Chapter 22 - Qualifications of Those Who Are Fit to Receive Charitable Gifts

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The sages said:

1-2. O holy omniscient Sūta, expert in the Vedas and the Vedāṅgas! To whom should charitable gifts be given? What is the proper time for making gifts? Who is eligible to receive them? It behoves you to tell everything to us.

Śrī Sūta said:

3-4. O excellent Brāhmaṇas, in the holy spot named Veṅkaṭa which bestows great merits, a Brāhmaṇa is the great preceptor unto all the castes. Charitable gifts are to be made to him. That learned man will redeem (all persons). A Brāhmaṇa can accept monetary gifts. A Brāhmaṇa can receive gifts from everyone except an avarṇaka (i.e. a disreputable person) (explained below).^[1]

5-8a. What is given to (and by)^[2] an impotent fellow, one devoid of sons, one of hypocritical conduct, one hating the Vedas and Brāhmaṇas, one who has forsaken his special rites and duties becomes fruitless.

What is given by a person fondly attached to another man’s wife or covetous of another man’s wealth becomes fruitless. If a Brāhmaṇa is a (professional) singer, what is given (to and) by him becomes fruitless. What is given by a Brāhmaṇa whose mind is filled with jealousy, who is ungrateful, deceitful and devoid of knowledge becomes fruitless.

8b-12a. What is given by one who perpetually indulges in begging, who is violent towards the weak, who sells his name and fame, Vedic passages, Smṛti texts and holy rites becomes fruitless.

If a person habitually oppresses others, what is given by him becomes fruitless. One should not accept anything from or give anything to those who are engaged in sins or who are censured by the people of good activities.

Gifts should be given only to a person regularly engaged in good activities, who is well-versed in the Vedas, who maintains the sacred fires, who is poor and devoid of means of livelihood and has a large family.

12b-15. Gifts must be given by making special efforts to a person absorbed in the worship of gods or to a person who narrates the stories of the Purāṇas. O Brāhmaṇa, charitable gifts must particularly be made to a poor man.

Of what avail is much talk? Listen, O excellent Brāhmaṇas. Gifts can always be made to all Brāhmaṇas.

If anything is given to the husband of a barren woman, the man is reborn as a donkey.

One should never make obeisance to an unbeliever,^[3] a person who has transgressed the limits of decorum, a person without a son, a person who is sluggish and knavish, and (to) one who indulges in gambling and stealing.

16. One should never bow to a heretic, to a fallen man, one who has lost his caste, a person who sells the Vedas, an ungrateful person and a person engaged in sinful activities.

17. One should not make obeisance to a person engaged in bathing, a person with sacrificial twigs and flowers in his hand, a person holding a water-pot as well as a person engaged in taking food.

18. One should not bow to a person engaged in arguments, an angry and ferocious person, a person who is vomiting, one standing in the midst of people, a person holding food received as alms and a person lying down (or asleep).

19. One should never bow to a barren woman, a woman in menses, an adulteress, a woman in the lying-in-chamber, a woman who has had an abortion, a woman who spoils holy rites as well as a fierce woman.

20-23. Individual obeisance in an assembly, in a sacrificial hall and in temples destroys earlier merit.

One should not make obeisance to a person employed in the holy rites of Śrāddha, one who is engaged in the worship of a deity and one who is engaged in the performance of Yajña and Tarpaṇa.

If a person does not salute in return to a person who makes obeisance, he should be known as undeserving to be saluted like a Śūdra. Hence on all occasions an intelligent excellent Brāhmaṇa shall abstain from making obeisance to husband of a barren woman or a cruel Brāhmaṇa.

[The Greatness of Ākāśagaṅgā]:—

Śrī Sūta said:

24-27. In this connection I shall relate the legendary story of the intelligent Puṇyaśīla as recounted by Nārada to sage Sanatkumāra. I shall recount it, O excellent sages. Listen attentively.

Formerly on the banks of Godāvarī there was an excellent Brāhmaṇa (named) Puṇyaśīla. He was devoted to all holy rites. He was truthful in speech. He had conquered his sense-organs and was merciful to all living beings. He worshipped gods, Brāhmaṇas and the fire. He was pure by birth as well as by activities. He was engaged in doing service conducive to the welfare of his parents; he was devoted to preceptors and elders. He was courteous and chivalrous. He was hospitable to Brāhmaṇas and honoured by good people.

[Conversion of Puṇyaśīla’s Face into that of a Donkey by Inviting a Barren Woman’s Husband (to Śrāddha)]:—

28-30. A certain Brāhmaṇa who was a master of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas and who was endowed with good qualities like these came to the house of the intelligent Puṇyaśīla. Immediately he was requested to take part in the Śrāddha of the Pitṛs by Puṇyaśīla.

After employing that quiescent Brāhmaṇa well-versed in the Vedas for the holy Śrāddha of the Pitṛs, the righteous-souled (Puṇyaśīla) performed the excellent annual Śrāddha.

31. Then after some time a hideous deformity resembling the face of a donkey, came over the face of Puṇyaśīla.

32-33. Thereupon that extremely righteous Puṇyaśīla became dejected at heart. Heaving heavy sighs, the deeply depressed Puṇyaśīla came to the hermitage of Yogī Agastya. It was extremely divine and yielded all desired benefits. It was on the banks of Suvarṇamukharī and was resorted to by multitudes of sages.

34-35. In that hermitage he saw the noble-souled Agastya who wished for the welfare of all the worlds, being attended upon day and night by prominent sages. Seeing him the excessively miserable Brāhmaṇa with the face of a donkey bowed down to him.

Puṇyaśīla said:

36-38. Obeisance to you, O Agastya, storehouse of penance, who are served by sages. Save me, O storehouse of mercy, save me, a great sinner with a despicable face. By what fault has my face become hideous and ugly. O excellent sage, O blessed one speak it out of love for me.

Agastya said:

39. O excellent Brāhmaṇa of great distinction, O Puṇyaśīla of great intellect, listen attentively to (the cause) of the ugliness of your face, O Brāhmaṇa.

[Ineligibility of a Barren Woman’s Husband for Invitation to a Śrāddha]:—

40-45a. You had (once) engaged a Brāhmaṇa who was a storehouse of good qualities, master of the Vedas and Vedāṅgas and conversant with sacred learning, though he was sonless. It is on account of that great sin that there is ugliness in your face, O Brāhmaṇa.

Those who employ a Brāhmaṇa, husband of a barren woman, in offering Havyas, Kavyas etc. attain donkey-facedness. One should never invite the great sinner, husband of a barren woman, in any auspicious rite or in the rites concerning the Manes, O Brāhmaṇa.

O prominent Brāhmaṇa, a person who wishes for welfare and felicity should never invite at a Śrāddha ceremony husband of a barren woman, an exceedingly cruel person and husband of a Śūdra woman.

Even if he be well-conversant with the Vedas, scriptures etc., even if he be of noble birth and even if he be engaged in the performance of religious rites, O excellent Brāhmaṇa, husband of a barren woman must be avoided in the Śrāddha rite at all costs by one desirous of welfare.

45b-50. An excellent Brāhmaṇa should avoid husband of a barren woman in the Śrāddha rite, even if he be competent to perform sacrifices such as Jyotiṣṭoma and others, in holy observances and austerities.

If a deserving Brāhmaṇa is not available, one should invite a Brāhmaṇa of good conduct having a son, though he may be sustaining himself merely on the sacred thread(?) [symbolising his Brahminhood].

In the absence of such a person, O excellent Brāhmaṇa, one should engage one’s son or younger brother or oneself but should refrain (from inviting) husband of a barren woman in the Śrāddha rite. O illustrious Puṇyaśīla, it is proclaimed with arms lifted up that one should not at any cost engage a sonless person for the Śrāddha rite.^[4]

If the person performing a Śrāddha engages a Brāhmaṇa who is husband of a barren woman, that Śrāddha should be known as Āsura (demoniac) and the person who performs it shall go to hell.

[The Deformity of Puṇyaśīla Dispelled by Means of Holy Bath in Ākāśagaṅgā]:—

51-54a. Of what avail is much talk? I shall mention to you the means of dispelling that defect and sin. On the auspicious banks of Svarṇamukhī there is the highly meritorious Veṅkaṭācala which is resorted to by multitudes of Devas. It is the son of Meru and it bestows all desired benefits.

There is a very great Tīrtha named Viyadgaṅgā on that prominent mountain Veṅkaṭa, bowed to by Suras and Asuras. It suppresses all sins and increases longevity and health.

54b-55. You go to the mountain Veṅkaṭa and take your holy bath in the waters of Svāmipuṣkariṇī with due performance of the holy rite of Saṃkalpa. Thereafter go to Gaṅgātīrtha. After going there, O highly intelligent one, you take your holy bath in it in accordance with the injunctions regarding Tīrthas.

56-57. Merely by having the holy bath, O highly intelligent one, the ugliness of this face will disappear instantaneously. There is no doubt about it.

On being told thus by the noble-souled Agastya Puṇyaśīla bowed down to that noble-souled (sage) and then went to Veṅkaṭādri.

58-59. After going there the blessed one took his holy bath with due observances in the waters of Svāmipuṣkariṇī. Then he went to Viyadgaṅgā. By taking his holy bath there the righteous-souled one, Puṇyaśīla, attained a face comparable to the face of Kāma (god of Love). Thanks to the greatness of the Tīrtha.

Śrī Sūta said:

60. Thus, O Śaunaka and other Brāhmaṇas of great prowess, what was told by Nārada to sage Sanatkumāra has been recounted to you.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

VV 5-14 give a list of persons not eligible to receive a gift (cf. Manu 4.193-200; Mbh, Vana 200.5-9).

[2]:

Lines 10b-11a show that the restrictions mentioned herein are applicable both to donor and receiver.

[3]:

VV 15-23 give a list of those whom one should not pay obeisance.

[4]:

Śrāddha signifies and is intended for the continuity of the family. An issueless person is naturally regarded as ineligible for it. Hence this tirade against husband of a barren woman.