Chapter 211 - Different kinds of gifts (nānādāna)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Fire-god said:

1. One who has ten cows should give one. One having hundred cows should give ten cows. A person having a thousand cows should give hundred. All yield the same benefit.

2. Those who give thousand cows (as gift) would go to a place where the mansions are golden, there would be flow of wealth and the gandharvas and celestial nymphs (dwell).

3. By giving hundred cows one becomes free from the ocean of hells. By giving a weaned calf one stays in comfort in the heaven.

4-6. By the gift of a cow one would get longevity, health, fortune and heaven. She is the auspicious queen of the guardian deities such as Indra and the like; may she be the bestower of all my desires by the greatness of the gift of the she-buffalo. That mother of the demon in the form of buffalo the children of which (woman) are established by the assistance of the Lord of Dharma, may be the bestower of wealth on me. One would get fortune by giving a she-buffalo and reach heaven by giving a bull.

7-11. The gift known as saṃyuktahalapaṅkti (attached with ten ploughs) confers all fruits. A collection of ten ploughs is said to be a paṅkti. They should be made of wood and yoked to bulls. One would stay in heaven by giving them bound with golden strips. The benefits of giving ten tawny cows at the Puṣkara (a sacred place) in (the month of) jyeṣṭhā is said to be undecaying. Similar benefit would accrue by releasing a bull. (One should say) “O Four-footed one! You are the virtue. These four are dear to you. O lord of Viṣṇu! One who nourishes the manes, beings and the sages! Let me have the worlds free blemishes and undecaying when you are released. May I not have the debts due to the gods, beings, manes and mortals. You are the virtue. That fate which befalls one who resorts to you, let it be firm in me.”

12-16. One should mark (the bull) with the circles and spears and let it go with these sacred syllables (described above). If a bull is released on the eleventh day of a dead person he would be freed from the world of the dead. (The same benefit would accrue if a bull is let loose) at the time of six-monthly ceremony and annual ceremony (for the dead). One who makes a gift of gocarma (a measure of surface) would get rid of his sins. A nivarttana would be of thirty kuṇḍas, each kuṇḍa being ten cubits. The ground extending to ten times (the nivartana) (is jplpwṇ to be) gocarma. One who gives deer’s skin together with a cow, earth and gold would get united with lord Brahmā, even though he had done many sinful deeds. One may give vessels filled with sesamum, honey and black sesamum as well as a prastha (a particular measure) of long pepper. Having given a bed of good quality one may get enjoyment and emancipation.

1 7. After having made a golden image of the self and given (the same as a gift), (the giver could reach) heaven.

18. After having made a large house and giving it one would get enjoyment and emancipation. (One would reach) heaven by giving a house, a hut for an ascetic, hall and shelter. One who builds a cattle-shed and gifts it would be free from sin and reach heaven.

19-20. One who makes a gift of the buffalo (the vehicle) of the God of Death would be free from sin and would go to heaven. One who gives (as a gift the images of gods) Brahmā Hara (Śiva), Hari with the celestials and the messenger of the God of Death in their middle and (the god) Pāśī (Varuṇa) as cutting the head of the latter would reach heaven. A brahmin who accepts this gift known as the ‘three-faced’ would incur sin.

21. One should give to a brahmin a wheel made of silver together with gold after having placed it on (his own) lap. This is (known as) the ‘wheel of time’ of great merit.

22-27. One who makes a gift of iron equal to one’s weight would not go to hell. One who gives an iron rod of fifty palas covered by a cloth to a brahmin would not get (the chastising) rod of the God of Death. One should give the root or fruit or other material collectively or separately for the Conqueror of Death for the increase of one’s life. One should make (a figure of) a man with black sesamum, with the teeth (made) of silver, eye (made) of gold, wielding a sword in the hand, bedecked with japā flowers, wearing red cloth, adorned with a garland of conch-shells, the feet having a pair of sandals, the sides (covered) by black wool and holding a ball of flesh in his left (hand). He is (known as) the embodiment of time. After having worshipped that (image) with perfumes and other things, it should be given to a brahmin. (Such a giver) would be free from death and disease and become a monarch.

28. One who gives a gift of a, cow and a bull to a brahmin would get enjoyment and emancipation. One would not die by giving a golden hairy horse.

29-31. One who makes such a gift endowed with bells would also get enjoyment and emancipation. One who gives gold would get the desired things. When gold is given as gift, silver should be given as remuneration. Gold is the remuneration even in the case of other gifts. No remuneration (should be given) when gold, silver, copper, rice and other grains (are given as gift) or at the daily ceremony for the manes and at the worship of gods.

32-35. Silver (given) as remuneration at the ceremony for the manes is a means to get piety, pleasure and material comfort. A wiseman who gives land as a gift should also give gold, silver, copper, gems, pearls, wealth and all other things. One who makes a gift of land, that composed man satisfies the manes in their world and the gods in the world of gods. One who gives (as a gift) a market town or small town or village or field abound with grains or hundred nivartana^[1] or half of that or a house etc. or only gocarma^[2] extent of land would get all things.

36. Just as a drop of oil spreads on the waters so also the fruit of all gifts would follow the mortal in the next birth.

37. The benefit (of making a gift) of gold, land and an eight year old girl would follow (the giver) in his seven births. One who gives a girl (in marriage) would elevate twenty-one generations of his family and attain the world of Brahmā.

38. Having given an elephant together with remuneration one becomes free from blemish and would attain heaven. Having given a horse one would get long and healthy life and fortune and ascend heaven.

39-40. One who gives a maid servant to an excellent brahmin would reach the world of nymphs. Having given a copper plate weighing five hundred palas (a measure of weight) or half the weight or a quarter of that weight or one-eighth of the weight would get enjoyment and emancipation. By giving a cart together with a bull one would go to heaven by means of a cart.

41. One who makes a gift of cloth would get longevity, health and undecaying heaven. ^ḥe giver of grains such as the wheat, kalama (rice sown in June and harvested in December), barley and other (grains) would attain heaven.

42-43. Having given (as a gift) a seat, metallic vessel, salt, fragrant sandal, incense, lamp, betel, iron, silver, gem and other rare materials, one would get enjoyment and emancipation. One would ascend heaven by giving sesamum and a vessel for keeping sesamum.

44-46. There is nothing superior to the gift of food. Neither there was nor there would be. The (merit of) gift of an elephant, horse, chariot, maid-servant, servant and house will not equal a sixteenth part (of the merit) of giving food. One who gives food after committing a great sin would become free from all sins and attain undecaying worlds. One who sets up a place for distributing water for drinking would get enjoyment and emancipation.

47. By giving fire and firewood (for travellers) on the way, one would get radiance etc. and would be served in the (celestial)vehicle in heaven by the celestials, gandharvas and women.

48. One would get all things by giving ghee, oil and salt. After having given umbrella, sandal and firewood etc. one would dwell in heaven happily.

49-52. A gift made after worshipping lords Hari, Hara, Brahmā and the guardian deities on the important lunar days like the first etc., on the combinations (known as) viṣkamhha etc., in the (months) caitra and others, in the years and the (asterisms) aśvinī etc. is of great merit. One would get enjoyment and emancipation by providing shady trees, feeding places, (vehicles) to carry burden and for anointing the feet. There are three things which are of equal merits. (They are)—cows, land and imparting knowledge. By imparting knowledge one becomes blemishless and attains the world of Brahmā. One who imparts knowledge about the brahman, would be equal to one who gives earth consisting of seven continents.

53-54. One who gives refuge to all beings would get all things. One who copies and gives the purāṇa or Bhārata or Rāmāyaṇa, would get enjoyment and emancipation. One who teaches scriptures dancing and music would reach heaven.

55. Money should be given to the teacher and food etc. for the students. What more can be possibly given by one who does with a motive to acquire virtues and desires.

56. There is no doubt that one would get by imparting knowledge every benefit that he would get by (performing) a thousand Vājapeya sacrifices.

57. One who reads a book would be the giver of all gifts at the temples of (lords) Śiva, Viṣṇu and the Sun-god.

58. All the castes and the four institutions of life separately and all the gods such as Brahmā and others are established on the gift of knowledge.

59. Knowledge is the wish-yielding cow. It is the unsurpassing eye. One rejoices with the Gandharvas by giving the Upavedas (the secondary texts such as the Āyurveda).

60. One would attain heaven by giving the accessory texts of scriptures. One would rejoice with piety by giving the religious law books.

61. There is no doubt that one gets release (from the mundane existence) by giving the established texts (of any discipline). One would reap the same benefit by giving a book as he would by imparting knowledge.

62. One would get everything by giving sacred religious texts and Purāṇas. One would get the benefit of Puṇḍarīka^[3] by imparting (knowledge to) the disciples.

63-65. There is not known to be any limit for the benefit accrued by one who gives that by which he lives. That which is the most excellent in the world and that which is liked by one should be given to the manes by one who desires to have them without depletion. One who gives materials for worship after having worshipped (lords) Viṣṇu, Rudra (Śiva), the Lotus-born (Brahmā), Goddess, Vighneśvara (lord of impediments) and others would get everything. One who causes (to construct) a temple and to make an image would get all things.

66. One would be free from blemishes by washing and cleaning the temple. One who draws the mystic diagrams would become the ruler of a province subsequently.

67-69. After having given perfumes, flowers, incense, lamp, food offering, circumambulation, bell, banner, canopy, (arranged) a show, musical instruments and music and clothes for the lord, one would get enjoyment and emancipation. One should give musk, benzoin, sandal wood, agallochum, camphor, musta (a kind of grass), guggulu (a fragrant resin) and vijaya. One who establishes light at the time of solstice and others with a prastha (a measure) of ghee would get everything.

70-71. Bathing is known to be with hundred palas (of materials), bathing with oil with twenty-five palas. A great bathing is said to be with a thousand palas (of materials). (By bathing) with water ten sins (are washed off), by bathṃg with thick milk hundred sins (are washed off), (by bathing) with milk a thousand (sins are washed off) and ten thousand (sins are washed off by bathing) with ghee.

72. One would get fortune and wealth and would go to heaven by giving a maid-servant, servant, ornaments, cow, land, horse and elephant and other things for the deity.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See verse 13 above.

[2]:

See verse 14 above.

[3]:

A unit of measurement.