and curds and ghee and the sacred day of the new moon,
and the meat of wild animals such as deer and others.[222]
Upon the completion of a Sraddha performed by a Brahmana
the word Swadha should be uttered. If performed
by a Kshatriya the words that should be uttered are—Let
thy Pitris be gratified.—Upon the completion
of a Sraddha performed by a Vaisya, O Bharata, the
words that should be uttered are—Let everything
become inexhaustible.—Similarly, upon the
conclusion of a Sraddha performed by a Sudra, the word
that should be uttered is Swasti,—In respect
of a Brahmana, the declaration regarding Punyaham
should be accompanied with the utterance of the syllable
Om. In the case of a Kshatriya, such declaration
should be without the utterance of syllable Om.
In the rites performed by a Vaisya, the words that
should be uttered, instead of beings the syllable
Om, are,—Let the deities be gratified.[223]—Listen
now to me as I tell thee the rites that should be
performed, one after another, conformably to the ordinances,
(in respect of all the orders). All the rites
that go by the name of Jatakarma, O Bharata, are indispensable
in the case of all the three orders (that are regenerate).
All these rites, O Yudhishthira, in the case of both
Brahmanas and Kshatriyas as also in that of Vaisyas
are to be performed with the aid of mantras.
The girdle of a Brahmana should be made of Munja grass.
That for one belonging to the royal order should be
a bowstring. The Vaisya’s girdle should
be made of the Valwaji grass. Even this is what
has been laid down in the scriptures. Listen now
to me as I expound to thee what constitutes the merits
and faults of both givers and recipients of gifts.
A Brahmana becomes guilty of a dereliction of duty
by uttering a falsehood. Such an act on his part
is sinful. A Kshatriya incurs four times and
a Vaisya eight times the sin that a Brahmana incurs
by uttering a falsehood. A Brahmana should not
eat elsewhere, having been previously invited by a
Brahmana. By eating at the house of the person
whose invitation has been posterior in point of time,
he becomes inferior and even incurs the sin that attaches
to the slaughter of an animal on occasions other than
those of sacrifices.[224] So also, if he eats elsewhere
after having been invited by a person of the royal
order or a Vaisya, he falls away from his position
and incurs half the sin that attaches to the slaughter
of an animal on occasions other than those of sacrifices.
That Brahmana, O king, who eats on occasions of such
rites as are performed in honour of the deities or
the Pitris by Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaisyas,
without having performed his ablutions, incurs the
sin of uttering an untruth for a cow. That Brahmana,
O king, who eats on occasions of similar rites performed
by persons belonging to the three higher orders, at
a time when he is impure in consequence either of a
birth or a death among his cognates, through temptation,
knowing well that he is impure incurs the same sin.[225]