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॥ अथ १३.२३ ॥
युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
१३.२३.१
किमाहुर्भरतश्रेष्ठ पात्रं विप्राः सनातनम् ।
ब्राह्मणं लिङ्गिनं चैव ब्राह्मणं वाप्यलिङ्गिनम् ॥
M N Dutt Yudhishthira said Whom have the eternal Brahmanas selected a proper object of gifts? Is a Brahmana who bears the marks of the order of life he follows to be considered as such, or is one divested of such marks to be so regarded.
भीष्म उवाच ।
१३.२३.२
स्ववृत्तिमभिपन्नाय लिङ्गिने वेतराय वा ।
देयमाहुर्महाराज उभावेतौ तपस्विनौ ॥
M N Dutt Bhishma said O king it has been said that gifts should be made a Brahmana who follows the duties of his own order, whether he bears the marks of Brahmacharya or not, for both are faultless, viz., he who bears such marks and he who is divested of them.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
१३.२३.३
श्रद्धया परया पूतो यः प्रयच्छेद्द्विजातये ।
हव्यं कव्यं तथा दानं को दोषः स्यात्पितामह ॥
M N Dutt Yudhishthira said What sin does an impure person commit if he makes gifts of sacrificial butter or food or with great devotion to persons of the twice born order?
भीष्म उवाच ।
युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
१३.२३.५
न ब्राह्मणं परीक्षेत दैवेषु सततं नरः ।
कव्यप्रदाने तु बुधाः परीक्ष्यं ब्राह्मणं विदुः ॥
M N Dutt Yudhishthira said It has been said that a Brahmana who is sought for the performance of a religious rite should never be examined. The learned however, hold that while performing rites for the Pitris the Brahmana who is sought to be engaged, should be examined.
भीष्म उवाच ।
१३.२३.६
न ब्राह्मणः साधयते हव्यं दैवात्प्रसिध्यति ।
देवप्रसादादिज्यन्ते यजमाना न संशयः ॥
M N Dutt Bhishma said As regards the religious rite for the deities these do not yield fruits on account of the Brahmana who is engaged in doing them but through the grace of the deities themselves. Forsooth, those persons who perform sacrifices acquire the merit of those acts, through the favour of the deities.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
१३.२३.८
अपूर्वोऽप्यथ वा विद्वान्संबन्धी वाथ यो भवेत् ।
तपस्वी यज्ञशीलो वा कथं पात्रं भवेत्तु सः ॥
M N Dutt Yudhishthira said Why, O grandfather, are these five viz., he who is a stranger, he who is gifted with learning, he who is connected by marriage, he that is endued with penances, and he who is devoted to the performance of sacrifices, considered as proper persons?
भीष्म उवाच ।
१३.२३.९
कुलीनः कर्मकृद्वैद्यस्तथा चाप्यानृशंस्यवान् ।
ह्रीमानृजुः सत्यवादी पात्रं पूर्वे च ते त्रयः ॥
M N Dutt Bhishma said The first three viz., strangers, relatives and ascetics, when endued with these attributes, viz., purity of birth devotion to religious acts, learning mercy modesty, sincerity and truthfulness, are considered as proper persons. The other two, viz., men of learning and those given to sacrifices when gifted with five of these attributes, viz., purity of birth, mercy, modesty, sincerity, and truthfulness, are also considered as proper persons.
१३.२३.१०
तत्रेदं शृणु मे पार्थ चतुर्णां तेजसां मतम् ।
पृथिव्याः काश्यपस्याग्नेर्मार्कण्डेयस्य चैव हि ॥
M N Dutt Listen now to me, O son of Pritha, as I recite to you the opinions of these four persons of great energy, viz., the goddess, Earth, the Rishi Kashyapa, the god of fire, and the ascetic Markandeya.
पृथिव्युवाच ।
१३.२३.११
यथा महार्णवे क्षिप्तः क्षिप्रं लोष्टो विनश्यति ।
तथा दुश्चरितं सर्वं त्रय्यावृत्त्या विनश्यति ॥
M N Dutt The Earth said As a clod of earth when thrown into the great ocean quickly dissolves away so every sort of sin disappears by the three high qualifications of officiation at sacrifices teaching, and receiving of gifts.
काश्यप उवाच ।
अग्निरुवाच ।
१३.२३.१३
अधीयानः पण्डितं मन्यमानो
यो विद्यया हन्ति यशः परेषाम् ।
ब्रह्मन्स तेनाचरते ब्रह्महत्यां
लोकास्तस्य ह्यन्तवन्तो भवन्ति ॥
M N Dutt Agni said The Brahmana who engaged in study and considering himself learned, seeks with the help of his learning to destroy the reputation of others falls away from virtue and comes to be regarded as divorced from truth. Such persons of refractory spirit never acquire regions of happiness hereafter.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच ।
१३.२३.१४
अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतम् ।
नाभिजानामि यद्यस्य सत्यस्यार्धमवाप्नुयात् ॥
M N Dutt Markandeya said If a thousand Horse sacrifices and Truth were weighed in the balance, I do not know whether the former would equal even half of the latter in weight.
भीष्म उवाच ।
१३.२३.१५
इत्युक्त्वा ते जग्मुराशु चत्वारोऽमिततेजसः ।
पृथिवी काश्यपोऽग्निश्च प्रकृष्टायुश्च भार्गवः ॥
M N Dutt Bhishma said Having spoken these words, those four persons, each of whom is gifted with immeasurable energy, viz., the goddess Earth, Kashyapa, Agni, and Bhrigu's son armed with weapons quickly went away.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
१३.२३.१६
यदिदं ब्राह्मणा लोके व्रतिनो भुञ्जते हविः ।
भुक्तं ब्राह्मणकामाय कथं तत्सुकृतं भवेत् ॥
M N Dutt Yudhishinira said If Brahmanas observing the vow of celibacy in this world eat, begging the same the offerings one makes during funeral rites, I ask can the shraddha be considered wellperformed if the performer actually makes over those offerings to such Brahmanas.
भीष्म उवाच ।
१३.२३.१७
आदिष्टिनो ये राजेन्द्र ब्राह्मणा वेदपारगाः ।
भुञ्जते ब्रह्मकामाय व्रतलुप्ता भवन्ति ते ॥
M N Dutt Bhishma said If, having practised the vow of Brahmacharya for the prescribed period (of twelve years) and acquired proficiency in the Vedas and their branches a Brahmana himself asks for the offerings made in Shraddhas and eats the same, he is considered to fall away from his vow. The Shraddha, however is not considered as sullied in any way.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
भीष्म उवाच ।
१३.२३.१९
अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोध आनृशंस्यं दमस्तथा ।
आर्जवं चैव राजेन्द्र निश्चितं धर्मलक्षणम् ॥
M N Dutt Bhishma said Abstention from injury to others, truthfulness, the absence of anger, mercy, selfcontrol and sincerity or candour, o king, are the marks of virtue.
१३.२३.२२
मेदानां पुल्कसानां च तथैवान्तावसायिनाम् ।
कृतं कर्माकृतं चापि रागमोहेन जल्पताम् ॥
M N Dutt He who gives such persons gold or gems or king or horses has to sink in hell and there live for ten years, on the faces of such person as live upon the flesh of dead kine and buffaloes, of men called Pukkasas, of others who live in the outskirts of cities and villages, and of men who give out under the influence of anger and folly, the acts and omissions of others.
१३.२३.२३
वैश्वदेवं च ये मूढा विप्राय ब्रह्मचारिणे ।
ददतीह न राजेन्द्र ते लोकान्भुञ्जतेऽशुभान् ॥
M N Dutt Those foolish men who do not give a Brahmana observant of the VOW of SBrahmacharya the offerings made in Shraddhas (unto one's deceased ancestors), have to proceed, O king, into regions of great misery.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
भीष्म उवाच ।
१३.२३.२५
ब्रह्मचर्यं परं तात मधुमांसस्य वर्जनम् ।
मर्यादायां स्थितो धर्मः शमः शौचस्य लक्षणम् ॥
M N Dutt Bhishma said I tell you, O son, that abstention from honey and meat is even superior to Brahmacharya. Virtue lies within boundaries. The best mark of virtue is Renunciation.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।
भीष्म उवाच ।
१३.२३.२७
काल्यमर्थं निषेवेत ततो धर्ममनन्तरम् ।
पश्चात्कामं निषेवेत न च गच्छेत्प्रसङ्गिताम् ॥
M N Dutt Bhishma said One should acquire riches the first part of his life. Then should one acquire virtue, and then enjoy pleasure. One should not, however, be addicted to any of these.
१३.२३.२९
अधिकारे यदनृतं राजगामि च पैशुनम् ।
गुरोश्चालीककरणं समं तद्ब्रह्महत्यया ॥
M N Dutt To utter untruth in a court of justice to behave deceitfully towards the king, to act falsely towards preceptors and elders, are considered as equivalent to Brahmanicide.
॥ इति १३.२३ ॥

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