युधिष्ठिर उवाच अर्धमस्य गतिर्ब्रह्मन् कथिता मे त्वयाऽनघ। धर्मस्य तु गतिं श्रोतुमिच्छामि वदतां वर॥
Yudhishthira said You have told me, O twiceborn one, what the end is of virtue or sin, I wish now to hear, O foremost of speakers, of what the end is of virtue.
कृत्वा कर्माणि पापानि कथं यान्ति शुभां गतिम्। कर्मणा च कृतेनेह केन यान्ति शुभां गतिम्॥
Having committed various sinful deeds, by what acts do people succeed in acquiring an auspicious end in this world? By what acts also, do people acquire auspicious end in the celestial region?
बृहस्पतिरुवाच कृत्वा पापानि कर्माणि अधर्मवशमागतः। मनसा विपरीतेन निरयं प्रतिपद्यते॥
Brihaspati said By committing sinful deeds with perverted mind, one gives way to the influence of sin, and accordingly goes to Hell.
मोहादधर्मं यः कृत्वा पुनः समनुतप्यते। मन:समाधिसंयुक्तो न स सेवेते दुष्कृतम्॥ यथा यथा मनस्तस्य दुष्कृतं कर्म गर्हते। तथा तथा शरीर तु तेनाधर्मेण मुच्यते॥
That man who having perpetrated sinful deeds through stupefaction of mind, feels the pangs of repentance and sets his heart on meditation (of the deity), has not to suffer the consequences of his sins. One becomes freed from his sins inasmuch as he repents for them.
यदि व्याहरते राजन् विप्राणां धर्मवादिनाम्। ततोऽधर्मकृतात् क्षिप्रमवादात् प्रमुच्यते॥
If one having committed a sin, O king, mentions it before Brahmanas conversant with a duties, he speedily becomes freed from the obloquy arising from his sin.
यथा यथा नरः सम्यगधर्ममनुभाषते। समाहितेन मनसा विमुच्येत तथा तथा। भुजङ्ग इव निर्मोकात् पूर्वमुक्ताज्जरान्वितात्॥
Accordingly as one mentions his sins, fully or otherwise, with concentrated mind, he becomes cleansed there from fully or otherwise, like a snake freed from his diseased slough.
दत्त्वा विप्रस्य दानानि विविधानि समाहितः। मन:समाधिसंयुक्तः सुगति प्रतिपद्यते॥
By making with a concentrated mind, gifts of various kinds to Brahmana, and concentrating the mind (on the deity), one attains to an auspicious end.
प्रदानानि तु वक्ष्यामि यानि दत्त्वा युधिष्ठिर। नरः कृत्वाप्यकार्याणि ततो धर्मेण युज्यते॥
I shall now tell you what those gifts are, o Yudhishthira, by making which a person, even if guilty of having committed sinful deeds, may become gifted with merit.
सर्वेषामेव दानानामन्नं श्रेष्ठमुदाहृतम्। पूर्वमन्नं प्रदातव्यमृजुना धर्ममिच्छता॥
Of all kinds of gifts, that of food is considered as the best. One desirous of acquiring merit should, with a sincere heart, make gifts of food.
प्राणा ह्यन्नं मनुष्याणां तस्माज्जन्तुश्च जायते। अन्ने प्रतिष्ठितो लोकस्तस्मादनं प्रशस्यते॥
Food is the vital air of men. From it all creatures originate. All the worlds of living creatures are established upon food. Hence food is highly spoken of.
अन्नमेव प्रशंसन्ति देवर्षिपितृमानवाः। अन्नस्य हि प्रदानेन रन्तिदेवो दिवं गतः॥
The deities Rishis, departed manes, and men, all praise food. Formerly king Rantideva, proceeded to the celestial region by making gifts of food.
न्यायलब्धं प्रदातव्यं द्विजातिभ्योऽन्नमुत्तमम्। स्वाध्यायं समुपेतेभ्यः प्रहृष्टेनान्तरात्मना॥
Good food that has been acquired by fair means, should be given with a cheerful heart, lo Brahmanas possessed of Vedic learning.
यस्य ह्यन्नमुपाश्नन्ति ब्राह्मणानां शतं दशं। हृष्टेन मनसा दत्तं न स तिर्यग्गतिर्भवेत्॥
That man, whose food, given with a cheerful heart, is taken by a is taken by a thousand Brahmanas, has never to take birth in an intermediate order.
ब्राह्मणानां सहस्राणि दश भोज्य नरर्षभ। नरोऽधर्मात् प्रमुच्येत योगेष्वभिरतः सदा॥
A person, O king, by feeding ten thousand Brahmanas, becomes cleansed of sin and devoted to Yoga practices.
भैक्ष्येणान्नं समाहृत्य विप्रो वेदपुरस्कृतः। स्वाध्यायनिरते विप्रे दत्त्वेह सुखमेधते॥
A Brahmana knowing the Vedas, by giving away food acquired by him as alms, to a Brahmana devoted to the study of the Vedas, succeeds in acquiring happiness here.
अहिंसन् ब्राह्मणस्वानि न्यायेन परिपाल्य च। क्षत्रियस्तरसा प्राप्तमन्नं यो वै प्रयच्छति॥ द्विजेभ्यो वेदवृद्धेभ्यः प्रयत: सुसमाहितः। तेनोपोहति धर्मात्मन् दुष्कृतं कर्म पाण्डव॥
That Kshatriya who, without taking anything belonging to a Brahmana, protects his subjects lawfully, and makes gifts of food, obtained by his strength. to Brahmanas foremost in Vedic knowledge, with concentrated heart, succeeds by such conduci, O you of righteous soul in cleansing himself, O son of Pandu, of all his sinful deeds.
षड्भागपरिशुद्धं च कृपेर्भागमुपार्जितम्। वैश्यो ददद् द्विजातिभ्यः पापेभ्यः परिमुच्यते॥
Thai Vaishya who divides the produce of his fields into six equal parts and makes of gift a one of those shares to Brahmanas, succeeds by such conduct in cleansing himself from every sin.
अवाप्य प्राणसंदेहं कार्कश्येन समार्जितम्। अन्नं दत्त्वा द्विजातिभ्यः शूद्रः पापात्प्रमुच्यते॥
That Shudra who acquiring food by hard labour and at the risk of life itself, makes a gift of it to Brahmanas, becomes purged off of every sin.
औरसेन बलेनान्नमर्जयित्वाविहिंसकः। यः प्रयच्छति विप्रेभ्यो न स दुर्गाणि पश्यति॥
That man who, by dint of his physical strength acquires food without doing any act of injury to any creature, and makes gift of it to Brahmanas, succeeds in avoiding all calamities.
न्यायेनैवाप्तमन्नं तु नरो हर्षसमन्वितः। द्विजेभ्यो वेदवृद्धेभ्यो दत्त्वा पापात् प्रमुच्यते॥
A person by cheerfully making gifts of food acquired by fair means to Brahmans pereminent for Vedic learning, becomes purged off of all his sins.
अन्नपूर्जस्करं लोके दत्त्वोर्जस्वी भवेन्नरः। सतां पन्थानमावृत्य सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते॥
By treading in the path of the pious, one becomes freed from all sins, A person by making gifts of such food as creates great energy becomes himself endued with great energy.
दानवद्भिः कृतः पन्था येन यान्ति मनीषिणः। ते हि प्राणस्य दातारस्तेभ्यो धर्मः सनातनः॥
The path made by charitable persons, is always trod by the wise. They who make gifts of food, are considered as givers of life. The merit they acquire by such gifts, is eternal.
सर्वावस्थं मनुष्येण न्यायेनान्नमुपार्जितम्। कार्यं पात्रागतं नित्यमन्नं हि परमा गतिः॥
Hence, person should, under all circumstances, seek to acquire food by fair means, and having got it to make always gifts of it to worthy men. Food is the great support of living creatures.
अन्नस्य हि प्रदानेन नरो रौद्रं न सेवते। तस्मादन्नं प्रदातव्यमन्यायपरिवर्जितम्॥
By making gifts of food, one has never to go to hell. Hence one should always make gifts of food, having got it by fair means. a
यतेद् ब्राह्मणपूर्वं हि भोक्तुमन्नं गृही सदा। अवन्ध्यं दिवसं कुर्यादन्नदानेन मानवः॥
The householder should always try to eat after having made a gift of food to a Brahmana. Every man should make the day fruitful by making gifts of food.
भोजयित्वा दशशतं नरो वेदविदां नृप। न्यायविद्धर्मविदुषामितिहासविदां तथा॥ न याति नरकं घोरं संसारांश्च न सेवते। सर्वकामसमायुक्तः प्रेत्य चाप्यश्नुते सुखम्॥
A person by feeding, O king a thousand Brahmanas who are all conversant with duties and the scriptures and the sacred histories, has not to go to Hell and to return to this world for going through rebirths. Gifted with the fruition of every desire he enjoys great happiness in the next world.
एवं खलु समायुक्तो रमते विगतज्वरः। रूपवान् कीर्तिमांश्चैव धनवांश्चोपपद्यते॥
Gifted with such merit, he sports in happiness, freed from every anxiety, possessed of personal beauty and great fame and endued with wealth.
एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातमन्नदानफलं महत्। मूलमेतत् तु धर्माणां प्रदानानां च भारता॥
I have thus told you all about the great merit of gifts of food. This is the root of all virtue and merit, as also of all gifts, O Bharata.