34 - Alarka’s Education -The exposition of Virtuous Custom

Sad-ach’ára.

Madálásá montions the benefits of the observance of Virtuous Custom which consists in the pursuit of righteousness, wealth and love- She mentions a large number of general rules regarding religious worship eating, social behaviour, private actions, and marriage-She gives general rules regarding the sacrifices, and describes the portions of the hand to be used therein-and mentions how one’s residence should be chosen. 

Madálasá spoke.

1       “Thus, my son, should the gods and pitris be worshipped a householder with the oblations to the gods and the oblations to the pitris; and with food should guests and kinsmen,

2 living creatures, all dependants, cattle, birds and ants, beggars and other petitioners be worshipped by the dweller in a

3 house, who observes the good customs and performs the mestic sacrifices, my child. He incurs sin if he neglects the periodic ceremonies.” 

Alarka spoke.

4       “Thou hast declared to me, mother, the threefold ceremonies to be observed by men, the perpetual, the occasional, and the

5 periodic.* I wish to hear, O lady who gladdenest thy family, about Virtuous Custom by practising which a man gains happiness in the next world and in this,” 

* Nitya, naimittika, and nitya-naimittika. 

Madálasá spoke.

6       “A householder must over maintain Virtuous Custom thoroughly: for one who has lost Virtuous custom has no happiness

7 hero or in the next world. Sacrifice, alma-giving and austerities do not tond to the welfare of a man here, who

8 habitually transgresses Virtuous custom. For a man who follows band custom does not find long life here. One must earnestly follow Virtuous custom; Virtuous custom destroys what is inauspicious. 

9 “I will expound to thee my son, the nature of that virtuous custom. Hear it from me with single mind, and oven so maintain it. 

10     “A householder who performs tho domestic sacrifices must strive to accomplish the three-fold objects of life: † in full success therein lies the householder’s own success here and in the

† Dharma, káma and artha. 

11 next world. With a quarter of his Wealth let him, master of himself, lay up a store for the next world; and with half let him support himself and perform the periodic śhráddhas;

12 and treating a quarter as his capital, he should increase it, by exerting himself on his own account. Thus, my son, Wealth

13 ought to be fruitful according to Virtuous custom. Similarly, a wise man must practise Righteousness in order to withstaud sin; and so also the third, Love, yields fruit here indeed on account

14 of the next world. And the third, Love, is not impeded through fear of diminution. Love also is said to be two-fold

15 from its not being opposed by this three-fold class. Let a man consider all these successive correlations. 

“Hear from me those opposite correlations, such as Righteousness, &c.

16 Righteousness aims at a succession of right eousness.* Righteousness is not destructive to one’s own Wealth. And Love is diverse from both; and those two agrain are diverse from it.

* Or, brings wealth as a consequence of righteousness. 

17     “At the Brahma moment a man should think of and ponde over Righteousness and Wealth, after rising up and rinsing out his mouth, standing towards the east, self-restrained,

18 pure: let him worship the twilight with the constellations is the east, the twilight with the sun in the west, as is right: he should not neglect it oven whea free from adversity.

19 “He should eschew conversation with the wicked, falsehood, and harsh speech, evil books, evil words and the homage of evil, my son.

20    “Evening and morning, with soul restrained he should offer the homa oblation, 

“He should not gaze up at the orb of the sun at sunrise on at sunset.

21 “He should look in a mirror in order to dress his hair; he should wash his teeth; and delight the gods in the very foremoon.

22 “He should not defecate or void urine in a path leading to the villages, to temples, to places of pilgrimage or to the fields, nor on cultivated ground, nor in a cattle-pen.

23 “He should not gaze at another’s wife naked. He should not look at his own ordure. He should avoid seeing, touching and talking with a woman in-her-courses. 

24 “He should not void urine, or defecate, or engage in sexual intercourse in water. 

25     “He should not step on ordure, urine, hair, ashes or potsherds: and a wise man should not step on husks, charcoal bones or decayed things, or on rope, clothing, &c., whether on a road, or on the earth.

26 “Moreover, a householder should do reverence to the pitris gods and mankind, and to living creatures, according to his

27 capability, and afterwards eat himself. And a man should always eat his food, facing the east or the north, with his mouth well rinsed out, restraining his speech, pure, with his mind intent on his food and with his face between his knees. 

28     “An intelligent man should not divulge another’s fault except in the event of injury. 

“Food should be avoided in which salt is visible, and which is very hot. 

29     “A man of self-control should not defecate nor void urine while walking or standing. 

“And he should not eat anything at all whilo rinsing out

30    his mouth. While he has remains of food in his mouth, he should not carry on any conversation and he should cease his reading, and he should not touch a cow, a bráhman, fire, or his own head: 

31     “Nor should he look at the sun or the moon or the constellations with passionate desire.* 

* Kámatás.

“And he should avoid a broken seat and bed and cup. 

32     “He should offer a seat to gurus, accompanying the offer with rising up and other respectful acts; and he should salute

33     them respectfully and converse with then agreeably; and he should follow them. He should not speak about them adversely. 

“And when clad in a single garment he should not eat nor engage in the worship of the gods. 

34 “An intelligent man should not carry dvijas, nor should he void urine in fire, nor should he over bathe or sleep naked. 

35     “And he should not scratch his head with both hands; nor

36 should men wash their heads frequently without cause. And when his head is wasbed he should not touch his body with oil at all. 

“And he should cease his own reading, when every one is abstaining from reading, 

37     “He should nover void urine against a bráhman, the wind, cattle or the sun; facing north by day, and facing south by

38 night, ho should do his voidance of urine and faeces during illaess† whenever be desires. 

† For abádháshu read ábádhásu, 

“He should not talk of his gurn’s evil-doing, and he show

39 appease him when angry. He should not listen to abuse when others utter it  

“And he should yield the path to brahmans, to the king, and

40 to one who is ill with pain, to his superior in learning, to pregnant woman, to a man labouring under a burden, to younger man, to the dumb, blind and deaf, to a drunken man

41 and to a mad man, to a prostitute, to an enemy, to a child and to an outcaste. 

“An intelligent man should respectfully circumambulate a

42 temple, and a fig-tree standing on a sacred spot, and a place where four roads meet, his superior in learning, a guru and a god. 

“He should not carry shoes, clothes, garlands &c. that others are carrying

43 “He should avoid the sacred thread, an ornament, and the water-pot on the fourteenth, eighth and fifteenth days of the

44 moon and at its four changes. Ho should also eschew rubbing his body with oil, and sexual intercourse with his wife on those days. 

“And a wise man should never stand with his foot or his leg

45 extended: nor should he throw out both his feet; nor should be press one foot on the other.

46 “He should eschew deadly attacks, abuse and calumny. A clever man should not display deceit, self-conceit, or sharpness. He should not disgrace with ridicule fools, insane persons,

47 or those in calamity, the deformed, or magicians, or those who have limbs deficient or superfluous. 

“He should not inflict punishment on another in order to instruct a son or dessciple.

48 “Likewise the wise man should not draw his seat toward him and sit down. 

“He should not prepare a cake, khichree or flesh for himself

49 He must have his food evening and morning, after doing reverence to his guests. 

“Facing eastwards or northwards, restraining his voice. he

50 should always wash his teeth, my child. 

“He should eschew the prohibited vegetables, 

51 “A man should certainly not sleep with his head to the north, nor with his head to the west; he should sleep, placing his head to the north east or east. 

“He should not bathe in perfumed water, nor at night; bathing

52 except by day is declared to be most potent for calamity; nor when he has not bathed, should he wipe his limbs with a

53 cloth or with his hands. Nor should he shake his hair, nor should be shake his clothes.* Nor should an intelligent man, when he has not bathed, ever apply unguents.

* For vasasi read vásámsi?

54 “Nor should he wear red clothing, nor even variegated or black clothing: nor should he make a complete change of his

55 clothing or in his ornaments. And transparent† raiment should be avoided, and also whatever is very much damaged, and whatever is infested with lice, or has been trampled on,

† For vidasam road vishadam? I do not find vidasha in the dictionary.

56 or has been looked at by dogs, and has been licked or thrown dows, or has been befouled by the extraction of pus. 

“He should never eat flesh from the back, or flesh unfit for

57 the gods and pitris, or prohibited flesh, my son, or things which are visibly salt. Food that is long stale or that is not

58 fresh must be avoided, my royal son, because of the changes that occur in flour, vegetables, sugarcane and milk; and meat long stale must be avoided, because of the change †† that occurs in it.

†† For vikárámshch’a read vikárác’ch’a? 

59     “He should avoid lying down at sunrise and sunset. 

“Not when unbathed, § nor when reposing, nor while thinking

60 of other things, nor when sitting on his bed or on the earth, nor when making a sound, § nor when clad in a single garment,

§ For shabdavat read shabdayan? 

61 nor when speaking, nor without giving to spectators, but when bathed a man should eat evening and morning according to rule. 

62     “A wise man should not resort to other men’s wives. Adultery destroys the religious acts and the life of man. Nothing 

63 indeed is so short-lived in the world, as a man’s intercourse with another’s wife here. 

“Let him perform the worship of the gods, and the cere

64 monies to fire, and the respectful salutation to his guru, and also the ceremony of eating his food, after duly rinsing out his

65 mouth. Facing eastwards or northwards he should reverently rinse out his mouth, my son, with frothless, inodorous, pure

66 and holy water. He should avoid the fivo earths from beneath water, from a habitation, from an ant-bill, from ground infested with mice, and where purificatory actions &c. hare been carried on. After washing his hands and feet and sprinkling water on them he should, with his face between his knees

67 and composed mind, rinse out his mouth. He should drink water three or four times after twice wiping the sides of his

68 mouth, tho apertures of the body, and his head. After duly ringing out his month with water, being pure, he should perform the ceremony to the gods, the rishis, and the pitris diligently

69. A man should always perform the ceremonies, preserving a composed mind. A wise man should rinse out his mouth, after he has sneezed, or spitten out, or donned his

70 raiment. After a sneeze, and licking, and a vomit, and spitting &c., he should rinse out his mouth, touch a cow’s back, and

71 look at the sun; and he should hold up his right ear, since this is in his power; in thc absence of the former, he should

72 do the latter; if the former bo wanting, it is desirable to do the latter. 

“He should not gnash his teeth, nor beat his own body.

73     “He should also avoid sleep, reading and food at both twilights; and sexual intercourse and setting out on a journes at the evening twilight.

74     “In the fore noon, dear son, he should in faith perform his worship to the gods, and at noon to men, and in the afternoon

75 to the pitris. And with head bathed, he should perform the ceremonies to the gods or the pitris. And he should trim his beard facing eastwards or northwards.

76 “He should eschew a maiden although well-born, if she is deformed, or sickly, or disfigured, or tawny-coloured, or talkative 

77 or contaminated by everybody. And one who is free from deformity, who has a beautiful nose, and is marked with all the auspicious marks-such a maiden as that should a man

78 always marry who desires welfare. He should marry one who is in the seventh or fifth degree distant from his parents: he should guard his wife, and he should shun jealousy, by day, in sleep and in sexual intercourse. 

79     “He should avoid a deed that causes pain* to others, and the infliction of pain on living creatures. 

“A woman, during menstruation, should be avoided by all

* Upa-tápaka; not in the dictionary.

80 the castes for fonr nights. He should avoid just the fifth night of the moon in order to avoid the birth of females: then let him approach his wife on the sixth night, that night is the

81 best among the even nights, my son. Sons are begotten on the even nights, daughters on the odd nights: therefore, a wise man who wishes for a son should always cohabit with his

82 wife on the even nights. Lawless men cohabit with their wives in the morning, and ennuchs at evening. 

“After shaving, and vomiting and sexual intercourse, my

83 son, the wise man should resort to the place where bodies are burn† and should bathe, keeping his clothes on. 

 “One should not revile or ridicule the gods, the Vedas,

†Kata-bhumi. 

84 or dvijas, good, truthful or magnanimous men, a guru, or devoted and virtuons wives, or persons who are sacrificing or 85 performing austerities, my son. One should never listen to those unmanannerly persons wlio do such things. 

“One should not mount on a high bed or seat, nor on a low one, 

86    “One should neither dress unbecomingly, nor speak unbecomingly. One should be clad in pure white raiment, and adorned with white flowers. 

87     “Neither with the haughty, nor with the insane, nor with fools, nor yet with the unmaunerly should a wise man form friendship; nor yet with those of bad disposition, nor yet with

88 those who are corrupted with thieving and other viccs, nor yot with spend-thrifts, nor with the covetous, nor yet with enemies nor with prostitutes, nor with inferiors, nor with the husbands

89 of prostitutes. He should never make friendship with the mighty, nor with inferiors, nor with reprobates, nor with the

90 ever-timid, nor yet with fatalists. He should contract friendship with good men, with those who always observe Virtuon custom, with the wise, with the honest, with the powerful with those who are resolute in action.

91     “In company with one’s friends, the initiated, the king Snátaka brahmans, and one’s father-in-law, one should do reverence to the Ritvij priest, and the five other venerable persons

92 and to guests. One should do reverence, my son, to dvijas, who have dwelt for a year, with an offering of hone and milk according to one’s ability and with alacrity at fitting

93 times. And the brahman who desires bliss should observe their governance, and if intelligent he should not contradict them even though always scolded by them.

94     “Having performed the household worship properly in th fitting place and in due order, he should next worship the fire

95 and offer it the oblations in due order. He should make the first offering to Brahmá, and then to to the prajá-pati, and the

96 third to the Guhyas, and the next to Kaśhyapa. Then havin offered to Anumati* he should next offer the household bali and the constant oblations, that I have already explained to

* The fifteenth day of the moon’s age, personified. 

97 thee, according to the ritual. Next he shonld make at the offering to the Vishva-devas, then the offerings to all creatures separately to the gods according to place and apportionment

98 And he should make the three oblations to Parjanya Dharitrís, and to Mánaka,† and to Váyu in every directions,

† This is said to Arum Indicum, the Beng. mán-kachu, the stems jubors of which are generally eaten (Roxb., p. 625). 

99 to the east and other regions of the sky in due order Brahmá, to the Air and to the Sun in order, and to the Vishvadevas

100 and to all beings; and then he should offer Dawn, and to Shiva northwards; and southwards to the pitris,

101 exclaiming ‘Svadhá, reverence!’ Having done it on the right and to the north west, saying, ‘O Yakshma,* this is for hee!’ he should, if he wishes, offer the remains of the food

*Pulmonary disease.        

102 and the water from the vessel according to the rule. Then taking up the first part of the food, he should offer it with the benediction Hanta to the brahman according to the rule and justice. 

103            “He should perform the ceremonies to the gods and other objects of worship, with each one’s special portion of the hand according to rule; and he should perform the ceremony of rinsing out the mouth with the portion of the hand sacred to Brahmá.

104 This is called the portion of the hand sacred to Brahmá for the purpose of rinsing out the mouth, viz., a line drawn to the

105 left of the thumb of the right hand. The pitris’ portion of the hand is said to be the part between the forefinger and the thumb; by that he should offer the water and other oblations

106 to the pitris, except in the nándi-mukha śhráddha. And he gods’ portion of the hand is at the tips of the fingers; the ritual of ceremonies to the gods should be performed there with. The prajá-pati’s portion of the hand is at the root of he little finger, his ceremony must be performed† therewith.

† Read karyam for kayam?

107 Thus always with these portions of the hand sacred to the gods and pitris, he should always perform the ceremonies,

108 never with any other portion of the hand. It is properal. always to rinse out the month with the portion of the hand scred to Brahmá; and to offer the oblation to the pitris with the portion of the hand sacred to the pitris; and that to the gods with the portion of the hand sacred to the gods; and the offering to the prajá-pati with his own portion of the hand. 

109 A wise man should perform the cake-and-water ceremony to he nándi-mukha ancestors, and whatever is offered to the praja-pati, with the portion of the hand sacred to the prajá-pati 

110   “A sensible man should not carry water and fire at the same me; nor should he thrust out both his feet towards guru the gods. 

111    “He should not look at a heifer sucking. 

“He should not drink water with the hands joined together. 

“At all periods of personal purification whether important

112 or unimportant, he should not delay for the sake of purifcation: 

“He should not blow the fire with his mouth. 

“One ought not to take up one’s abode, my son, where

113 four things do not exist, viz., a person who pays debts, and physician, a brahman learned in the Vedas, and a river full of water. Where there is a king who has vanquished his

114 foes, who is powerful, and who is devoted to righteousness there should a wise man always dwell: whence can come happiness, when the king is worthless? Where the king is

115 unassailable, where the earth is prolific, where the citizez are well governed and always practise justice, where folk are

116 charitable, there does residence bestow happiness. In country where the husbandmen are not generally gluttonous and where all medicinal herbs are procurable, there should a

117 sensible man dwell. One ought not, my son, to dwell there where things are constant, a person desirous conquering, and a former enemy, and folk who are always

118 holding festival. A wise man should always dwell among good-tempored neighbours. 

“Thus, my son, haro I, thy well-wisher, expounded this thee.”