Parashara on Giving, Debts and the Sacred Fires

Verse 1 (12.298.1)

कः कस्य चोपकुरुते कश्च कस्मै प्रयच्छति । प्राणी करोत्ययं कर्म सर्वमात्मार्थमात्मना ॥

kaḥ kasya copakurute kaśca kasmai prayacchati | prāṇī karotyayaṃ karma sarvamātmārthamātmanā

Who does good to whom, and who gives to whom? A creature does every act for himself, by himself.

Note on the text: Adhyaya note: the page is the right adhyaya (rows labelled 12-298-1 to 12-298-23; the colophon reads अष्टनवत्यधिकद्विशततमोऽध्यायः । 298). Its text is the critical edition's 12.281.1-23 (the CE numbers this adhyaya 281). The heading line printed above the verses and the footnotes after the colophon (पाठान्तर glosses) are not part of the text and are not added. No Appendix I passage and no star passage occurs here.

Verse 2 (12.298.2)

गौरवेण परित्यक्तं निःस्नेहं परिवर्जयेत् । सोदर्यं भ्रातरमपि किमुतान्यं पृथग्जनम् ॥

gauraveṇa parityaktaṃ niḥsnehaṃ parivarjayet | sodaryaṃ bhrātaramapi kimutānyaṃ pṛthagjanam

A man who has left you out of arrogance and has no affection should be shunned, even if he is a brother born of the same womb; how much more a stranger, one of the common sort.

Verse 3 (12.298.3)

विशिष्टस्य विशिष्टाच्च तुल्यौ दानप्रतिग्रहौ । तयोः पुण्यतरं दानं तद्द्विजस्य प्रयच्छतः ॥

viśiṣṭasya viśiṣṭācca tulyau dānapratigrahau | tayoḥ puṇyataraṃ dānaṃ taddvijasya prayacchataḥ

Giving and receiving are equal between a distinguished man and another distinguished man; but of the two, the giving is the more meritorious when a brahmin is the giver.

Verse 4 (12.298.4)

न्यायागतं धनं वर्णैर्न्यायेनैव विवर्धितम् । संरक्ष्यं यत्नमास्थाय धर्मार्थमिति निश्चयः ॥

nyāyāgataṃ dhanaṃ varṇairnyāyenaiva vivardhitam | saṃrakṣyaṃ yatnamāsthāya dharmārthamiti niścayaḥ

Wealth that has come by just means, among the classes, and has been increased by just means, is to be guarded with effort, for the sake of dharma. This is the settled view.

Verse 5 (12.298.5)

न धर्मार्थी नृशंसेन कर्मणा धनमार्जयेत् । शक्तितः सर्वकार्याणि कुर्यान्नर्द्धिमनुस्मरन् ॥

na dharmārthī nṛśaṃsena karmaṇā dhanamārjayet | śaktitaḥ sarvakāryāṇi kuryānnarddhimanusmaran

One who seeks dharma should not earn wealth by cruel means. He should do all his tasks as far as he is able, without dwelling on prosperity.

Verse 6 (12.298.6)

अपो हि प्रयताः शीतास्तापिता ज्वलनेन वा । शक्तितोऽतिथये दत्त्वा क्षुधार्तायाऽश्नुते फलम् ॥

apo hi prayatāḥ śītāstāpitā jvalanena vā | śaktito'tithaye dattvā kṣudhārtāyā'śnute phalam

Having given pure water, cold or warmed over a fire, according to his ability to a guest tormented by hunger, a man reaps the fruit.

Verse 7 (12.298.7)

रन्तिदेवेन लोकेष्टा सिद्धिः प्राप्ता महात्मना । फलपत्रैरथो मूलैर्मुनीनर्चितवांश्च सः ॥

rantidevena lokeṣṭā siddhiḥ prāptā mahātmanā | phalapatrairatho mūlairmunīnarcitavāṃśca saḥ

Rantideva, the great-souled, attained a perfection that the world desires; with fruits, leaves and roots he honoured the sages.

Note on the text: Corrected मुनीनचिंतवांश्च → मुनीनर्चितवांश्च (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped र् and a misplaced anusvara make a non-word; CE munīn arcitavān asau).

Verse 8 (12.298.8)

तैरेव फलपत्रैश्च स माठरमतोषयत् । तस्माल्लेभे परं स्थानं शैब्योऽपि पृथिवीपतिः ॥

taireva phalapatraiśca sa māṭharamatoṣayat | tasmāllebhe paraṃ sthānaṃ śaibyo'pi pṛthivīpatiḥ

With those same fruits and leaves he satisfied Mathara; and through that, King Shaibya too won the highest station.

Verse 9 (12.298.9)

देवतातिथिभृत्येभ्यः पितृभ्यश्चात्मनस्तथा । ऋणवाञ्जायते मर्त्यस्तस्मादनृणतां व्रजेत् ॥

devatātithibhṛtyebhyaḥ pitṛbhyaścātmanastathā | ṛṇavāñjāyate martyastasmādanṛṇatāṃ vrajet

A mortal is born in debt to the gods, guests, dependents, ancestors and himself; therefore he should become free of debt.

Verse 10 (12.298.10)

स्वाध्यायेन महर्षिभ्यो देवेभ्यो यज्ञकर्मणा । पितृभ्यः श्राद्धदानेन नृणामभ्यर्चनेन च ॥

svādhyāyena maharṣibhyo devebhyo yajñakarmaṇā | pitṛbhyaḥ śrāddhadānena nṛṇāmabhyarcanena ca

He is to repay these debts: to the great sages by study, to the gods by sacrificial rites, to the ancestors by shraddha offerings, and to men by hospitality.

Verse 11 (12.298.11)

पाकशेषावहार्येण पालनेनात्मनोऽपि च । यथावद्भृत्यवर्गस्य चिकीर्षेत्कर्म आदितः ॥

pākaśeṣāvahāryeṇa pālanenātmano'pi ca | yathāvadbhṛtyavargasya cikīrṣetkarma āditaḥ

By giving away what remains after the cooking, by looking after himself, and by duly maintaining his dependents, let him set himself to his duty from the beginning.

Note on the text: Corrected पाकशेपावहार्येण → पाकशेषावहार्येण (misprint in Wikisource; प for ष makes a non-word; the CE has the variant वाचः शेषावहार्येण, the page's footnote gives वाचा शेषावहार्येण, so शेष is evident). The rest of the line, including कर्म आदितः (CE धर्मम् आदितः), is kept as the Wikisource reading.

Verse 12 (12.298.12)

प्रयत्नेन च संसिद्धा धनैरपि विवर्जिताः । सम्यग्घृत्वा हुतवहं मुनयः सिद्धिमागताः ॥

prayatnena ca saṃsiddhā dhanairapi vivarjitāḥ | samyagghṛtvā hutavahaṃ munayaḥ siddhimāgatāḥ

Even without wealth, sages perfected by effort attained success by rightly offering oblations to the fire.

Verse 13 (12.298.13)

विश्वामित्रस्य पुत्रत्वमृचीकतनयोऽगमत् । ऋग्भिः स्तुत्वा महाबाहो देवान्वै यज्ञभागिनः ॥

viśvāmitrasya putratvamṛcīkatanayo'gamat | ṛgbhiḥ stutvā mahābāho devānvai yajñabhāginaḥ

The son of Richika became the son of Vishvamitra, O mighty-armed one, by praising with Rig verses the gods who share in the sacrifices.

Verse 14 (12.298.14)

गतः शुक्रत्वमुशना देवदेवप्रसादनात् । देवीं स्तुत्वा तु गगने मोदते तेजसा वृतः ॥

gataḥ śukratvamuśanā devadevaprasādanāt | devīṃ stutvā tu gagane modate tejasā vṛtaḥ

Ushanas attained the state of Shukra through the grace of the God of gods; having praised the Goddess, he rejoices in the sky, clothed in radiance.

Verse 15 (12.298.15)

असितो देवलश्चैव तथा नारदपर्वतौ । कक्षीवाञ्जामदग्न्यश्च रामस्ताण्ड्यस्तथाऽऽत्मवान् ॥

asito devalaścaiva tathā nāradaparvatau | kakṣīvāñjāmadagnyaśca rāmastāṇḍyastathā''tmavān

Asita, Devala, Narada and Parvata; Kakshivan, Rama the son of Jamadagni, and Tandya, self-possessed;

Verse 16 (12.298.16)

वसिष्ठो जमदग्निश्च विश्वामित्रोऽत्रिरेव च । भरद्वाजो हरिश्मश्रुः कुण्डधारः श्रुतश्रवाः ॥

vasiṣṭho jamadagniśca viśvāmitro'trireva ca | bharadvājo hariśmaśruḥ kuṇḍadhāraḥ śrutaśravāḥ

Vasishtha, Jamadagni, Vishvamitra and Atri, Bharadvaja, Harishmashru, Kundadhara and Shrutashrava:

Verse 17 (12.298.17)

एते महर्षयः स्तुत्वा विष्णुमृग्भिः समाहिताः । लेभिरे तपसा सिद्धिं प्रसादात्तस्य धीमतः ॥

ete maharṣayaḥ stutvā viṣṇumṛgbhiḥ samāhitāḥ | lebhire tapasā siddhiṃ prasādāttasya dhīmataḥ

these great sages, with concentrated minds, praised Vishnu with Rig verses and gained perfection through austerity, by the grace of that wise one.

Verse 18 (12.298.18)

अनर्हाश्चार्हतां प्राप्ताः सन्तः स्तुत्वा तमेव ह । न तु वृद्धिमिहान्विच्छेत्कर्म कृत्वा जुगुप्सितम् ॥

anarhāścārhatāṃ prāptāḥ santaḥ stutvā tameva ha | na tu vṛddhimihānvicchetkarma kṛtvā jugupsitam

Even those who were unworthy became worthy of honour by praising him alone. But one should not seek advancement here by committing a despicable deed.

Verse 19 (12.298.19)

येऽर्था धर्मेण ते सत्या येऽधर्मेण धिगस्तु तान् । धर्मं वै शाश्वतं लोके न जह्याद्धनकाङ्क्षया ॥

ye'rthā dharmeṇa te satyā ye'dharmeṇa dhigastu tān | dharmaṃ vai śāśvataṃ loke na jahyāddhanakāṅkṣayā

Wealth gained by dharma is real wealth; shame on what is gained by adharma. For the sake of wealth one should never abandon the eternal dharma in this world.

Verse 20 (12.298.20)

आहिताग्निर्हि धर्मात्मा यः स पुण्यकृदुत्तमः । वेदा हि सर्वे राजेन्द्र स्थितास्त्रिष्वग्निषु प्रभो ॥

āhitāgnirhi dharmātmā yaḥ sa puṇyakṛduttamaḥ | vedā hi sarve rājendra sthitāstriṣvagniṣu prabho

A man who has set up the sacred fires, devoted to dharma, is the best of the doers of merit; for all the Vedas, O chief of kings, O lord, reside in the three fires.

Verse 21 (12.298.21)

स चाप्यग्न्याहितो विप्रः क्रिया यस्य न हीयते । श्रेयो ह्यनाहिताग्नित्वमग्निहोत्रं न निष्क्रियम् ॥

sa cāpyagnyāhito vipraḥ kriyā yasya na hīyate | śreyo hyanāhitāgnitvamagnihotraṃ na niṣkriyam

And that brahmin who has set up the fires is worthy only if his rites never lapse; better not to have set up the fires than to keep an agnihotra without its rites.

Note on the text: Corrected च चाप्यग्न्याहितो → स चाप्यग्न्याहितो (misprint in Wikisource; a doubled च makes a non-word start; CE sa cāpy agnyāhito).

Verse 22 (12.298.22)

अग्निरात्मा च माता च पिता जनयिता तथा । गुरुश्च नरशार्दूल परिचर्या यथातथम् ॥

agnirātmā ca mātā ca pitā janayitā tathā | guruśca naraśārdūla paricaryā yathātatham

The fire, one's own self, the mother, the father, the begetter and the teacher: each is to be served in the proper way, O tiger among men.

Verse 23 (12.298.23)

मानं त्यक्त्वा यो नरो वृद्धसेवी । विद्वान्क्लीबः पश्यति प्रीतियोगात् । दाक्ष्येण हीनो धर्मयुक्तो न दान्तो । लोकेऽस्मिन्वै पूज्यते सद्भिरार्यः ॥

mānaṃ tyaktvā yo naro vṛddhasevī | vidvānklībaḥ paśyati prītiyogāt | dākṣyeṇa hīno dharmayukto na dānto | loke'sminvai pūjyate sadbhirāryaḥ

The man who sets aside pride and serves his elders; the learned man who, out of affection, looks on like one without power; one lacking in skill, yet devoted to dharma and unsubdued: such a noble man is honoured by the good in this world.

Note on the text: Four-line verse, as in the CE (12.281.23). The words दाक्ष्येण हीनो ... न दान्तो are Wikisource's; the CE has दाक्ष्येणाहीनो ... नदान्तो. The sense is uncertain and is rendered literally.