"'Bhishma said, "The Rishis there assembled, together with the Pitris and
the deities, then, with concentrated attention, questioned Arundhati (the
spouse of Vasishtha) who was endued with great ascetic merit. Possessed
of abundant wealth of penances, Arundhati was equal to her husband, the
high-souled Vasishtha in energy for in both vows and conduct she was her
husband's equal. Addressing her they said, 'We desire to hear from thee
the mysteries of duty and religion. It behoveth thee, O amiable lady, to
tell us what thou regardest as a high mystery.'
"'"Arundhati said, 'The great progress I have been able to achieve in
penances is due to your consideration for me in thus remembering my poor
self. With your gracious permission I shall now discourse on duties that
are eternal, on duties that are high mysteries. I shall discourse thereon
with the causes on which they depend. Listen to me as I discourse to you
elaborately. A knowledge of these should be imparted unto him only that
is possessed of faith or that has a pure heart. These four, viz., he that
is bereft of faith, he that is full of pride, he that is guilty of
Brahmanicide, and he that violates the bed of his preceptor, should never
be talked to. Religion and duty should never be communicated unto them.
The merits acquired by a person who gives away a Kapila cow every day for
a period of two and ten years, or by a person who adores the deities
every month in a sacrifice, or by him who gives away hundreds of
thousands of kine in the great Pushkara, do not come up to those that are
his with whom a guest is gratified. Listen now to another duty whose
observance is fraught with happiness to mankind. It should be observed
with its secret ritual by a person endued with faith. Its merits are
certainly high. Listen to what they are. If a person, rising at early
dawn and taking with him a quantity of water and a few blades of Kusa
grass, proceeds into a cow-pen and arriving there washes a cow's horns by
sprinkling thereon that water with those blades of Kusa grass and then
causes the water to drip down on his own head, he is regarded, in
consequence of such a bath, as one that has performed his ablutions in
all the sacred waters that the wise have heard to exist in the three
worlds and that are honoured and resorted to by Siddhas and Charanas.'
After Arundhati had said these words, all the deities and Pitris
applauded her, saying, 'Excellent, Excellent,' Indeed, all the beings
there were highly gratified and all of them worshipped Arundhati.
"'"Brahman said, 'O highly blessed one, excellent is the duty that thou
hast enunciated, together with its secret ritual. Praise be to thee! I
grant thee this boon, viz., that thy penances will continually increase!'
"'"Yama said, 'I have heard from thee an excellent and agreeable discourse.
Listen now to what Chitragupta has said and what is agreeable to me.
Those words relate to duty with its secret ritual, and are worthy of
being heard by the great Rishis, as also by men endued with faith and
desirous of achieving their own good. Nothing is lost of either piety or
sin that is committed by creatures. On days of the full moon and the new
moon, those acts are conveyed to the sun where they rest. When a mortal
goes into the region of the dead, the deity of the sun bears witness to
all his acts. He that is righteous acquires the fruits of his
righteousness there. I shall now tell you of some auspicious duties that
are approved by Chitragupta. Water for drink, and lamps for lighting
darkness, should always be given, as also sandals and umbrellas and
Kapila kine with due rites. In Pushkara especially should one make the
gift of a Kapila cow unto a Brahmana conversant with the Vedas. One
should also always maintain one's Agnihotra with great care. Here is
another duty which was proclaimed by Chitragupta. It behoveth them that
are the best of creatures to listen to what the merits are of that duty
separately. In course of time, every creature is destined to undergo
dissolution. They that are of little understanding meet with great
distress in the regions of the dead, for they become afflicted by hunger
and thirst. Indeed, they have to rot there, burning in pain. There is no
escape for them from such calamity. They have to enter into a thick
darkness. I shall now tell you of those duties by performing which one
may succeed in crossing such calamity. The performance of those duties
costs very little but is fraught with great merit. Indeed, such
performance is productive of great happiness in the other world. The
merits that attach to the gift of water for drink are excellent. In the
next world in especial, those merits are very high. For them that make
gifts of water for drink there is ordained in the other world a large
river full of excellent water. Indeed, the water contained in that river
is inexhaustible and cool and sweet as nectar. He who makes gifts of
water in this world drinks from that stream in the world hereafter when
he goes thither. Listen now to the abundant merits that attach to the
giving of lamps. The man who gives lamps in this world has never to even
behold the thick darkness (of Hell). Soma and Surya and the deity of fire
always give him their light when he repairs to the other world. The
deities ordain that on every side of such a person there should be
blazing light. Verily, when the giver of lights repairs to the world of
the dead, he himself blazes forth in pure effulgence like a second Surya.
Hence, one should give lights while here and water for drink in especial.
Listen now to what the merits are of the person who makes the gift of a
Kapila cow to a Brahmana conversant with the Vedas, especially if the
gift be made in Pushkara. Such a man is regarded as having made a gift of
a hundred kine with a bull, a gift that is productive of eternal merit.
The gift of a single Kapila cow is capable of cleansing whatever sins the
giver may be guilty of even if those sins be as grave. Brahmanicide, for
the gift of a single Kapila cow is regarded as equal in point of merit to
that of a hundred kine. Hence, one should give away a Kapila cow at that
Pushkara which is regarded as the senior (of the two Tirthas known by
that name) on the day of the full moon in the month of Karttika. Men that
succeed in making such a gift have never to encounter distress of any
kind, or sorrow, or thorns giving pain. That man who gives away a pair of
sandals unto a superior Brahmana that is deserving of the gift, attains
to similar merits. By giving away an umbrella a person obtains
comfortable shade in the next world. (He will not have to be exposed to
the sun). A gift made to a deserving person is never lost. It is certain
to produce agreeable consequences to the giver.' Hearing these opinions
of Chitragupta, Surya's hairs stood on their ends. Endued with great
splendour, he addressed all the deities and the Pitris, saying 'Ye have
heard the mysteries relating to duty, as propounded by the high-souled
Chitragupta. Those human beings who, endued with faith, make these gifts
unto high-souled Brahmanas, become freed from fear of every kind. These
five kinds of men, stained with vicious deeds, have no escape. Verily, of
sinful behaviour and regarded as the worst of men, they should never be
talked to. Indeed they should always be avoided. Those five are he who is
the slayer of a Brahmana, he who is the slayer of a cow, he who is
addicted to sexual congress with other people's wives, he who is bereft
of faith (in the Vedas), and he who derives his sustenance by selling the
virtue of his wife. These men of sinful conduct, when they repair to the
region of the dead, rot in hell like worms that live upon pus and blood.
These five are avoided by the Pitris, the deities, the Snataka Brahmanas,
and other regenerate persons that are devoted to the practice of
penances.'"'"