with disaster? By what righteous activities do the people attain prosperity?

Vyāsa said:

3. Having performed evil actions, having come under the control of adharma, with his mind averse to dharma, man goes to hell.

4. He who out of ignorance performs acts of impiety but repents afterwards with his mind concentrated on his self never comes to grief.

5. Inasmuch as his mind dislikes performing evil deeds, in the same proportion is his body released from the control of adharma.

6. O Brāhmaṇas, if he confesses his guilt before the pious Brāhmaṇas, he is soon released from the guilt accruing from adharma.

7. Inasmuch as he confesses his guilt with his mind concentrated on himself he is released from that guilt.

8. As a snake casts off his slough, so he casts off guilt incurred previously. By giving charitable gifts of all sorts and with his mind concentrated on his self he attains heaven.

9-10. O best of Brāhmins, I shall let you know about the gift by which a man attains piety, though he may have done evil deeds.

11. Of all the gifts, the gift of food is the best. The upright honest person who is eager to follow the path of piety should give all sorts of food in gift. Food is the breath of people. A person is born of food.

12. People abide in food. Food is praised therefore. Gods, sages and manes praise food itself.

13-17. By gifting food man goes to heaven. The best sort of food earned by just means should be given as gift to the educated Brāhmaṇas with mind full of joy.

If he invites ten Brāhmaṇas to eat at his house, though he feeds them once, with his joyous mind, he is never born as an animal. If he feeds ten thousand Brāhmaṇas, even a hard sinner, ever engaged in sinful acts is released from impiety. If a person proficient in the Vedas collects food by begging and gives it to a Brāhmaṇa who is engaged in studies, he obtains happiness.

18-27. If a Kṣatriya spares the wealth of Brāhmaṇas, guards the same as the rules of law permit, if he gives his surplus money and food to the people of three castes who have learnt Vedas, he is purified and released from the fruits of his evil deeds.

By giving to the twice-born a portion of the produce of cultivated field, after it has been taxed at the rate of production, a Vaiśya is released from sins.

By giving to the twice-born, the food earned at the risk of life, by emaciating his body, a Śūdra is released from sin.

He who earns food by the sweat of his brow, and that too without violating the right of others, never succumbs to trouble. If a person joyously gives food earned by him lawfully to a person well-versed in the Vedas, he is released from sin. By giving food which invigorates men, the person becomes invigorated. If he follows the path of the good he is released from sins.

The path is made by those who know the benefits of gifts. The wise go by that path. There too, those who gift food. There too those who follow tradition.

In all circumstances, the food that is earned by right means has eternal value. By giving such food a man attains the highest position. He is blessed with the fulfilment of all desires. Thus the person attended by merit is released from all sorts of sins.

28. Thus the food not attained by unlawful activities should be gifted. He should, first of all, pour offerings of food into the fire with the formula Prāṇāya Svāhā and then eat food.

29-30. A man should not render the day unproductive but should make gift of food. If a person feeds a hundred of topmost knowers of Veda, Nyāya, Dharma and Itihāsa, he does not go to a dreadful hell nor does he enter transmigration.

31. He attains the fulfilment of all desires and then after death he gets happiness. Thus performing good actions and devoid of fever he enjoys life. He is blessed with beauty, fame and wealth.

I have thus told you the fruit of gifting food as well as the basis of all these dharmas and donations.