"'"'Uma said, "By what disposition, what conduct, what acts, and what
gifts, does a man succeed in attaining to Heaven?"
"'"'Maheswara said, "He who is endued with a liberal disposition, who
honours Brahmanas and treats them with hospitality, who makes gifts of
food and drink and robes and other articles of enjoyment unto the
destitute, the blind, and the distressed, who makes gifts of houses,
erects halls (for use of the public), digs wells, constructs shelters
whence pure and cool water is distributed (during the hot months unto
thirsty travellers), excavates tanks, makes arrangements for the free
distribution of gifts every day, gives to all seekers what each solicits,
who makes gifts of seats and beds and conveyances, wealth, jewels and
gems, houses, all kinds of corn, kine, fields, and women,--verily, he who
always makes these gifts with a cheerful heart, becomes a denizen, O
goddess, of Heaven. He resides there for a long period, enjoying diverse
kinds of superior articles. Passing his time happily in the company of
the Apsaras, he sports in the woods of Nandana and other delightful
regions. After the exhaustion of his merits he falls down from Heaven and
takes birth in the order of humanity, in a family, O goddess, that is
possessed of wealth in abundance and that has a large command of every
article of enjoyments. In that life he becomes endued with all articles
for gratifying his wishes and appetites. Indeed, blessed with the
possession of such articles, he becomes endued with affluence and a
well-filled treasury. The self-born Brahman himself declared it in days
of old that it is even such persons, O goddess, that become highly
blessed and possessed of liberal dispositions and agreeable features.
There are others, O goddess, that are incapable of making gifts. Endued
with small understandings, they cannot make gifts even when solicited by
Brahmanas and possessed of abundant wealth. Beholding the destitute, the
blind, the distressed, and mendicants, and even guests arrived at their
abodes, those persons, always filled with the desire of gratifying the
organ of taste, turn away, even when expressly solicited by them. They
never make gifts of wealth or robes, or viands, or gold, or kine, or any
kind of food. Those men who are disinclined to relieve the distress of
others, who are full of cupidity, who have no faith in the scriptures,
and who never make gifts,--verily, these men of little understanding, O
goddess, have to sink in Hell. In course of time, when their sufferings
in Hell come to an end, they take birth in the order of humanity, in
families that are entirely destitute of wealth. Always suffering from
hunger and thirst, excluded from all decent society, hopeless of ever
enjoying good things, they lead lives of great wretchedness. Born in
families that are destitute of all articles of enjoyment, these men never
succeed in enjoying the good things of the world. Indeed, O goddess, it
is through their acts that persons become wretched and poor. There are
others who are full of arrogance and pride caused by the possession of
riches. Those senseless wretches never offer seats to those that deserve
such an offer. Endued with little understandings they do not give way to
them that deserve such an honour.[575] Nor do they give water for washing
the feet to persons unto whom it should be given. Indeed, they do not
honour, agreeably to the ordinance, with gifts of the Arghya, such
persons as deserve to be honoured therewith. They do not offer water for
washing the mouth unto such as deserve to have that honour. They do not
treat their very preceptors, when the latter arrive at their houses, in
the manner in which preceptors should be treated. Living in cupidity and
arrogance, they refuse to treat their seniors and aged men with love and
affection, even insulting those that deserve to be honoured and asserting
their superiority over them without showing reverence and humility. Such
men, O goddess, sink in Hell. When their sufferings come to an end after
a long course of years, they rise from Hell, and take birth in the order
of humanity, in low and wretched families. Indeed, they who humiliate
their preceptors and seniors, have to take their birth in such castes as
those of Swapakas and Pukkasas who are exceedingly vile and bereft of
intelligence. He who is not arrogant or filled with pride, who is a
worshipper of the deities and Brahmanas, who enjoys the respect of the
world, who bows to every one that deserves his reverence, who utters
smooth and sweet words, who benefits persons of all orders, who is always
devoted to the good of all beings, who does not feel aversion for
anybody, who is sweet-tongued, who is an utterer of agreeable and cooling
words, who gives way to one that deserves to have way, who adores his
preceptors in the manner in which preceptors deserve to be adored, who
welcomes all creatures with proper courtesy, who does not hear ill will
towards any creature, who lives, worshipping seniors and guests with such
honours as they deserve, who is ever bent upon securing as many guests as
possible, and who worships all who honour his house with their presence,
succeeds, O goddess, in ascending to Heaven. Upon the exhaustion of his
merit, he takes birth in the order of humanity in a high and respectable
family. In that life he becomes possessed of all articles of enjoyment in
abundance and jewels and gems and every kind of wealth in profusion. He
gives unto deserving persons what they deserve. He becomes devoted to the
observance of every duty and every act of righteousness. Honoured by all
creatures and receiving their reverence, he obtains the fruits of his own
acts. Even such a person acquires a high lineage and birth in this world.
This that I have recited to thee was said by the Ordainer (Brahman)
himself in days of old. That man who is fierce in conduct, who inspires
terror in all creatures, who injures other beings with hands or feet or
cords or sticks, or brick-bats or clods of hard clay, or other means of
wounding and paining, O beautiful lady, who practises diverse kinds of
deceit for slaying living creatures or vexing them, who pursues animals
in the chase and causes them to tremble in fear,--verily, that man, who
conducts himself in this way, is certain to sink in Hell. If in course of
time he takes birth in the order of humanity, he is obliged to be born in
a low and wretched race or family that is afflicted with impediments of
every kind on every side. He becomes an object of aversion to all the
world. Wretched among men, he becomes so through the consequence of his
own acts. Another, who is possessed of compassion, casts his eye on all
creatures. Endued with a friendly vision, behaving towards all creatures
as if he were their father, divested of every hostile feeling, with all
his passions under complete control, he never vexes any creature and
never inspires them with fear by means of his hands or feet which are
always under his control. He inspires the confidence of all beings. He
never afflicts any creature with either cords or clubs or brick-bats or
clods of hard earth or weapons of any kind. His deeds are never fierce or
cruel, and he is full of kindness. One who is endued with such practices
and conduct certainly ascend to Heaven. There he lives like a god in a
celestial mansion abounding with every comfort. If, upon the exhaustion
of his merit, he has to take birth in the order of humanity, he becomes
born as a man that has not to fight with difficulties of any kind or to
encounter any fear. Indeed, he enjoys great happiness. Possessed of
felicity, without the obligation of undergoing distressing labour for his
subsistence, he lives freed from every kind of anxiety. Even this, O
goddess, is the path of the righteous. In it there are no impediments or
afflictions."
"'"'Uma said, "In the world some men are seen well-versed in inferences and
the premises leading to them. Indeed, they are possessed of science and
knowledge, have large progeny, and are endued with learning and wisdom.
Others, O god, are destitute of wisdom, science, and knowledge, and are
characterised by folly. By what particular acts does a person become
possessed of wisdom? By what acts, again, does one become possessed of
little wisdom and distorted vision? Do thou dispel this doubt of mine, O
thou that art the foremost of all beings conversant with duties. Others
there are, O god, that are blind from the moment of their birth. Others
there are that are diseased and afflicted and impotent. Do thou, O god,
tell me the reason of this."
"'"'Maheswara said, "Those men that always enquire, about what is for their
benefit and what is to their detriment, Brahmanas learned in the Vedas,
crowned with success, and conversant with all duties, that avoid all
kinds of evil deeds and achieve only such deeds as are good, succeed in
ascending to Heaven after departing from this world and enjoy great
happiness as long as they live here. Indeed, upon the exhaustion of their
merit when they take birth in the order of humanity, they become born as
men possessed of great intelligence. Every kind of felicity and
auspiciousness becomes theirs in consequence of that intelligence with
which they are born. Those men of foolish understandings who cast wicked
eyes upon the wedded spouses of other men, become cursed with congenital
blindness in consequence of that sinfulness of theirs. Those men who,
impelled by desire in their hearts, cast their eyes on naked women, those
men of wicked deeds take birth in this world to pass their whole lives in
one continuous disease. Those men of foolish and wicked deeds who indulge
in sexual congress with women of orders different from their own,--those
men of little wisdom,--have to take birth in their next lives as persons
destitute of virility. Those men who cause animals to be slain, and those
who violate the beds of their preceptors, and those who indulge
promiscuously in sexual congress, have to take birth in their next lives
as persons destitute of the virile power."
"'"'Uma said, "What acts, O foremost of the deities, are faulty, and what
acts are faultless? What, indeed, are those acts by doing which a man
succeeds in attaining to what is for your highest good?"
"'"'Maheswara said, "That man who is desirous of ascertaining what is
righteousness, and who wishes to acquire prominent virtues and
accomplishments, and who always puts questions to the Brahmanas with a
view to find out the path that leads to his highest good, succeed in
ascending to Heaven. If (after exhaustion of his merit) he takes birth in
the order of humanity, he becomes endued with intelligence and memory and
great wisdom. This, O goddess, is the line of conduct that the righteous
are to follow and that is fraught with great benefit. I have told thee of
it for the good of human beings."
"'"'Uma said, "There are men who hate righteousness and who are possessed
of little understanding. They never wish to approach Brahmanas conversant
with the Vedas. There are others who are observant of vows and who are
devoted to the duty of performing Sraddhas. Others, again, are destitute
of all vows. They are unmindful of observance and are like Rakshasas in
conduct. Some there are who are devoted to the performance of sacrifices
and some who are unmindful of the Homa. Through the consequences of what
acts do men become possessed of These different natures?"
"'"'Maheswara said, "Through the Vedas, the limits have been assigned of
all the acts of human beings. Those men that conduct themselves according
to the authority of the Vedas, are seen (in their next lives) to become
devoted to the observance of vows. Those men, however, who having become
subject to the sway of folly accept unrighteousness for its reverse,
become destitute of vows, transgress all restraints, and come to be
regarded as Brahmarakshasas. Indeed, it is these men that become
unmindful of the Homa, that never utter the Vashat and other sacred
Mantras, and that come to be regarded as the lowest and vilest of men.
Thus, O goddess, have I explained to thee the entire ocean of duties in
respect of human beings for the sake of removing thy doubts, not omitting
the sins of which they become guilty."'"'"