Manava Dharmashastra 4.247

4.247

edha indhanaṃ kāṣṭhādi | annaṃ pakvamāmaṃ vā | abhyudyatamabhimukhamupanītam | etatsarvataḥ pratigrahītavyam | patitābhiśastacaṇḍālādipratilomavarjaṃ śūdrādanyasmādvā īṣatpāpakarmaṇaḥ | madhu mākṣikam | abhayaṃ dakṣiṇeva | dṛṣṭāntārthametat | pratigraho hi parakīyasya dravyasya tadicchayā svīkāro na cānnarupātā | na hyatra kasyacitsvāmyaṃ nivartate na ca kasyacidupajāyate | ataḥ stutyā icchiśābdaprayogaḥ | yathā caṇḍālādibhyo'pyarakhye kāntāre vā rakṣā caurādibhyo'ṅgīkriyamāṇā na doṣāyaivametadedhādi gṛhyamāṇaṃ na doṣāya | anāpadi cāyaṃ vidhiḥ | āpadi tu caṇḍālādibhyo'pi vakṣyati | abhyudyataśabdaścānnenaiva saha sambadhyate pratyāsattyā, naidhādibhiḥ | ata edhādiṣu yācñā'viruddhā | "dhārmikebhyo dvijātibhyaḥ kartavyastu parigrahaḥ" ityadhārmikebhyo dvijebhyaḥ śūdrāccāprāptaḥ | iṣyate ca dravyaviśepopayācyā | tadarthamidam |

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘Fuel’—the wood, etc, to burn.

‘Food’—either cooked or raw.

‘Offered’—presented before him.

All this may be accepted from all persons;—i.e., even from Śūdras, or persons who may have committed minor sins; only avoiding the outcast, the accused, the Cāṇḍāla and other low castes mixed in the reverse order.’

‘Madhu’—Honey.

‘Gift of fearlessness.’—Fearlessness is the form of a gift. This is mentioned by way of illustration. In fact, the ‘acceptance of a gift’ consists in accepting something which another person voluntarily offers; and the ‘possession of fearlessness’ is not of this kind; as, in this case, no one’s ownership ceases, nor is any one’s ownership produced (as there is in all cases of giving and gifts). It is for this reason that the term, ‘gift,’ has been used in this connection, only by way of eulogising the said promise. The meaning is that—‘just as, when one is passing through a forest or jungle, there is no harm in acceptiong (accepting?) the protection offered even by Cāṇḍālas, robbers, and such other persons, so also there is nothing objectionable in the accepting of fuel and the other things mentioned here.’

The rule here laid down applies to normal times; it is going to be declared later on that in abnormal times of distress, one may accept gifts even from Caṇḍālas and others.

The term, ‘offered,’ is, through proximity, to be construed with ‘food’ only, not with ‘fuel’ and the rest. Hence, in connection with these latter, even begging is not objectionable.

The general rule being—‘gifts should be accepted only from righteous twice-born persons,’ no one would think of accepting them from either unrighteous twice-born persons, or from Śūdras. Hut, in the case of certain things (fuel, etc.), begging is considered desirable. Hence the present text—(247)