78 - Scrubbing and cleaning the shrine of Shiva

Sūta said: 

1. O excellent sages, the holy shrine of Shiva should be scr- ubbed and cleaned by means of water filtered and purified with a cloth. Otherwise no Siddhi is attained. 

2. O leading sages, waters that have no foam, particularly from the rivers, should be taken. When filtered with a cloth they become pure and holy. 

3. Hence, O excellent brahmins, all divine holy rites should be performed by the purified wates for achieve the results in all rites. 

4. Waters are mixed with minute germs. By using the unfil- tered waters one attains the same sin as by killing them. 

5-6. O brahmins, householders adopt violent means always while sweeping or wiping, while using fire, threshing, pounding things or while fetching water. But one shall eschew violence. Non-violence is the greatest virtue to all living creatures. 

7. Hence, by all means one shall practise water purified by cloth. The meritorious and charitable gift of giving protection is the excellent of all charitable gifts. 

8-10. Hence, violence should be avoided always and at all places. All violent creatures do not harm a man who abstains from violence mentally, verbally and physically. They harass one who injures others. A man who abstains from violence obtains a crore times the benefit that one attains by gifting away the the worlds to one who has mastered the Vedas. Those who are engaged in the welfare of living beings, mentally, verbally and physically and those who follow the path pointed out by kindness go to the world of Rudes. 

11-15a. Those who protect persons of various sons like a loving master or with love as if they were their own sons and grandsons, go to the world of Rudra. Hence, by all means sprinkling should be performed by means of water filtered with a cloth. The ablution should be carried out particularly. Even by killing a single person in the premises of Shiva temple one attain, the sins that accrue from destroying the three worlds. But, excellent brahmins, violence to flowers⁶⁹⁹ must always be pursued for the worship of Shiva, violence to the animals⁷⁰⁰ for the sake of sacrifice. The chestisement of the wicked in the Kshatriya caste can be pursued. 

699-700. violence incurrcd by plucking flowers (pushpa-himsa) for Shiva's worship is not sinful, so also the slaughter of animals in propitiation of Shiva. 

V-19 (below) prohibits the slaughter of women in sacrifices implying thereby that man-slaughter(nara-vali) was a common practice. ST intervrets ‘striyah' as 'mānușha striyah' and explains that the restriction of slaughter did not apply to the female animals. ST. quotes a scriptural saying (shruti) in support of this view: "Sarasvatim Vašhām alabhets." 

15b-17a. In the case of yogins expounding the Brahman these rules regarding what is laid down and what is forbidden are not applicable. They shall not be killed even if they resort to forbidden things. Similarly, expounders of Brahman shall not be killed since they have eschewed all actions and taken to Sannyasa, even if at times thet die prone to sinful activities. 

17b-18 Women are holy one's as they are born of the family of Atri. Even when they are engaged in????? acts they should not be killed. They are to be worshipped always. By killing Atreyis one incurs a sin equal to the slaughter of a brahmin. 

19-20. Women from any caste should not be taken up for the Yajñas at any time, by anyone or in any place, O leading brahmins. Women engaged in sinful activities, whether they be dirty or beautiful, ugly or robed in ugly clothes should never be killed by men due to the suspicion that they may be Shiva. 

21. Those who pracuse the holy rites and conduct of life outside the pale of the Vedas, those who are excluded from the rites laid down in Shrutis and Smitis and those who are notorious as hereties should not be conversed with by the twice-born. 

22. They should neither be seen nor touched. After seeing them one should look at the sun. Still they should not be killed by kings or other creatures. 

23. O brahmins, by worshipping lord Shiva even for once, thanks to the contact with good men, a man attains Rudra's world. 

24. O excellent sages, all unkind persons become miserable. So also, all men who are devoid of devotion towards the great lord. 

25. Those who are devotees of Shiva, the lord of Devas, are fortunate. After enjoying pleasures here itself they become liberated. 

26. He minds of men are attached towards sons, wives and houses. Just as the minds of ascetics and sages are attached towards the primordial lord. But if men turn their minds to wards the lord at least once by chance the world of great Isha is not far for thein.