The Gift of Land and the Protection of Brahmin Property

Verse 1 (garuda.2.42.1)

श्रीविष्णुरुवाच । यथा धेनुसहस्रेषु वत्सो विन्दति मातरम् । तथा पूर्वकृतं कर्म कर्तारमनुगच्छति

śrīviṣṇuruvāca yathā dhenusahasreṣu vatso vindati mātaram tathā pūrvakṛtaṁ karma kartāramanugacchati

Shri Vishnu said: "As a calf finds its own mother among a thousand cows, so a deed done before follows its doer."

Verse 2 (garuda.2.42.2)

आदित्यो वरुणो विष्णुर्ब्रह्मा सोमो हुताशनः । शूलपाणिश्च भगवानभिनन्दति भूमिदम्

ādityo varuṇo viṣṇurbrahmā somo hutāśanaḥ śūlapāṇiśca bhagavānabhinandati bhūmidam

"Aditya, Varuna, Vishnu, Brahma, Soma, Agni, and the trident-bearing Lord all rejoice in the giver of land."

Verse 3 (garuda.2.42.3)

नास्ति भूमिसमं दानं नास्ति भूमिसमो निधिः । नास्ति सत्यसमो धर्मो नानृतात्पातकं परम्

nāsti bhūmisamaṁ dānaṁ nāsti bhūmisamo nidhiḥ nāsti satyasamo dharmo nānṛtātpātakaṁ param

"There is no gift equal to land, no treasure equal to land; there is no dharma equal to truth, and no sin greater than falsehood."

Verse 4 (garuda.2.42.4)

अग्नेरपत्यं प्रथमं सुवर्णं भूर्वैष्णवी सूर्यसुताश्च गावः । लोकत्रयं तेन भवेत्प्रदत्तं यः काञ्चनं गां च महीं च दद्यात्

agnerapatyaṁ prathamaṁ suvarṇaṁ bhūrvaiṣṇavī sūryasutāśca gāvaḥ lokatrayaṁ tena bhavetpradattaṁ yaḥ kāñcanaṁ gāṁ ca mahīṁ ca dadyāt

"Gold is the first offspring of fire, the earth is Vishnu's own form, and cows are the daughters of the sun — whoever gives gold, a cow, and land gives, as it were, the three worlds themselves."

Verse 5 (garuda.2.42.5)

त्रीण्याहुरतिदानानि गावः पृथ्वी सरस्वती । नरकादुद्धरन्त्येते जपपूजनहोमतः

trīṇyāhuratidānāni gāvaḥ pṛthvī sarasvatī narakāduddharantyete japapūjanahomataḥ

"Cows, the earth, and Sarasvati — these three are called the supreme gifts; through japa, worship, and homa they deliver one from hell."

Verse 6 (garuda.2.42.6)

कृत्वा बहूनि पापानि रौद्राणि विपुलानि च । अपि गोचर्ममात्रेण भूमिदानेन शुध्यति

kṛtvā bahūni pāpāni raudrāṇi vipulāni ca api gocarmamātreṇa bhūmidānena śudhyati

"Even after committing many terrible and extensive sins, a man is purified by the gift of land the mere size of a cow's hide."

Verse 7 (garuda.2.42.7)

हरन्तमपि लोभेन निरुध्यैनं निवारयेत् । स याति नरके घोरे यस्तं न परिरक्षति

harantamapi lobhena nirudhyainaṁ nivārayet sa yāti narake ghore yastaṁ na parirakṣati

"Even one who would seize it out of greed should be restrained and the land saved; whoever fails to protect it goes to dreadful hell."

Verse 8 (garuda.2.42.8)

अकर्तव्यं न कर्तव्यं प्राणैः कण्ठगतैरपि । कर्तव्यमेव कर्तव्यमिति धर्मविदो विदुः

akartavyaṁ na kartavyaṁ prāṇaiḥ kaṇṭhagatairapi kartavyameva kartavyamiti dharmavido viduḥ

"What should not be done should not be done, even with one's life-breath at the very throat; what should be done must indeed be done — so the knowers of dharma understand."

Verse 9 (garuda.2.42.9)

आकारप्रवर्तने पापं गोसहस्रवधैःसमम् । वृत्तिच्छेदे तथा वृत्तेः करणं लक्षधेनुकम्

ākārapravartane pāpaṁ gosahasravadhaiḥsamam vṛtticchede tathā vṛtteḥ karaṇaṁ lakṣadhenukam

"In setting an unlawful act in motion there is sin equal to the slaying of a thousand cows; and in cutting off a man's livelihood there is sin equal to the slaying of a hundred thousand cows."

Verse 10 (garuda.2.42.10)

वरमेकाप्यपहृता न तु दत्तं गवां शतम् । एकां हृत्वा शतं दत्त्वा न तेन समता भवेत्

varamekāpyapahṛtā na tu dattaṁ gavāṁ śatam ekāṁ hṛtvā śataṁ dattvā na tena samatā bhavet

"Better even that a single cow be stolen than that a hundred cows be given afterward in exchange; having taken one and given a hundred, no equivalence is thereby reached."

Verse 11 (garuda.2.42.11)

स्वयमेव तु यो दत्त्वा स्वयमेव प्रबाधते । स पापी नरकं याति यावदाभूतसंप्लवम्

svayameva tu yo dattvā svayameva prabādhate sa pāpī narakaṁ yāti yāvadābhūtasaṁplavam

"Whoever, having given a gift himself, himself obstructs it — that sinner goes to hell until the dissolution of the universe."

Verse 12 (garuda.2.42.12)

न चाश्वमेधेन तथा विधिवद्दक्षिणावता । अवृत्तिकर्शिते दीने ब्राह्मणे रक्षिते यथा

na cāśvamedhena tathā vidhivaddakṣiṇāvatā avṛttikarśite dīne brāhmaṇe rakṣite yathā

"Not even the horse-sacrifice, performed according to rule with abundant sacrificial fees, yields the merit gained by protecting a poor brahmin bereft of his livelihood."

Verse 13 (garuda.2.42.13)

न तद्भवति वेदेषु यज्ञे सुबहुदक्षिणे । यत्पुण्यं दुर्बले त्रस्ते ब्राह्मणे परिरक्षिते

na tadbhavati vedeṣu yajñe subahudakṣiṇe yatpuṇyaṁ durbale traste brāhmaṇe parirakṣite

"Not even from the Vedas, nor from a sacrifice of very abundant fees, comes the merit gained by protecting a weak, frightened brahmin."

Verse 14 (garuda.2.42.14)

ब्रह्मस्वैश्च सुपुष्टानि वाहनानि बलानि च । युद्धकाले विशीर्यन्ते सैकताः सेतवो यथा

brahmasvaiśca supuṣṭāni vāhanāni balāni ca yuddhakāle viśīryante saikatāḥ setavo yathā

"Even mounts and armies made strong through brahmin-property crumble in time of war like embankments of sand."

Verse 15 (garuda.2.42.15)

स्वदत्तां परदत्तां वा यो हरेच्च वसुन्धराम् । षष्टिवर्षसहस्राणि विष्ठायां जायते कृमिः

svadattāṁ paradattāṁ vā yo harecca vasundharām ṣaṣṭivarṣasahasrāṇi viṣṭhāyāṁ jāyate kṛmiḥ

"Whoever seizes land that was given by himself or given by another is reborn as a worm in excrement for sixty thousand years."

Verse 16 (garuda.2.42.16)

ब्रह्मस्वं प्रणयाद्भुक्तं दहत्यासप्तमं कुलम् । तदेव चौर्यरूपेण दहत्याचन्द्रतारकम्

brahmasvaṁ praṇayādbhuktaṁ dahatyāsaptamaṁ kulam tadeva cauryarūpeṇa dahatyācandratārakam

"Brahmin-property enjoyed even by favor burns the family down to the seventh generation; the same property enjoyed as outright theft burns the family for as long as the moon and stars endure."

Verse 17 (garuda.2.42.17)

लोहचूर्णाश्मचूर्णानि कदाचिज्जरयेत्पुमान् । ब्रह्मस्वन्त्रिषु लोकेषु कः पुमाञ्जरयिष्यति

lohacūrṇāśmacūrṇāni kadācijjarayetpumān brahmasvantriṣu lokeṣu kaḥ pumāñjarayiṣyati

"A man may sometimes even digest powdered iron or powdered stone, but who in all three worlds can ever digest brahmin-property?"

Verse 18 (garuda.2.42.18)

देवद्रव्यविनाशेन ब्रह्मस्वहरणेन च । कुलान्यकुलतां यान्ति ब्राह्मणातिक्रमेण च

devadravyavināśena brahmasvaharaṇena ca kulānyakulatāṁ yānti brāhmaṇātikrameṇa ca

"Through the destruction of divine property, the seizure of brahmin-property, and transgression against brahmins, families are reduced to no family at all."

Verse 19 (garuda.2.42.19)

ब्राह्मणाति क्रमो नास्ति विप्रे विद्याविवर्जिते । ज्वलन्तमग्निमुत्सृज्य न हि भस्मनि हूयते

brāhmaṇāti kramo nāsti vipre vidyāvivarjite jvalantamagnimutsṛjya na hi bhasmani hūyate

"There is no true transgression against a brahmin devoid of learning; after all, one does not abandon a blazing fire to pour an oblation into ashes."

Verse 20 (garuda.2.42.20)

संक्रान्तौ यानि दानानि हव्यकव्यानि यानि च । सप्तकल्पक्षयं यावद्ददात्यर्कः पुनः पुनः

saṁkrāntau yāni dānāni havyakavyāni yāni ca saptakalpakṣayaṁ yāvaddadātyarkaḥ punaḥ punaḥ

"Whatever gifts and offerings of havya and kavya are given at the time of a solar transit, the sun gives back again and again until the passing of seven kalpas."

Verse 21 (garuda.2.42.21)

प्रतिग्रहाध्यापनयाजनेषु प्रतिग्रहं स्वेष्टतमं वदन्ति । प्रतिग्रहाच्छ्रुध्यति जाप्यहोमं न याजनं कर्म पुनन्ति वेदाः

pratigrahādhyāpanayājaneṣu pratigrahaṁ sveṣṭatamaṁ vadanti pratigrahācchrudhyati jāpyahomaṁ na yājanaṁ karma punanti vedāḥ

"Among receiving gifts, teaching, and officiating at sacrifice, receiving gifts is said to be the most desirable of one's own duties; the Vedas purify wealth received through gift by japa and homa, not through the act of officiating."

Verse 22 (garuda.2.42.22)

सदा जापी सदा होमी परपाकविवर्जितः । रत्नपूर्णामपि महीं प्रतिगृह्णन्न लिप्यते

sadā jāpī sadā homī parapākavivarjitaḥ ratnapūrṇāmapi mahīṁ pratigṛhṇanna lipyate

"One who is ever devoted to japa, ever devoted to homa, and keeps away from food cooked by others, is not tainted even if he accepts the whole earth filled with jewels."