to one’s pleasure and happiness. Righteous
men of righteous deeds should make such gifts, impelled
by the motive that it is their duty to act in that
way and not from desire of reaping any rewards therefrom.
Verily good men should act in this way so that the
virtuous men described above might not, O Yudhishthira,
feel any disinclination to accept those gifts sanctified
by devotion and faith. There are persons bathed
in learning and bathed in vows. Without depending
upon anybody they obtain their means of subsistence.
These Brahmanas of rigid vows are devoted to Vedic
study and penances without proclaiming their practices
to any one. Whatever gifts thus mayst make unto
those persons of pure behaviour, of thorough mastery
over their senses, and always contented with their
own wedded spouses in the matter of desire, are sure
to win for thee a merit that will accompany thee into
all the worlds into which thou mayst go. One
reaps the same merit by making gifts unto regenerate
persons of restrained souls which one wins by properly
pouring libations unto the sacred fire morning and
evening. Even this is the sacrifice spread out
for thee,—a sacrifice that is sanctified
by devotion and faith and that is endued with Dakshina.
It is distinguished above all other sacrifices.
Let that sacrifice ceaselessly flow from thee as thou
givest away.[320] Performed in view of such men, O
Yudhishthira, a sacrifice in which the water that
is sprinkled for dedicating gifts constitutes the
oblations in honour of the Pitris, and devotion and
worship rendered unto such superior men, serves to
free one of the debts one owes to the deities.[321]
Those persons that do not yield to wrath and that
never desire to take even a blade of grass belonging
to others, as also they that are of agreeable speech,
deserve to receive from us the most reverent worship.
Such persons and others (because free from desire)
never pay their regards to the giver. Nor do they
strive for obtaining gifts. They should, however,
be cherished by givers as they cherish their own sons.
I bend my head unto them. From them also both
Heaven and Hell may become one’s.[322] Ritwiks
and Purohitas and preceptors, when conversant with
the Vedas and when behaving mildly towards disciples,
become such. Without doubt, Kshatriya energy loses
its force upon a Brahmana when it encounters him.
Thinking that thou art a king, that thou art possessed
of great power, and that thou hast affluence, do not,
O Yudhishthira, enjoy thy affluence without giving
anything unto the Brahmanas. Observing the duties
of thy own order, do thou worship the Brahmanas with
whatever wealth thou hast, O sinless one, for purposes
of adornment or sustaining thy power. Let the
Brahmanas live in whatever way they like. Thou
shouldst always bend thy head unto them with reverence.
Let them always rejoice in thee as thy children, living
happily and according to their wishes. Who else
than thou, O best of the Kurus, is competent to provide